Star Voyager Cruise: Summer - January 2026

I was scrolling my Instagram account when I came across a "buy one free one" cruise promotion by Tripfez Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd. It was a roundtrip cruise from Port Klang going to Medan, Indonesia and Singapore. I've been thinking of going on a cruise for quite sometime, more so now since my mom no longer have the stamina to join land tours.

I was told that the only available cabin left for this promotion was the balcony class, which was fine with me since I was planning to try a balcony cabin so that I can assess whether it was worth paying more or not. 

Balcony cabin do come with extra privileges like earlier disembarking time and better seats at the theatre which in my opinion is not worth the extra fund. The only good thing was the fresh air from the balcony door 😆 If we sign up for another cruise in the future, I will try the interstate room for comparison.

Before this cruise, I had actually booked myself on a 90-day Peace Boat voyage around the Southern Hemisphere, which included sailing through Antarctic waters (although there would be no port stop in Antarctica as the ship was too big).

A few weeks after paying the deposit, I started watching YouTube videos about cruises. Unfortunately, I came across quite a number of stories about passengers missing the ship because they failed to make it to the port before the boarding deadline. Apparently, this happens more often than one might think!

The more videos I watched, the more worried I became. Eventually, my adventurous spirit gave way to common sense (or perhaps just plain fear! 😂), and I chickened out and cancelled my booking. I cannot imagine how I would handle it if I miss the boat in Paraguay! Most probably will faint due to a panic attack 😂 

I've paid a 10% deposit of RM14.7k for that cruise. Luckily I lost only RM500 and got the rest back after a few months 😅 Maybe I will try again if I can find somebody I know who wants to go on the same boat in the future.

This 4 days 3 nights cruise cost RM1500 per person (inclusive of gratuities RM645 to be paid on board the ship, prior to disembarking). Gratuities are charged in Singapore Dollars. Gratuities for balcony class is more expensive than the interstate room. You can pay the gratuities using credit card.

Our itinerary was as follows:

23 January 2026   Port Klang - Medan
24 January 2026   Medan - Singapore
25 January 2026   Singapore - Port Klang
26 January 2026   Port Klang

My World Countdown:
Both me and my mom have been to Indonesia and Singapore many times before, so there will be no increase in our world countdown. Mine remains at #67 and my mom #55.

POST MORTEM (Updated on 31 January 2026)

Tour Company:

The booking process with Tripfez was smooth. The response to queries prior to booking was pretty fast. You just need to do a fund transfer to their account and all relevant documents will be sent via email. There is no need to print the documents just make sure that it is readily available in your phone. 

My gripe is after the booking was done, good luck to get any response to your queries. I asked them a simple question about luggage check in process, no response received. So unprofessional and quite disappointing for a well know company. To answer my own question, yes you can check in your luggage prior to boarding the ship. The ship crews will then send it to your cabin.

Itinerary:

I like the relaxing pace of a cruise. Too bad I did not get to enjoy a lot of the ship activities. First time on a cruise so not very familiar with how things work. For instance, there is a QR code you can scan that will provide the schedule of all activities. I found out about it on the third day 😅 We did attend some of the night shows. Nothing particularly special. 

Another thing, because of our balcony cabin we spent most of our free time relaxing there instead of exploring the ship. I didn't even dip in the swimming pool 😂

We did not disembark in Medan since the port is quite far from the city and tourist attractions. I've visited Medan before so no big loss to me. Please note that even if you did not disembark, you still need to fill up Indonesia's online arrival card.

We did disembark in Singapore. It has been quite awhile since I last visited the country. If I'm not mistaken, my last visit was either in 2007 or 2008 😅 Singapore is as clean, organised and as gorgeous as before. The disembarking and embarking process were also very efficient via their automated passport and biometric scanning e-gate.

Kindly note that some food are not allowed to board the ship. The famous murtabak Singapore bought by a group of Malaysians were confiscated by the Singapore custom. If I were them, I will turn back and eat the murtabaks first before boarding the ship 😋

Cruises:

The ship's name is Star Voyager. Operated under Star Cruises brand. Its homeport is Singapore thus the billing for onboard purchases will be in Singapore Dollar and the official time regardless of docking port will be Singapore time too. 

