Sunday, December 6, 2009

Fun in the sun

Day 3 (Tue, 1 Dec 2009)

Early in the morning, the ship arrived at Phuket. We'd decided to do a free-and-easy day at Patong Beach, accessible via a small ferry at the tendering deck.










It was bright and sunny - super weather for a day at the beach! The thing is, since we had also come to the beach two years ago, we didn't really take many pictures this time. So here are some pictures we took in 2007. We'd rented two deck chairs, same as this time around. The beach is simply beautiful.










In 2007, Lesley-Anne had gone para-sailing. It's quite an experience, rather like flying! We decided that Andre was still too young for it, so nothing quite as exhilarating this time.






Some pics taken on this trip. Can you believe how much my kids have grown?













We spent the whole morning at the beach, then headed back to the ship. When we got back to the cabin, we saw this on the bed:

Housekeeping had fashioned a bunny out of towels! What a lovely extra touch.

Lunch was at the Mediterranean. As usual, dessert was visually more exciting than the main courses.






We had the afternoon free, so headed to the activities centre for a game of carrom.


Then the kids got more water action at the pool and the slide. This time, Lesley-Anne joined in the fun.








Dinner was at Bella Vista once again. This was the gala dinner night so diners dressed up a little more and there were four courses instead of three. We were lucky to get the 6.45pm sitting, we were put on wait list but managed to get a place. Otherwise dinner would be 9pm, far too late for our eager tummies!

Smoked salmon rillettes (appetizer)

Baked fillet of halibut - really melt in your mouth quality

Seafood thermidor

Baked alaska (this seems to be their standard gala dinner dessert, we had this two years ago too)

Petit fours

In the main concourse, the cast of one of the shows was performing Christmas carols. Lovely addition to the festive atmosphere.

I should add that each night, there was a different show at the Lido theatre but since photography is not allowed, I haven't shared any photos. The show on this night featured a combination of Eastern European dancers and Chinese acrobats. A glitzy, sometimes verging on cheesy affair, but admittedly rather entertaining. Afterall, that's what cruising is about!

13 comments:

Lilian said...

I was just asking Brian if he would try parasailing if the chance came. Looks fun, I would love to try too. This looks so much fun, relaxing holiday but still get to see places. And eat too of course.

Anonymous said...

Yes!! I am keen on the parasailing too, I missed the chance to try it when I was at Phuket the last time. Hopefully by the time my child is ready to try it, I am still as adventurous. LOL I recall now why my trip was not as fun, think we cruised to nowhere...no wonder nowhere in the mind the memories was captured!

qx

monlim said...

Lilian: So what did Brian say? I recommend you go during the off-peak seasons (non school hols), you get better deals plus the ship is not half as crowded.

QX: Haha, I guess the cruising business has become much more sophisticated these days... time for another one with kiddo! I went parasailing with L-A as well, it really is a thrill :)

Puzzled by Puzzles! said...

Reading your blog and looking at the pics might have changed my mind towards taking a cruise. If I don't feel like planning for anything, but still want to have lots to eat, looks like it's a good match!I am sure my son will love it! (the eating , not the shopping)

monlim said...

Sandy: It's definitely great for lazy planners. And the kids love the idea of having their hotel room move with them - can hop back anytime they want, no need to take subways, go out for dinner, etc... (you can probably tell what kind of family we are! lol)

Lilian said...

He went uh, uhm, until I said you'll be by the beach, probably landing in the sea, then he said okay, but not the All right! Yeah! type of okay. The I'll say okay so we don't have to discuss this anymore type of okay :)

monlim said...

Haha, sounds like you understand all his nuances alright! Tell him if scaredy cat L-A finds it fun, I'm sure he will too :) I think it's just one of those things that you should try at least once in your lifetime.

elan said...

Wow sounds like you had a great holiday. I've been wanting to go on a cruise with the kids for some time but they don't sound very keen at all.
Thanks to your Beijing tips, we had a great time following almost the same itinerary and we just got back.
What I am curious about is this: How do you eat so much and stay so slim?

elan

monlim said...

Elan: Glad you had a good time in Beijing! Hope the weather wasn't too brutal?

Maybe after seeing the photos of the ship, your kids will be more convinced!

Slim? Err... it's called good camouflaging with clothes and deleting unflattering photos :P

Anonymous said...

Yes, you are considered slim cos I can still see your collar bone! :)

qx

monlim said...

QX: Umm... ok, I'll say it's fat in all the wrong places then! LOL

elan said...

It wasn't too cold except the last 2 days which were below zero but thanks to your specific advice about thermal underwear and down jackets we survived. However, we went to the Yaxiu market on our second last day and they were selling Burberry fake coats for only S$30 and I was so tempted to exchange my puffy down coat for an elegant wool Burbelly one.... the biting wind outside brought me to my senses quickly.

Actually, you're slim in all the right places, where it matters and where it can be seen, so there!

elan

monlim said...

Elan: Burbelly LOL!!! Glad my advice worked and you had a great time! And thanks for the complement too :)