I love it when we’re cruising together!

Unlike other islands, dahlings, Phuket’s beauty is not limited to its beaches lying at the foot of hills covered by jungles. There we beheld coconut groves; rubber plantations; picturesque villas; ancient temples; and eye-catching designed resorts. The action was hottest at the popular Patong where tourism is a booming industry. While moi strolled along the beach, I thought I was in a European beach, what with sun worshippers. Flights to Phuket that include board and lodging are unbelievably inexpensive. No wonder why the place always teems with visitors.

Patong has loads of restos specializing in Thai seafood, Continental and Asian cuisine. There are also tons of open-air bars known as "barbeers" along the promenade by the beach. Our eye-catching models, Robby, Rissa, Ryan, Phoemela, Nicolette and Paolo stepped out into the hot day, doing their stuff on the beach as tons of people watched them in action.

Phuket is also where you shop until you drop, natch!, which is exactly what most of us did.

Phuket also boasts of the amazing cabaret show, a musical extravaganza where the performers are all transvestites. None of us could believe that there wasn’t a single woman in the cast. The musical numbers, just like the costumes, were fabulous. The theater was packed with tourists of various nationalities who applauded wildly. Ethel Timbol, Millet and Robert Mananquil and moi gave up choosing who was the prettiest of the lot. The show lasted for a good 50 minutes with never a dull moment, believe moi!

Our full day began with lunch at the renowned Thai Naan resto, the largest resto in Southern Thailand which is built of golden teakwood. It serves an endless buffet of Thai yummies with a dash of Western and vegetarian dishes greeted the hungry tourists. Apres an elephant ride into the jungle at the adventure Safari, we headed back to our ship, driving along the scenic coastal road facing Kata Nai. At Kata Beach, we made a quick stop for photo shoots at the fabi panoramic view of Nai Harn Bay where our ship docked.

As we sailed off, we viewed Thailand’s other gorgeous islands which also has other resorts. They may not be so popular as Phuket, but they are definitely less expensive since they’re not in the tourist track. No wonder Thailand has become a favorite destination for those seeking sunshine, pristine beaches, exotic food and beautiful bodies.

That night we all dressed up for the grand captain’s cocktail party, gala dinner and show. The Grand Piazza Lobby was packed as passengers and officers circulated and drank champagne like there was no tomorrow. Apres, we headed to the chic Bella Vista resto for our gala dinner. We enjoyed superbly prepared aperitifs, three main courses and desserts. Once done, some of us watched the mesmerizing Jungle Magica Show at the huge Lido Theater, way up on Deck 7.

Since it was a night of elegance, it was but natural for our groupie to celebrate Portofino night (Portofino is that tres elegant subdivision in cool and breezy Alabang).

The ala Las Vegas musical and magic show at the Lido featured dancing girls, Latin rhythms and even a gorgeous white Siberian tiger thrown in for extra thrill.

The show’s highlight came when charismatic Gianni Mattiolo and the Star Cruises dancers did superbly choreographed Spanish flamenco, tango and exotic dances that had the passengers crying out for "More! More! More!"

But the night didn’t end there, palanggas. Up on the 12th deck, the fun Strip Off Night Party, began at 11 p.m. The place rocked with energy and excitement as passengers competed for the best body. Many of the participants stripped down to their birthday suits. Wow! All the male contestants were from different countries and the best of everything– and I mean everything–went to a 22-year-young Australian hunk! The scene was totally crazy, totally sexy and totally naughty with loads of fun and laughter.

We spent the next day at sea, dahlings, getting acquainted with the fabi floating pleasure island. We discovered that Super Star Virgo is the twin sister ship of Super Star Leo. It offers a variety of dining, wining and entertainment options in its more than 25 outlets, would you believe? While cruising, you can choose from not 10, not 12, but 17 restos that serve world-class cuisine. It is also the only ship in the world that has an excellent exotic Indian resto called The Taj.

This newest addition to the Asia-Pacific fleet is a 76,880 ton world-class mega ship which costs a cool $380 million. Aside from its fabi international restos, it has tons of guest services and public areas like the Mahjong and Card Room and Library. Then there is the gorgeously rich Italian- interiored main lobby, the Grand Piazza and a Medical Center with doctors and nurses on 24-hour call service. The ship also has the Sports-Health and Recreation Centers where you can indulge in a jogging circuit; a golf driving range; mini-golf; a basketball court; a Universal Gym; beauty salon; and the fabi outdoor pools where we soaked up the beautiful sun for our golden tan at the Parthenon Pool and Jacuzzis, using the must Nivea Sunscreen lotions. While lazing around, Zed provided us with quickie entertainment and information via its super new Push Service. Our international roaming cell phones were superbly powered by–yes, you guessed it right!– Smart and Talk N’ Text.

For endless entertainment, Super Star Virgo has eight exciting places to go to nightly. There’s the Celebrity Disco where we got rid of extra pounds one can gain on this luxurious yet tres affordable ship. There is the Galaxy of the Stars; The Picture House, where you can watch the latest movies; and the eight-room karaoke pub café Out of Africa where many of us showed off our singing talents. There’s also the Duty Free Shop called Port O’ Call; the Star Boutique; and the Cigar and Wine shops; plus so many other amenities to enjoy in.

The officer who toured us around the ship explained that there are 980 cabins with a capacity of 1,960 passengers. There are several choices of cabins from executive suites; junior suites; Ocean View Staterooms with a breezy balcony; to an Ocean View staterooms with windows or portholes and the Inside Staterooms. Well, dahlings, now you know why the Super Star Virgo is superior in design and finish than most cruise ships in the world!

As always, all great things and fun times didn’t last forever. Before we could say, "Let’s go on sailing," it was time to say goodbye to our co-passengers and our super friendly Filipino crew who pampered us no end.

We arrived at Singapore, better known as the Concrete Jungle with a Concrete Lion guarding its entrance, as the sun was about to set.

With the help of Keren Pascual and Andrea Solis, the dynamic secret weapon and mega sales executive of Star Cruises Philippines, we breezed through customs and headed straight to our hotel where we freshened up. Others dashed off to the popular Takashi Maya, a stone’s throw away from our Mandarin Oriental Hotel before we had a light dinner and called it a day.

The next morning before we could bat an eyelash, we were comfortably seated on Cebu Pacific’s terrific wide seats in the business class section, heading home after a week of sailing, touring and having a great time.

There is never a dull moment aboard any Super Star Cruise ship with its unbelievably comprehensive program, facilities, entertainment, activities and services. Naturellement, Star Cruises also offers informality, flexibility and choice of freestyle cruising, coupled with warm Asian hospitality. All these are complemented by modern affordable luxuries which have become the hallmark of the hard-to-match Star Cruises.

Oh yes! Don’t forget that Star Cruises offers Hong Kong-China-Vietnam cruises onboard the Super Star Leo and Gulf of Thailand cruises and the Super Star Capricorn, her two sister lines. The Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) sails around the world from Alaska and Bahamas to Europe and the South Pacific. The Orient Lines, on the other hand, allows a more intimate and flexible cruising experience from Antartica to exotic Kenya.

Check them out, palanggas. I promise you’ll get much more than your money’s worth. For more info, do call Star Cruises Philippines brilliant sales manager Marlene Pajanel at tel. nos. 521-5660 and 526-8401; fax no. 521-5673 or check out its website at www.starcruises.com or e-mail at [email protected].

Well, dahlings, summer is here and it’s the best time to enjoy your dream cruise around Asia. Pack your bags and hop aboard!

Have a great weekend!