Day 2: 9 March 2021, Tuesday

After a restful night’s sleep, we woke up at around 8am on the second day. The feeling of drawing the curtains and being greeted by the wide, open sea was just wonderful. It was a beautiful day, with wispy clouds in the sky and the endless ocean stretching as far as the eye can see. 

Breakfast is complimentary (actually all meals are included in the cruise fare) and you can have it at one of four restaurants: the Main Dining Room (deck 4), Café@Two70 (deck 5), Solarium Bistro and the Windjammer Marketplace (both at deck 14). In fact, you can even have breakfast delivered to your room for free, but do note that for room service, only breakfast is complimentary.

Of the four restaurants, Windjammer is the most popular option because it serves a buffet spread and it offers great ocean views from its deck 14 location. Reservations are not required but there can be a queue to get in, which was what we experienced when we went at 9am.

The staff tried to persuade us to have our breakfast at the Main Dining Room instead because it serves the same food, albeit in a different setting. However, we already had our dinner there last night and our assigned table was not great. The Main Dining Room at deck 5 does not have expansive views of the sea, and our assigned table was nowhere near the window. We wanted to try something different and enjoy the nice views from deck 14 so we remained in the queue.

As it turned out, the queue moved quite quickly and we got into Windjammer in less than 10 minutes. To our surprise, the restaurant wasn’t full and there were still plenty of tables available. Either the turnover rate was quite fast, or the staff were trying to divert some guests to the Main Dining Room to spread out the crowd. I’m glad we stayed.

The buffet spread was quite good. There was the usual continental breakfast fare – ham, bacon, sausages, potatoes, baked beans. There were also egg stations where you could customise your eggs, a bakery with different types of bread and pastries, fresh fruits, cereal, yoghurt, cakes as well as a selection of Chinese and Indian food.

The dining experience has changed a little because of Covid-19 safety protocols. It is still a buffet but you are no longer allowed to handle the food. Instead, you’ll need to bring your plate to the respective stations and tell the servers what you will like to have, e.g. two chicken sausages and one sunny side up, please. I think it is a good system.

After a sumptuous breakfast, we went back to our stateroom for a while before heading out again for a walk. We went to Guest Services to pick up a copy of the Cruise Compass, then went to the Royal Shops to see if there was any shopping to be done. We discovered that one of the shops did sell some souvenirs and Royal Caribbean merchandise, i.e. non-branded goods that commoners like me can afford.  

I had my eyes on a pair of Captain Shades, sunglasses that were attached to a plastic mock captain’s peak cap. It looked quite cool and unique so I decided to buy it. Mum also bought a bling bling lanyard card holder, which she used to hold her SeaPass card. It came in very handy over the next two days since we had to tap our SeaPass cards before entering every venue on the ship.

By the way, everything on the ship is priced in US dollars. For convenience, you can charge all onboard expenses to one credit card and link all your guests to the same credit card account. Hence, you don’t have to carry your wallet around since everything can be charged to your account via your SeaPass card. On the Royal Caribbean app, you can also easily check your account and track how much you have spent. It’s really convenient and easy to use.

At 11am, we went to the SeaPlex to check out the Latin Line Dance Class. Reservations are not required but it is first-come, first-served. Due to physical distancing measures, the number of participants who can join the class is limited. The class was already full when we arrived, but Mum wasn’t intending to join the class anyway.

We found an empty area where we could watch the proceedings. Captivated by the music, mum tried to follow along to the steps. However, a staff member soon descended upon us and told mum that she couldn’t dance here. What a bummer, but we understood that rules are rules and we have to abide by them. The safety of the cruise depends on everyone’s cooperation.

At 11:45am, we went to Schooner Bar to take part in the Name That Michael Jackson Tune quiz. I jumped at glee when I saw this activity being listed on the app. My first thought was that there was no way I wouldn’t ace the quiz. In fact, if I didn’t score full marks, I should be very ashamed of myself. I have been a lifelong fan of MJ since 1995, and I pride myself at being Singapore’s biggest MJ fan.