We made a mistake when docked in Medan, my phone time changed to Indonesian time. Went to dinner at 8.30pm (SG time 9.30pm) and was wondering why the restaurant crews are closing and cleaning up the dinner service 😅

Another point to note, it was quite easy to get a Grab ride from our home to Port Klang but going home is another ball game. Our ride from Shah Alam to Port Klang was less than RM50 but going back because of the high demand and not enough cars, the Grab price shot to above RM100! You can also take the port's taxi service to Shah Alam for RM90 (if I'm not mistaken).

We were lucky that we met a nice lady who was going home to Perak and will pass through Shah Alam on their way there. So we hitched a ride with her family to Shah Alam and took a short Grab ride home 😍 It is better to arrange for someone to pick you up from the port or get ready to pay more than double the normal fare.

A better alternative if you have a car is you can drive and park there. For a multi-day cruise, parking at the Port Klang Cruise Terminal costs a flat rate of RM20 per entry.

Tour Leader:

No tour leader or special crew captain for our deck. Once you board the ship, you are on your own. You need to plan your own activities on board. There were however a big group of Malaysians that were part of a tour group. The tour company will then arrange for land excursions at the port of call and activities on board the ship.

Cabins:

Our balcony cabin had twin beds and another two hanging beds. I don't really like it. The deco was dated and it felt crowded. Maybe a double or twin bed cabin meant for two people instead of four is better. The attached bathroom is small but acceptable. 

We didn't even watch the TV. Don't really know how to operate it beyond the ship captain's welcome announcement 😂 The position of our cabin was also at the back of the ship, closer to the stern while most activities, restaurants and theater are at the bow, the front of the ship. So imagine walking the length of the ship many times a day for our meals and activities. Not too bad for me, can help melt away the calories 😋 but a bit tough for my mom.

Breakfasts:

We had three breakfasts during this trip. The food were ok. Plentiful and some quite tasty. No teh tarik though 😋 Their nasi lemak was pretty bland. I love the waffles and cream 😍

We took all our meals at the Lido. How it works? You queue at the door, the crew will assign you a table number. Find your table first before taking the food. There are no time limit so you can eat slowly. Take all the time you need. Very efficient process 👍🏻

Lunches:

We had only two lunches. No lunch on the first and last day of the cruise. We just had a bit of afternoon snacks served near the pool on the first day. By right we can get a free welcome drinks, but I only found out about it on the third day 😅 what a newbie!

The lunch buffet selection was good and tasty. They did try to vary the type of food served. The desserts were delicious but mostly the same type of cakes for both lunch and dinner 😂 I like the cone ice cream but not the jellys. 

Dinners:

We had three dinner buffets. Same place and almost the same food as the lunches. We mostly started with fruits. Then I will try their noodles or soup. My mom will check out their rice dish and potato wedges or french fries. After noodles, I will go for their seafood dish and then we will finish off with desserts 😍

Even though the food were good, after three days of almost the same type, we were ready to eat a different kind of meals 😋

Another point to note, Lido also served supper starting at 11pm. I don't know whether the supper is included in the cruise price. We didn't even check 😅 Too full after dinner and not willing to abuse our body by more eating 😆

Rapport With Fellow Travellers:

Since we did not join any group, we spent most of the trip ourselves. Just once in awhile saying hi and chit chatting with fellow Malaysians. Minimal interaction.

Timing:

We did not go during the school holiday so I guess the timing was good. Not too crowded. The weather was sunny throughout the trip 😍

Overall:

Our first time on a cruise trip. A lot to learn, a few mistakes made but we had a wonderful eating holiday with a bit of sight seeing. Will I embark on another cruise trip? Maybe, the juries are still out. There are many pros and cons. 

I suppose the bottomline is, it all depends on the price. For a cruise, the base price maybe reasonable but once you add up the port charges and gratuities (close to RM1k per person) it may no longer be value for money. 

For example, recently I checked a Star Voyager cruise from Port Klang to Phuket, Krabi and back to Port Klang, the cheapest cabin is RM1400 per person. RM2400 after adding port charges + gratuities. You will only get 4 days and 3 nights with no excursions. In comparison, trip to Vietnam all in full board for 6 days 5 nights will cost you around RM2700 per person. Not to mention it is easier to get Grab cars to and from the airport AND the food for land trip are generally better and varies from day to day 😋

I don't know if we may join another cruise or not in the future. Maybe if there is a promo "buy 1 free 1" 😄 We shall see.

I've uploaded all the daily photo videos of the trip in my IG account mkhasha.n.travels and daily photo videos of the food at mkhasha.n.food 😀 Do check it out.

