The Voyage to Start All Voyages.

Remember, a ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for. Sail out to sea and do new things.  never be afraid to trust an unknown future to an all-knowing God. 

Never in my wildest imagination have I thought myself being a cruise doctor. I do love travels. A destressor and a constant source of serotonin overload is what travel is to me. Using the art and science of medicine to help people get better-my way of life. Thus, when the opportunity to have both was given, I grabbed it and here I am, braving the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. Life at sea is  definitely a new way of life for one who has lived all her years in land, where all is just a walk, if not a car ride away.

The Bahamas, Eastern Caribbean, South America, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera and all the wonderful places in Central America are the destinations of my home away from home - the Norwegian Star. With Port San Pedro in Los Angeles, California as home port, this is the best ship for me amongst the Norwegian Cruise Line ships. 

M/S Norwegian Star’s maiden voyage was on November 19, 2001 and since then has been cruising back and forth the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean at a speed of 25 knots. In each cruise, it carries 2,240-3,000 passengers and 1,100 crew personnels. For its 15 decks, it has 22 elevators, 11 dining facilities, 10 lounges and bars, and 26 service facilities. Gross tonnage is 91,740 with 965 feet in length, 105 feet in breadth and 28 feet in draft.  The ship has 20 lifeboats (even numbered on the port side and odd numbered on the starboard side and numbered from bow to stern), 2 rescue boats and 4 chutes stations. Each chute has 3 rafts per station plus 8 spares totaled to 20 life rafts.  A total of 150 people can be accommodated in one life boat, 4 people in each rescue boat and 101 people in one life raft. 

Located in deck 4 midship, the medical center is fully equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipments to cater to the different medical needs onboard. A 2-bed ICU, 2-bed ward, 1-bed operating theater, well-stocked pharmacy and a doctor’s clinic can be found in the center. In each cruise, 2 doctors and 3 nurses are in-charge of the health of the 3,340+ persons onboard. 

During my stay in the Star, I’ve worked with Dr Jeff for the 1st 2 3/4 months and the rest, with Dr Devon.  The nurses who rotated were Brian  (10/21-11/19), Jennifer   (10/21-12/18), Erika  (11/9-12/18), Jane  (11/18-2/28,4/2-23)), Lynn  (12/18 -3/19), Cristina  (12/18 - 3/14), Susan  (2/28-4/23) and Lebogang  (3/19-4/23). Captain Gunnar Hammerin, Captain Kostas Fafalios, Staff Captain Peter Engwall and Staff Captain Martin Holmsqvist. are my direct supervisors. 

My days with the Star five were the most enjoyable part of work; tiring but fun. However, the last part of my Star stay was the best part of it all, with Devon, Roy and I attending almost all social events that we can: exhausting but all worth it.  And of course, the last week of my Star stay and all the events in it made it all the more very special. The crew and officers of Star made us feel important                                          and appreciated.    Devon and I, definitely loved our Star stay. 

Puerto Vallarta with the boys

Marvelous cobblestone streets, red-tiled roofs, elegant colonial cathedrals, secluded beaches and forest-covered mountains define Puerto Vallarta. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s love affair placed Puerto Vallarta on traveller’s map. 

As early as 1525, the Spanish ashore Puerta Vallarta but were unimpressed and the area became forgotten until mid-1800 when it became a ranch. By 1920, it was mainly a fishing village and remain so until 1963 when the town appeared on world radar screen with a splash. Elizabeth Taylor accompanied her lover , Richard Burton, on location to Puerta Vallarta. She was still married to Eddie Fisher then. Burton was one of the cast of the Night of the Iguana and Taylor went with him.Where love blossomed, tourist followed and today the town is a combination of an enchanting mexican pueblo and a world class resort city.  The centerpiece of Puerta Vllarta is Guadalupe Cathedral. Its pretty crown-topped bell tower is the city’s distinguishing  landmark. Just a block away is the Malecon, 10 minutes  away, where innovative art turns the baywalk into an art gallery which includes Los Milenios, Nostalgia, Sea Horse and Los Arcos. Tha Cuale river divides Puerta Vallarta down its middle.  In its middle is Isla Cuale. Hard Rock is found in Diaz Ordaz St corner Abasolo St. 

