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First Cruise: Diamond Princess - 4 Days Malaysia (Penang, Langkawi, Port Klang)

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  • #16
    The International Dining Room we were assigned to was close to the stern of the ship, quite far from our cabin which was closer to the bow. While it was possible to navigate within the ship from the dining room to the cabin, we discovered that there was a very quick route from one end of the ship to the other, using the Promenade deck running the entire length of the cruise ship on either side, and connected in a U shape in the stern.

    To get from one end of the ship to the other, simply step out the door on the Promenade deck, walk briskly to where you need to go, then re-enter the ship through the nearest door to the section you wanted to go to. This also doubles as an onboard walking/jogging route.



    The views, and sea breeze on this deck were great during the day, but at night, walking outside was an experience as well, with a stiff, warm tropical breeze, the salt sea air blowing in, and the sheer blackness of the sky, as well as the views of the sea going by...
    Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2017, 04:31 PM.

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    • #17
      One of the activities on the cruise was a wine tasting, which took place at 11am on the 2nd day of the cruise.



      This was pitched at a very basic level, for a non oenophile audience, but was enjoyable all the same...



      A good wine intro for newbies...



      ...and not a bad excuse to have a few drinks early in the day...

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      • #18
        With warm, sunny skies and cool evenings, pool activity was bound to be a highlight of the cruise, and so it was...

        The Diamond Princess has a very nice selection of different pools, jacuzzi's and sunbathing decks to indulge in...



        Most were open to all, but some areas, notable the pools in the bow and stern, were meant to be more quiet and relaxing spaces, for adults only...



        The large outdoor pool in the centre of the ship was always a lively hub of activity, with movies and televised concert recordings playing on the large screen above the pool.





        Live bands were a regular feature...



        The indoor pool was also a popular spot.



        What was nice about the pools was the shallow areas suitable for toddlers alongside the deeper sections.
        Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2017, 09:05 PM.

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        • #19
          Apart from lounges inside the ship, several poolside bars kept guests well lubricated...



          Unless you signed up for one of the beverage plans (there were plans for wine/liquor/cocktails as well as soft beverages), these beverages were on a chargeable basis, but prices were not unreasonable. The alcoholic beverage plans didn't appear to be worthwhile unless you had 5-6 drinks a day -- way over what Mrs yflyer and I would consume, so we purchased drinks individually.

          Some of the cocktails available...







          We did sign the kids up for free-flow soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages for a very reasonable price, and this included mocktails, which were a real hit with both Miss yflyer no.1 and no.2...



          A mojito for me, next to a non-alcohlic No-jito for Miss yflyer no.1...I am pretty sure I didn't hand her the wrong one...



          Another mocktail, a Key West cooler, which was Miss yflyer no.1's favourite...



          There was also complimentary ice cream...



          Milkshakes were included in the soft beverage plan...

          Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2017, 09:07 PM.

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          • #20
            In terms of activities, our ship didn't have a rock-climbing wall like the Royal Caribbean vessel berthed next to us in Singapore, and neither did it have the latest bells and whistles like the iFly sky diving simulator or "North Star" extendible viewing capsule that are featured on the massive Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas. If you are into that kind of thing, then maybe one of those vessels should be on your shortlist. We weren't into those activities, so they were not a showstopper for us, but I suspect our kids would have enjoyed at least a rock climbing wall onboard.

            The recreational facilities on the Diamond Princess harked back to more traditional cruise activities, like deck shuffleboard...



            ...or mini-golf...



            There was an enclosed basketball half court on the top deck of the ship...



            Did our kids enjoy the onboard cruise activities and facilities? Very much...they enjoyed the swimming pools, and they really enjoyed the kids' and teen activities onboard.

            There were kids activity clubs and lounges for different age groups. All these had staff facilitators and activity leaders to run various activities. Our girls signed up for "Remix" - the Teen Lounge for 13-17 year olds.

            Miss yflyer No.1 burst out laughing when she heard that Miss yflyer No.2, who had just turned 13 that year, just made the cut-off for the Teen Lounge...otherwise she would have had to spend the cruise with the 3-12 year old "Princess Pelicans".

            Our girls had an amazingly good time hanging out with the other teens in the Teen Lounge...by the end of the cruise, many new friendships were made. And this being a safe environment onboard the cruise ship, they were free to attend Teen Lounge activities and roam the ship on their own. Our girls stayed out each night much later than Mrs yflyer and I did...we parents were the early birds. Our kids would come back to the cabin late at night after hanging out with the other kids in the Teen Lounge...this got two thumbs up, and an A+, from both our girls.
            Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2017, 09:08 PM.