Hashtags specific for this trip:
#mks2026StarVoyagerCruise #mks20260123 #mks20260124 #mks20260125 #mks20260126

Njoy!

Please note that recent change in IG no longer search and display the posts via hashtags (they use key words now) so you need to go to my IG account to see the videos instead of just search for the hashtags in your own IG account.

Maldives: Summer - January 2026

I’ve been wanting to visit Maldives for quite some time, but whenever I brought it up to family and friends, nobody seemed interested. Most of them said they aren’t into beach holidays. To be honest, I’m not much of a beach person either—I actually prefer lakes, as the combination of salt, sand, and sun isn't really my favorite! 😅

That said, I do have a goal to visit 100 countries by the time I turn 60. So in early December 2025, when I spotted Malaysia Airlines tickets to Malé selling for just RM1,100 on Traveloka, I immediately asked my new travel buddies if they wanted to go. They said yes, and just like that, we’re off to Malé early on New Year's morning!

There is no need to join any tour company if you wish to visit Maldives. Just buy the plane tickets, book a hotel room and you're set to go. It is a Muslim majority country so you can find halal food everywhere. Malaysians can enter the country without visa but you have to fill online arrival card before you reach the country. 

My share of the hotel cost was RM750 for three nights. So my total cost for this trip was RM1100 (plane tickets) + RM750 (hotel room + buffet breakfast + airport shuttle) + RM400 (green tax, food, transportation and souvenirs) = RM2,250 🤩 

Please note that tourists need to pay green tax of USD6/night if you stay at a hotel on inhabited local island with less than 50 rooms. If not, it will be USD12/night. Collected by the hotel on behalf of the government.

Maldives is affordable if you don't stay in private islands 😋 If you're into watersports and activities maybe can add a thousand or two to the budget. 

Our itinerary was as follows:

1 January 2026  Kuala Lumpur - Hulhumale 
2 January 2026  Hulhumale
3 January 2026  Hulhumale - Male - Hulhumale
4 January 2026  Hulhumale - Male - Hulhumale - Kuala Lumpur
5 January 2026  Kuala Lumpur

My World Countdown:
Beautiful Maldives will be country #68 that I have visited so far 😍 I was hoping to go to a lot of new countries in 2026 to make up for the six year holiday hiatus. Not getting any younger either 😋 Need to focus on my target of 100 by 60 😅

POST MORTEM (Updated on 20 January 2026)

Tour Company:

We went on our own. For me was mostly due to not wanting to spend too much money on a beach holiday. Priority, people 😋 If you follow any tour company it will cost you a minimum of RM4k. 

Another reason was I wish to see how the locals live thus our base was on an island closest to Male, which also happen to be where their international airport is located. Very efficient and convenient for eating and shopping too 😍

Itinerary:

My roommate and I were not into water activities but my two other fellow travellers wanted to go snorkelling. 

It is a lot cheaper to sign up for an excursion after you have landed in Maldives. We initially booked an excursion via Booking.com, which we subsequently cancelled, the cost of the same excursion booked direct at a travel shop in Maldives cost half the price of the travel apps. Be careful however of those selling at the beach (tourist trap), they may charge more than the apps!

When you plan your activities, be mindful of the day, during Friday prayer from 11.30 am to 3 pm public transportation will stop and all government offices and most shops will be closed. So Friday is a good day to plan for private excursions.

We managed to catch locals feeding the stingrays near the fish markets. My friends were commenting, if in Malaysia the stingrays will become "asam pedas ikan pari" in no time. It turns out the locals traditionally did not eat stingrays due to the abundance of other superior types of fish (like tuna) and cultural taboo. Today, stingrays are listed as one of the protective species.

The locals were pretty aloof. Not overly friendly nor generous with smiles, but if you approach them for direction or information, they will help you. 

Having said that, I think their immigration officers were one of the nicest in the world. Very friendly and efficient too. 

First time ever in my decades of travel that I saw at the passport control the officer asked all the group members to submit their passports together. So if there were 12 of you in a group, all 12 will be processed at the same booth. It was a pretty smart move, the officer can then see, assess and interview the group at the same time. Smooth process, super efficient 👏🏻

Airlines:

We flew via Malaysia Airlines. Direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Hulhumale (vice versa). Both return flights were on time.

