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Genting Dream Cruise to Surabaya/Bali: Mermaids, Babi Guling & a Zipline over the Sea

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  • Genting Dream Cruise to Surabaya/Bali: Mermaids, Babi Guling & a Zipline over the Sea

    Although an SQ A380 makes a brief cameo appearance in this TR, this report covers a cruise, not a flight. Now that we have that inconvenient little detail out of the way, I did find that the format, and conventions, of a TR lent itself quite well to a voyage on a cruise ship. I also found many intriguing parallels and points of comparison between the inflight experience and that onboard a cruise ship (Although you can argue that this linkage between ships and planes has existed since the time of the Pan Am Clipper Flying Boats…).

    Last December, Mrs yflyer, the kids and I went on a cruise on the Genting Dream, the first ship in the Dream Cruises fleet. Dream Cruises is the premium/luxury cruise arm of Genting Group, who also owns Star Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Resorts World Sentosa. The Genting Dream is a very new vessel, built and launched in late 2016 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. As of late 2017, the vessel's home port is Singapore, where it operates cruises to Asian destinations such as Penang, KL (Port Klang), Phuket, Surabaya and North Bali.



    Our five day cruise was to Surabaya and North Bali. On this cruise, our cabin was a Suite in the Dream Palace section of the vessel, which had its own lounge, restaurant and facilities: essentially this was almost a “Ship within a Ship”, quite similar in concept to staying in the Club Level of a hotel.

    This cruise in December was also the Genting Dream’s inaugural port visit to Surabaya, and on arrival we were treated to a water cannon salute (Not unlike those given to inaugural flights…), and onshore festivities. While in Surabaya, rather than spend my time on a tour of the sights, or shopping, I headed out on foot for a run through the city. In North Bali, we indulged in a local speciality: Babi Guling, or roast whole piglet.

    Onboard the ship itself, there was a wide range of activities, running the gamut of casinos, clubs, shows/performances and special events. Although the vessel catered to both young and old, there were many facilities geared towards youths and the active set, including a rock climbing wall, several vertiginous waterslides, and a zipline over the sea, which, depending on your point of view, was either exhilarating or terrifying.

    There is a whole genre and subculture of cruise ship enthusiasts who pore over, and discuss, ships, cabins and itineraries the way we over here discuss the latest SQ aircraft deliveries, seat layouts, and cabin service (And the occasional 3D map...). But rather than post this report on one of these cruise forums, I am posting it here because, at best, cruises are an occasional indulgence for me – I don’t see myself becoming as fascinated with cruise liners as I am with air travel. Aviation is as much about engineering as it is about luxury: How to provide comfort onboard while surmounting the technical challenge of getting (and remaining) safely airborne. That element of trying to get the most out of limited resources is present to a much greater degree in aviation than other modes of transport, whether it is the engineering challenge of flying ultra-long haul sectors like SIN-NYC, or more mundane problems like how to cook a good steak at cruising altitude…

    I will say one thing: this cruise experience did trigger a re-evaluation of how much I would be willing to pay for a few hours of luxury on a plane. Sitting in the comparative luxury of First or Business Class onboard a plane for 8 or 13 hours is one thing…but on a ship, you have lots more space, crew, and material, not to mention time, to deliver an all encompassing luxury experience. The smallest inner cabin on the Genting Dream has more space than any F / Suite cabin on any aircraft for example, and the suite we checked into onboard was the size of some hotel rooms. Let’s not even compare the kind of F&B possible onboard a ship vs a plane.

    “Not the same thing!” you say…of course it isn’t. A plane gets you from A to B really quickly! A ship takes its own sweet time. On the other hand, if the journey is the reward, and you want to spend some time relaxing and indulging in a bit of luxury, a cruise is not a bad way to do it.

    And you do get somewhere too…eventually. I think there is some merit in exploring nearby regional destinations by cruise ship. These days short LCC getaways to nearby destinations are very popular, but I think cruises offer a decent alternative as well, as long as you take the trouble to get off the boat and maximize the hours you have onshore to explore each port of call.

    Interested? Read on!
    Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2018, 10:17 PM.