Puerta Vallarta was Star’s destination for Dec 22&29,Feb2,9,16&23, March 2,9,16,23 & 30, April 6, 13 & 20.

I toured Puerto Vallarta’s downtown with Cris Noriega and went a number of times in Starbucks and Walmart with Lynn Dressel. But, of all the activities I’ve done in Puerto Vallarta, the one that I enjoyed the most is the lunch date i had with Jane Agustin-Von Stemm, Danica Driz, Alvin Legaspi, Neil dela Cruz, Leandrew Sotto and Sir Carlo. We ate lunch in the Filipino restaurant nearby, had dessert and wifi time in VIPS and laughed the day away. Most of my PV days were spent in Starbucks, Liverpool. Trivia: In Liverpool is where I had my 1st out-of-the-country haircut. :) 

Dr Agustin Fernandez de Souza is our medical coordinator for San Javier Marina Hospital. He gave me a hospital tour once and was insisting that he will treat me out for lunch but due to time constraint and lack of available medical staff, the plan did not push through. But, he is a very good medical coordinator which made us prefer Puerto Vallarta for our referrals.

Cabo San Lucas and Senor Sweets

Our most frequented port in Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, is located in the southernmost tip of the Baja peninsula. The town of Cabo San Lucas is surrounded by natural beauty: white sandy beaches, a dazzling sea and countless sunny days a year creating brilliant settings for activities on, in, and under the water.

Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the late 17th century, 3 native tribes inhabit the  wild Baja landscape. They flourished with the abundant gift of the sea, fruits of a variety of cactus, agape roots and mosco beans. The Spaniards established mission churches that still exist today. It wasn’t until the 1950’s that sport fisherman discovered the 500lbs Marlin in Cabo’s plankton rich waters. When the trans peninsular highway from La Pas was paved in 1973, resort developers saw the Cabo potential and a new luxury vacation was born. The defining feature of Cabo San Lucas is El Arco, a distinctive  granite arch at lands end which create a natural window where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez. 

Whale watching is a prime activity from late December to late March. Watch the great masters of the belly flap. Cabo’s underwater scenery is just as spectacular. Comfortable water temperature encourages snorkeling and scuba diving  all year round. A favorite snorkeling destination is Santa Maria Bay. A quiet cove steaming with more than dozens of species that live undisturbed in the marine sanctuary.  Depending on the condition, local dive experts will introduce you to a variety of undersea environment.  One can also soar over the sea in a Parasail adventure . 20 miles off Cabo San Lucas is San Jose del Cabo, a quaint, Spanish colonial town complete with twin steeple church and white gazebo in the town square, an excellent place to stroll and shop with local flair.

We’ve frequented Cabo San Lucas in the last quarter of 2010 and 1st quarter of 2011 (Nov 17, 22 Dec 16, 20 and 27, Jan 3,27&31, Feb7,14, 21&28, March 7,14, 21&28, April 4, 11,&18). It is Nov 23 in the Philippines and the 22nd only in Mexico when the girsl and I went for  a treat at Senior Sweets. Many reasons to celebrate, for one my 1st monthsary onboard Norwegian Star. Senor Sweets was our sponsor for our ice creams. Pistacchio and Strawberry were my flavors for the day.  Starbucks, by the main road near Paradiso, is where I spent most of my CSL time. With its free wi fi, free connection time with my family and friends, a homey atmosphere  and delicious java chip, what more can I ask for. I went exploring Cabo for unrecalled number of times with Lynn, 2x with Jenn Santiago and Cris Noriega and once with Jane Agustin-Von Stemm and Roy Kirk. And when none of them can go out with me, I went exploring CSL on my own. Dr Hector Martinez is our medical coordinator in CSL and most of my early out on ports were to endorse to him patients we have either medically debarked or are for referral. 

Cabo San Lucas is my most favoritge port outside of US due to a very long list of reasons. Ice creams @ Senor Sweets is my most loved activity in CSL. I would love to try parasailing here but due to time constraint, I can’t.