Hello and what is up everybody! I am aware that it has been a quarter of a year since I last updated my blog... Things at work have been okay... I took birthday leave on the friday of the March holidays to go to USS (wrong choice), and I've been involved in an Amethyx dance cover! Our first dance cover of the year, TXT's love song is here and you can look forward to more covers lined up for the year ;-) Somehow in March, I socialised a lot more than I usually did (wow personal development!!!) But today, this blogpost will be about my very very first cruise experience onboard Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas! contrary to popular belief, this was a work trip!! Due to my laziness, this would be more of a wordy blog. for pictures, you can take a look at the highlights on my Instagram. Me and my sis attempted a vlog here as well.

Prior to this trip (and I'm sure that i'm not the only one), I used to think that cruises were boring and that there's nothing to do being stuck on a ship except... to eat. I was not wrong about the eating part - there was plenty of food choices onboard, but this trip changed my perspective of cruising entirely, and I already want to go on another cruise trip - I don't even mind going on Spectrum again to do the activities! 

About Spectrum of the Seas

Spectrum of the Seas is a quantum-ultra-class ship made for the Asian market, which means it's bigger with more facilities and amenities, and guests can also expect Asian cuisine specialty dining in addition to all-time favourites. Spectrum of the Seas will begin offering 3- and 4-night cruises to nowhere from 11 April 2022, and from October, guests can look forward to ports of call just like pre-covid... though I think that if I were to go for a cruise with ports of call I would still spend the time on the ship doing the activities onboard! Launched in 2019, Spectrum is relatively new, and it is also the largest and most innovative ship in the region! Spectrum takes over Quantum in Singapore, who has been offering cruises to nowhere since end-2020, and began her last voyage on 7 April before heading to Alaska. 

Pre-cruise

Royal Caribbean goes above and beyond for their health and safety protocols, so guests can enjoy their sailcation assured that everybody in the same restaurant, in the same theatre as them have been vaccinated and tested. While routine rostered testings have been ceased for all sectors in singapore since 29 March, all crew onboard Spectrum are still tested weekly. Guests will also have to take a government-approved ART test on the day of boarding (and test negative) before they can start their cruise vacation. I did the tele-art with Doctor Anywhere, a fast and convenient way. I read online that it would take four hours before the results would come out, but it only took 15 minutes before the PET result appeared on my TraceTogether. 

Work stuff

At the media briefing, media guests were given a preview of one of the onboard entertainments, The Silk Road. An exciting bollywood performance which features a contortionist, some acrobats and talented violinist, I was in awe at what the preview offered, and knew that I had to book a slot for the full performance that night! The roboscreen show at Two70 also showcased how technologically-advanced the ship was. Media guests were then brought on a walkthrough of Spectrum, highlighting features such as the Bionic Bar where a robot mixes guests' cocktails, the Sky Pad, a virtual reality bungee jumping activity for those who love a rush of adrenaline, the Suite Enclave, which includes Gold and Silver Dining Rooms exclusive just for guests in the Junior Suite and up. Another highlight of Spectrum was the Ultimate Family Suite - there's only one of this on the ship, and it's a two-storey suite perfect for a family bonding time. It is equipped with an in-suite slide as well as it's very own cinema for a movie night. Did you know? Spectrum has 13% more suites than Quantum, which means more space for more guests staying in the suites. The media tour ended at Sichuan Red for the media lunch, one of the Asian specialty dining restaurant onboard. It was a taste of Sichuan, with most of the foods tasting as spicy as they look. 

Day 1 starts

After a rather hectic morning and afternoon at the media preview, work was done by the late afternoon and by this time I was famished! I didn't get to eat much during lunch as we had to take some photos for the media. We headed to Sorrento's for some pizza and before we knew it, we had started setting sail. I did not eat a lot as it was near dinner time, and I wanted to savour all the good food I can onboard. PSA Sorrento's pizza was GOOD. By this time, my sister had already climbed the rock wall twice, and had taken a dip at the jacuzzi. She's really having a vacation right before hell week while I was working! Dinner at the Main Dining Room was filling. Appetisers, entrees, desserts, guests can devour all they want there. We caught one of the onboard entertainment shows, The Silk Road after dinner - a fun Bollywood performance which lowkey reminded me of Indian Dance days back in primary school. Headed to the Seaplex (also the largest indoor activity space at sea) with my colleagues after the show to play bumper cars! And yes, it was my first time playing bumper cars. Went to watch Gold Art Duo performance afterwards, yet another one of the breathtaking onboard entertainment show that will leave your jaws open after like, every act and I'm not even exaggerating. At this point of time I was a little bit sleepy, but I had some work to do, so we headed to Sorrento's for supper as I did some of my work and we ended up sleeping at maybe... close to 2am? Day 1 ends~ 

