Remember the Mark Renton swagger I had on my way to board Star Cruises’ SuperStar Gemini last year? Well, my frame of mind was a bit subdued this time, and no Trainspotting pop-culture reference ran inside my head. The enthusiasm of going on another cruising experience never wavered, though, as I inched closer to the gigantic SuperStar Virgo docked at Pier 15 of Manila Port. Who wouldn’t be captivated by the sheer size of the ship towering as high as a ten-story building, knowing that inside its massive bulkheads lies a fully recreated floating luxury resort? Finding myself about to board a cruise ship for the second time, I recited a brief prayer thanking the heavens for doling out good karma upon me.

Notwithstanding being sans a honeymoon mate, I walked toward the gigantic ship bootlegging the swag of Mark Renton at the end of Trainspotting. Only that time, I was ship-spotting. Unflappably sliding my feet over the smooth carpet of the hallway of HarbourFront in Singapore, I silently declaimed my own version of the film’s famous quote. "Choose Cruise Life. Choose Traveling. Choose a big ship to sail. Choose onboard parties; choose an island to explore." Finding myself separated only by thick glass and a couple of hundred meters of pathway ahead, I stopped in my tracks and laid eyes on the sheer beauty of the docked ship that awaited my first-ever cruise ship experience.