Voyager Of The Seas - Royal Caribbean International [Shore Excursions At Malaysia]

First of all, this is a very over due post which I have no time to finish after my last two posts(here) on our 6 days Voyager Of The Seas Cruise Trip during June school holiday. Along the journey there were 3 ports of call whereby we stopover at Port Klang, Penang (Malaysia) And Phuket(Thailand). Since on board I am very excited to visit Penang as I have heard and read a lot of good reviews on their food especially Penang Laska, Cha Kway Teow and Bak Kut Teh.

In this post, I would like to share with you some of the places and food that we tried during our Penang stopover.

Voyager Of The Seas - Royal Caribbean International [Part II - Dining Options]

Onboard dining is not just on food but the ambiance, variety and the flexibility to decide when and what we like is also into consideration. In Voyager Of The Seas, it includes dining from casual to sophisticated, cupcakes to canapes and etc (many of them included in the price of your cruise). And if you prefer soft drinks, wine and etc to go with your meals, you can choose to pair meals with a beverage package and enjoy up to 25% savings on your favorite drinks.

In this Part II of my "Voyager Of The Seas - Royal Caribbean International" post I will be sharing some of the Dining Options we had tried during our trip onboard the Voyager Of The Seas.

Voyager Of The Seas - Royal Caribbean International [Part I]

After about a month of waiting time, we are finally on board the "Voyager Of The Seas" which kicks off her maiden Asian itinerary coincides with Singapore’s June School Holiday period. Although this is not our 1st cruise experience but we are all very excited to onboard this huge cruise ship that first dock on our new cruise terminal at marina bay.

For your information this 14 passenger-deck "Voyager of the Seas" carries 3,840 guests at its total occupancy with luxury furnishing, international cuisines and world class entertainments on board. The package she offers during her dock in Singapore are short cruises of 3 - 5 nights to Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Phuket, as well as an 8-night cruise to Shanghai that features Ho Chi Minh, Xiamen and an overnight in Hong Kong. (A Chinese Version of this post is available over at omy.sg HERE)

Korea Winter Discovery 2010 - Mt Sorak National Park And Nami Island

After a good night rest and hearty breakfast our itinerary of the day would be heading towards Mount Sorak National Park to witness it beauty through granite peaks, lush green valleys, dense forest, snowy scene and etc. And due to the good weather we also have the chance to ascend to the summit by cable car and get a magnificent view of the park at the top of the mountain. After lunch we proceed to the 2nd attractions; Nami Island where some scenes from Winter Sonata are being filmed there.

Korea Winter Discovery 2010 - Phoenix Park Ski Resort

After a fun day at the Everland Outdoor Theme Park(read more HERE), we finally gets to stay in the skiing resort which is one of the highlight for this tour. As we went during the earlier months of Winter, we still can't really sees the whole skiing mountain being covered with thick snow. But despite of the disadvantages, everyone still had a great time catching up with some skiing lesson snowballs fight.

Korea Winter Discovery 2010 - Everland Theme Park

Upon returned from Jeju Island we spent almost half a day at this Korea famous outdoor theme park known as "Everland". This park equipped with many different kinds of rides and attractions that are suitable for all ages. In it there is also a safari park in Zoo-Topia area where tourists would get a close up view of the wild animals.

Korea Winter Discovery 2010 - Jeju Part II

Continue from Part I (link HERE) of our "Korea Winter Discovery 2010 - Jeju" (link HERE), we will explored another 4 places in this post such as the Horse Riding, Teddy Bear Museum, Glass Castle and Nanta Show.

Korea Winter Discovery 2010 - Jeju Part I

Jeju Island (濟州島) formerly known as Cheju Island is an island off the southern coast of South Korea. This island is also known as the "Island of the Gods" which is a popular vacation spot for Koreans and many Japanese and Jeju is also one of the top honeymoon destinations for Korean newlyweds. Even thought we are there during winter but with its' typical mild coastal climate the minimum temperatures in winter is also above 0 degree due to the warm currents.

Korea Winter Discovery 2010 - Day 1 at Seoul

During early December we went for a 8 Days Winter Trip in Korea and I would like to share with you some of our experiences, scenic views, food and etc that we have encounter during this holiday trips in a few separate posts.

Cruise Like A Royal with Royal Caribbean

It has being more than 2 years since our family went for the cruise trip to Malacca. And when I received the invitation from Omy.sg a month ago regarding this cruise preview I was very excited and looking forward to the event. And finally on Monday, 22 November I was there together with a group of over 50 local bloggers to onboard the “Legend of the Seas” which is under Royal Caribbean.

After some long waiting time at the boarding area for the staffs to do some verification of our IDs and issusing temporary boarding passes, we finally managed to board the cruise 40 minutes behind the scheduled timing. Below are some of the photos that I would like to share with you on our preview tour onboard.

