Day 3: 10 March 2021, Wednesday

Woke up today a year older, but I didn’t feel any wiser for that matter. I tell you, birthdays are overrated. Nevertheless, it was still nice to be able to celebrate it while on vacation with my loved ones. In fact, I had some of my most memorable birthdays while I was overseas – Sri Lanka in 2012, Bali in 2013 and Sydney in 2017. My birthday wish this year is for the Covid-19 pandemic to be brought under control so that we can all travel again and that I can celebrate my birthday next year in a foreign country.

The first item on our agenda today was a bumper car session at the SeaPlex. Bumper cars are very nostalgic, not only for me but for mum and dad too. When I was young, we used to ride them at Genting Highlands and we always had great fun. It is an activity that both the young and old can enjoy together.

By the way, the bumper car rides are one of the most in-demand activities among cruise-goers so you have to quickly make your reservations the moment you get on board the ship on the first day. We were a bit slow, and by the time we booked it, there were only limited slots left on the third day. So here we are at 9am, bright and early for our bumper car ride.

The house lights in the SeaPlex were dimmed and neon lights were put on to create a party atmosphere. After everyone had gotten into their seats, the “engines” of our bumper cars came to life and off we went. The SeaPlex arena is quite big so there was plenty of space to manoeuvre around and bump into the other cars. It was great fun, but it was over all too soon. Honestly, four minutes is too short. The engines had barely warmed up!

After that, we went to Windjammer Marketplace for breakfast. There was no queue today so we got our table in a jiffy. By now, we were familiar with the routine and knew where to go and what to do. Breakfast was scrumptious, but we tried not to overindulge just because it was a buffet, because it isn’t normal to eat so much food every morning. Our stomachs can’t handle it.

We returned to our stateroom for a while after breakfast before venturing out again. At 10:30am, we went to Two270° to have a look at the Morning Dance Fitness class. Unsurprisingly, the response was very good and the class was fully subscribed. We managed to get a spot at the back row, where we had some space in the aisle.

The female instructor put the music on and the class began. I wasn’t intending to participate initially but eventually decided to join in after mum set the ball rolling. I was wearing sandals and I wasn’t properly attired in fitness gear. Luckily, the moves weren’t very vigorous so I could still cope. Dad also joined in after a while.

Towards the end of the class, a male participant went up on stage and asked the instructor if he could lead the next song. The instructor was a bit taken aback by the request but she let him do so. I’m not sure if he specifically requested for J. Lo’s Let’s Get Loud and the instructor happened to have the track, but that was the song that came on next.

It was obvious that the man was a fitness/Zumba instructor and he had led classes before. Compared to what the female instructor did, his moves were more seductive and showy, in line with the upbeat and catchy music. Even though it was a rather fun routine, we felt that what he did was uncalled for. You may be a qualified dance/fitness/Zumba instructor but that does not give you the right to barge up the stage and disrupt a class. It looks very bad and self-serving.

After the unscheduled interruption, there was no more time for the female instructor to do another song, so we did the cool down next. Overall, it was an enjoyable half an hour of morning exercise and we did break out a small sweat while doing so. Join this class if you have the chance!

Next, we went to the Music Hall for the Harry Potter Trivia quiz. The turnout was very good and all the seats in the hall were filled. To my dismay, I didn’t get full marks; I only scored 18 out of 20. One of the questions I couldn’t answer was more of a diehard fan trivia question not really related to the content of the books. The other question was something I should have been able to answer, so it was disappointing that I didn’t get it right. Nevertheless, it was all in good fun, and an enjoyable way to pass time.

We went back to Windjammer again for lunch. We made the right choice coming here because the spread of food was good, much better than having lunch at Sorrento’s Pizza, which we considered initially. After that, we had some free-and-easy R&R time on our own. I went back to the stateroom to rest before venturing to deck 14 for rock climbing. Rock climbing is complimentary and no reservations are required. There are three lanes so three people can climb at a time. As such, the queue moves pretty quickly.

Prior to this, I had some rock climbing experience at Climb Central’s indoor wall at Kallang Wave Mall. My experience tells me that rock climbing is very physically demanding, and I always ached badly after a session. Thus, I wasn’t very confident of reaching the top without falling off. 