I was heartened to see the bar filled with guests of different ages coming to take part in the quiz. You know, Michael Jackson will never be cancelled. Each group was given a pen and a sheet of paper. Our quizmaster explained that she would play a short snippet of a Michael Jackson song and we had to write down the song title. The group that gets the most correct answers will win some prizes.

As expected, I had no problem identifying the 20 songs and I scored full marks. Everyone in the bar was suitably impressed. The quizmaster said it was the first time ever that anyone had gotten all the song titles correct. I can understand that because there were a few songs from the Motown days that are more obscure to casual fans. For my winning effort, our team was rewarded with three Royal Caribbean keychains. We took two and gave the remaining one to the second-placed group.

After that, we went for a light lunch because we were still feeling stuffed from the buffet breakfast earlier. Café Promenade and Sorrento’s Pizza share the same premises so we took a few desserts from the former and a few slices of pizza from the latter. The pizzas were surprisingly quite good, with thin crusts and tasty fillings.

After our light lunch, we continued our exploration of the ship. At deck 14, we discovered the Solarium, an indoor-outdoor retreat that is open to adults only. There are several cascading pools and hot tubs here, as well as a bar where you can order drinks to quench your thirst while you work on your tan. (Don’t say I say one, but the drinks also act as an excuse to remove your face mask.) As the Solarium is located at the front of the ship, there are astounding views of the sea all around. It was very nice and quiet there, mainly due to the lack of kids.

Next, we then went to Casino Royale again. It wasn’t as crowded as yesterday evening so we had a chance to try out the slot machines. Like everything else on the ship, you also place your bets here in US dollars. Similarly, you can charge your expenses to your SeaPass card, so you don’t have to worry about bringing your wallet with you. And if you happen to be lucky, your winnings will be given in the form of cash in US dollars as well, not Singapore dollars.

We didn’t stay at the casino for long because we had a 1:30pm show to catch at the Royal Theatre – the Headliner Showtime starring John Taylor: Magic Master. We managed to get good seats near the stage again. The 45-minute show featured illusions from the Australian magic master and his capable assistant. Some of the illusions were simple while others were more elaborate. There was also a running gag on “water from India”.

In all honesty, the show wasn’t that fantastic. Well, the signature illusions were rather good but they weren’t anything we haven’t seen before. I think Singaporeans in general are quite hard to impress, because we have been spoiled with lots of world class entertainment coming to our shores over the years, so our standards are very high.

I think Mr. Taylor also sensed the less-than-enthusiastic response because he threw in a few sarcastic remarks when the “people at the back” didn’t applaud loud enough. I could tell that he was jaded from performing the same show over and over again. Furthermore, the theatre was at half capacity (or less) due to safe distancing measures, so it was hard to engage the audience fully. I think for these cruise ship performers, it is really a challenge to keep up the energy levels day in, day out, so I can empathise with that.

After the show ended, we had some R&R time on our own. Mum and dad went to try their luck again while I headed to the Solarium. There were plenty of unoccupied deck chairs so I just chose one and lay down to chill. The pools were tempting but I didn’t have any company and I felt a bit lazy to get wet. By the way, you can rent towels at the Pool Towel Station for free using your SeaPass card. It was a relaxing afternoon just chilling and doing nothing.

For our dinner at 6pm, we went back to Silk restaurant for our complimentary meal. However, if you prefer something more special, you can always pay to dine at one of the five Specialty Restaurants: Chef’s Table, Chops Grille (classic American steakhouse), Jamie’s Italian, Izumi (Japanese cuisine) and Wonderland. For the Specialty Restaurants, reservations are recommended and a dress code applies.