  • #2
    A wet, overcast day, as we headed to the Marina Bay Cruise Centre to board our cruise. The Genting Dream is partially hidden in this photo, which has another cruise ship, the Celebrity Millenium, and the Cruise Centre building (Itself shaped like a ship) in the foreground...



    The indoor driveway/drop-off at the Cruise Centre...



    The regular check-in area...



    Dedicated check-in area and lounge for Palace passengers...



    Palace passengers could relax in a small lounge, with refreshments and snacks, while check-in formalities took place, and while waiting for boarding. We arrived at the lounge just prior to boarding time. The lounge was fairly small, though, so I suspect it could have gotten quite crowded later in the day as boarding progressed.

    Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2018, 10:16 PM.

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    • #3
      Our first up-close look at this huge vessel...



      A very short wait for boarding, which began with Dream Palace passengers first, although passenger in the regular state rooms also boarded very quickly afterwards.

      The boarding window for these cruises is very long (Several hours), and passengers could check-in and board any time during that period. Not sure if there were any queues later in the day, but at least for those who arrived at the Cruise Centre early, boarding proceeded without much of a wait.





      Aerobridge-style boarding...



      We were directed to our stateroom by the dedicated team of butlers onboard, assigned to the Dream Palace section of the ship.

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      • #4
        A first glance into our Suite, on Level 15 of the ship...



        A very large spacious, double-width cabin...



        With a double bed and a sofa...







        The sofa could be converted into a double bed...



        ...and there was a useful thick curtain which could be used to partition off the bed section for privacy...



        A view of the room with the sofa-bed opened out...





        In-room refreshment facilities included a minibar and Nespresso coffee maker...



        Coffee/teacups and stylish white wine goblets...



        First round of minibar beverages were complimentary...

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        • #5
          Large wardrobe...



          The bathroom was spacious (By cruise ship standards...), with dedicated shower stall and separate bath tub...





          Dual wash basins...



          Ferragamo toiletries...



          A placard noted that water from the taps was drinkable, although we didn't test this assertion, since there was plenty of bottled water provided in the room.
          Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2018, 10:04 PM.

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          • #6
            Large balcony with an angled shape unlike the other balconies on that level, as we were the first cabin along the corridor...





            The onboard TV/entertainment system (I was about to write, IFE, but corrected myself ) was quite comprehensive...with ship info, Movies on demand, several satellite TV channels, and billing/account info...



            A generous (Maybe overly generous...) selection of CCTV and China TV channels among the satellite TV options available...



            A decent selection of high definition movies, including Hollywood selections...



            Picture quality was very impressive -- near HD quality...



            Also among the channels, a 2D map view of the vessel's current location...



            ...and a live view of the sea ahead from the Bridge.



            The Bridge Cam was my favourite channel. Of course my kids thought I was nuts to think so...

            Wifi-based internet was also available onboard. This was quite expensive to sign up for on a daily basis, but our Dream Palace Suite package came with complimentary internet -- 2 devices per passenger, and this was great. Although access was not fast, it was sufficient for Facebook, and also to send WhatsApp messages to each other while roaming the ship.

            We also had a dedicated Butler assigned to us, to help with queries or any other assistance we needed, such as show or shore excursion bookings.



            Overall a very impressive and comfortable stateroom -- well appointed, and of course very new.
            Last edited by yflyer; 9 January 2018, 11:25 AM.

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            • #7
              We headed out of our Suite to explore the ship...

              Just below Level 15 was...Level 13.



              This ship catered to the Asian market -- nothing inauspicious about the number 13 in this part of the world!

              On the other hand, Level 14 did not exist on this ship. Given that Genting runs a large casino business, and the fact that the ship also ran a huge casino operation, there was no level 4 or 14, and also no room numbers ending in 4...for many Chinese/Cantonese patrons that would be bad luck!

              I found myself using the elevators a lot on this ship. While there were broad staircases, this was just a very tall ship with many levels...



              By contrast, it was now Fitbit-obsessed Mrs yflyer who used the stairs a lot, partly because she had a stepcount to achieve, but also because we ate a whole lot during the cruise...
              Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2018, 10:06 PM.

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              • #8
                For comparison between the Dream Palace Suites and the regular cabins, here is a view of a regular balcony cabin, with two single beds as well as a sofa-bed...







