As per my previous travel itineraries, I have finally hyperlinked all the sub-postings related to the cruise! I am getting a bit rusty since my last one was made almost two years ago, in 2019, for the trip to Krabi in Thailand!
My luggage for the trip; honestly, I was pretty excited since it's been more than a year since I last travelled out of Singapore! No thanks to the pandemic.
Bringing along tidbits and even a bottle of red wine! My understanding is that every stateroom would be allowed to bring "two (2) 750 ml bottles of personal wine or champagne". I was expecting the cruise to be boring, based on my inaugural experience more than two decades ago.
Even though Singapore Cruise Centre, where we will board the Quantum of the Seas, is accessible by train, my friend and I decided to splurge by taking the cab instead.
All passengers were required to indicate a check-in timing and there's no need for you to come earlier than your designated timing as the operator was strict! My advice; indicate as early a check-in timing as possible so that you can clear all the migration and tests, and then enjoy the facilities onboard earlier.
Waiting for results of the pre-boarding antigen test. Yes, another test to ensure passengers are cleared of COVID-19; the cost for the tests was already included in our fees that were already paid for. Some people argued it's an overkill but to me, it gave me the assurances for a smooth-sailing trip, pun intended!
Time taken for the health screening, antigen test and the clearance of immigration took almost two hours, and I was frankly rather exhausted when I finally stepped onto the bridge connecting the cruise centre to the cruise ship.
Boarded the ship - I thought there will be like a grand entrance or something but it turned out to be relatively nondescript. The thing I really wanted to do then was to get into our stateroom and take a shower! However, we had to check in at the assembly station (in event of emergency) first.
Deck 8 - Room 626. First thing that caught our attention was the envelope welcoming us aboard. It contained two very important things.
Our stateroom with balcony! Size was relatively comfortable and even the bathroom wasn't as small as I assumed it might be. This is considered a massive upgrade from my first cruise ship via Star Cruise, where it was a windowless cabin, to be shared among four persons.
The two things on my wrist - one is a contact tracing token that was useless (and not waterproof) but you are required to wear it once you are out of your stateroom. For the purple wristband, you have to keep it on at all times during the cruise, even when you are showering! Its purpose? It means you are vaccinated against COVID-19 and hence, could dine in and take part in activities reserved only for full vaccinated passengers.
Outdoor pool deck! Ahead of us would be the north star 360-degree observation capsule; the Guinness World Record holder for "tallest viewing deck on a cruise ship" at 100 meters above sea level.
Royal Esplanade - basically the retail wing with branded shops and also housing some specialty restaurants. For complimentary food, you can proceed to Sorrento's Pizza and Café Promenade on the lower deck of the esplanade.
Humongous chair that reminded me of Alice and the Wonderland!
Main lift lobby with its beautiful 3D butterfly art installation (total: "210 butterflies representing 30 species") that went all the way up from Deck 4 to 15. Navigating within the cruise ship might seem confusing in the beginning but you would get the hang out of it since the cruise ship is only that big!
In addition, there would be a deck plan on every level, near the lift lobbies. Take a picture of it and put under favorite; it helped tremendously in direction finding.
Night had fallen! It was not that late actually but both indoor and outdoor pools were already closed. Guess it was due to reduced passenger capacity and more work had to be re-distributed among staff given the safe management measures and increased cleaning.
Another show that we booked- Sequins & Feathers at the Royal Theatre! A highly charged performance with eye-catching sets; very entertaining.
Couldn't forgo my daily jogs and it was with shock that I managed to attain such an impossible timing; guess it has to do with the GPS as such a record would have allowed me to challenge Marathoner Soh Rui Yong, who is the "first Singaporean to finish the 2.4km run in under 7 minutes".
Ending the night with a packet of roasted Chinese chestnuts by Lao Jie Kou and a glass of red wine (Cienna) from Brown Brothers!
Sports deck on Deck 15, where the gigantic pink polar bear was placed. Said to be 30-foot tall and "created by Denver-based artist Lawrence Argent", it's an icon you can spot from far away!
Next to the bear shall be the 12-meter high rock climbing wall. You can schedule a climbing slot on the Royal Caribbean app for timetabling purpose; admission would still be based on first come, first served basis.