An auto-belay system was used here, so there was less pressure and I could climb at my own pace. However, there were bystanders watching so I tried to focus on myself instead of on them. My prior climbing experience came in handy, as I knew that I could not rely solely on my arms to pull me up. I made a conscious effort to use my legs to support most of my weight so that I wouldn’t tire out so easily.

I was assigned the left-most lane. After studying the three courses afterwards, I think it wasn’t the easiest among the three. I had to pause a few times to plot my route, and also changed my footholds several times in order to progress upwards. Eventually, I found my way.

When I rung the bell at the top, I heard some applause from the people below. It felt really good to succeed in reaching the top, and I could understand why people get hooked on rock climbing. The satisfaction comes from pitting yourself against the elements (gravity, wind, heights) and solving problems along the way in order to attain your goal.

After coming down, I would have loved to go again, but my body was a little sore from the stretching and exertions. I met up with mum and dad again, and we proceeded to the outdoor pool area at deck 14 to have some soft serve ice-cream. The ice-cream is free so you can have as many as you like!

At 3:30pm, we went back to the SeaPlex for our foosball (table soccer) session. For Foosball, Xbox and table tennis, they are all complimentary but you have to go to the booking counter at SeaPlex to make your reservations. Each slot is 30 minutes. Since there were three of us, we had to play 2-versus-1, so mum and dad paired up first. We then switched partners and I paired up with mum. I must say that dad is pretty good at playing foosball! I think we enjoyed foosball more than the bumper cars.

Right after that at 4pm, we went for the Pop Music Dance Class, also at SeaPlex. Our female dance instructor led us through a few songs, including Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk. The steps were quite repetitive so it felt a bit like line dancing, but it was fun. By the end of the half-hour session, we had sweated quite a bit. Or rather, as our instructor says, we don’t sweat, but instead, we “glow” or “sparkle”. It’s all about keeping a positive mindset!

After our workout, we went back to our stateroom to shower and get ready for our dinner at 6pm. For tonight’s meal, I ordered the Crispy Spring Rolls, Chicken Parmesan and Dark Chocolate Custard. Mum had the Shrimp Ceviche, Chicken Parmesan and Apple Blossom à la Mode while dad had the Egg Drop Soup, Stir-Fried Noodles with Shrimp and Ice Cream.

Since it was my birthday, mum and dad ordered an additional Whole Maine Lobster as a special treat. The lobster is one of the Premium Selections you can add to your meal. It cost US$35.34, including gratuities. The lobster was delicious, though it is not something I will eat outside of special occasions. Thanks mum and dad for the treat!

At 7:15pm, we went to the Music Hall to watch the Aura Band perform. They are a three-piece band with a drummer, guitarist and keyboardist, led by a female vocalist. We had watched them during the first night and enjoyed their performance. Today, they played some oldies and contemporary hits, with nice arrangements and good energy.

After their first set, we had to exit the venue for sanitisation between the sets. As we re-entered the venue, I noticed that the staff in charge of admitting us wore a name tag that said “musician”, and his country was stated as Ukraine. I looked at him and found his face familiar. I then asked him if he was the trombonist who performed with the orchestra yesterday, and he said yes. I told him truthfully that I enjoyed the performance greatly.

I didn’t know that the musicians had to double up and perform duties as doorkeepers. Royal Caribbean makes them work hard for their money! The next time you encounter any staff members manning the venue entrances, take a look at their name tags. They could be musicians, dancers or instructors.

After being entertained by Aura Band for two hours, we stayed on in the Music Hall for the Name That ABBA Tune Trivia quiz at 10pm. We are all fans of ABBA so we were excited about it. For the quiz, we had to identify 15 songs and answer five multiple-choice questions about ABBA. The MCQs were not that easy, but I relied on the memory of my visit to the ABBA Museum in Stockholm to get us through.

Out of the 15 songs, we identified 13 of them correctly. We also got four of the MCQs correct, so our total score was 17. We were tied for first place with another group, so each group received two foldable/reusable shopping bags as prizes.

If there is just one minor complaint, we feel that the quantity of the prizes should be increased. For the other quizzes that we participated, only the winning team received prizes. And the prizes are all low-value items like pens and keychains. Even the Game Masters seemed embarrassed about the prizes.

