‘Floating Hotel’ Docks At Muara Port
By P. Marilyn & Zaim Zaini

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Seven Seas Voyager, the world's second all-suite, all balcony ship from the USA that belongs to the Regent Hotel group, docked at the Muara Port yesterday for half a day allowing its guest to catch a glimpse of the nation.

The cruise ship, which came from Singapore, carried 572 passengers and a 449-member crew on board. Majority of the guests were Americans while others were from Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. The crew include different nationalities such as Filipinos, Indians, Indonesians, Germans and Americans.

During the ship's short stay in the nation, the Bulletin had the opportunity to take a closer look inside the cruise ship and was given a tour.

The cruise ship is designed to accommodate 700 passengers and there are four dining venues, one of which is the famous Signatures Restaurant dedicated to Le Cordon Bleu Cuisine and a restaurant that changes its theme every fortnight.

The ship also has a casino, four lounges, boutiques, jewellery stores and an Internet cafe. The ship provides wireless connection to all its passengers.

The twelve-deck cruise also offers leisure and recreational facilities such as a salon and spa as well as a gym, swimming pool, jogging area and some other sports facilities for its guests. Six passengers have boarded the cruise from Brunei comprising four US citizens, one Singaporean and a guest from Spain.

The Shipping Manager of Jasra Harrison Sdn Bhd told the Bulletin that the arrival of cruise ships to the nation supports the tourism industry as the guests are able to have a closer look at the country even though they only stopped over for a short period of time.

He added that it's about time for some locals to join cruises and those who are interested can approach any travel agents for further information on cruise packages.

Some stalls were set up outside the cruise ship to cater to guests who could not go out for shopping. The stalls sold souvenirs, textiles, CDs and some food items.

Some of the guests of the Seven Seas Voyager described the cruise ship as "a floating hotel" and said they enjoyed the experience on the ship and the facilities it offered. Some have stayed for as long as four months while others have only boarded the ship a few weeks ago.

Cruise Consultant of the Seven Seas Voyager, Gudrun Werner said that on average it costs about $500 per guest per night to board the cruise ship including food and facilities so guests can dine at-all the restaurants without having to pay. -

At the end of the tour, when asked why Brunei was chosen as among the stops for the cruise, Werner said, "Most of our guests have been all over the world and they have never been to Brunei and so it's a good eye opener for them to see the country," he said.

The cruise ship left Brunei at 8pm last night and will call at Kota Kinabalu before sailing off to the Philippines and then China. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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