Well today was Boat Day. The day Anthony was most excited about. Last year we did the Disney Wonder cruise as I am a huge Disney nut. We had never been cruising before but found that we adored the Disney one. Fast forward to today and we are boarding out first normal cruise (by normal I mean not disney). This cruise came in at more the half the price of the Disney one and included stops in 2 countries. We decided to book The Spice of the South East Asia cruise by Royal Caribbean. This Cruise departs from Singapore, stops in Penang, Malaysia tomorrow and then heads up for 2 days in Phuket, Thailand.
We start the day back at the hawker stalls getting breakfast with the last of our Singapore cash. Staying near the Old Airport Hawker stalls was a really good idea, the food is so cheap and amazing. It is also not commercialised.
Back at the hotel we packed up all our stuff and ordered a grab to drive us down to the Marina Bay Terminal where we would be jumping onto our Royal Caribbean cruise. The check in and security process was so organised compared to the craziness that was leaving Melbourne last time. The only thing to note was that some lady tried to bring balloons onto the boat. She had 4 huge collections. They had to get scanned so she passed them onto a security guard and he accidentally let one go and if floated up to the roof. The whole crowd of people queuing let out a big oohhhhh all together. The poor guy! Before we knew it we had completed all of the things and were heading into the boat for the first time.
First impressions were pretty cool the ship is beautiful. The staff were also super nice and helpful. We completed our muster drill and then were free to roam the ship. We did a bit of a walk. Got some snacks at one of the restaurants and then found a spot to chill for a bit.
We had pre-booked lunch at Jaime’s Italian to avoid the crowds at the other places. We were expecting a great deal but the food was actually good. We shared a meat platter and bruschetta and then Anthony ordered a aubergine parmigiana and I got a lasagna. We were so full by dessert that he gave us it takeaway.
By this time our rooms were ready so we went upstairs to get our key cards. The room was great. It has heaps of room the bed is comfy and it has a beautiful deck and chairs to sit on. We spent most of the afternoon out on the balcony and walking around the ship. We printed quite a few little ducks so we also hid some of them around the ship. It was quite a restful afternoon.
Before we knew it it was time for dinner in the Main Dining room. We were interested to see what this would be like as we have heard many different reviews for it. The menu depends on the port you leave from so we know the cruise to get this ship to Singapore did not have great food. We sat down for dinner and was pleasantly surprised it was great. Anthony went with all the Chef’s recommendations which was Crab cake, slow roasted steak and a key lime pie. I got a chicken wonton soup, Portobello mushroom and cous cous and a cheese platter for dessert. We were chatting with a few of the wait staff and other guests and it was a great night.
The last thing on our plan today was the night entertainment. Every night they have a headliner show on. Last night it was 2 acrobats from Australia, Suzie Q and Toby J. They did a performance based on Moulin Rouge songs but showing off their acrobatics and strength skills. We also got to meet our cruise director Michelle. Michelle said there are people from 30 different countries on board. Unfortunately or fortunately for us tge main country on board is Australia followed by Indonesia. We were so tired so it was straight to bed for us. What a great first day at sea.