For such low-cost items, I think that they can afford to be more generous and give out a greater number of prizes, e.g. to the top three or top five teams. I can safely say that all of us participate for fun and not with the intention of winning, but it will be nice for more people to have a chance to pick up some souvenirs. It’s about the feel-good factor more than anything.

Since it was our last night, we decided to take a relaxing stroll on deck 14 for one last time. There was a nice breeze and we could hear the waves and smell the sea. After being indoors for most of the day, it felt nice to get some fresh air outside. The Quantum of the Seas is such a massive vessel that it makes you forget that you are on a ship sometimes.

At 11pm, we went back to the Music Hall for the very last programme of the trip. A scaled-down version of the Quantum of the Seas Orchestra was playing tonight, comprising a trumpet, alto saxophone, bass guitar, electric guitar and drummer. The five-piece ensemble performed jazz standards by Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Herbie Hancock, among others.

Being a jazz performance, there were lots of solos and improvisations from the all the musicians (except the drummer, sadly). The saxophonist was very impressive in particular. There is nothing more satisfying than to watch the musicians have a wordless “conversation” with each other.

After playing the last note at midnight, the orchestra leader thanked us for supporting the return of live music. For these musicians and performers, they live to perform for a physical, ‘live’ audience. The interaction and the energy from the audience is something that cannot be replicated virtually via a screen. I am so happy that the cruise provided me with the opportunity to experience live music once again. And with that, it was the end of another wonderful day at sea. One last sleep before we reach Singapore!

Day 4: 11 March 2021, Thursday

We woke up at 5:25am, right at the moment when the ship was pulling in to Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore. It was incredible how the captain and his crew were able to steer the huge ship into the berth so precisely. We went to Windjammer Marketplace at 6:05am to have our breakfast. After that, we went back to our room for our final packing and waited for our turn to disembark.

Yesterday evening, our stateroom attendant had placed three luggage tags and a sheet of paper containing the instructions for the disembarkation process in our room. In a nutshell, departure times for the guests are staggered so as to maintain physical distancing. All guests have been assigned a specific departure group and time, and we are to wait in our staterooms until our departure group has been called. The departure times are updated on channel 24 of the stateroom television. 

We were assigned luggage tag number 10, which meant that we were in group 10. According to the schedule provided on the sheet of paper, the estimated departure time for group 10 is 7:45am. The earliest estimated departure time is 7:00am for groups 1, 2 and 3, and the latest is 10:15am for groups 41, 42 and 43. I am not sure how they allocate the groups, but I imagine each group should comprise of rooms from different decks, so that there will not be congestion at any one deck.

If you are assigned to one of the last groups, you can sleep in a little longer or have a more relaxed breakfast, since you are only scheduled to disembark around 10am. However, I think it is better to disembark earlier, since there is nothing left to do except to wait. Anyway, you cannot choose your group number/departure time as it is being assigned to you. It’s the luck of the draw.

In case you’re wondering, the purpose of the luggage tag is for the crew to identify you, so that they know you are disembarking at the correct time based on the group number that is being called. Thus, you are not able to disembark early even if you want to because your luggage tag will give you away. You have to attach the tag to your luggage, like how you do for your check-in bags at the airport.

As it turned out, the departure was faster than expected, and our group 10 was called at 7:30am. We proceeded to the Forward Gangway as instructed, where we tapped out our SeaPass cards for the last time. After that, we cleared the Singapore Customs in the MBCCS building and we were done. Everything was very smooth and systematic. I booked a Grab car and we reached home at 8:15am. That’s the end of our “overseas” trip…home sweet home!

Closing thoughts on the trip

Having experienced my first proper cruise trip in 20 years, I must say that I enjoyed it very much. In terms of the facilities, the Quantum of the Seas is a huge, floating hotel with wonderful amenities. The stateroom was beautiful, spacious and well-furnished. The Solarium, SeaPlex, Royal Theatre and Two70° performance venues were especially impressive. I didn’t use the swimming pools, but they looked really nice too.

In terms of things to do, there was never a dull moment on board as there were plenty of free activities to keep us occupied. I especially enjoyed rock climbing, playing Foosball, the morning dance fitness class, taking part in the quizzes and watching the live bands perform every night.

In terms of food, I am not a fussy eater so I am satisfied with the quality of food provided at the complimentary restaurants. I also appreciate the fact that the menu changes slightly from day to day at the Main Dining Room so you can try different dishes every evening. The complimentary snacks (soft serve ice-cream, pizza, hotdogs, sandwiches) were also good.

