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Tips for Royal Caribbean’s cruise to nowhere

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 16 Jul 2021   Posted by Cheryl Tay


Going on a cruise now is probably the closest thing you can get to a holiday, complete with passport scanning, packing a luggage and walking an aerogate. Technically you’re still in the vicinity of Singapore, but you still get a little bit of the “overseas travel” feels when you wake up to the open seas, so I would recommend going for this.

I’ve been on cruises several times with my family pre-COVID, so I already know what to expect, but this time it was less crowded and quieter due to the reduced capacity – which is good!

One thing I liked about Royal Caribbean is that the swab test is done a few days before your trip. We booked an appointment to head down to the testing centre at Raffles City and it was quick and easy. For Dream Cruises, you do the swab test when you check in at the cruise centre and it can be quite a long wait in the queue (a friend’s friend waited over 2 hours!).

The check-in process was super efficient and fast. We alighted and got ushered in to scan our bags, collect our Tracelets (these prisoner looking wrist tags you have to wear ALL THE TIME when outside your room on the ship), scan our passports and then onto the aerogate we went into the ship.

Once on the ship, we went to our assembly station for a quick safety briefing then straight to our room where our SeaPass cards (this card that acts as your identification, credit card, key card and also access card) were at the door. This SeaPass card must go with you everywhere because you need to scan in and out of every section on the ship.

Here are some tips I’ve put together to help you if you’re going or thinking of going:

1) Do your check-in via the app before your trip.

Online check-in opens 90 days before your trip so do it as soon as you can, so that you can book the earliest boarding slot which is at 2pm. The cruise only departs at 8pm but you want to get on earlier to maximise your time. You can only board when it’s your official time slot so please don’t be kiasu and show up earlier.

Download the Royal Caribbean app and you can complete 2 of the 3 check-in steps. The last step, the health declaration, can only be done 24 hours before departure.

Within the app, link your credit card and set up your profile too.

2) Buy Wi-Fi and beverage packages at discounted prices before your trip via the website.

Create an account on the Royal Caribbean website and do purchase Wi-Fi and beverage packages up to 48 hours before your trip. They will usually be at discounted prices, like 30-40% off.

For the beverage packages, they have different types like Classic Soda (unlimited soft drinks at S$10.87/day), Refreshment Package (unlimited non-alcoholic drinks at S$27.20/day), Deluxe Package (all non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks at S$54.50/day) and there’s even one for just specialty coffees.

If you want to let your hair down and drink, my suggestion is take the Deluxe Package so you can get free flow alcohol. Every passenger in your travel party MUST purchase the Deluxe Package, so it cannot be only one of you buy it and the rest don’t. Each stateroom can bring 2 bottles of wine onboard btw, just no hard liquor.

The Refreshment Package however, depending on how big your group is, you can just get 1-2 people to buy the package. Then what you do is send these people to go and get drinks for the group (sssshhhh!). But to make it less obvious that you’re cheating the system, please take drinks from different cafes/bars.

The only time you cannot get away with this is at mealtimes, where only those with the packages can order drinks for free. But they serve free water at meals in the main dining hall and the buffet has free coffee and juices so it’s fine!

You will get only 2 x 500ml bottles of water in the room when you arrive. They will not replenish the water after that. You can order from Room Service but there will be a service charge and 18% gratuity. There is a kettle in the room which you can boil water with, but the tap water tastes a bit funny. The water coolers around the ship are also all shut so you can’t refill your bottles. You might be able to refill your water bottle at the buffet restaurant though.

I mean, if you don’t really drink much water then maybe you can just buy one bottle of water a day instead of buying the package so work your sums. One glass of fresh orange juice is US$4.13!

I would say get Wi-Fi for your mobile phone at least, or you will totally not have any connection once out at sea…unless you’re fine with being totally off the grid. You will also need the Wi-Fi so you can contact your friends; otherwise you can stick to each other throughout.

They have Surf and Surf + Stream packages. Basically Surf is mostly for emails and WhatsApp, and Stream has better bandwidth for social media and even Netflix. We purchased the package for 2 devices which cost us S$24.47 per day.

But with this Wi-Fi package, be prepared that there might be moments where the connection becomes weak or totally no connection. I didn’t use my laptop at all so I’m not sure how strong the speed is, but I would say just stick to the phone.

3) Make reservations for specialty restaurants via the app.