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            • #21
              There was a well stocked souvenir shop onboard, although the opening hours were quite limited...



              The Leica store was likewise only open at specific times on the trip.



              There were other stores too, selling cosmetics, clothing and jewellery as well as an art gallery.

              Onboard photographers roamed the ship taking photos of guests, which were then put on display for purchase. A professional portrait photographer was also available for individual or group/family portraits.

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              • #22
                Some of the onboard lounges and bars...





                Very accomplished performing artistes..



                And a large theatre and performing troupe which performed various themed dance and musical concerts to a packed audience each evening.



                I was very impressed by the standard of the musical productions onboard the cruise, which featured top notch singers and dancers.



                There was also a casino onboard, although I don't know how busy it was during the cruise itself as I did not head in during operating hours...





                The entrance to the Skywalker Night Club...



                Dancing lessons in the Explorer Lounge...

                Last edited by yflyer; 2 January 2017, 10:19 AM.

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                • #23
                  Wellness was a big focus onboard the ship.

                  There was a spa offering a full menu of spa, beauty and massage services.

                  Treatments were not cheap, typically USD100 per treatment or thereabouts, but on our cruise package, the ladies (in otherwords everyone in our party but me...) were given USD100 spa credit, which Mrs yflyer and Miss yflyer No.1 both used to indulge in various spa treatments...



                  There was a large gym, with wraparound windows in a very scenic location close to the ship's bridge...and various gym activities, which Mrs yflyer, Miss yflyer No.1 and I also checked out.



                  Miss yflyer No.1 signed up for TRX training -- I gather that this is a kind of gym training involves straps and ropes which suspend you in mid-air. The instructor was a blond Eastern European lady who looked like a video game fitness trainer avatar come-to-life, with a toned and fit physique that looked picture perfect. She had a cheerful, motherly personality that Miss yflyer No.1 immediately warmed to, and did a course of 3 TRX sessions with...

                  Mrs yflyer also tried out the Japanese style hot baths, probably a feature unique to the Diamond Princess, which also included access a private outdoor pool in the stern of the vessel.
                  Last edited by yflyer; 2 January 2017, 10:18 AM.

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                  • #24
                    Apart from formal sit-down dining, the Horizon buffet restaurant was also open for breakfast, lunch and dinner for any guests who wanted to dine in an informal setting.



                    The buffet spread was quite impressive...



                    Cold starters...



                    A choice of an Asian and a Western soup...



                    Sandwiches...



                    Seafood...



                    A daily roast...



                    Hot mains...such as char siew roasted chicken...



                    Steak and fries...



                    A vegetable rice dish...



                    Baked fish...



                    A selection of Asian curries and vegetarian dishes were also available...

                    Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2017, 09:13 PM.

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                    • #25
                      Glass noodles...



                      Noodle station...



                      A pretty good cheese selection...



                      Fresh fruit...



                      Christmas-themed dessert counter...



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                      • #26
                        In the early afternoon on the 2nd day, we approached the Penang coastline...





                        On the Diamond Princess, there is a deck right above the Bridge accessible to guests, which provides a great view of the surroundings when approaching or leaving the dock...





                        A look down at the bow of the ship...



                        That deck right in front of the bow is the crew recreation / crew pool area.



                        A great view of Penang from our cabin as the ship docked...





                        Docked at Swettenham Pier in Penang Island...

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                        • #27
                          Disembarkation was quick...no passport checks or immigration processing required. All passports are held by the cruise staff for safekeeping throughout the trip. You are allowed to disembark and visit shore based on just your cruise ID card...



                          At each stop, there is this sign they put next to the ship telling you what the next destination is, and what time you need to be back on the ship...



                          It was now after 3pm. We would have the afternoon to explore Penang, and in NS parlance, we would need to "book in" by 2330 hrs...

                          Just a short walk from the pier to the streets of Penang...





                          The Swettenham pier is in a great location...just minutes away by taxi from many attractions in Penang, and even walkable on foot to many attractions.



                          Mrs yflyer and I decided to head out and explore Penang on foot.

                          Penang is a charming city...it has a lively cultural and food scene, and some of the colonial architecture would really remind you of parts of old Singapore.

                          The shop houses and five foot ways of this row of shophouses would not be out of place in Joo Chiat or Chinatown in Singapore, for example.





                          Mrs yflyer gave me an address...

