Got English can travel !

Ashore.........Gangway...........Midship.----- any takers?

              

                 Being someone new in cruising, everything was full of excitement. You met people from all over the world and thanks to our goverment for making us learn how to speak and write in English! Without this language, you will get lost and feel unwanted and that will ruin your vacation. You really need this language to communicate with everybody, may it be the guests or the crew!

         There were about two thousand guests and were taken care of by 920 crew representing over 58 Nationalities. Every 15 staterooms will be taken care of by a steward who will introduced themselves to the guests and will try their very best to fulfill your needs in whatever way they can. In our case, our steward was Rhoderick and he is a Filipino.  A very jovial young man and very helpful too.  Every night, the steward will cheer us with towel foldings .... there will be bats, elephant, mouse, swans, monkey, lobster and so many more. He felt so happy when we appreciate his work of art! Rooms were cleaned twice daily. Fresh towels were changed daily...... what a life we had!

Rhoderick

                

                  

Rhodericks towel foldings.....very creative!

                  Some of the crew we met came from Asia. They can be easily identified by their National flags printed on their name tag. Those who came from Indonesia, somehow rather tried their very best to speak our Malay language which 5 Asian countries shared.... Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and Southern Thailand! The crew will only work for 9 months a year. After that they will go back to their family or home country and will be called back for the next voyage of the same or different route. Why was there no Malaysians in the crew? Do they not know or simply love the comfort zone in our country and under the armpits of their parents? hahahahhahha...

A crew from Indonesia.

Mr Edgar , the supervisor at the Japanese Restaurant

                           All of the crew whom we met were so friendly, lively and always smiling. All of them speak English. Helpful? Of cause! As Muslim, we have to take precautions especially when food is concern. We were very lucky when our needs were listened. The supervisor of The Windows,  Mr Abercio Matute from Hondurus, knew of our concerned and quickly took charge. We were made to write our recipes and create a menu for every dinner. Eventhough, the real taste of our kind of food is not totally there but the thought counts..... Then as many nights passed by, the chef managed to cook almost perfect meals for us! Yummeyh! And again, in order to get things done like this, language is the weapon!

Mr Abercio Matute.

Specially prepared  food for the 10 of us.......

                 Language is the most important tools of communication. English is the world language. All of the tour guides including the French, in our excursions speaks English. I managed to write in point forms of the facts and stories told by them so I can write in my blog. See how important language is! Make sure our children and grandchildren take this seriously. Learn or left out!

                I have the habit of reading whenever I go for vacations. In this trip I read the latest Dan Brown novel, "Inferno" which I bought at KLIA just before we left for Amsterdam. On the last trip to Buenos Aires/Cape Town, I finished "Long Road to Freedom" The Autobiography of Nelson Mendela. I love reading novels by Sydney Sheldon, Prahmoedya Ananta Toer, light novels from Danielle Steel and few others. Reading broaden up your knowledge and open up ones mind. Because of this gift, I would like to say Thank You Malaysia for the second language!

Our new friends from Canada....

Crews entertaining us with cold towels and cold drinks.

Lining up to hop on the transfer to the ship.

My traveling companions...Malaysia Boleh!!!!

Next,  see you in TOULON (France),  our first port of call!

Just another job......

My family

It started when I was still teaching...... last 20 years or so. Both my children, the apples of my eyes, my life and my strength went to the same school where I was teaching.  Can you imagine how my little ones will be behaving like those days? My son, Azman for instance, regarded the school as his because mum is there..... untouchable and ordering food and drinks for him and his friends as he wished at the school tuck shop. He will ask the operator to bill under me! I only knew this on the day I settled my bills.... Just imagine my eyes would look like when I saw the amount.... Oh My God!!!!!  My daughter Hana was he most active in sports. She has her own ways of getting things done. She is such a sport eventhough very timid. Hana is now a mother of two sons and still very actively involve in sports. She participated in marathon as far as Singapore.  How beautiful she has grown! Life have been treating her well. Alhamdulillah! 

