Taking a cruise with its wide range of activities and halal-certified cuisine has Hanna Hussein thrilled
MARINA Bay Cruise Centre Singapore is already brimming with passengers patiently waiting to board the gigantic and luxurious Genting Dream, one of the three (and the largest) premium Dream Cruises vessels.
This is my first time going on a cruise and to be honest, I am excited and anxious at the same time.
Most of my friends who have been on a cruise holiday (not Dream Cruises) told me that it’s boring while another friend said that she was seasick throughout. Well, despite the gloomy comments, I still went ahead with my plan to go on this three-night South East Asia Getaway cruise trip which was organised by Poto Travel & Tours, Genting Cruise Lines (Genting Dream), and Singapore Tourism Board.
I prepare myself with motion-sickness pills but, as I discover later, I wouldn’t need them at all!
FIRST IMPRESSION
The check-in process is a bit dreary. However, thanks to the Fly-Cruise service, we are able to do the pre check-in at Changi Lounge upon my arrival in Singapore airport this morning. Here I receive my cruise access card in advance.
The access card is an onboard identity card, onboard charge card, gangway security pass and cabin key card. It is issued to all passengers in exchange of your travel documents and therefore, you must keep it with you at all times during the entire cruise.
On it is the passenger’s name, cabin number and location, as well as the muster stations of the safety drill — which will be held before the ship sails and is compulsory for all passengers.
Shortly after 2pm, my deck number is called to board the ship. Boarding procedure is smooth — just tap the access card, hand in my passport, and that’s it.
Excited to check out the room (which is called cabin) first, I hop on the elevator to go straight to deck 10, where it is located.
My cabin is a Balcony Stateroom, a spacious 20 square metre room with a queen bed and a sofa. It has a balcony overlooking the ocean horizon, complete with chair and table, where I can enjoy the sunset and sunrise every day.
The cabin is roomy. I can place my luggage in between my bed and sofa and still have enough space to pray comfortably. It is also neatly prepared with clean comfy bed linen, two bottles of water daily, and pamphlets orderly placed on the table. In-room entertainment is also available (for free) such as satellite TV and video-on-demand.
I’m quite impressed with the attached bathroom which is bright and modern. There’s ample space to move around!
NO WORRY, IT’S HALAL
I freshen up and head out ready to roam the floating city. The ship is huge! There’re 19 decks in total, and you can find everything from world-class entertainment and fine dining to spas, bars and luxury boutiques. I feel like I am at a huge holiday resort, except that it is moving.
The vessel offers plenty of dining options but only two are inclusive in your cruise fare, which are the Dream Dining Room and The Lido.
While many Muslims avoid going on a cruise because of food restrictions, fret not when on board Genting Dream. The Lido, located at Deck 16, offers halal options and it is certified by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).
The media team gets an exclusive viewing inside of the Galley to see how the food is prepared. The galley is really huge and there’s a special section for a Halal kitchen
where food from the Lido is cooked and prepped by talented Malay chefs, led by the executive chef from Malaysia, Chris Bartolome. Not only that, the galley has a special elevator only for halal cuisine to be transferred to Lido.
The Lido offers international cuisines including Indian, Chinese and Western delicacies. Most importantly I’m not at all going to miss kampung cuisine because I’ll
be having rice with all sorts of dishes such as mutton curry, ayam masak lemak, udang masak kunyit, squid sambal and even sambal belacan and ulam! The menu changes daily, but there’s mutton, beef, chicken, prawn, squid and eggs everyday to give you variety of choices.
THRILLS AND CHILLS
While on board, I am pretty occupied with plenty of complimentary activities. One of my favourite ‘hang-out’ place is the outdoor Rope Course and Zipline, located at deck 18.
Imagine, hanging and gliding 35-metres above the ocean while the ship is cruising — oh, it’s electrifying! In fact, I decide to stay on board when the ship docks in Penang to experience the Rope Course for the second time.
Attached with safety equipment, you will first be taught how to use it. Then, you can go do all the challenges freely. There are easy challenges and a few tough ones, and you can choose your own track. On my second attempt,I go on the more challenging route which I will then face the terrifying wall climb from one end to the other.
Apart from the rope challenges, you can also dare yourself on the rock-climbing wall, play the nine-hole putting course with its wide-scale ocean vista backdrop, and even enjoy the large outdoor court which hosts everything from old-school basketball and tennis games to kooky and challenging bubble soccer, giant snooker and archery — all for free! However, don’t forget to pack your sport shoes to enjoy all of the facilities.
The ship also boasts a waterslide park, another one of my favourite activities on board. There are six different waterslides to try out. Two are super scary, but of course I dare myself so I don’t miss out the fun.
Those who wants to just chill and soak, the ship boasts a huge outdoor swimming pool, complete with four jacuzzi on deck 16. There are also two jacuzzi at the Zouk Beach Club.
DOCKING EXPERIENCE
During this three-night journey, the cruise will make a stop at two destinations before heading back to Singapore. The first stop is Penang, and the second is Phuket, Thailand.
I skip my chance to explore Penang to spend more time on board but I definitely do not want to miss my chance exploring Phuket. There are plenty of excursions provided by the cruise you can join. You can also go explore on your own.
The docking experience is amazing. Before we disembark, we have to meet up at the Zodiac Theatre and there you will be divided in groups and you will be called based on the excursions you are taking. It doesn’t take long at all and you will only have to use the access card to disembark and embark the ship. Travel documents are not given to you so make sure you have a copy of your passport while you are exploring the city.
The media team has our own excursions where we go on a shopping spree buying Thailand’s local products. We also make a short visit at Masjid Isala Hudeen and, later, have a massage at the spa. We only have half a day to explore Phuket so make sure you opt for the best excursions for you and your family to enjoy the city.
SHOWS AND ENTERTAINMENT
On board, I also get to watch some cool live performances at Zodiac Theatre, located at deck 7. The free-performances can be booked the show at the Box Office or better, through the Dream Cruises apps which I have already installed on my phone. You can also check daily schedule through the mobile apps.
There are two main performances available at Zodiac Theatre throughout the cruise which is Some Like It Hot and the exclusive China Got Talent.
Some Like It Hot is more of an entertaining sing and dance performance, featuring the 50s and 60s theme — with a modern twist! Enjoy the Bandit band as well as the singers, Tetyana and Davyd together with the dancers spinning in waltz, progressing in the classiness of foxtrot, and burning in their hot mambo.
China Got Talent show is more exhilarating as guests can participate in the live vote during the show to choose their own winner and share the excitement as the winning act is revealed which makes each show a unique experience. The show is a 45-minute theatrical representation of the worldwide hit TV series.
It feels as if you are actually on set of the TV show with the judges commenting on the performances.
Want more? Well, there are also movie shows nightly at midnight held under the stars at Zouk BeackClub, as well as indoor at the main lobby on deck 6. You can check out what movie through the daily schedule.
If you like to party, you can have some fun dancing in the club at Zouk nightly, but make sure not to miss out the fireworks shows on the very last night, and continue with the dancing party at main pool deck.
If you have time, check out some of the fun paid-activities such as karaoke at Silk Road on deck 6 as well as glow in the dark bowling on deck 17 at such a minimal price.
FAST FACTS
GROSS TONNAGE: 150,695 tonnes
LENGTH: 335m
WIDTH: 40m
PASSENGERS CAPACITY: 3,352
STATEROOM TOTAL: 1674
To book your Muslim-friendly vacation on Genting Dream
cruise, visit www.pototravel.com.my, or call 03 9200 6640.