In terms of the service provided, I give them top marks. From the stateroom attendant to the waiters to the venue entrance staff, all of the crew we encountered were very friendly and professional. The service is really good and that left the deepest impression on us.

In terms of the shows, I would say they were a mixed bag. The two original productions (Sequins and Feathers, Starwater) were visually spectacular and had good production values. However, Starwater could benefit from some tweaks to make it tighter. The other two headliner shows (comedy juggler Steve Rawlings and magic master John Taylor) were so-so. They were mildly entertaining but they didn’t wow my socks off.

Overall, the cruise was a good getaway from Singapore. The best thing was that it felt like a real vacation. We got to use our passports, we woke up every morning to a sea view before going for a sumptuous buffet breakfast. It was as close as you could get to an overseas vacation. For the price that we paid, I think it was better value than a staycation. I can safely say that my next cruise trip will not be in another 20 years’ time. I will be back!

Some FAQs

If you’re considering going on a cruise with the Quantum of the Seas, you may have some questions, like we did before we went. Now that I have gone through it, I have compiled some FAQs that will hopefully be helpful.

1. Do I need to do a Covid-19 test?
Yes, you will need to do a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Covid-19 test between one and three days before your sailing date. The cost of the test is included in your cruise fare. When you disembark, there is no need to do any further Antigen Rapid Test (ART). You can simply hop off the ship and go home.

2. Will I get motion sickness?
The Quantum of the Seas is a huge ship and it is very stable. You won’t feel it even though the ship is constantly moving. As such, the likelihood of getting motion sickness is very, very low.

3. Where does the ship sail to?
I only managed to check the location map once while we were on the ship, and it showed that we were sailing somewhere on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. You will see open sea all around, with hardly any other ships in the vicinity. Thus, it really feels like you’re on a cruise-to-nowhere.

4. Do I need to bring my passport?
Yes, because you will be sailing in international waters.

5. Are all the meals really free?
Yes, breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in the cruise fare. In between, you can have snacks at some of the complimentary snack bars. Breakfast and lunch at the Windjammer Marketplace are buffet-style, while dinner at the Main Dining Room is a three-course meal. The complimentary restaurants are more than decent enough. But if you prefer something more special, you can pay to dine at one of the Specialty Restaurants.

6. Do I need to bring any cash to pay for things on board?
Essentially, everything is paid for already. Most of the meals, shows and activities are free. If you wish to dine at a Specialty Restaurant, do some shopping or play at the casino, you can charge your expenses to your credit card, which can be tied to your personal account via your SeaPass card (personalised room key). Hence, you don’t need to bring any cash on board. Note that all expenses incurred on board are charged in US dollars.

7. Is there Internet on board?
You can only use the complimentary Wi-Fi to access the Royal Caribbean app, but if you wish to surf the Internet and use social media, you will need to pay for a VOOM Internet package.

8. How many people can a stateroom comfortably fit?
Our Ocean View Balcony room was equipped with a king-size bed and a sofa bed that can fit two people. Thus, up to four people can comfortably share a room, with plenty of space to spare.

9. Is it safe to take a cruise trip in the midst of a pandemic?
I too had my concerns before the trip, but after having experienced it, I can say it is safe to do so. In fact, I would say it is just as safe, if not, even safer being on the ship than being on land in Singapore.

One of the reasons for saying that is because of the compulsory, pre-departure PCR Covid-19 test, which means that everyone who is allowed to board the ship has already tested negative. The second reason is the reduced capacity, with only up to 50% of the usual capacity allowed for each sailing. Quantum of the Seas is a huge vessel and there is a lot of space for guests to roam around. It did not feel crowded at all.

Thirdly, there are very strict safe distancing measures on board. Seats in the theatres, restaurants and even the casino slot machines have been blocked off to ensure safe distancing between guests. The crew on board also constantly remind guests to keep a safe distance and to wear their masks properly. Lastly, there are also daily temperature checks and contact tracing measures everywhere you go.

In conclusion, while nothing can be absolutely foolproof, my assessment is that it is safe to take a cruise trip even during a Covid-19 pandemic, because of the extraordinary safety measures undertaken.