Singapore Diaries

Sometimes some experiences unfold itself as the most beautiful ones. Traveling on a cruise is one of them. Initially, when the journey was planned because of my hectic schedule I was not much involved but all thanks to my sister, a new friend cum brother Sundeep bhai who helped us out in planning the event so meticulous that we covered all the must-see places in Singapore.

It was a 6-day tour, 3 days on the cruise and 3 days in the city.  

Day 1: It all begins

The journey begins. With Air Asia, the convenience of traveling to Singapore is at all easy for Bhubaneswar people. Now direct flights are there between the two cities at just Rs.6000. One thing to note the Air Asia tickets don’t have luggage provision. You need to buy it as extra.  We arrived at Singapore airport and directly headed to the cruise starting location. It takes 2 hrs. to embark the cruise. Next 2 hours will be for a mock drill and reaching your room. Please note the ship is so huge it will literally take some time to understand it and figure out the directions.

Ok, let’s begin and allow me to explain what all we did coz this is not just anything, this is Royal Caribbean Cruise ship. I have never been on a ship before and I have to admit I was one of those who would have turned up his nose of being stuck at one place for 3 days. It is not the best introduction to the Explorer of the seas but fast forward a few hours and it is a different stay.

We had some snacks at the café and started exploring the ship. I was running around the ship and trying to look at everything from all different angle & waiving to unknown people.  My suggestion would be to spend the first day to explore the ship and understand what all amenities are there. Read the cruise compass very diligently to do a right time management. Dinner is early and ends at 20:00Hrs. There are many different dining rooms.  Food services vary from all types from different corners of the world. Post dinner we visited the top deck and enjoyed the cool soothing breeze. There was a Bollywood night DJ from 10 to 12pm. So we danced to our best with my family. Post this we were completely drained out and it was bedtime.

Day 2: Eating, eating & Eating

Normally mornings are early for me. So I woke up and had a coffee with the best view of life from my balcony. Clear blue sea and the slow breeze took my definition of rest and relaxation to all new level.  The ocean view was truly calming. I ended up with some hours at this place without realizing the time.

We headed to the breakfast counter. We choose the buffet and then we ate endlessly. The dining experience is pretty impressive. Had a fulsome breakfast and then strolled around. We choose to take up all activities this day. Kids had a great time playing games. I personally enjoyed the rock climbing and golf. There are several trivia events each day and they have a different theme. There are impressive collections of activities and no shortage of entertainment. Different venues across the ship have singers, comedians, cabaret artists and dancers all throughout the day and well into the night. It is impossible to see it all.  It was evening by now. We again had a great dinner and today it was Zumba musical night. We danced madly to the loud music and were completely drained out by the end. The best part late night was sleeping under the open sky on the top deck. Post evening I used the top deck rest area as a constant reference coz I was constantly there.   

 

Day3: Day without land

Royal Caribbean gives you a lot more experience than just transportation; it is a wholeness of joy, excitement contained within this metal hull. Today the ship was cruising into the deep sea. The day started normal and it was time to jump to the pool and hot tubs. Both pools and hot tubs were conveniently located on the top deck. Life on the ship is different to life on land. You lose perspective. You lose the sense of time and even sense of date.

The evening we planned to experience all the events on the ship. The magic show was really impressive. Post dinner there was a group dance on the common floor in the middle of the deck. Today it was cocktail dinner. So we all got dressed up in our formals. I really missed the ballet dance for couples post dinner. Finally what a pleasurable experience, as the journey ended we all were soaked with sights and memories.     

 

Day4: Pulled to the harbor

So finally we reached Singapore. All the immigration was done and we directly moved to our hotel. The adjective that any traveler will not miss to describe the city is “expensive”. We stayed in little India, for a moment I felt that it is actually a Chennai street. Soon we freshened up and head to the Singapore Zoo. This place is a must visit for any Indian traveling for the first time. The best thing to see is the animal show.  The flora and fauna of the place will surely be a traveler’s delight. Kids enjoyed the most. By then it was evening. We then headed to the gardens by the bay. The light and sound show is a must watch. I and my wife had some slow strolling around the lake and had some of the best romantic moments.  Soon after we moved to the top floor of Marina Bay Sands hotel, the best view of the city can be seen from here. 

 

 


Day 5: Sentosa Island

Today it was to Sentosa Island. We covered it in two days. First, we visited the aquarium and enjoyed the sports activities followed by laser show at evening. The best thing to do post evening is to chill by the sea and if interested can take a couple bath together.  Beaches are very clean and well maintained.  The best sport I enjoyed the most is the Luge. It is a small cart with which you will go downhill.

 

 

Day 6: Universal World

We again moved to Sentosa Island. This times the Universal studios. This is a movie theme park one of its kind. The best experience of what a true 7D is, followed by the Egypt kingdom, the lost world and then the Disney land. All together was a hell of an experience. I found the mummy ride to be most scary. The day was well spent and we were back to the city by evening.

The evening we decided only me and my wife to enjoy the nightlife of the city. We took a river cruise near the Clarke riverside. It’s a 40min ride around the city. By this time we both were tired and getting pumped by the loud music from the street side open pubs. The city’s nightlife can be best enjoyed by the Clarke walking street. My personal fondness lies in live music shows and to my surprise that’s what was exactly there. The music what I enjoyed the most was the one by the underpass where a poor gentleman was just performing without any audience, I and my wife just stood there and just silently enjoyed the musical vibes.

So the next day it was time to return back. We had our early morning flights. We reached our home and finally what a pleasurable experience. Gosh, I’m confused. Why did I enjoy the trip? Was it a great family time or a meticulously planned trip or the moments? Let the answer unfold itself with time.

There is a nice saying:

“Bonds don’t die as time flies”