Your Guide to Seacation on Dream Cruise

With the travel restrictions in place currently due to covid situation, the word “travel” seems so far stretched. You may have forgotten where you even kept your passport. Well, that happens to me at least. Having not travel for at least a year now, my travel itchiness has finally caught up with me.  Tired of Staycation? Tired of exploring your own country? This certainly applies to me which I am based in one of the world smallest countries (Singapore).  Have you tried Seacation yet?

Yes, I heard gasps and people asking, so what is Seacation? Seacation is actually whereby you are on board a luxury cruise liner which sail to nowhere. Yes, I hear you! Sail to nowhere? Isn’t that boring? Just stay on the ship and nothing much to do? Hey, here is post on why you should change your mindset on Seacation and here is how you should enjoy it!

Firstly, lets relish the joy of travelling and soothe our travel souls as we embark on our seacation. Dream cruise set sail 3 times weekly. If you are looking for a short vacation, join the 3 Days 2 Nights cruise that departs on every Wednesday & Friday. Perhaps, you might want to look for something longer, spending more time away from home, try out the 4 Days 3 Nights cruise, departing every Sunday.

Is it safe to be on the cruise given the current pandemic situation? Here is what you need to know and be assure of in every way. Certainly, staying put in your home, not getting out of your house does not guarantee you are safe from the ongoing pandemic as well.  Here is what Dream Cruises takes to assure to their best of ability of your safety.

Before embarkation, all guests and staff have to go through stringent COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test (ART), ensuring you are virus free. Factor in at least 15- 45 minutes for the swab and result test. With the cruise departing around 7.30pm from Singapore cruise terminal, one can board the ship as early as 3pm onwards to enjoy the facilities. That explains the peak period for people taking the covid rapid test, which I had experience a wait of just 30 minutes during my time I took the test at 2pm. The rapid test is not pain and it was swift, just a quick swab with cotton bud like inserting into your nostrils.

After which, you will be given a number and brought to a waiting area for the test result. After waiting for 15 minutes, with a negative test result, you will be permitted to board the cruise. Rest assure all the testing fees are being included in your cruise fare, no additional payment required.

Yes, I heard you asking next up: “So , how much does it cost?”

2-night Sailing:
From SGD 99* per person based on twin sharing , excludes port charges at SGD 60 per person and gratuity at SGD 42 per person.

If you are still calculating, let me do it for you. Total cost: SGD$201 (Singapore Dollars)  

3-night Sailing:

From SGD 129* per person basing on twin sharing, excludes port charges at SGD 60 per person and gratuity at SGD 63 per person.

Total Cost: SGD$252 (Singapore Dollars)  

Things to do on Dream Cruise: 

#1: Feast! 

Yes, what is a vacation without delicious food on the menu? Rest assure your stomach will be well taken care of on board Dream Cruise. There are basically 2 ways to dine on board. Since your cruise fare includes 24/7 food, one can either choose the free to dine food outlet or if you crave for specialty like Japanese food, there are restaurants that you can pay as one dine in it.

Do you also know World Dream is the first cruise ship in Asia Pacific to receive certifications from United World Halal Development.. this would also mean halal food is easily available now on board, a first in this region! Muslim friends can check out the dedicated halal corner at The Lido (Deck 16) which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I also noticed that World Dream go all out to capture the heart of our Muslim community. Completing the experience for Muslim guest are prayer rooms, mats, compasses and exclusive services at the Crystal Life Spa (Deck 7) and Main Pool with gender requirements in mind. That is how well detailed Dream Cruises plan out for you!

#2: Comfy Rooms! 

Yes, beds are one of the most important aspect when it comes to my holiday requirements. This is where we want our soul to be well healed during our vacation. Nothing goes better than having a springy bed to lie on. I would strongly recommend one to book the balcony stateroom at the very least when on board Dream Cruise. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with it. At an attractive rate of SGD199 (2 nights), this price is in fact mostly lower than what you can usually get at a hotel staycation on main land Singapore. One thing I love about cruise is , the fares are all inclusive. This mean food (24/7 buffet selection) , accommodation, basic amenities/ activities (E.g. Swimming pool, magic show, gym) are all included.