Jogging track on the sports deck - one lap was 553 meters long and for my daily jogs, I circled the ship about ten times a day in order to meet my "jogging" quota. Unlike jogging on land, I was running against the wind on either track, depends on the ship's sailing direction.
Like a truck stuck between two realms , this would be the SeaPlex Dog House where you can secure free supply of hot dogs, during its operating hours from 11.30am till 6.00pm!
Not for those with a fear for heights.
Attended my first class; origami!
Quite a nice 3D butterfly, don't you think?
Seaplex - an indoor active arena where one can play bumper cars, participate in dance classes or play table tennis on the upper deck. The restrictions for COVID-19 has resulted in a tapering of activities though and its curbs on participant numbers mean I didn't manage to secure any slot throughout the cruise!
That same spot when I first stepped into the Quantum of the Seas. Without many people, it did appear a lot nicer, although still not as impressive as I assumed it would be for a grand entrance.
We didn't have dinner and decided to have sandwich and pizzas at Sorrento's Pizza and Café Promenade. They were actually side by side and connected; god knows why they couldn't be combined and given just one name.
Would you want to try your luck at Casino Royale, which had an old-school vibe, like the first time I visited the casinos at Genting Highlands? Unlike some casinos on cruise ships, there was a no-smoking policy here and I was extremely tempted to play the jackpot machines!
Breakfast at American Icon Grill - it's more like a restaurant where you choose your entrees and desserts. As the menu was just text, it's hard to imagine what you would be getting although you can choose to order as many entrees as you like. Can be wasteful though...
Another hot day! Strangely, I didn't want to get into the sun and choose to spend about one hour in the Vitality Fitness Centre; it's basically the gym on the ship and boy did I fall in love with many of the equipment inside.
Well, jogging is considered as a relaxing activity for me. In the past, when I used to mug for examinations, jogging was a sure way for me to calm my jittery, nervous inner soul.
Royal Caribbean had promotional cocktail of the day; priced at just USD 8 a glass, it's something I looked forward to having every day. Day three special; Woo Woo.
Ending the night with hot chocolate at Café Promenade.
Breakfast at Windjammer; to be frank, I prefer the wider variety of breakfast selection at the buffet restaurant even though I usually would just go over to the Chinese porridge counter, which would allow me to add the simple ingredients I like; for example, fried onions, pork floss, preserved radish.
The Café @ Two70 - another dining establishment where you don't have to pay extra unless you are going for gourmet beverages like latte etc. I just grabbed a fruit cup as my friend lined up to enter the adjacent Two70 venue.
Purpose - to take part in the family fun bingo! Gosh, bingo nowadays can have so many permutations; can't they just focus on good, old bingo?! It was quite exciting though despite us not wining any prize.
Going for the next activity; towel folding demonstration! I attempted a cat, a crab and a dog and truth be told; I can't remember the steps now. Oh well, I bet YouTube can teach us a thing or two.
Indoor pool deck - sheltered just like solarium but could be filled with kids!
Gym time; it's a necessity as I ate a lot during the cruise. Three meals aside, I could be having snacks in between at the other eateries and there were times when I visited Windjammer despite already having a full meal at those fine-dining restaurants.
Flowrider - a "12-metre-long surf simulator", I wanted to try for a trial lesson in the afternoon on the last day of our cruise. Luck wasn't on my side though as there was heavy rain and the activity was cancelled. By the time the rain stopped, it was after its operating hours for trial lessons :(
Last dinner at Chic Restaurant and I decided to say goodbye, albeit temporarily, to my diet. Two appetizers, two mains and three desserts; the Les Leches was lip-smacking good!
Cocktail of the Day - Margarita Azul.
My uncomplicated breakfast.
Turned out we can leave at 7.15am. Since there's nothing much we can do within the ship, except eating, we thought we might as well leave earlier to avoid a potential buildup in crowds at the ferry terminal.
Reaching way ahead in time as I assumed it would be maybe about 10.00 am but clearing immigration was a breeze! I should have just cancelled my half day leave and started the day working from home.
Check out the collection of time-lapse videos that I took from my cabin!
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Hi! This is very informative.
ReplyDeleteAny tips for booking the shows/activities?
Hello! For the shows, do that immediately via the Royal Caribbean app once you board the ship. for the activities, they are mostly on a first-come, first-served basis and popular ones like bumper cars were always full.
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