M: Cruise to nowhere on Aegean Paradise

I bought a Groupon voucher for a one-night cruise on Aegean Paradise, at $25 per pax. The ship was brought into service by New Century Tours (NCT), to replace Leisure World. On 11 June 2016 (Saturday), mum and I checked in at NCT counter in Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. Jeckson and sis drove us to the terminal. We were given a cruise ticket, ferry ticket and a transit pass.

We took the 6.30 pm ferry by Batam Fast to Nongsapura, from where another ferry transferred us to Aegean Paradise. The entire duration was an hour and a half.

We boarded the ship from deck 1, same floor as the massage centre and salon. A spiral staircase brought us to the Reception Counter on deck 2 (same floor as the boutique shop), where we queued to get our cabin keys and paid $100 for it. As part of the Groupon promo, we were upgraded to a Balcony cabin no. 5076 located on deck 5.

We were pleasantly surprised by the tastefully furnished cabin. The ship was owned by a Turkish operator before it was bought by NCT only recently; hence, it still retained some of its luxury.

It was already 8 pm when we went for our dinner at Pacific Restaurant (deck 3 aft). Not much selection but was glad to have my favourite tom yum 'lala' (soft-shelled clams).

After dinner, I returned to the cabin to relax at the balcony. I could see the lights of Singapore and even spotted the Singapore Flyer.

At 10 pm, mum and I went to the Jubilee Lounge, hoping to catch a Russian cabaret show. It started off with a Filipino guy singing, followed by an elder Chinese man and two ladies. By 10.30 pm, there was still no sign of the cabaret show starting. We decided to make a move.

At 11 pm, we had supper at the same restaurant. Ate oyster congee with some side dishes, and toasted bread with peanut and margarine. There was cheng teng too and it was very nice.

Went to the gym on deck 7. I walked on the treadmill overlooking the Sun deck for almost 15 minutes before an attendant came in and told me that shoes must be worn.

Returned to the cabin for shower before heading to the casino to look for mum at about 1.15 am. We slept at 2 am and woke up at 9 am for breakfast. There were fried kway teow, lor mai gai and char siew pao. Prior to our breakfast, we booked our return ferry, which was scheduled to leave at 12.30 pm but which was delayed by 45 minutes.

Mum lounged at the balcony for a short while...

We checked out at 11.45 am, had our lunch at Pacific Restaurant. I was surprised that there were even hawker dishes such as pig's intestine. Much of the food catered towards the 'elderly' Asians.