Everyday we will go to school together, went shopping together and even got lost together...hahhahahhaha..... those were the days.  In other words, both my children are always with me...... and until today, we are still the same three stoogers whenever we were together! That is why my children and I are like friends. We can talk freely and openly on any topics but there is always a mum's say at the end of everything. Mother is Supeme!  I love this job......... hahhahhahha.

Since my children were in their primary school and my husband was always busy, part of my job beside everything was taking my son to the mosque every Friday to perform Solat Jumaat. His first taste was when he was seven years old and he is 27 now. How he has grown into a very fine, tall, lean and handsome young man! Believe it or not, I and still doing the sending, the waiting and the fetching on every Fridays. Only difference is that not only my son but my fully retired husband as well........ and me.... the same old me! But I am loving it....

Masjid Tengku Ampuan Jemaah, Bukit Jelutong

My passenger

Today is Friday the 5th of July 2013 and I am still doing the same old job. My son is not around so I  have only one passenger..... my husband. I drove him to a new mosque in Shah Alam,  Masjid Tengku Ampuan Jemaah at Bukit Jelutong. Our Ustaz..... Haji Muhammad Farhan bin Wijaya who teaches us Talaqi AlQuran weekly at my home had just been promoted as the Head of Imam and Administrator to this RM25 million mosque. As for right now, I am listening to his reading of the Khutbah (sermon). 

Our Ustaz

My roomate and I

The Imam reminded everybody about the coming of the most waited month Ramadhan Al Mubarak.  He mentioned what we should do in order to upgrade and perfected our ibadah throughout this blessed month.  We should recite the Quran, visiting your parents (visit their graves if you have lost them), make more Sadakah, make more Wakaf, ask forgiveness for all our wrong doings towards others and many more.  We must make loads and loads of good deeds whenever we have the opportunity.  The best is to do things with your family. Everybody should take part. A practice for the young ones and it keeps the family bond bind like a glue.

Ramadhan al Mubarak the blessed month.

Ramadhan is the month when Allah will grant all your wishes. All the doors in Hell will be close and open all the doors of Heaven. It is a month full of forgiveness, love, hopes and wishes.

Anyway, anyhow, I am truly happy to be part of the Friday Prayers.  Why do I say so? Well Friday Prayers are ONLY compulsary for men and only Sunnah for the women.  I make dua for all the people that I love and care very much and they are my Husband, Children, Grandsons, Sibblings, Friends, Neighbours and fellow Malaysian.  May we all live in harmony forever.  InsyaAllah!

Allahu Akbar!

This write up was delayed due to technical problem.  It is another Friday tomorrow!  How time flies! I will be on duty again tomorrow and more Fridays to come.......Alhamdulillah!

What BIG ship she is!

MV Norwegian Spirit

Getting around this big ship is easy. All you need to do is to get used to your surroundings. The most important is to know where your assembly station is should the alarm trigger! Well, that was the first and foremost activity we had to take part...all of us, guests and crew! If you missed the first fire drill, you will be called again and should you miss again, they will call you personally. In other words, they really are serious when safety is concern. I felt safe immediately! I knew that we are in the good hands of the crew!

The Jogging Track

If you are a person who is health watcher, there is a jogging and walking outdoor track on the top most deck. Opened air to the sea breeze. They have basketball for everybody and golfers are not forgotten......you have your very own corner to swing your club.

Golfers Corner

A deck below is a swimming pool with four jacuzzies which can fit 6 European size adults  each. No problem to catch the sunlight to tan your body because you can do it on those two decks. They even have a No Noise Zone for the sun seekers .... quiet enough to sleep under the sun. The children pool is on deck 12. Nice to see the children having fun because they have slide, paddling pool and hot tub just for kids. They named it Buccaneer's Wet & Wild.

Adults pool

Children's pool

Other than that, a Fitness Center is also provided. Sauna and  Mandara SPA for massaging is in the same area. And if you love doing aerobics, all you need to do is to be at the Galaxy of Stars which is situated on top of the Captain's bridge. Two different instructors will lead you every day alternately. It was full of fun when Latin and Salsa moves were part of the movements taught.