This is part of the welcome lounge area at Deck 5 located at "Anchors Aweigh Lounge". Passengers can enjoy their welcome drinks, photo taking session with the cruise captain as well as enjoy the beautiful scenery along the window seats area. I am sure this will be a great place to relax with a couple of drinks and music.

Window view seats at the Anchors Aweigh Lounge.

When onboard the cruise you could also enjoy some “Duty Free” shopping at their “Boutiques of Centrum" at level 5 which is near the Anchors Aweigh Lounge. They have many duty free items such as “Jewelry & Gift”, “Perfume”, “Liquor”, "Toys" and etc which is of cheaper rate compare to those the shopping malls.

For a light refreshment or sweet treat in the afternoon, you could pop-by to “Café Latte-tudes” at Deck 6 where the kids can enjoy wide range of premium ice-cream from Ben & Jerry’s.

While for the adults you could always indulge yourself with a cup of freshly brew coffee and a slice of cake or cookie. For your information this café is equipped with WiFi too but you have to check with the staff on how to get the network up.

In the middle of Deck 7, there is also a cozy Library and Card Room available for those who want to have some quiet time with a book of their choice in the afternoon. But if books are not your cup of tea, perhaps you can gather a few friends for some card games or mahjong over at the card room that is opposite the Library.

At the cruise preview we also have the chance to view their different types of staterooms available on the “Legend of the Seas”. Here I would like to share with you some photos of their “luxurious suite” that most of us would envy on. (for more photos on the different types of staterooms, you can click HERE)

Above photo shows the separate main bedroom of the "Royal Family Suite" with private balcony and living room. There are only two similar Family Suites available on Deck 8 with a sq. ft. of 526 and balcony area of 74 sq. ft.

Since this is meant for family, there is another separate room with 2 single beds that can be cater for young children or attached family members.

Compared to the small and cramp washroom in the normal Staterooms this one with personal bathtub and separate washroom is definitely a bonus for a luxury family usage in terms of queuing for turns.

This is the ONE and only “Royal Suite” available at the end corner of Deck 8 which everyone of us are curious about it. For me I don’t think I would ever have a chance to stay in such a luxurious suite so the moment we went in I was shock to see the layout and spacious room space.

Although the interior set-up might not be a posh as those shown in movies such as Titanic but I am sure this is consider to be "Grand" compared to the Interior Staterooms or Ocean View Staterooms.

Ivory white Baby Grand Piano.

Private bathroom with whirlpool tub, shower, hairdryer and vanity area.

Separate bedroom with King-size bed that makes you feel like a "King".

Private spacious balcony with breathtaking view of the ocean for you to relax and enjoy the afternoon breeze or sun bathing.

For outdoor activities you can always go for the Solarium and whirlpool on the Deck 9 or early morning or evening jog on the jogging track at Deck 10. But if you prefer something indoor then perhaps you can go for the indoor pool or video arcade.

Most of the onboard entertainments are free which includes the live music and comedy shows, 9-hole miniature golf course, Casino Royale, Rock-climing wall and etc. I am sure there is always one that suits you and your family members.

On Legend of the Seas, you will experiece culinary adventure that satisfies all tastes and appetites. You can choose from the wide varieties of buffet style food at Deck 9 of "Windjammer Cafe". Here you would enjoy all kind of cuisines, finger food, pastries, salad, fresh fruits and etc.

 
Lovely wraps and sandwiches.

 
Array of cakes and pastries available at the buffet line.

Our complementary lunch was served at the elegant "Romeo & Juliet Dining Room" located at one end of Deck 4. This English like two-tier dining room served fine dining and wine which as a food blogger I would of course shared with you some of those food that we had.

For appetizer we can choose either "Asian Style Chicken Soup" or "Shrimp Cocktail Royal". Wine of your choice of red/white is served together with the food too.

My main course is "Chef's Halibut" which is boiled fillet presented with Spanish soffrito and truffle scented polenta. The fillets goes well with the sauce but I find it rather a bit dry maybe due to the delay of our lunch hour. But the truffle scented polenta was great and I hope I could replicate it at home too.

There are another two main course which is "Shrimp Ravioli" and "Lamb Shank with Rosemary" where you can view the photos HERE.

I love dessert especially Western type with creamy texture so this "Ivory Chocolate Fondue" which comes with sweet berries in white chocolate mousse certainly has filled my day with joys. The sweet and sour taste of the chocoalte fondue goes pretty well with my white wine too.

There is no shortage of excitement onboard where you can enjoy all the facilities and be completely spoilt like a "Royal". Depending on your number of days onboard, if you stay slightly longer you could also join their shore excursion trips lead by professional licensed guides too.