1 January 2026  MH485    KUL-MLE   10:10  11:25

4 January 2026  MH486    MLE-KUL   23:15  06:50(+1)

Tour Leader: 

Since we go ourselves, we were the tour leaders 😋 Of course I will rate us A++ 😂

Local Tour Guide:

Our tour guides were the internet and social medias 😋

Currency:

Their currency is MVR Maldivian Rufiyaa. On our way to the hotel, our airport shuttle driver asked us if we wanted to buy Rufiyaa. He said to use the Google rate (at that point USD100 = MVR1545). Since we already planned to go to a local money changer near our hotel, we did not commit to buy from him. 

After we checked in, we went to the Aqsa Exchange and managed to get MVR1959 for USD100. Beside the money changer, there is a shop selling the same excursion that we bought (& later cancelled) online for only MVR850 (RM178). Online price was USD85 (RM352).

Bus:

We took their public transport. Very nice and new double decker buses. No cash accepted, so tourists can pay using credit card. One way ticket for bus or ferry cost MVR10 (RM2.10) from Hulhumale to Male. 

Because of the the Friendship Bridge built by China, bus replaces ferry as the main transportation between Hulhumale and its capital, Male so ferry service became infrequent as a result. Therefore, check the schedule if you wish to experience their ferry service. During our ride, only a few people took the ferry, mostly tourists like us 😅

Bus Driver:

The public bus drivers were very all very conscientious 😍 

Hotels:

We stayed at Season Holidays Hotel, Hulhumale. The hotel's location was superb. Ten minutes from the Velana International Airport, walking distance to the ferry terminal. Plenty of bus stops nearby for a short trip to the capital. A lot of restaurants, supermarkets and souvenirs shops surrounding the hotel. It was also facing the sea with access to the local public beach, you can watch sunrise from there.

The rooms that we got was on the third floor with no lift. The size was good but there was no view whatsoever. Just facing a wall 😅 For RM500/night, in Malaysia you can stay at a 5* hotel 😋 The bathroom was recently renovated (I think) but the size was very small. 

Hotel Breakfasts:

The buffet breakfast selection was good. Not extensive but have enough varieties and quite tasty. I am happy if I can have fresh fruits, eggs and a good cup of coffee every morning. So no complaints 😍

Lunches:

We mostly had late lunch due to the heavy breakfast. We shared a jumbo size fried rice at Lanka Cafe, Hulhumale. The portion was so big that the four of us did not manage to finish it 😅 Should have tapau for dinner 😋. 

I had grilled reef fish at the Riveli Beach Club & Restaurant, Hulhumale (twice), the first time tasted better though 😋 We also had an Indian buffet lunch at a food court near the ferry terminal in Male.

Please note that there will be an extra cost of 8% GST and 10% service charge on top of the published price. Not all shops impose service charge though. Lanka Cafe did not add service charge to their bill. I have no problem with Riveli Club charging the extra 10% since we did get good service from them but for a food court to add a 10% service charge for a buffet meal that we served ourselves? What a scam. 

Dinners:

Since we had late lunch, we skipped dinner altogether. Which suits my intermittent fasting routine. Normally if I joined a full board tour I will tend to overeat but for this trip the amount of food consumed was perfect 😍

Rapport With Fellow Travellers:

Went on this trip with my new travel buddies. We first met as strangers on previous overseas tours and ended up as friends. We're all frequent travellers, so everyone understands the joys, challenges and little quirks that come with travelling abroad. That made this trip even more fun and memorable. Such a wonderful bunch of people. Feeling lucky to have met them and I'd love to go on more adventures together in the future 😍✈️

Timing:

Personally I think that the timing was perfect. The sun was shinning throughout the duration of our holiday. It wasn't too hot due to the wind blowing from the sea surrounding the islands. The position of the buildings in Male also helped provide shades to the pedestrians so you can explore the islands on foot without suffering from a heatstroke or sunburn 😋

Overall:

It was a short and sweet holiday. A wonderful trip to start a new year 😍 No fixed itinerary. No need to rush anywhere. Ample time for shopping. Beautiful blue sea everywhere you care to look. A truly relaxing holiday. Highly recommended!

I've uploaded all the daily photo videos of the trip in my IG account mkhasha.n.travels and daily photo videos of the food at mkhasha.n.food 😀 Do check it out.

Hashtags specific for this trip:
#mks2026Maldives #mks20260101 #mks20260102 #mks20260103 #mks20260104 #mks20260105

Njoy!