                          "This is where we need to go..."

                          I typed this into Google Maps and began navigating the busy streets of Penang...



                          ...where old mingled with new, and where tradition and progress seemed to mix and match in ways you didn't often see so much in Singapore these days...



                          The latest attraction at Komtar, Penang's tallest building, is the Rainbow Skywalk: a glass platform stretching over the edge of the top of Komtar. This would open later in December, but when we were there, this was still closed to thrillseekers and those hoping to take a unique selfie standing on a glass platform high above Penang...

                          Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2017, 09:16 PM.

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                          • #28
                            Where were we headed? Right here, to Kafe Joo Hooi, next to Lebuh Keng Kwee...



                            There are several things worth queuing for here: among them ice chendol dessert, as well as piping hot Penang style char kway teow, fried fresh in a hot wok while you waited...

                            This was the chendol queue...a long but fast moving queue where icy cold cups and bowls of chendol dessert were flying off the counter as fast as the team of young servers could make them...



                            The char kway teow queue was a little shorter but did not appear to be moving too quickly...

                            ...Hmmm...some strategy was needed here. Do we split up and join one queue each, or do them one at a time, and if so which queue?

                            We decided to join the char kway teow queue, where the lady chef in a crimson visor and white face mask was frying up each plate of noodles to order...



                            This was a great decision because soon after we joined the queue, the stall assistant came out to assess the queue, count out how many portions of char kway teow ingredients they had left, then told the person behind Mrs yflyer that he was the last in the queue, and that there was none left for anyone else behind him...what a close shave!

                            After a short wait, we placed our order and soon after had our plates of steaming hot kway teow in hand, and headed into the coffee shop to eat...



                            The kway teow was marvellous...



                            Why is it so difficult, no impossible, to find char kway teow like this in Singapore? If there is any foreign talent we desperately need in Singapore, it is folks like this lady!

                            On the other hand, Penang Char Kway Teow is so competitive, I suspect the standard of this dish in Penang is very high wherever you go...

                            In fact, there was another street vendor just down the road, whose wok was an inferno of heat out of which plates of delicious kway teow emerged...and his calling card was that he fried left handed...



                            It seems that Penang Char Kway Teow is so competitive that each hawker has to find his or her own branding and differentiation, and it is not just about location...that gentleman was the "left handed" one...another seller is the "Googgle Man" (sic)...



                            What a lively and characterful food scene.

                            Then it was on to the chendol queue...



                            "May I take a picture of your tray?" I asked a gentleman, who looked very pleased to be carrying this tray of chendol to his table inside the coffee shop...



                            This was a very fast moving queue, and we soon had our own bowls of chendol ...



                            A perfect dessert to wash down the kway teow...
                            Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2017, 06:20 PM.

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                            • #29
                              Penang has become quite well known for street art...

                              Mrs yflyer was quite keen to see some of the more iconic works here, and we continued our walk to Lebuh Armenian, where some of the more famous works of street art are located...



                              The most famous work is probably "Little Children on a Bicycle" by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, who also did many of the other iconic works featured...



                              Other notable works include "Boy on a Bike" and "Little Boy with Pet Dinosaur"...



                              Apart from admiring these beautiful works, it seems a popular thing for visitors is also to place themselves into the scene...for the most part, folks took turns to sit on the bike or otherwise join in the action, and have their picture taken...





                              Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2017, 09:19 PM.

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                              • #30
                                After escorting Mrs yflyer back to the cruise terminal, I headed out to the city for a brief run...



                                ...past Fort Cornwallis...



                                ...and along Lebuh Farquhar, passing the Eastern & Oriental Hotel.



                                The part of Penang around the cruise terminal wasn't very jogger friendly...apart from the short stretch by the coastline and the park, I was mainly jogging along a very narrow pavement next to rush hour traffic.

                                That said, there were parts of the city where there were dedicated cycling tracks too. Those stretches were few and far between, and the cycle track seemed to have been painted over the pedestrian walkway, which seemed to restrict space for pedestrians and joggers.



                                From Lebuh Farquhar along the coastline, I turned inland towards Komtar...



                                ...before heading southwest to Pengkalan Weld and jogging up the narrow streets, sharing the space with motorcycles, back to the pier and doing another loop around Fort Cornwallis to add another kilometer to my total distance...



                                A fairly short 7km run that day...but it isn't that easy to head for a run immediately after consuming a plate of char kway teow and then a bowl of ice chendol!

                                To be continued...

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