How It All Began
When the Singapore government first announced last October that two cruise lines had been given the green light to offer “cruises to nowhere” from Singapore starting in November 2020, I thought there was no way I would go on board a cruise ship with thousands of others and risk contracting Covid-19.
Memories of the 3,700 people being stranded on the ill-fated Diamond Princess cruise ship last February, with over 700 of them eventually being infected with Covid-19 were still fresh in my mind. I was also not a fan of cruises, with my last proper cruise trip taking place some 20 years ago. Hence, it did not even cross my mind that I would consider taking a cruise to nowhere anytime soon.
However, Singapore being Singapore, our government has taken a typically kiasu and methodical approach to allow the safe resumption of cruises. Health and sanitation protocols were quickly established and safe management measures were put in place. All the cruises would be round trips with no ports of call, and are they only open to Singapore residents. The ships would carry a reduced capacity of 50 per cent, and all passengers are required to undergo Covid-19 testing prior to boarding.
All these measures are part of the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) CruiseSafe programme. The purpose is to instill confidence in the cruise industry and to set a benchmark for the future of cruising in the region. More importantly, it provides travel-starved Singaporeans an option to go “overseas”, given our small land size and the fact that international travel will not resume so soon.
On 3 March 2021, the Straits Times (click here) reported that more than 82,000 people have set sail on cruises since the pilot in November, with no positive Covid-19 cases recorded. 35,000 guests went on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas (25 sailings) and 47,000 guests went on Genting’s World Dream (45 sailings). Demand continues to be strong, and many of the guests are repeat customers.
In fact, it was one such repeat customer who made me change my mind about going on a cruise. In early February 2021, I met up with my friend SS for drinks and she told me she had just booked another trip on the Quantum of the Seas. She enjoyed the first time so much she decided to go for it again.
SS told me about how the temperature taking and safe distancing measures were very rigorously enforced on board…So rigorous to the point of being slightly annoying because the staff were very on-the-ball and they kept reminding all the guests to keep their masks on and to keep a safe distance from each other. But SS emphasised that they were very friendly and professional. She also said that the reduced capacity meant that it was not overcrowded and it was much more comfortable than in usual times.
As a parting shot, SS said that Royal Caribbean frequently ran promotions and the price for the cruise was actually quite affordable. Based on her good review, I decided to check it out.
Taking The Plunge
A few days later, I saw a Royal Caribbean print ad in the newspapers about the Royal Hong Bao Sale, with 50% off cruise fares. It certainly seemed quite enticing and I spent a few days thinking about it. Ultimately, it was the safety aspects outlined by SS that really convinced me to go for it. At the end of the day, safety is the number one priority. Having made up my mind, I asked my parents if they would like to go. Thankfully for me, they said yes. Elated, we booked our cruise on 15 February 2021, a few hours before the sale ended at midnight.
After checking our schedules, we decided to go for a 3-night Ocean Getaway, from 8 to 11 March 2021. There are 2-night and 4-night options available too. The dates were ideal because it was the week before the March school holidays, so we figured it wouldn’t be overcrowded with families and screaming children. Furthermore, it coincided with my birthday, so it was the perfect timing.
We booked an Ocean View Balcony room, because what’s the point of going on a cruise if you can’t wake up in the morning to an ocean view, right? The Balcony room costs more than an Interior room (with no windows) or an Ocean View room (with a window, but no balcony), but I think it is worth paying a bit more for it.
At the booking page, we saw that there were four options for the Ocean View Balcony Room, each with different prices. There was a regular one, one with obstructed view, one with a large balcony and lastly, one with balcony guarantee (not sure what that means). Since the three of us would be sharing a room, we went for the regular Ocean View Balcony room, which was equipped with a King-sized bed and a double sofa bed. The stateroom size is 198 sq. ft. and the balcony is 55 sq. ft.
