I have not seen very many reviews of the Spectrum of the Seas, mostly because it is in Asia full time I would imagine, so I thought I would try and do a semi-live review of my family holiday cruise December 28 – January 2. This will be my first time sailing on a Quantum class ship, much less a “Quantum Ultra” class. Overall, this will be my 49th cruise, my 24th Royal Caribbean cruise, and my 2nd time sailing from Singapore.
Joining me on this cruise will be my mother, my brother, my brother-in-law, and my 12-year-old daughter. My mother and I sailed on Oceania out of Singapore this past March and that kind of started this trip. Many (many, many!) years ago, my brother worked in Singapore for a time. He loved everything about it and has always wanted to return. When mom and I announced we were sailing from there, he was definitely a touch jealous. We had wanted to do a holiday cruise because that is easier on everyone’s work/school schedule so we saw this one and decided it would be a perfect opportunity. My BIL and daughter just love to travel and are happy to go anywhere!
Packing – I have to work while on vacation (I don’t ever mind doing this, it lets me travel without using PTO) so I have to bring my laptops. Yes, laptops…two of them. Of course it is hot and humid in Singapore…Its the rainy season so expect lots of frizzy hair pics of me!
Our Flight – Qatar Airlines: Charlotte –>Miami –> Doha, Qatar–> Singapore. 23.5 hours actual flight time, 6.5 hours layover times for a total travel time of 30 hours! We leave Christmas Day and arrive in Singapore at 9am on December 27. We land at 9am and should be through immigration by 10am. We will all have our SG Arrival Card for entry into Singapore. We use the MyICA Mobile App and it is super easy and quick. This needs to be done no more than 3 days before arrival. Since there are 5 of us travelling with luggage, I pre-reserved transportation from the airport to our hotel. Hotel check in time is not until 2pm so depending on how we all feel, we may drop our bags and head to Raffels for a Singapore Sling or just hang out at the hotel until our room is ready. Which brings us to…
Our Hotel – Four Points by Sheraton Singapore, Riverview
I have stayed here before in Singapore and the hotel was perfectly acceptable. The breakfast buffet is delicious (although not included), and the pub has great atmosphere and really good food. We are also staying here for 2 nights after the cruise. The location is good, right on the Singapore River just down from Clark Quay. There is a bus stop right outside the hotel as well as a subway station (HAVELOCK TE16) within walking distance. In addition, taxis and Ubers (actually called Grab in Singapore) are easy and plentiful. We really do not have anything planned for this first day, everything will depend on how we feel.
On Thursday morning, we have an 11am check in time for the Spectrum. The cruise port in Singapore is lovely. There is a shopping mall attached for any last minute shopping needs before boarding, however I don’t think we need anything this time.
Mom and I and my DD have a JS on deck 9 and the rest are in an OV on deck 3 as my BIL needs an accessible room and that’s what was left. We have MTD and I have made reservations for every night between 6:45-7:15pm. The one exception is the one night I eat by myself at Wonderland. I have never eaten there and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity, but no one else wanted to join me so I am solo that night.
Our Itinerary:
Except Singapore, I have never been to any of the ports. We have Royal Caribbean excursions scheduled in each of the ports, mostly together except I wander off on my own once again in Phuket because I wanted to do a tour that no one else wanted to do.
In Port Klang we are doing: Instagrammable Hot Spots in Kuala Lumpur – Delight in Malaysia’s historic capital city, Kuala Lumpur, as you visit the temple of a Chinese sea goddess, have a photo stop in Bukit Bintang, and Petronas Twin Towers, savor authentic cuisine and go shopping (time permitting) in Chinatown, gaze at beautiful street art near Masjid Jamek, and climb the 272 steps to the famous Batu Caves, a popular Hindu shrine.
In Penang we are doing: Taste of Penang – Step into Penang’s food obsession on a tour that gives you a caffeinated kick at a popular purveyor of coffee and teas, hits the streets with the eclectic vendors of street foods and flies through the local food court scene at a legendary hawker center.