Aerobic at the Galaxy of Stars

There are so many places that you can go on board .... from Aft to Forward! The Stardust Theater held many kinds of entertainment every night with two shows daily. I remembered entertained by a group of Rock Stars, Broadway and Vegas Show, Magic Show, A Solo Violinist, Circus, singing and dancing and many more. Should you missed the first show at 7.30 p.m, just jump in the next at 9.30 p.m. No hurry! Just take your own sweet time.

The Entrace

The Show

The Performance

Child Care Center for the little ones, Video Arcade, Writing Room, Internet Cafe, Library, Boardroom, Meeting Room and what else did I miss? They have it all.....they sure do!

The Internet Cafe

There is one place called the Parents Free Zone which is meant for teenagers. They have lots of activities for the teenagers. Every now and then we will see the teenagers running around in pairs or in small groups getting their tasks done. Day or night, the teenagers have their own activities. No worries for the parents!

The Teenagers activities

 On Deck 7, where the lobby is, on the port side, you can find the 24 hours restaurant The Blue Lagoon which served fast food like burgers, fries, salad, sandwiches, Fish and Chips and many more. On the starboard side is a pub for drink lovers. Besides these two outlets for F&B, just jump in Shogun, The Garden, Raffles Court and Terrace, Le Bistro, The Windows and an Italian Restaurant .... Maybe I miss one or two .... you have no time to feel hungry because food and drink is served round the clock throughout the cruise. Just pick your choice and sit and enjoy your food for your tummy and enjoy your sight of the blue sea through the windows. If you are lucky enough, you might catch a glimpse of dolphins in schools.

The Grand Centrum

The Blue Lagoon

The mural

On Deck 8, at a lounge, we enjoyed a pianist playing songs from Frank Sinatra era, The Beatles, Barry Manilow and even a night tribute to Sir Elton John. You can see some couples so much in love in each others arm dancing to the beautiful music. 

Mr Fabriazi , the pianist and singer.

Tribute to Sir Elton John

Then came a group of three men called The Latin Express. The sound of the Latin music made your body moves. Guests, young and old just stood up and dance to the sound of the music! It was so enjoyable. Everybody, well almost everybody was so sporting and acted spontaneously... no age problem and no shame ... just a bunch of people having fun on a vacation at sea!

Some other nights there will be a guitarist with country songs and a duo with lots and lots of love songs! All of them took turns to perform either in the lounge, by the pool, in the bar and so on. All you need to do is to know the time and the spots.

The Guitarist performance

Once they held a competition for the guests .... a Karaoke Competition. One of our group member, Dato Othman Salleh took part. He sang Love Story and he was so good that many praises him. Jolly good job old buddy! We are so proud of you! Malaysia Boleh!!!

....Love Story....

Some people love hard and noisy music. Just walk in through Maharaja, The Casino and you will find Maharini The Disco. Seems like they have rooms for everybody. No time is wasted .... full swing on board!

The Maharajah

If you love shopping, there is a Duty Fee Shop and some other shops on board. Just name it and you'll have it. No cash needed on board. Just need to swipe your Cruise ID upon purchased. All prices are code in US dollars.

The Duty Free Shop

A Jewelery Shop

 Some nights they have auction of paintings by some famous artists at The Art Gallery or even sale of branded watches, jewelleries, Swarovski beautiful and tempting products and so on. You need to wait for the right moment to get the best price!

The Art Auction

All these spots are in different decks of the ship. It is such a BIG ship that once you are in your stateroom, you don't even know what is happening and you can sleep soundly like a king! Some nights they even conducted parties until late night! As for my friends and I, since we stayed in different decks, we only see each other during dinner and sure enough to bump into one another at breakfast. But after that, we made our own choice to entertain ourselves.

This is a big ship BUT it is not the biggest of its kind ....in fact she is only one third of the biggest! (the biggest cruise ship is Oasis of The Sea and Allure of the Sea with 225,282 GT).  But with 2,000 guests in hand and almost 1,000 crew, because of her size, you seldom see the same people everyday .... meaning we made new friends on board from all over the world everyday.......and we are the only 10 Malaysians on board.

Yes, she is a BIG ship of 75,338 GRT, 910 feet long,  183 feet wide and 13 storey high. She has 9 elevators for guests and 8 elevators for crew.