Day 2

The weather was not perfect for catching the sunrise even though we'd wanted to - it was POURING. We had pre-breakfast at Cafe @ Two70, croissants, bagel, sandwiches, cut fruits (for my own sake).. I did not intend to be full pre-dance class but I had all of them. Morning dance class was only 30 minutes long but it was a very good exercise - maybe because it's been a long while since I danced. Nonetheless, it was fun! Continued trying out the other activities at the Seaplex, like table tennis and archery. Other activities were going on at the same time, such as the basketball shootout, and some soccer stuff I believe, but that wasn't for me. After that, the weather cleared up and we headed to the outdoor pool and chilled at the jacuzzi for awhile before we decided to try the FlowRider, a surf simulator and one of the highlights onboard. I was hella nervous and scared when I saw all the kids before me doing so well and spoiling market because.. this was my first time, but the instructors were friendly and encouraging, jokingly said it was his first time, and even gave a high five after I managed to get on my knees (but got washed up afterwards) - you can see my second attempt on the FlowRider here. What an experience it was! It was after the FlowRider that I realised.. we did not have breakfast after dance. Since we were gonna try the Sky Pad soon, we had hotdogs from the Seaplex Dog House and they were REALLY GOOD! I apologise for my lack of vocabulary to describe good food. We did the Sky Pad, a virtual reality bungee jumping activity, a highlight of Spectrum, and a very very good exercise. Attempted the rock wall afterwards - my first time, and Joey's third try. I was so weak I couldn't even conquer the first one... Well. Went to freshen myself up afterwards, as we had a cocktail hour with the media. But we took the North Star first, an observation capsule which goes 300 ft up in the air, the highest point at sea which gives guests a 360 degree view of the sea and of course, the ship. It was great to know that the media guests were enjoying their time onboard, trying out the various activities and dining options onboard. I myself was having a good time - there was simply too many activities to do and too little time! Together with my colleagues, we had dinner at the Main Dining Room where we really just talked about... a variety of topics. Time was running late, so we rushed to the Royal Theatre to catch Showgirl, a headliner show onboard. I was amazed and trying so hard not to jump and dance along! If anyone asked me how I found Showgirl, I could only say that I LOVED it! At the Music Hall, we were treated to some songs from the past, like hello? James Blunt's You're Beautiful? YES PLEASE! The band was even spontaneous enough to perform not one, but TWO encore songs for us - what a way to end off the last night on the cruise! It was 12.30am by the time the performance ended, I was dead tired by the lack of sleep from the days leading to the shakedown, but it was simply too early to be sleeping while on a cruise. So we took a tour on the deck to appreciate the night view of Spectrum, and headed to Sorrento's for supper (duh) before heading back to our cabin and hitting the sack for the night. 

Day 3 (sort of) 

We were reaching Singapore by the time we woke up before sunrise :'-) Quantum of the Seas, which had just finished its 4-night Ocean Getaway was already docked at MBCC when we arrived. Thankfully for us, the sky was clear and we managed to catch the sunrise with the Singapore skyline. We had breakfast at Windjammer - a whole buffet but unfortunately, we weren't able to try all the food we possibly could (no time!!) and then it was time for us to disembark. 

Verdict 

My assumption that cruises were boring, was corrected this trip. On top of the unlimited free food you can eat onboard and you know you'll never be hungry, there's a range of activities for everyone - for the adrenaline junkies, for those who want to use their brains and for those who would like to sit back, relax and enjoy a show or performance. Though ports of call may resume by the end of the year, I wouldn't mind going on a cruise to nowhere again, because I know that there's so much to do just on the ship itself. Shoutout to the crew onboard Spectrum, who always wear a smile on their face and greet guests at every corner - my cheek hurt from smiling so much but they really lift the mood! Would I go on a cruise again? Hell yeah!