                Bathroom with shower stall, but no tub.



                While not as spacious as the suites, this was still a very comfortable state room by cruise ship standards, and could accommodate up to three people.
                Last edited by yflyer; 3 January 2018, 02:28 PM.

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                • #9
                  The ship's public areas were festooned with Christmas decorations...





                  Some pictures of the ship's construction and launch on display...



                  ...as well as the actual Champagne bottle used to launch the vessel...



                  Apart from the dedicated casino sections (Where photos were not allowed) there were slot machines and other gaming machines lining many of the shipboard thoroughfares...this must be part of the Genting corporate DNA...







                  And for the thirsty among us, apart from numerous lounges and bars, there was also a Champagne Bar...



                  ...and a Johnnie Walker House at Sea, showcasing many of JW's, and parent company Diageo's whiskies...



                  ...as well as a Penfolds Wine Vault onboard, where Penfolds wines were available for purchase.



                  That said, on this cruise there were no wine tastings conducted in the Wine Vault because there were surprisingly few wine enthusiasts onboard -- too few to warrant opening full bottles for a group tasting session. The bottles of Grange on display would remain tantalizingly unopened. Maybe I should have run a small campaign to recruit participants to organise a wine tasting onboard, but by the time we got to know some of the other cruise passengers, the cruise was almost over...
                  Last edited by yflyer; 9 January 2018, 11:23 AM.

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                  • #10
                    One of several main dining rooms onboard...



                    Apart from the main dining room (One each for Western and Oriental dining), there was also a large buffet restaurant...



                    ...where a huge buffet spread was laid out for passengers each day, even on the day of boarding, before we set sail...















                    Wine dispensers... (Not clear if these were operational on this particular cruise...)



                    A bakery...



                    As well as a range of specialty restaurants, ranging from Western Bistro to Japanese and Chinese, which we would get to sample later on in the cruise...

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                    • #11
                      Other facilities included a games room...



                      And kids club for younger children...

                      Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2018, 05:34 PM.

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                      • #12
                        And on the top deck, a large swimming and entertainment level, with a stupendous set of water slides and other outdoor activities...





                        For some reason, Asians on cruises don't spend a lot of time lounging on deck chairs, so there were ample deck chairs available for anyone who felt like a sun tan, at least during the periods when it was not raining or overcast...



                        As for the water slides...these were impressively steep and adrenaline-pumping...



                        Not only is the view from up on the platform quite awe-inspiring, with the wind and views of the sea around you, just looking down the dark, steep slide, was enough to raise your pulse rate...

                        Last edited by yflyer; 9 January 2018, 11:22 AM.

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                        • #13
                          We explored the Genting Club, which was a multi-level club, comprising lounge, restaurant, and gaming/casino area exclusively for Dream Palace i.e Suites passengers.



                          One of several lounge areas in the Genting Club...



                          A glass staircase within the lounge enabled you to move within the different levels within the large lounge, which comprised a gaming level, restaurant/lounge area, and an upper level with a private swimming pool.



                          We settled into the lounge area for drinks and canapes...



                          Cold towels...



                          Free flow of juices, beer and sparkling wine...as well as other beverages from the bar...



                          The sparking wine served was from F&S...



                          Canapes and snacks....





                          A view of the dedicated dining room in the lounge...



                          Last edited by yflyer; 1 January 2018, 06:13 PM.

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                          • #14
                            Apart from the Genting Club, the Palace/Suites guests also had exclusive access to a large private swimming pool...



                            ...and an outdoor viewing/lounging area directly above the ship's Bridge.



                            This was a very pleasant part of the ship to stroll around...beautiful views, not least of the view ahead, especially when arriving or departing from port.

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                            • #15
                              Before we set sail, we also snuck a peek into the Palace Villa, the most exclusive accomodation onboard the Genting Dream: A whopping 224 square meetings of luxury for up to six guests...

                              This came with its own outdoor whirlpool and sauna...



                              ...and cordoned-off balcony area on the top level...



                              And inside...jawdropping luxury...



                              ...including a grand piano!



                              The accomodations overlooked the bow of the ship...





                              Separate dining room...



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