The island city of Singapore, while being one of the world’s economic hubs, is also a leading tourist destination. Whether it’s the museums, gardens, theme parks, local cuisine or shopping, the city offers a truly multicultural experience.

Indian travellers find Singapore a great holiday destination. Whether you are travelling with family, on your honeymoon or seeking adventure, Singapore offers something for everyone. The city has many highlights that should not be missed, especially when you are travelling with your family such as Sentosa Island, Universal Studios, the Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park, Marina Bay Sands, Orchard Road, Singapore Eye, Little India and Chinatown.

Singapore is fast emerging as a leading cruise hub in Asia and now has two cruise ports – the Singapore Cruise Centre and the new Marina Bay Cruise Centre. These ports offer state of the art facilities for the ships and passenger amenities and can handle cruise ships of all sizes. Multiple cruiseliners like Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises & Star Cruises now offer regular sailings from Singapore to destinations in the Far East like Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and China.

Singapore has become the number one destination for Indians to take a cruise holiday. The city is the perfect destination for a pre or post cruise holiday for 3 to 5 nights and combined with a cruise of similar duration, it becomes an ideal holiday choice. It also helps that Singapore is easily accessible with direct flights from multiple cities in India and the fares are generally reasonably priced.

The largest cruise line operating out of Singapore is Star Cruises (a part of Genting Hong Kong). Founded in 1993, it is the leading cruise liner in the Asia-Pacific region, and the third-largest worldwide. They are known for the ‘Freestyle Cruising’ concept that they adopted when they acquired Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL). The Star Cruises fleet includes five incredible ships - Star Pisces, SuperStar Virgo, SuperStar Libra, SuperStar Aquarius and SuperStar Gemini sail to multiple destinations in Southeast Asia – Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

SuperStar Gemini offers year round cruise packages that start from Singapore and sails to multiple ports in Malaysia & Thailand. The ship offers cruise packages to Malacca, Pulau Redang, Pulau Tioman, Langkawi, Penang and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Phuket in Thailand. Super Star Gemini accommodates over 1,500 passengers in 700 cabins - depending on their preferences and budget, passengers can choose from the Executive Suites, the Oceanview Staterooms, or the more affordable Inside Staterooms.

With an exceptional crew to passenger ratio of 1:2, Super Star Gemini offers personalized service with Asian hospitality. There is a plethora of recreation and dining options aboard the ship. Passengers have a wide variety of recreation options to choose from, including multiple swimming pools, jacuzzi, jogging track, sundeck, gym, spa, and games room. It also has magnificent entertainment options include a star gazing lounge.

With a diverse range of cuisines – ranging from International to Asian to Indian, the Super Star Gemini (in fact all the ships in the Star Cruises fleet) are a food-lover’s delight. Travellers can indulge in as many as 11 different dining venues and bars, some of them included in the all-inclusive package. Star Cruises in general have very good food options for Indian travellers (e.g. vegetarian or Jain options), something which most other major cruise liners do not provide.

This season, travellers wishing to cruise on the SuperStar Gemini have a number of packages and itineraries to choose from:

2 night packages (Prices starting at INR 15,700 pp)

• The High Seas Cruise departs on Fridays and takes you on a cruise to the high seas where you can enjoy all the recreation facilities on-board.
• The 2 night cruise to Malacca sets sail on Wednesday and halts at Malacca (Malaysia)
• The 2 nights cruise to Port Klang offers excursions to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

3 night packages (Prices starting at INR 24,700 pp)

• The 3 nights Penang-Langkawi cruise starts on Sundays, with stops at Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia, before ending at Singapore.
• The 3 nights Penang – Port Klang Cruise also starts on Sundays, with stops at Penang and Kuala Lumpur.
• The Pulau Tioman – Redang Cruise departs on Sundays and covers the ports of Pulau Tioman and Redang over 3 nights before returning to Singapore.

5 night packages (Prices starting at INR 38,400 pp)

• The Penang – Langkawi – Port Klang Cruise is an extension of the 3 night Penang-Langkawi Cruise, where it continues to Port Klang, Malaysia on the fourth night and then returns to Singapore.
• The Pulau Tioman – Redang – Port Klang Cruise (5 nights) starts on Sundays. The cruise covers the ports of Pulau Tioman and Redang Island before returning to Singapore after 3 nights. From here, it continues to Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur before its final stop at Singapore.

All cruises on the SuperStar Gemini start and end at Singapore. For those who wish to experience and know more about the local history, culture and cuisine, these packages allow ample time for shore excursions to Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Malacca, Penang, Redang and Tioman.

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Author The author tracks and covers holiday packages and popular tourist places. He has recently forayed into coverage of cruise packages and alternative holiday destinations. In this particular article, he provides his views on the Star Cruises Singapore.