“Cruz is going on a Cruise!”, I gleefully announced. As part of Y.E.S. 93.3FM 21st Anniversary Celebrations, DJs and listeners boarded Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas last weekend.
As someone who took Tourism and Leisure Management in school, I was and always will be intrigued by the hospitality industry. The logistical magnitude and operation know-hows is simply mind-blowing. I’d probably be doing this if I didn’t have a chance to do what I’m currently doing.
We relied on this Sea Pass for cashless transactions onboard. You don’t need to be a genius to guess which beverage I ordered again and again.
Peifen and Ivy stormed into my stateroom not long after check-in. “You’re staying alone. You must be lonely. Let us keep you company!” I almost had to run to the corridors shouting, “Get those two women off my bed!”
Jiafa and I couldn’t stop raving about this honey stung chicken we had for lunch. He was mumbling about the need to run a few more laps in the gym on Deck 9.
On the other hand, I avoided all eye contact.
My Facebook status that afternoon read, “You know you’re on a working trip when you’re blotting your face minutes before the emergency drill. Just in case someone wants to take a picture.” Hahahaha.
Jiafa, Ivy and I transformed into bartenders for the Welcome Cocktail Party. “What? You mean there’s a competition?”
We ‘performed’ our moves in front of our listeners and then lobbied for votes. The two of them went on and on about how good their drinks were. I didn’t waste too much time. “各位，你们知道你们是爱我的。他们的鸡尾酒，你们尽管去尝尝看。无论如何，你们最后还是投我一票就对了。谢谢。”
And I won! Hahahaha. “老实说，我自己觉得Ivy那杯真的比较好喝。谢谢你们昧着良心投票。谢谢大家！”
We had a formal dinner at Romeo & Juliet before a quick meeting. There you go, we were there to WORK! But you know, 933 DJs work hard and play hard at the same time. We ventured to the shopping gallery before strolling into the casino. “PICTURE! PICTURE! PICTURE!” They proceeded to Viking Crown Lounge for drinks while I crawled back to my room alone at 11pm.
The scene outside was hauntingly beautiful. The moonlight reflected on the dark waters- romantic and poignant at the same time. I would have sat at the balcony all night and write a song or poem or something, but I was too tired, having been awake since 5am.
There I was having fruits and juice on my balcony, imagining I have a healthy lifestyle. Haha.
We split into eight teams on the second morning for a game ala The Amazing Race. Apart from three mandatory tasks which include climbing up the rock wall, we had to go through a quiz which had us dashing up and down the ship looking for answers.
Ivy’s group won a spending credit of US$500, while she earned a hot stone massage at the spa. The rest of us disowned her almost immediately.
We docked at Penang that sunny afternoon.
While the rest rushed to buy boxes of Tau Sar Piah, Jiafa and I queued at this modest but famous roadside stall.
Business was brisk. People were snapping up these banana pancakes by the batch. As we waited for this RM$0.40 snack, I was astonished to discover how Jiafa could just chat up random strangers. This guy who claimed that he commuted to Singapore regularly wanted to add Jiafa on Facebook! Wah.
We made a quick stop at the Peranakan Museum, where they were looping The Little Nyonya.
This opium device reminded me of 九姑娘 in 义海豪情. Heh.
You don’t leave Penang without having a bowl of chendol. This was the same stall I visited in Dec 09.
I returned to the stateroom in the evening to find an elephant on my bed. And there was a cobra the next day. It looked like a certain organ from certain angles though.
Apart from the 8am rehearsals, we had most of Sunday to ourselves. The 100-minute massage was great. And I appreciate the minute details. At the end of everything, the masseur laid a towel and left my shoes on the top right hand corner so that my ‘delicate’ feet wouldn’t touch the cold floor.
Each time we do an event like this, I can’t help but feel extremely proud of the fact that I am part of such an outstanding team. You had to be there to witness the camaraderie. We didn’t need scripts or excessive cues. There was spontaneous banter and good natured teasing, and they all put up fantastic performances. Well, I can’t sing nor dance nor act nor do any stunts to save my life. The only thing I can do on stage is simply hosting.
In the charades segment, Chongqing had difficulty guessing the answer. Just as I announced that he would have to do a forfeit, the lunch duo turned the tables on me and wanted me to take part in the game and then similarly do a forfeit if I failed.
Weibin and Peifen gatecrashed the scene at once and prompted me with the correct answer. There and then, I knew what they were thinking. “真是不知死活。你们玩他？胖子要是翻脸，你们就完了。” Hahahaha. Nonetheless, I did the forfeit with Chongqing right after. Anyone who posts ugly pics of us doing star jumps will suffer a terrible fate.
It was close to 11pm before we finally sat down for dinner. The prawns were delicious but the portion wasn’t enough to fill me. As I silently contemplated a subsequent supper in my room, Weibin, who was seated beside me, exclaimed that she was still hungry. And it was Jiafa and Ivy to the rescue as they passed their plates over.
Our sincere thanks to Royal Caribbean for this successful campaign. And a big thank you to everyone who joined us on board!