Yes, she is a BIG ship that carry almost 3,000 people and carry tonnes and tonnes of food to feed us all!

Yes, she is a BIG ship that she has her own garbage incinerator and main laundry facilities which includes machines for dry cleaning, washing and dryer machines, sea water desalination plant for fresh water!

I remembered my Ustaz (religious teacher) told us about Bahtera Nabi Nuh (Noah's Ark)! At least now I can sort of imagine the size of the ship he built to fit in humans and animals all over the world in pairs with  food and drink ....... It must be much much  bigger ....... MasyaAllah!

Me and my dream

My stateroom

Me, the happy guest with the BIG ship!

Dinner is served......

The Windows

Whatever is new will always be full of unexpected and making life full of excitement. You don't know what to expect and what is in store for you! All you can do is to hope for the best and to prepare for the worst!  But most of all....just be prepared!

Well, that was how I was on this maiden voyage. Our first dinner at The Windows was an unforgettable one. A member of our group prefered early dinner....preferably before 7p.m. She said it is good for the digestive system and you can sleep well at night. So be it. We trusted her and of cause, it is a fact.....medically! Thank you my dear friend. We owe you one. That was a lesson to be learnt. If it s good for our health, we should follow!

So we went to the restaurant and the supervisor was a Hondurus gentleman named Mr Abercio Matute. A very nice, funny and very understanding and helpful indeed. He understood us the minute he saw us ladies with scarfs. He knew of our concerned with food. So that evening he took charge and ordered lobsters for us. Then unexpectedly told us that we need not worry anymore about our food because he will arrange special meal for us every evening throughout the cruise! To make things easier for him, we wrote down the recipes and suggested menus for the evenings. We received a memo from the management of food and beverages department regarding our concern and that shows how sensitive they are towards the needs of their guests. It made us feel nice!

Mr Abercio Matute

The Lobster....yummy!

As we were waiting for our meal, suddenly we realized that our ship moved. The restaurant has windows on the port and starboard sides and high big framed windows on the aft. In Maritime Terminology,  Port means the left side of  forward motion and the Starboard means the right side of the forward motion. Aft means the rear of the ship.Through the aft window  , we saw a tugboat pulling the ship (75,388 GT) out of the dock! Amazing! I have read about tugboats and just cannot imagine how such a small boat as that able to pull a very much bigger ship! Ya Allah! Truly amazing!

Tugboat in action.

Announcement was made by the Captain, a Croation and we set sail. We have to say goodbye to Barcelona, the city where the 1992 Summer Olympic was held. Even though we managed a short visit around the city,  it is a beautiful place to visit. Purchased some T Shirts at Hard Rock Cafe and some fridge magnets as evidence! For at least, I have visited the famous Barcelona and hope to revisit someday.

Our dinner started with a bowl of Brocolli Soup in Cheese and a plate of Garden Salad with the dressing of our choice. Then came our main dish...The Lobster! Lobster is very expensive back home, so we truly enjoyed the meal very much!

The Garden Salad

We ended our dine for the night with a desert....ice cream of different flavours. Thank you very much to all the chefs and a very special thanks to Mr Abercio Matute. Now we all are looking forward for the menus for the next eleven evenings!

Desert



These are some of the food prepared for us. Thank you!

                 

Omelette

Fried Mix Vege

Steam fish fillet

Seafood Fried Rice

Fish curry

We don't practice fine dining. What is served is what we eat. So in other words, no time wasted. While the food are still hot, we finished it quickly. After dinner, we watched the sun set. It was the most beautiful moment to see the horizon swallowed the big red ball. That was around 9p.m. The last light from the sun before it disappeared completely is the most watched. I just love the sunset. That reminded us of our responsibilities towards Allah.  Every now and then we have to change our directions of the qiblah (direction of Mekah) to perform our solah Jamaq Taqdim Qasar or Jamaq Takhir Qasar for Maghrib and Isyaa.  A compass is a necessity to be sure of the direction because we are Mussaffir (travellers). 

Finally........all is well. Alhamdulillah.