A Crystal Honeymoon in Southeast Asia

Ever After

A pair of honeymooners celebrates romance in Southeast Asia

By Fran Golden and David Molyneaux

You may have read about our romantic wedding at sea in the last issue of Porthole Cruise Magazine. Aboard Regal Princess out of Fort Lauderdale, we exchanged vows among family, friends, and hundreds of fellow shipmates who gathered in the atrium to witness the ceremony.
As veteran cruise writers, it only made sense that we say I do at sea … and that we chose to cruise for our honeymoon. So where does a pair of world travelers — who’s seen so much of the world already — choose to go? We set our sights on one of cruising’s hottest and most up-and-coming cruise destinations: Asia. We selected an itinerary aboard Crystal Cruises’ 940-passenger Crystal Symphony, attracted by the Southeast Asia ports, not to mention the accoutrements that the all-inclusive luxury line provides.
Here are our takes on what transpired and what stood out as highlights of this momentous journey for each of us.

A Few of David’s Favorite Things

1. Table of Eight
Yes, we booked a few romantic evenings at tiny tables for two at the specialty restaurants Silk Road and Prego during our 12-day voyage from Singapore to Bali. But our regular dinner table of eight was a highlight of the voyage. When we asked the maître d’ for a friendly first-seating table, he produced a match of four couples in their 50s and 60s who bonded into a travel group. Many cruisers these days choose flexible dining, but our jovial group cruised the traditional way, dining together most evenings at 6 p.m. Outside of dining, our group of eight also teamed up for a late afternoon trivia, and have kept in touch through email months later.

2. Soft Adventure By Day, Comfy Cruising at Night
Ticking off items on our bucket list, we roamed frenetic Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon); Kinabalu National Park in Borneo (Malaysia), where our guide was a member of the headhunting tribe (no slicing or dicing since 1963); and the fascinating sultanate of Brunei, where the Sultan’s palace has 1,788 rooms and 500 bathrooms. Each evening, we were back…

[impact_text include_button=”yes” button_style=”standard” title=”Subscribe” href=”https://porthole.com/staging/stores/” color=”orange” target=”_self” position=”cta_align_right” alt_background=”none” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]

This is an excerpt only. Pick up an issue of Porthole Cruise Magazine, or check out our digital edition.[/impact_text]