cruise to nowhere for free



we once went on a 3-day cruise to nowhere on the star aquarius as guests of a family friend. we had a room to ourselves. altogether, he was able to secure at least 4 rooms for his family and one admiral suite for himself.

as he was a big time roller, he was accorded vip treatment and that treatment was extended to us, his guests. we did not have to queue with the other paying passengers for our meals. we ordered our food from a special menu. we ate the best food they had on offer. superior shark fin's, bird's nest soup and steamed grouper were standard fare for us. the most expensive meal - for which we did not have a pay a single cent - was from the japanese restaurant. there was no limit to the number of meals we could have.

the aquarius has 12 bars and restaurants serving thai, japanese, chinese and western dishes. among the many amenities are casino, movie theatre, karaoke rooms, a cabaret showroom, library, fitness centre and a swimming pool.

we did step into the casino to watch my friend and his wife play baccarat and black jack. the stakes were quite high, so we did not stay long in the room. on that trip, he made a killing of about $90k, enough money to buy a new luxury car.

in case, you are thinking that this is an easy way to get rich, let me tell you this. my friend parted with his two mercedes benz and sold his 3-storey terrace house about three years after this episode. now, he lives with his in-laws.

for those of you who have not been on a cruise, do not imagine the ship to be rolling or strong wind to be buffeting the ship. nothing like that. it is so smooth and calm that you soon forget that you are on board a ship.