All meals are included in your package, so technically you don’t need to fork out extra. The places that you can eat for free are at the Main Dining Hall (called My Time Dinner which is usually at Silk or American Icon Grill), Windjammer (buffet restaurant), Dog House (hot dog stand), Sorrento’s (pizza) and Cafe Promenade (sandwiches, wraps, cookies). There were other complimentary dining places to eat at but they were closed on our trip!

The meal times for the Main Dining Hall is 8.30am to 10.00am for breakfast, 12.00pm to 1.30pm for lunch and for dinner you can choose between 6.00pm and 8.00pm. You can call ahead of your trip to choose which dinner time you prefer.

No reservations are needed to be made for these complimentary dining places, but if you would like to eat at their specialty restaurants like Chops Grille, Izumi, Jamie’s Italian or Wonderland (some fancy sensory experience thing), make the reservation via the app before your trip. They get booked up quite quickly!

We chose not to spend more money on food so we didn’t book any specialty restaurants. To our dismay, the food at the Main Dining Hall was really quite bad – just think mass batch cooking and reheated. Grace and I are not fussy with food at all, plus we are gluttons, so for us to not finish the food really says something.

We felt bad for wasting food so we didn’t return to the Main Dining Hall anymore after the first night’s dinner. Breakfast at the Main Dining Hall was not too bad (there’s free juice!) but the hashbrown was soggy and mushy (noooooooo!).

The buffet restaurant is better because there is a variety so it’s a hit and miss – some taste good, some taste bad. The Indian food was decent, but the Asian soup noodles were either too salty or too bland. The bun of my slider was so hard and the omelettes freshly fried from the egg station were flat and overcooked. We mostly ate our meals at the buffet restaurant, but for dinner the last two nights we had cup noodles and the free pizza in our own room.

You can order from the room service menu but there is a service charge and 18% gratuity.

4) Bring your own snacks

This brings me to my next point of bringing your own snacks. You can only bring packaged food like chips, biscuits, nuts, chocolates, cup noodles. You can’t bring cooked food and fruits. There is NO convenience store onboard so I would highly recommend bringing your own food. In hindsight we should have brought more cup noodles hahahah but I finished the rest of the snacks we brought.

5) Bookings for activities can only be done once onboard.

Although dining reservations can be done via the app prior to boarding, bookings for activities can only be done onboard. Once you get on, faster open up your app and start booking! There are limited slots and they get booked out fast. Free activities include flowriding, rock climbing, bumper cars and some other games within the SeaPlex (their sports centre). There are also movies, trivia quizzes, scavenger hunts, dance classes and movies. You can also book slots to hit the gym.

Pre-COVID, there were A LOT more activities for sure. One thing that was sorely missing were the live performances at night. There used to be musicals, dances, comedies, magic shows, singing etc. but now there’s only one live show and it’s only for the Royal Suite guests.

We didn’t go for any of the activities, except soaking in the jacuzzi (time limit of 10 minutes) at the adults-only Solarium, but we didn’t find ourselves bored because we had the company of each other and we enjoy doing nothing.

If you’re going with friends, I would suggest bringing your own games onboard or you might get bored!

6) Have your TraceTogether app or token ready and also bring a lanyard/cardholder/pouch to carry your SeaPass

The SeaPass must go with you everywhere to scan you in and out. You don’t really need to carry cash since you can charge everything to the SeaPass and they will just bill to your credit card. But… (see next point).

7) Remember everything on the cruise is in USD. Bring USD cash if you don’t want to lose out on the exchange rate.

Just bring US dollars and settle your outstanding bill in cash at Guest Services so you don’t lose out on the exchange rate. For those who want to hit the casino, there is an ATM machine you can draw cash from, but there is a very high commission for card withdrawal, hence bring cash. You can also prepare small notes for tips to the staff.

8) Check your allocated departure time ahead.

Unlike check-in, you will be allocated a departure time between 7.00am to 8.15am. They will only let you know this time on the day of departure itself via channel 23 on the in-room TV, but what you can do is check at Guest Services so you can make arrangements for transport. But to be honest, you can just leave anytime you want between 7.00am and 8.15am. There is breakfast from 6.00am btw.

All in all, I would say it was a good experience – just that the food was really disappointing. I don’t remember the food being this bad to be honest, but that was pre-COVID. But whatever they lacked in, they made up for in service. The service was excellent, no matter where you went, whether it was at the dining hall, the buffet restaurant or the stateroom attendant (aka housekeeper).

