Costa Victoria Day 4: Ciao and Grazie!

I can't believe its our last day already!

I didn't want to leave Costa Victoria but we only paid for a 3-night cruise so we had no choice but to pack our stuff, claim our passports at the reception, bring our luggage to the bag counter and wait for our turn for disembarkation. Good thing we enrolled the credit card on the day we arrived so settling our account was faster and more convenient as we did not have to queue like the others. Last meal aboard Costa Victoria was a delicious farewell lunch at Sinfonia Restaurant.

Our flight back to Manila leaves at 12 midnight that gave us ample time for a quick visit at Takashimaya in Orchard Road. Afterwards, we headed to the Gardens by the Bay to meet up with my friends who are based in Singapore for dinner and some catching up. Our trip coincided with the Christmas-themed decors and lights show that lit up the entire garden festively.

Dinner was in Peach Garden Noodle House at Supertree Dining located still in the Gardens vicinity. Peach Garden offers affordable Chinese dishes perfect if you're dining with a group of big eaters.

My first cruise experience definitely opened my eyes on the addicting fascinating world of cruises and excursions. The trip may be costly than our usual ventures in the past but I guess you really can't put a rather limited tag price on luxury, comfort and satisfaction of traveling to interesting places aboard a floating city with everything you may need in one place!

Costa Victoria Day 3: Discovering Art at Penang, MY

The third day aboard Costa Victoria started early for us as CS and I both wanted to see Penang and its famous street art. After breakfast at Sinfonia Restaurant, we headed to the port and hailed a cab that brought us to Georgetown, the capital city of Penang on the Malay Peninsula.

Commissioned in 2012 by the Penang Municipal Council for the Georgetown Festival, Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic gave color and new life to unkempt walls around the old city. The "Mirrors George Town" project exhibits fascinating large scale murals depicting life in the city.

CS got hold of a map that detailed the location of the street arts -- some were easy to find while others were either blocked by new installations or has deteriorated making it impossible to find.  If you're keen in seeing it first hand, I suggest you go travel to Penang soon before more of them gets lost permanently. After looking for the ones we liked based on the photos on the map, we took a cab back to the port. I find the people here in Penang genuinely kind as compared to other parts of Malaysia I've traveled to. No haggling on cab fares and you pay the exact amount as it is shown on the meter. I would love to go back and stay longer next time.

Lunch aboard was at Fantasia Restaurant. It must have been the heat and the walking tour because we ordered almost everything on the menu out of hunger. No photos of some of the food as we got too engrossed trying them one by one. Kudos to the Filipino staff who even went out of his way to get me a burger from Bolero Restaurant at Deck 10 when he heard me craving for it. No wonder our kababayans are very in demand and excel in almost all industries around the world.

Eat. Travel. Sleep. Repeat.

CS and I took a long nap after lunch and got woken up by his alarm at 5pm. Truth of the matter is that I gained a few pounds after the trip because we got spoiled so much!  I wonder how much weight I will gain if we got on board one of those cruises that sails for 2 weeks or even a month. The thought of having buffet everyday for a long time is kinda scary don't you think? Anyway, our cabin steward booked us again on the first seating for our last dinner aboard the ship at Sinfonia Restaurant. One of the perks of having a Filipino staff attend to us is booking the seat by the window just in time for the beautiful sunset -- such a wonderful view!

Costa Victoria organized a Carnival of Venice Party at the ship's main hall later that night. Everyone joined the party and were in festive moods wearing colorful masks and makeshift gowns for the ladies using space blankets as provided by Costa. I had so much fun dancing to songs I don't even understand the lyrics with people from all ages and nationalities. The memory still puts a smile on my face whenever I recall that epic night. It was definitely a night to remember!