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With a waterslide park, outdoor activities, endless restaurants and more, the Genting Dream is an 18-storey mega-ship of non-stop fun for families!
Looking for a different kind of holiday experience with the fam, mama? A cruise could be all you need with its all-inclusive meals, facilities and day trips to multiple locations! We got to check out Dream Cruises’ 5-Night “Wonders of Asia” on board one of their ships, Genting Dream, which included port stays in Redang Island, Malaysia; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; and Bangkok, Thailand.
Rooms
Facilities
Port Stays & Tours
Entertainment, On-board Shopping & more
Luxury Cruising: The Palace
Prices and Promos
Rooms
We got ourselves a Balcony Stateroom, which was spacious for two adults with the option to convert the sofa into a bed for another kid or two (although could be a little cramped). We had a great balcony view, which meant waking up to sunrises on the endless horizon every morning and enjoying the natural breeze when the indoor A/C felt a little too cold and stiff. The in-room entertainment was great (lots of blockbuster movies to keep both adults and kids occupied!), and the bathroom was well-sized and equipped with the necessary shower and hygiene essentials. With 1,674 staterooms available on board, you’ll be sure to find one that suits your family’s needs, mama!
Facilities
With a whopping 18 decks (that’s cruise talk for ‘floors’) on the Genting Dream, there was no shortage of fun things to do for both kids and adults. The central activity centre would have to be the Main Pool Deck on Deck 16, together with other activities located on Deck 17 and 18 which are all just a nearby flight of stairs away.
What immediately caught our eye was the Waterslide Park, which consists of six different waterslides in varying lengths and ‘difficulty’ levels. There was something for every age – small slides for young kids to super thrilling, three storey-high slides for older kids and teens!
Other fun facilities at no additional cost included the rock climbing wall, ropes course (with a zipline that takes you over the water – not for the faint of heart!), mini golf, and the Sportsplex, where you can play table tennis, basketball, volleyball, 5-a-side football, bubble football and S.A.F.E. archery. There’s also a 24-hour arcade and bowling alley!
Port Stays & Tours
The great thing about a week-long cruise is the fact that you get to visit multiple locations on one trip, hassle-free! We were so excited to venture into some of Asia’s top spots and Redang Island was first on the list. This was perhaps our favourite location, so it was a good start to the whole experience. With about 6 hours of free time ahead of us, we could choose to stay on the cruise, take the free chartered boat to the island and chill by the beach, or pre-book a day tour to go snorkelling or diving (prices start at about $52/pax).
We opted to book our own tour with a local operator when we got to the island so we could tailor the tour to our preference. The cost wasn’t vastly different, but we did manage to get a private boat to ourselves and were brought to some top snorkelling sites, where we got to swim with turtles in pristine blue waters and spotted lots of colourful fish!
The next two days were spent in Sihanoukville, Cambodia and Laem Chabang, Thailand. We were looking forward to our first introduction to Cambodia (hubby and I have never been). So it was quite upsetting to see the once-charming town of Sihanoukville in the state it is now. It looked like there was no rubbish collection system in place, so there was garbage lining the streets along and the unsightly view of construction happening everywhere due to various Chinese casino developments. That said, we did get to see some of the town’s most prized landmarks, like the local Phsar Leu Market and Wat Leu Temple.
The cruise ship then docked in Laem Chabang the next day, where there were free city bus charters waiting to take us to Bangkok. What’s not to love about BKK? (Okay, maybe the fact that the heat can be just slightly worse than Singapore’s!). Being Thai food lovers, we knew we’d hit the ground running buying Thai milk tea-flavoured everything and shopping our hearts out at one of the famous malls. Other passengers in our group had a more relaxed day of massages, manis and pedis, and visits to nearby attractions like Jim Thompson House and the Grand Palace.
Entertainment, On-board Shopping & more
After three straight days of port stays, we got to spend an entire day on the ship while making our way back to Singapore. There are rotating nightly shows happening at the Zodiac Theatre, which makes for great post-dinner entertainment! We got to catch The Dream Experience: China’s Got Talent, which features some incredible acts from the actual talent show, and Some Like it Hot, a ballroom dancing show with fancy footwork and plenty of glitzy, risqué costumes. There’s also the acrobatic show Sonio, which we got a sneak peek of earlier this year!
You’ll find luxury boutiques like Bulgari and Coach on one of the decks, with frequent sales happening in the main lobby of the ship offering discounts on designer watches, jewellery and handbags. The shopping is tax free and duty free, after all! There’s also a spa (the first day of cruising usually sees some fab spa promos that are worth snapping up), hairdresser, gentleman’s barber and casino.
The Palace
If you’re after a more luxurious experience, Dream Cruise offers The Palace – a “ship-within-a-ship”, “private onboard resort” experience that gives you all-inclusive privileges, separate facilities and amenities away from those of the main ship. The Palace guests get priority check-in and embarkation, are assigned a personal butler per family, enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi, and free shuttles or tours during port stays. The rooms are also bigger so if you ask us, it’s worth the splurge!
Tips
Book a Bridge Tour when you can to catch the cruise captains in action and have a tour of the helipad. Being up there gives the most amazing uninterrupted view of the ocean, and you could even have your coveted Titanic moment – one for the bucket list!
Prices and Promos
The 5-Night Wonders of Asia cruise ($1,089/pax excluding port charges and gratuities) includes:
- Accommodation at Balcony Stateroom
- Meals at inclusive restaurants such as the Upper and Lower Dream Dining Rooms and the Lido Buffet
- Access to entertainment shows at no cost:
- Access to facilities and activities at no cost:
- Waterslide Park
- Ropes Course
- Rock Climbing Wall
- Mini-Golf
- Cinema at Sea
- Sportsplex for basketball, volleyball, 5-a-side football, bubble football and S.A.F.E. archery
Did you know that kids cruise FREE on Dream Cruise, mama? The promotion is currently applicable for kids age 12 and below, for departures on 9 June and 8 September 2019 only! The minimum age to come on board Genting Dream is 6 months old. Make sure you also check out their other ongoing promotions:
Read more: Ultimate Guide to Cruises in Singapore