I hope this helped! If you have any other questions or if I missed anything out, just DM me on Instagram and I’ll respond there.

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    First establishing herself in the world of cars and motorsports, Cheryl Tay is a sports and fitness blogger who advocates living an active and healthy lifestyle. Founder of body image movement Rock The Naked Truth, Cheryl overcame over a decade of eating disorders and is now passionate about helping people with similar struggles. She also has a running club ROCKrunners and a tri-enthusiast club ROCKtri.

    Rock The Naked Truth encourages others to be comfortable in their own skin and to learn that there is more to life than just being a slave to the numbers on your scale. Truly, life has more meaning than just forcing yourself to look good - it's most important to be happy and feel good about yourself!

    Previously...
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    > Founder of ELITE (fitness competition)
    > Motoring writer for TODAY
    > Columnist for Rev / Run magazines
    > Official photographer for ONE Championship
    > Media manager for Formula Drift Asia
    > PR manager for PETRONAS Syntium Team
    > Business development for Kartright Speedway
    > F1 youth speaker for Singapore GP
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    TOP 5 TIPS TO SAVE WATER! Tip #1: Cut your shower TOP 5 TIPS TO SAVE WATER!

Tip #1: Cut your shower time by 1 minute and save 9 litres of water.

Tip #2: Save 11 litres of water when you rinse your teeth with a mug instead of using a running tap.

Tip #3: Use reduced flush for liquid waste and save 1.5 litres per flush. 

Tip #4: Save 14 litres when you wash vegetables and dishes in a filled sink instead of under a running tap.

Tip #5: Do not use the washing machine for just a few pieces of clothing.

Did you know that the BMW Group powers production of two of their electric vehicles, the BMW iX and BMW i4, entirely with regional green hydroelectricity?

We recently went down to the NEWater Visitor Centre and learnt a lot about water conservation. There are also a lot of mind-blowing facts - pre-COVID, we use 145 litres of water per person per day (as seen in this photo), but during the pandemic when everyone was home, that number went up to 158 litres 😱😱😱.

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This is super exciting, after all the hurdles we have had to overcome. From being turned away by venues, to not being able to do a wedding because it has to be ROM registered due to COVID-19 restrictions, to finally, finally being able to hold our wedding because private events are now allowed.

YAYYYYYY!!!

Our union may not be legally recognised in Singapore, but we still want to get our nearest and dearest together in the name of love. Can't wait to celebrate our love and share this special occasion with y'all!

P.S. for those asking, we will get our paperwork done somewhere overseas at some point.

#TaykeMeHuangMoreTime

Gown: @thegownwarehouse
Suit: @stitchedsg
Makeup: @clarasongmakeup
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But I didn't mind today's run at all because it was a bagel run! That is, we ran from home to CBD to get breakfast. Today we got bagels!

And then cabbed home, not run home, in case you're wondering lol.

#RoadToBerlinMarathon #wetweather #runintherain #runtobreakfast #iloverunning
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I love that we can bring our dogs to @olabeachclubsg so that they can hang with us, nawwwwww.

Swipe to see all the nonsense we were up to!
    If you know me, I love my snacks - A LOT. And some If you know me, I love my snacks - A LOT. And sometimes the guilt does get to me. So I'm glad that I have found plant-based snacks, without the guilt, with the same pleasure. This really helps as I'm trying to cut down on the bad stuff as my training picks up. These Nuggets, Bites and Strips are from FIRST PRIDE and are entirely made of plants. Best part, they taste like the real thing. Whuuuttttttt!

These have a three-step coating so it has maximum crispiness, meat-like texture made from plants so they feel like your usual nuggets and they have 0% trans fat. You won't even realise they are made from plants honestly. In addition, they make for a good source of protein and fibre.

Available at FairPrice, CS Fresh, Giant and RedMart, these are going at a promo price of $6.95 per packet (from 12 – 25 May). More details at @firstpridesg!

#FIRSTPRIDESG #SOOOGOOD
    New HM PB!! Put on a little bib for the first time New HM PB!! Put on a little bib for the first time in over two years for the Shufflers invitational half-marathon event and omg I was feeling a bit nervous, so silly.

It was more of a time trial than a race for me (because I wasn't gonna win) so I just focused on pacing and running my best.

Man, it really hurt! I haven't been running this distance much, so by the 18km mark my legs started to fade and I could see my pace dropping.