When we placed our booking, we discovered that there was an additional discount for seniors, which my parents enjoyed. After all the discounts, promos, gratuities and taxes, the total amount was S$1,238.93, or S$413 per person. The breakdown of the fare is as follows:
The Swab Test
On 5 March 2021, Friday, we went to Swissotel the Stamford at Raffles City for our polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Covid-19 swab test. You have to make an appointment using an app called TrustOne. The swab test must be completed between 3 days and 1 day before the sailing. However, it is recommended that you do the test as early as possible, i.e. 3 days before the sailing. The cost of the swab test is included in the cruise fare, so we did not have to pay for it.
The test centre is located at Kopi Tiam restaurant on level 2, not to be confused with the Food Junction food court at level 3 of Raffles City shopping centre. In normal times, Kopi Tiam is the restaurant for hotel guests staying at Swissotel, but it has been converted into a swab test centre for the time being.
We had booked our appointment slots for 11am but we arrived early at 10:40am. Shortly after we arrived, a lot more people joined the queue. At about 10:50am, it was our turn to enter the test centre. The staff scanned the barcode on the back of my IC and generated two pieces of stickers with my details on it. After verifying that my particulars (name, IC number, date of birth) were correct, I was directed to the test area.
I estimate there were at least 10 booths in operation. Each booth had curtains for privacy. A young female swabber attended to me. She asked me if this was my first time doing the swab test, and I replied yes. She said that it is not as scary as the whole world makes it out to be, and asked me to relax.
The swab was like a long Q-tip. She told me to keep my head upright and asked me if I was ready, before proceeding to stick the swab into my nostrils. Skillfully, she inserted the swab into my left nostril first, before removing it and inserting it into my right nostril. And just like that, I was done. I was in and out of the booth in one minute.
So what did the swabbing process feel like? Well, I have to say that it was indeed not as scary or painful as what has been widely reported. Uncomfortable, yes, but not painful. The swab went in quite deep but it was only for a short moment. The lady who swabbed me seemed to just stick it in, then take it out. She certainly did not twist the swab while it was inside my nose cavity. After the test was administered, I was conscious of the sensation in my nostrils for about 15 minutes. After that, it was back to normal. In all, it was a very quick and relatively painless process.
We received the test results on the same day (5 March 2021). At about 8:20pm, I received a notification from the HealthHub app that my test results were ready. This was even earlier than the notification from the TrustOne app, which came only at about 11:30pm. The test result was negative, which was a relief. With that, we were cleared for our cruise!
Travel Insurance
Buying travel insurance is essential when travelling overseas. Even though this was a cruise-to-nowhere and with all the stringent safe management measures on board, we still wanted to make sure that we were protected. Hence, we needed to find travel insurance that covered Covid-19.
My insurance agent recommended me to an insurance company called SOMPO (click here), which I had never heard before. To be doubly sure, I wrote in to enquire specifically whether the Travel (COVID-19) Insurance included cruises-to-nowhere and coverage for Covid-19. I got a reply within 20 minutes, and the answer to both questions was yes. I then purchased the Essential plan, which cost S$40 per person.
Internet On Board
Even though the cruise would be a wonderful opportunity to disconnect from the world, most of us will suffer from FOMO if we are not able to access our favourite social networking sites for more than a day. Thus, I decided to pre-purchase Internet for use on board.
On Royal Caribbean’s website, you will see two Internet package options. You might be wondering what is the difference between the VOOM SURF and the more expensive VOOM SURF + STREAM Internet packages. As its name suggests, VOOM SURF + STREAM allows you to stream music, videos, movies, TV shows, do video chats and live streams, i.e. Internet activities that require more data. For regular Internet usage (surfing of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), VOOM SURF is sufficient.
I pre-purchased VOOM SURF Internet package for 3 devices at S$48.93 per day, i.e. S$146.80 for 3 days altogether. It’s cheaper than if you buy the package for 1 device, which costs S$18.48 per day, i.e. S$166.32 for 3 days and 3 devices altogether.
With all the necessary things done, we were all set for our Ocean Getaway! Read about my cruise experience in the next post!