And finally in Phuket I am heading out solo to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary – Enjoy an opportunity to spend quality time with elephants in their natural home. Witness stunning views of the surrounding jungle and mountains while interacting with friendly, happy elephants in a safe and sustainable environment. Enjoy walking with your guide through the Sanctuary, where you will find free-roaming elephants and hear their individual stories. You can touch, feed, photograph, and interact with the elephants at your leisure while you learn about their lifestyle and behaviors. After you have met all the elephants, you will accompany them to a nearby mud spa. Get muddy with the elephants as you apply a healthy cosmetic mud treatment to their skin. Next, you will walk with the elephants to a nearby river and join them in the water for a refreshing bath. Take a swim and help bathe and brush the elephants while they wade through and play in the water. Before returning to the ship enjoy stops a Thai craft shop to take in a little more of what Phuket has to offer.
But no one else wanted to do that, so the rest of the fam is doing: Thainess Experience at Srisuwan House – Delve into Thai culture on a visit to a wooden Thai house, where you can see and participate in local customs like batik painting, flower garland making, and traditional cooking, followed by a traditional Thai lunch.
As you can tell, I have no issues going off by myself even though I really love travelling with my family. I just couldn’t pass up spending time with the Elephants!
We then have one Sea Day on our way back to Singapore, on New Year’s Day. Probably a good day to not have to do much!
Once we get back to Singapore we have two tours scheduled:
January 2nd – You will begin the tour by visiting Singapore Botanic Gardens, a 158-year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping district. It is also the first and only tropical gardens inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site. Our guide will bring you through the garden and share interesting facts and information with you. In between, we can also arrange a visit to National Orchid Gardens. Thereafter, our guide will bring you to visit Orchard Road, which began as a home for nutmeg, pepper, and fruit orchards that gave it its name and is now arguably Asia’s most famous shopping street. Spend some time to find out about the Peranakans who reside in now a picturesque enclave of heritage architecture off the main Orchard Road strip called Emerald Hill and take those “Instagramable” photos of the area. During Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay Car Tour, you will take a scenic stroll with our guides on the Marina Bay walking tour and marvel at the architectural icons that dot the city’s skyline. Be wowed by impressive views as you tour within Gardens by the Bay and the highlights of the Marina Bay walk that surrounds the dazzling waterfront promenade. This tour is perfect for you as our guide will bring you to places within the mall that cannot be accessed publicly. You will also be visiting Flower Dome and Cloud Forest where you will see the world’s largest indoor waterfalls and a lush mountain clad with plants from around the world.
And:
January 3rd – On this Guided Ethnic Quarters and Civic District Car Tour, you will visit our main ethnic quarters (i.e. Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam) where our local guide will share with you tales of our early immigrants, learn about local heritage and culture and for you to experience first-hand why Singapore is a multicultural country with a diverse local community. You will discover traditional shops plying their trade beside hipster cafes in Haji Lane, be captivated by insta-worthy spots that are covered with impressive street art and get up close to the spectacular mosques in Kampong Glam Feast your senses with the wonders of Indian fragrances, food and spices around Little India. There will even be an opportunity to taste many local “must-try” food in these areas which include top favorites such as Chicken Rice, Laksa, etc. Thereafter, you will visit Civic District, where you will learn more about our rich history through inspiring stories that have shaped our Lion City. In between, we will bring you to visit Marina Bay Sands SkyPark observation deck, where they will get to view iconic landmarks such as Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Flyer etc.
Then we begin our long journey back to Charlotte via Doha and Washington DC on the way home. Fortunately, we get home on a Friday so I have the weekend to recover before going back to work.
So that is our schedule. We leave tomorrow morning for the airport, we had our Christmas celebration tonight so that we could spend holiday time with the members of the family not going with us. I am all packed and ready, and my ride to the airport is at 10:30am. Hopefully I will get some sleep tonight!