For our meal at Silk, some of the menu items were different from the day before, so we were able to pick something new to try. I chose the Escargots à la Bourhuignonne for my appetiser, Aged Prime Rib of Beef for my entrée and Royal Cheesecake for my dessert. Mum had the Salmon Gravlax, Classic Fish & Chips and Ice Cream while dad had the Tom Kha Kai Soup, Classic Fish & Chips and a Seasonal Fruit Medley. I am pleased to say that our selections today were all good.

Following our dinner, our night had just begun. We went to the Music Hall early and snagged good seats to catch the Quantum of the Seas Orchestra featuring the High C’s Horns. They were a nine-piece orchestra comprising two trumpets, one trombone, one alto saxophone, one tenor saxophone, one keyboards, drums, electric guitar and bass guitar.

For their first set, they performed mainly high-energy and up-tempo pieces, with styles ranging from funk to jazz to Latin. The musicians were all very technically proficient and the orchestra was very tight. Each member had a chance to shine with solos. They were truly world class and I enjoyed their performance immensely.

There was a 15-minute interval between their sets but we had to leave the Music Hall so that they could sanitise the premises. For the second set, the orchestra played more laid back and breezy tunes, comprising some Latin, bossa nova and a funked-up version of Play That Funky Music. It was just as enjoyable but we didn’t stay for the entire hour because we had to adjourn to our next activity, the Name That 70’s Tune quiz at Boleros (deck 4) at 9:15pm.

For this quiz, there were 15 songs in total and we had to identify both the song title and the artist. I wasn’t as confident as I was for the earlier MJ quiz because I’m an 80’s kid and I am more well-versed in songs from the 90’s and beyond. There were three songs that I had never heard before, and a couple of others that I either didn’t know the song title or the artist’s name. In the end, I scored 19 out of a possible 30 points. The top two teams scored 21 points each and a tiebreaker was played to decide the winner. It was a good half hour of fun guessing those classic 70’s songs. The music really was better back in the day.

After that, we headed over to Two70° (deck 5 aft) for Starwater featuring Viktoria Stryzhak, one of the two original productions on the cruise. I had quite high hopes for this show because it was being billed as a showstopping visual spectacle of groundbreaking technology and live performance artistry. We didn’t arrive early enough so our seats were not as good as yesterday’s.

The show began with the dancers/models strutting on stage along to the strains of The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony. They took up position on different parts of the stage, then strutted some more, like it was a fashion show. Occasionally, the music broke into Madonna’s Vogue where the dancers “struck a pose”, then the music went back to Bittersweet Symphony and they strutted some more. And more, and more. I swear it went on for a full 15 minutes.

After that interminable fashion parade, we finally moved on to the second segment of the show. A female solo singer was hoisted into the air with her long white flowing dress billowing beneath her. While suspended in the air, she belted out Rihanna’s Diamonds and interpolated it with Shirley Bassey’s Diamonds Are Forever for good measure. During a dramatic performance of Adele’s Skyfall, two male aerialists descended from holes in the ceiling and put on a high-wire act. It was very impressive how they performed the spins without getting tangled in the wires.

For the final segment, it was the headlining act Viktoria Stryzhak’s turn to take over the stage. With her Swarovski crystal-studded violin in her hand, she performed five tunes, including Ed Sheeran’s Galway Girl and a mournful version of Leonard Cohen’s classic Hallelujah. As a finale, she performed a rousing rendition of Loreen’s Eurovision-winning song Euphoria. All the performers then returned to the stage for a final curtain call.

All in all, the production values were very good. I liked how the stage made clever use of the space to incorporate the entrance and exits of the various performers. I was also very impressed by the aerialists. However, I feel the show could be trimmed down or tightened, especially the first segment, which seemed to go on forever. A few tweaks here and there will make it more enjoyable.

After that, we went back to the Music Hall for more live music. The Tropical Band were on again and they performed more upbeat and catchy songs, ending the day on a high note. And that was how we spent Day 2 of our cruise. One more day to go before we sail home!