But I've already come so far, so I just sucked it up and somehow managed to make it to the end.

Really happy with my time - my fastest HM ever I think. Woohoo! Thank you to the organisers for the effort and to the volunteers who made this event run so smoothly.

Woke up this morning with sore legs but with a silly grin on my face, because I've missed this feeling!

144 days to Berlin Marathon.

#roadtoberlinmarathon #bmwxcheryltay #halfmarathon
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#showgratitude #beachday
    You probably have seen this photoshoot that I rece You probably have seen this photoshoot that I recently did for @shiseidopro_official, where I was very fortunate to have had a team of professionals glam me up for this.

1 hair stylist, 2 make up artists, 2 stylists, 1 photographer + assistant, and of course the client team and the agency team. Totally made me feel like a superstar for a day!

You know what? The younger me would have killed for this opportunity.  I suffered from various eating disorders so I could become skinny and I really, really wanted to become a model.

Swipe to see my journal entry where I talked about how badly I wanted to be one and get in print ads and do TVCs, how I still felt I wasn't skinny enough, and how insecure I felt about myself. It's crazy!

Oh if I could talk to my 21-year-old self I would tell her how amazing she is and how she doesn't have to be skinny and become a model to prove her self-worth. Somehow I kept thinking that if I became thin, I would be better accepted and being a model would validate my existence. No gurlllll you already are enough!

BONUS - swipe to see some of my photos from my modelling days back then. WHO IS DIZ?! I did get some jobs here and there, but they weren't big jobs. @thehuangergames had a good laugh at these pics, but hey we were all young once ok!

#rockthenakedtruth #loveyourself #bodypositivity #selfworth #theyoungerme #throwback
    I used to hate my legs, thinking they were thick a I used to hate my legs, thinking they were thick and huge and ugly. I hated how my shorts would keep riding up between my legs because I have no thigh gap. I hated how I looked terrible in short shorts because my legs just looked fat.

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#thiccplease #rockthenakedtruth #nothighgap
    This is probably the best and only proper photo we This is probably the best and only proper photo we got that day, because with @jyanyoga and @constancelaujm always goofing around, it's hard to get a decent pic.

Swipe to see what I'm talking about.

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Engine: 1,498cc turbocharged inline 4
Power: 129PS at 5500-6000rpm
Torque: 180Nm at 1700-4500rpm
Transmission: Continuously Variable
0-100km/h: 10.5 seconds
Price: S$143,999 with COE*

*A low downpayment option is available, starting from only S$14,400. You may leave your details at https://bit.ly/11-CivicSG to find out more.

#HondaCivic #Civic #Builtaroundyou #KahMotor @honda_sg
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🙌🙌🙌

#wakesurfing #blueskies #watersports #dreamwakeacademy #fitgirls
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📷: @tubberchubbs
    Excited to announce that I'll be racing the BMW Be Excited to announce that I'll be racing the BMW Berlin Marathon this year!

2022 is the year I'm on a mission to do better - for myself, the environment and those in need.

I'll be representing BMW Group Asia in the BMW Berlin Marathon, which is a World Marathon Major and the exclusive slots are usually via ballot. It will be my first WMM and I'll also be raising funds for the National Cancer Centre Singapore.

I recognise that environmental and social sustainability are essential for our future, so to do better for the environment, I'll be embarking on beach clean-ups and other conservation activities with BMW Group Asia and you can join us too. Stay tuned for more updates on how you can do your part.

It's gonna be an exciting year, I can feel it!!

Come on, do it with me and make this year YOUR year as well. Time to set some goals!

Shot by @jerrytangcl
Edited by @thehuangergames

#berlinmarathon #bmwgroupasia
    Back with my wakesurf gurls today! Why do we alway Back with my wakesurf gurls today! Why do we always get the gloomy weather? Zzzzzz!

In the past when I was training for a race, I would be so focused on it that I didn't allow myself to have much fun, or anything that might potentially distract me from the goal.

But now I'm learning to find that balance! Yes, I wanna do decent in the race but I also don't want to give away too much of my life. You get what I mean?

#findthatbalance
    Subbing! Teaching some of the Greatest HIIT classe Subbing! Teaching some of the Greatest HIIT classes at @neuefit this week, and maybe next week. If you would like to come for a complimentary trial and do my class, just reach out to me kay.

This reminded me of how I enjoy teaching fitness classes and watching people get stronger, class after class!
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