Chinese Lion Dance Performance

Check out the above Chinese lion dance performance we saw during our recent Malaysia vacation to Cherating during the Spring Festival where the Chinese wish each other 'gong xi fa cai' i.e. blessings and prosperity. The Chinese lion dance is part of the Chinese New Year traditions and heralds in good luck and prosperity.




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CNY Cruise To Nowhere Day 3

SuperStar Virgo Spring Festival Cruise To Nowhere

As the saying goes, time always flies when you are enjoying yourself. Today is already the third day on board the holiday cruise ship SuperStar Virgo on a Cruise To Nowhere and after breakfast, we would be expecting to arrive in Singapore at approximately 1100 hrs. It had been fun aboard this casino cruise where someone was lucky enough to hit the jackpot yesterday.

We went to Bella Vista once again to enjoy the breakfast there. As usual, we sat at the Western section and could choose either Western or Asian breakfast. The Western Special was Classic French Toast with Maple Syrup and the Asian Special Fried Spicy Noodles with Chicken Meat.

Healthy breakfast

Eggs galore

French Toast with Maple Syrup

Fried Spicy Noodles with Chicken Meat

You could also help yourself to the Continental Breakfast Buffet comprising items from the bakery including croissants, Danish pastry, bread and muffins, selection of cereals with milk and yoghurt as well as fruits, cheese and cold cuts.

Breakfast time

Chinese New Year decorations - symbolic lions

More Chinese New Year decorations in Bella Vista

Check out this dragon

Close up of the dragon's head

Coming into the Singapore harbour

A new casino game

After the heavy breakfast, we decided to head to Noble House Restaurant to await disembarkation. This venue is especially for Platinum Card Holders. Rather than contacting Reception Counter for help with Mother’s wheelchair, or even waiting at the wheelchair disembarkation area, we decided to get Mother to walk a little as we had experienced the last few times where wheelchair passengers were the last to be allowed to disembark. That caused part of our group members who had already disembarked to wait almost an hour for Mother in the wheelchair.

Noble House Restaurant

Chinese New Year decorations

Celebrating Spring Festival

Doing so this way as in getting Mother to walk a short distance, we managed to clear customs and immigration before 1100hrs. That was very good timing indeed!

SuperStar Virgo where you get to enjoy first class dining and entertainment


Spring Festival special artistes

This Chinese New Year Cruise To Nowhere was a fun weekend for our family members where we could enjoy the various Chinese New Year decorations as well as celebrate the Spring Festival on board the holiday cruise ship SuperStar Virgo. At the same time, those members who wanted their fun time in the casino managed to do so on board this casino cruise as well.



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Cruise To Nowhere 26th – 28th Feb 2010

SuperStar Virgo

Friday 26th February saw us going on bard the holiday cruise ship SuperStar Virgo for a cruise to nowhere again. With the Lunar New Year dinner especially for invited VIP88 members on the day of embarkation, this was a special Chinese New Year cruise. Although the first day of the Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year fell on 14th February this year, the celebration lasts for 15 days, which is till this Sunday, 28th February. Thus you could spot the gaiety of this casino cruise ship with its Chinese New Year decorations.

Harbour Front Cruise Centre

The meeting point was at Harbour Front Cruise Centre at 1800 hrs. Being a full cruise with more than 2000 passengers, the check-in took quite some time. By the time we cleared through customs and immigration, boarded our holiday cruise ship, it was almost1830 hrs.

Harbour Front

Cruise Centre

Cruising in a wheelchair

We passed by the Reception on Deck 7 and had the welcome drink as well as admired the Chinese New Year decorations of proud dragons and majestic lion adorning the grand staircase.

The Chinese New Year decorations at the Grand Piazza

Posing with the Chinese Lion

More Chinese New Year decorations

Note the Chinese lantern

Since the Lunar New Year celebration dinner for VIP 88 members would only commence at 2000 hrs, we proceeded direct to Blue Lagoon, an Asian Bistro a-la-carte restaurant to have a bite as some members amongst our group of eight were starting to get hunger pangs. Ordering Mother’s favourite fish noodles as well as fried chicken wings and satay (meat on skewers) to be shared amongst the rest of us, we took our time and enjoyed the ‘snack’.

Yummy chicken wings

Satay

Proceeding to Bella Vista at 1920 hrs, we managed to get a table not too far from the stage. It was a lavish 8-course meal with Yu Sheng (raw fish salad) LoHei (tossing) to start.

Bella Vista Restaurant

Bella Vista closed for the Lunar New Year celebration dinner

More wheelchair passengers

Chinese lions as decoration - the type used in Chinese lion dance

Another view of the lions

Chinese dragon

Proceeding to Bella Vista at 1920 hrs, we managed to get a table not too far from the stage. It was a lavish 8-course meal with Yu Sheng (raw fish salad) LoHei (tossing) to start.

Eagerly awaiting dinner

The friendly lion mascot

As with any Chinese New Year traditions, there was the Chinese lion dance to usher in blessings and prosperity especially for the Star Cruise VIP88 members who regularly frequent the casino.

The Chinese lion dance performed by Star Cruise staff

The 2 lions on stage with comediennes Mark Lee and Michelle Tay

The big head doll accompanying the Chinese lion dance

The 8-course menu for the Star VIP 88 Lunar New Year Celebration Dinner was as follows:-

Fatt Choy Salmon YuSheng

Shark’s Fin Soup with Crab Roe and Meat

Braised Sliced Abalone with Sea Moss, Golden Oyster and Green Vegetables

Crisp Fried East Star Garoupa “Hong Kong” Style

Pork Ribs “Imperial Style”

Poached Garden Greens with Preserved Meats

Stewed Ee Fu Noodle in XO Sauce with Pan-fried King Prawn in Mongolian Sauce

Chilled Avocado Cream with Strawberry

Placing the raw fish into the dish of yu sheng (raw fish salad), symbol of prosperity and abundance

Tossing of Yu Sheng It is believed that the higher the toss, the greater the fortune

Mediacorp artistes Mark Lee and Michelle Tay entertained us. Pan Xiu Qiong (veteran singer) and Wen Zhang put in special guest appearances as well. The highlight of the evening, I thought, was the acrobatic duo with super strength and concentration. Pity I did not manage to get good pictures of them at their best!

The acrobatic duo

Powerful!

Mark Lee

Pan Xiu Qiong

Mark Lee & Michelle Tay reading out the names of the lucky draw winners

Wen Zhang

Door gift for each diner

Chocolates

Red packet with toto ticket - a legalized form of lottery sold in Singapore

Dinner was good and we thoroughly enjoyed the Chinese New Year dinner specially prepared for all the Star Cruise VIP 88 members. The ambience was great and the entertainment was awesome. It was a great Spring Festival celebration indeed by Star Cruise.

By the time the Chinese New Year celebration was over, it was already 2230 hrs. As Mother was tired and it was already beyond her bedtime, we settled her into bed before going to the casino and trying our luck at the SGD 2 (USD 1.5) cents jackpot.

Since we had an extremely filling dinner, we did not go for supper and retired for the night soon after.

The Spring Festival or Lunar New Year is celebrated once a year and as such, is a grand affair. Star Cruise line, SuperStar Virgo, being a casino ship, did its best to woo its VIP 88 casino members on this Cruise to Nowhere. I must admit that they were pretty good and the Chinese lion dance performance as well as the special guest artistes were entertaining.



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