The best part of booking into a balcony stateroom is that it comes with your own private space of admiring the sea view. Enjoy and indulge in the comfort of your “home” for 2 or 3 nights depending on your length of your cruise stay. I find it refreshing to enjoy a cup of hot coffee, catching up on my book while enjoying the sea breeze. When I feel tired, I know all I need to do is to head back to my cabin room (3 steps away) and embrace the comfort of the pillows. By the way, I got to point out that the room comes with 6 pillows for 2 person sharing cabin. This mean you will be flooded with fluffy pillows while you enjoy your sleep. Beside that, there are boundless of entertainment you can catch on the television channel. With over 10 international channels and countless of movies to choose from, relaxing in the room could not be more comfortable than this!

Certainly, beside the room, always make some time to plan out the list of activities you want to engage in during your cruising journey. As it is now Covid period, common facilities like swimming pools, gym have to pre book in advance. My advice: Study the daily timetable distributed, highlight the main event you want to attend (usually night shows after dinner is popular), so that leave you for other time to keep up with your fitness regime or even have a relaxing spa. The key is to plan early on what you want to do, hence here is a quick guide on what one can expect on board…

#3: Keep Fit Regime 

There are many activities on board in ensuring you keep your body in shape. This should go a long way in ensuring both your stomach are well fed with the 24/7 supply of food available and yet family friendly activities like yoga, ballroom dancing, just dance challenge or even get active through picking up new skills such as Acrobats can be found. The gym located at deck 7 are also well equipped and I noticed the equipment are all brand new condition. Imagine you doing your sit up/ push up while admiring the endless sea view, that is what you get in the gym!

#4: Activities

Yes, there are no offshore excursion available. Yes, I also hear you questioning: “Then, will it be boring?”  You will be truly wrong if you think it will be boring on board. With tons of activities, I am only worry, you do not have enough time to enjoy all of it! On special occasion like new year countdown or during Chinese New Year, there will be fireworks on board. It was certainly an experience itself to behold, witnessing fireworks right on top of your head with the stars glittering the night sky.

There are many classes or rather I would say opportunities for you to pick up a hobbit or skills set. This include taking up Salsa dance classes, going for Zumba work out with like minded travellers or even have enrichment short courses from doing floral arrangement to even lifestyle talk such as how do you identify branded & counterfeit products.

Other than that, maybe you would like to catch a movie, do it at the movie theatre on deck 7! Check out the list of movies available at the different time slot. I managed to catch a 3D film at the art of state theatre facility if I could say.  Definitely worth a try! Did I also mention that this is the place to go usually at night to catch performance put up by the talented artiste on board.

I realized the most popular activity in the house is : Bingo! Practically, it seems to me that every 4 hours, there seems to be a Bingo game happening! Remember, do check out the daily events & activities list so as not to miss it!

The Bingo game is at a price of SGD$20 per card, but the prices you can walk away is fantastic! The grand prize at that time I saw on board the cruise ship is SGD$20,000! Are you game for it?  No harm trying, who knows lady luck might be shinning on you. There was this particular guy who won 2 times in a row (SGD$200 and SGD$300) , lucky him!  Stop envying, be part of it. Even if you do not win, it is part of the fun as the ship host will bring you countless of laughable moment during the game.

#5: Shopping Therapy 

Singaporeans favourite past time: shopping is definitely not excluded from this trip. You will be pleased to find duty-free shopping and branded stuff & designer handbags ranging from Michael Kors Clearance Sales, Bulgari Sales, exquisite jewellery roadshows taking place on board.

With so many things to do and so little time on board this luxury cruise liner (Dream Cruise), what else is still keeping you in coupe up at home? Take a breather, enjoy a refreshing overseas experience and reignite your desire to travel again!

If you are looking for staycation ideas on mainland Singapore, do consider giving Ramada Singapore @ Zhongshan Park or Hotel Indigo @ Katong or even Festive Hotel @ Sentosa a try!  For more of such hotels reviews, please click here.

Categories: Asia Region, Travel Tips