Finally, our long awaited holiday is here! As we still could not travel overseas generally, we opted for a cruisecation on the World Dream! We were deciding between Royal Caribbean ( 4 days 3 nights, with kids below 12 traveling for free, a “last” chance for Victoria to enjoy this offer!) or Dream Cruises (3 days 2 nights), and finally settled on Dream Cruises. Reason? For the same price, we could get ourselves 2 rooms on Dream Cruises (they seem to go by head count) while we had to pay additional for the same on Royal Caribbean (by headcount AND room). In the weeks leading till the departure date, we prepared ourselves by watching reviews of the cruise from various people on youtube. Amongst the tips that we gotten, were

• Arrive around 12noon for checking in
• Book slots for pool / jacuzzi first
• Download and use the app for booking of shows
• Lunch is available!
• Take your luggages along with you so that once you book your reservations for the swimming pool or jaccuzi you can immediately change into your swimming suit and head to swim or chill.

Although Victoria found out that we could park our car there for around $45, we decided to take the MRT there instead. We left home around 10ish and arrived at Marine South Pier station (nearest station with about 10 mins walk to the Singapore Cruise Centre) around 11:40am. Recommended!

This being the COVID-19 period, all passengers had to take an ART test (nope, dun worry, this is not a drawing test) prior to boarding. Surprisingly, although Justina and Victoria took their test before us, Emanuel and I got our test results 10 mins (sms received by me, or you can also check your TraceTogether app for the results.) earlier than Justina and Victoria. Once all the results were received, we were able to proceed from the ART holding center to join the queue for entry into the Singapore Cruise Centre.

The wait here was much longer, about an hour, before we even got into the cruise centre itself! Once inside however, it was relatively smooth (not sure whether it was due to the being out of the sweltering heat), from the mandatory checking of luggages to the receiving of our ship pass and the Tracy token (mandatory for moving around the ship). From then on, it was another wait (this time, at the departure hall) before we finally got on board our home for the next 2 nights, the Genting World Dream, around 2:15pm. And so began our holiday proper!

Tip: Most people will check into their rooms first when they board the ship. Take this opportunity to make your bookings for the pool / jacuzzi.

Once aboard the ship, we immediately sprung into action. Victoria and I were responsible for booking slots for the pool and jacuzzi whilst Justina and Emanuel took our luggages to the room. Surprisingly, when Victoria and I reached the pool, there were but only 3 others in front of us. We practically got a free selection of any slots we wanted, the only caveat being that one could only either book for the pool, or the jaccuzi, bit of a bummer. Nonetheless, we decided upon the 7pm slot for jacuzzi. While waiting, I also attempted to book the slots via the app for the shows on the ship. However, only managed to book LUMIERE (supposely a magic show) as JOLLY HOLLY (the main show) was fully booked for the day.

Once that was settled, we made our way back to the cabins to find both Justina and Emanuel nicely settled down. We proceeded for lunch at the chinese restaurant (the kids were protesting as the reviews rated the food there as mediocre) but we were pleasantly surprised by the soup and the dessert. Even Victoria (the loudest “protester”) was won over. We decided to explore the ship after lunch, and made our way to the upper decks with the intention to book a slot for the rope course (which Victoria had stated in no uncertain terms is an activity that she MUST do).

Little did we expect that we were the first in the queue (10 mins prior to opening)! Justina and Emanuel played the mini-golf and table tennis, while Victoria and I went for the rope course and the rock climbing, activities that took up the rest of the afternoon.

Tip: Most activities are on a first come first serve basis. Being their about 10 mins before it opens will suffice.

Initially, we were disappointed when informed that the zip line (part of the rope course) was not open but on hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise as we went thro all the available obstacles in the rope course, something that cannot be done if the zip line was available. And oh, did i mention that we eventually managed to make our booking for the main show, JOLLY HOLLY too while in the queue for rock climbing?

Tip: Keep trying. Slots for shows are released every hour, and someone might jus release their seats too if you are lucky so keep trying!

We settled for dinner at Lido’s (as we wanted a quick, fuss free dinner before our jacuzzi session), it was ok but nothing special really tho I did enjoy the cakes. One thing to note, what everyone said about the coffee is true…it basically taste the same as colored water (yes, it’s that bland). The instant coffee provided in the room was heavenly in comparison.

Tip: If you are a coffee junkie, suggestion is to bring your own.

Emanuel didn’t want to join us in the jacuzzi and decided to spend time alone in the room, leaving the 3 of us to our little splashing good time at the jacuzzi! Right after that, we went for our first show, LUMIERE.

Truth be told, was quite disappointed as there wasn’t much in the way of magic, a verdict all four of us agreed upon. After a long day, we finally settled down into our rooms and entered our dream world in the comfort of our beds.

On our second day (which essentially was the main day for a 3 days 2 nights cruisecation), we started off by visiting the VR room! Kids below 12 get to try out the games at a cheaper rate (1-for-1) during certain hours but do take note of the height requirements. Victoria went for her “Finger Coaster” 4D ride while Emanuel and Justina tried the impressive looking (but ultimately disappointing and unexciting) 3 screens racing simulator. At the very least, Victoria enjoyed herself, hence the money wasn’t wasted. Victoria and i also went the try out the 3D Dark Ride and it was very fun! Definitely a must try!

Tip: At different times of the day, there are different promotions.

After attempting the games (and burning a hole in my wallet), Victoria and I immediately ran to the queue for the rope course again. Must say that one advantage of being in the midst of a pandemic, is that the crowd is generally much lesser. Although we had to queue this time round, the waiting time was quite ok. It was a beautiful, windy morning and being at the highest point of the ship, with a superb view of the surroundings was a moment that i truly savour with relish.

We took a leisurely walk for the rest of the morning, continuing our exploration of the ship and ended up at the viewing gallery for a peak into the Captain’s Room. We then proceeded to make our way for the main show JOLLY HOLLY without much enthusiasm, in no part hugely influenced by our prior disappointing experience with LUMIERE. However, we were pleasantly surprised and very much entertained by JOLLY HOLLY! Not to be missed!

The rest of the day was spent participating in the on board activities (dancing for justina and I, photo frame making for Victoria, quiz show for both Victoria and me). Was pretty proud of Victoria for her knowledge and courage, in answering the various questions pertaining to Santa Claus and the 13 Yule lads! She actually won 5 1-for-1 tickets for the VR games, and unselfishly shared 3 of her winnings with another participant who did not managed to get any. You go Girl!

Later in the evening, the entire family participated in the “Squid Game” equivalent. Must say that tho it wasn’t as bloody and gory (and much less exciting compared to the drama), we had a nice time playing together (at the and of the games, you get a gift that you can choose yourself and 10 arcade game tickets), before making our way for the special light show at the upper decks.

The last and final day was pretty much reserved for disembarking. All the activities were closed saved for those related to one’s tummy. We decided to stay on till the last possible moment (11am), making a final round of the ship and enjoying our rooms whilst waiting for our call.

Tip: The crew will knock on your door to inform you that you can being disembarking

We were one of the last families to disembark, and it was kinda weird walking thro the now empty hallways, silent jackpot machines and stairs to the exit.

All in, it was a welcome break from the drudgery of everyday life during the COVID-19 pandemic. We left with happy memories and no regrets, save one … only that it had to end so soon! Perhaps, the Palace Villa next?