So are you ready to be onboard the "Legend of the Seas"? For more details on their promotion you can refer to Straits Times advertisement or check it out on their website at:- http://www.royalcaribbean-asia.com/

Promotion Details:-

~ YES 93.3FM 21st B'Day Bash Promo (link HERE)

~ Malaysia and S.E Asian Cruise (link HERE)

If I have chance I would definitely give this "Royal Cruise" a go, perhaps a reasonable package with suitable dates for a family of 4 would be a great steal of us. Let’s hope I would have some detail posts on the cruise soon as I still missed out some places and good shots too. But for now you can check out these related photos on this preview tour at Cuisine Paradise Fanpage HERE.

Big Red Strawbery Farm @ Cameron Highlands

There are many strawberry farms in Cameron Highlands as the favourable climate environment definitely is appropriate for growing of strawberries. However we find that the strawberries are rather sour even thought they might look dark red and delicious.

There are roughly more than 8 strawberry farms in Cameron Highlands and the one that we are going to is known as “Big Red Strawberry Farm” which is just 10 minutes walking distance away from Binchang town. It is an ideal place to stop by no matter rain or shine. Big Red Strawberry Farm is more than just a farm but it is rather an attraction on its own with hydroponically grown strawberries, lettuces and etc.

Since we have only around 45 minutes to an hour in this strawberry farm, we have to act fast and plan wisely on our timing. With hesitation our first activities will be “Strawberry” picking which Rey has being waited for so long. Before entering the nursery, that counter staff roughly briefs through with us on the two prices such RM$20.00/500g or RM $40.00/kg for the strawberries plucks before hand over a basket and two pair of small scissor to us.

When picking strawberries, the nursery may dispatch a worker to keep an eye on you and at the same time advise you on which area to start your harvesting....

After some fun and laughter at the nursery picking up half basket of strawberries, we decided to take a rest at the “Big Red Café” where they serve a lot of strawberry based food & drinks.

Strawberry Waffle with Ice-Cream @ RM$5.90 look great but on a sad side, the waffle is kind of too soft and taste like cake texture instead of the crispy outer layer.

Strawberry Sande @ RM$6.90 which is full of fresh strawberries at the base of the cup, vanilla ice cream and drizzle of strawberries jam sauce. This dessert definitely refresh our soul after running here and there for the whole afternoon.

After finishing our dessert, Rey was eager to pick some tomato after his venture in the strawberry nursery. The price for the tomato was much cheaper than strawberry which cost around RM$5.00/kg. But from the photo you can see that there isn't many ripe one which we guess most of it has being pluck by the daily visitors.

During our way back before leaving the Strawberry Farm, we were surprised to spot Vineyard above our head. And on it are these gorgeous green grapes which look relatively small bunch compare to what we have seen in the supermarket and other vineyards that I have saw in Australia before.

Location:
Big Red Strawberry Farm
Brinchang, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia.
Tel: 6 05-4913327
E-mail: brstrawberryfarm@yahoo.com
Location Map

Opening Hours:
Open daily 8.30am - 5.30pm - Free Entrance

Time Tunnel @ Cameron Highlands

Time Tunnel is the 1st attraction that we stop by after our lunch at Strawberry View Cafe & Restaurant. This museum is located in between Equatorial Hotel and Brinchang Town which you can easily spot the Big Signboard on the left side of the road towards Brinchang town. The entrance fee for the visiting this museum is RM$5.00 for adult and RM$2.00 for children between 6 - 12 years old.

Some of the interesting items such as wall clock, telephone, calender, ice shaving machine and etc found in olden day coffee shop.

Looking left, looking right. Did you find the gentleman in the above photo look rather familiar? Yes! When you step forward and have a closer look, you will realise that this gentleman is actually our present “Minister Mentor – Mr Lee Kuan Yew”. According to the write up on the photo, it is taken during his trip to Cameron Highlands in 1954 with his son Mr Lee Hsien Loong. I am sure this special and memorable photo can only be seen by public in this museum other than anywhere else from Mr Lee’s house.

The olden day coffee shop and glass bottle soft drink does bring back some of my mum's childhood memories. And I remember my favourite soft drink is Kickapoo and Fanta Orange, what's yours?

Look at these kitchen utensils; I guess most of us don’t even use or see most of the items in before. To me, I am only familiar with some of the Milo, Nestle Cereal and Cream Cracker tins which I had eaten during my childhood time.

Compare this saloon photo with the modern saloon that we have nowadays there is really a “big” difference. And on the wall poster, mum and aunty still can recognise some of their idol during their days. Overall this is a great place for kids, youngsters or even adults to find back their childhood memories. My boy definitely learn a lot of the olden day stuffs through the photos and displays.

Time Tunnel UT/MR/F-255
Jalan Sungai Burong
39100 Brinchang
Cameron Highlands
Website: http://timetunnel.cameronhighlands.com

Opening Hours: 9.00am - 6.00pm daily