*This is a very long post, scroll to the bottom if you just want the TL;DR.*
My parents and I went on a 3D2N cruise in January 2018 on board the Genting Dream Cruise when it called to port in Singapore this year.
We booked our cruise back in December 2017 when we already had news of them coming. Mum and Dad were pretty excited since this is a new cruise in extension to the Genting family of cruises.
Interestingly, Genting Dream Cruise is under their subsidiary company called Dream Cruises, not Star Cruises — which was a common misconception since they both carry the Genting flag.
Cruise Check-in
The cruise ship docked at Marina Bay Cruise Centre and it is also our first-time experiencing cruise travel via this new cruise centre. The check-in was pretty simple, loads of automated self-help machines (with staff to help) and two manual counters where the staff would tag your passport with your cruise card number as well as issuing a boarding pass. Overall, there wasn’t much a queue cause the process only needed one representative.
We were then filtered into groups for immigration checks and boarding and somewhat like how they board passengers to the plane, we waited for our turn to be called for boarding after we had our carry-ons security screened.
The immigration customs process was pretty smooth since we all had biometric passports, so we cross-through automated machines again.
Our Balcony Stateroom – Room 9268
We already had our rooms pre-allocated at the time when we booked and paid online, so once we boarded the cruise, we headed straight to our room number.
I had chosen a balcony stateroom for our cruise trip. Honestly, the entire cruise was mostly balcony staterooms, with a miserable number of interior staterooms. Since we decided to all share one stateroom, mum had agreed that we pay a little bit more to enjoy the balcony.
It suited my dad too, as it was convenient for him to take his smoking break out on the balcony without having to try to find a smoking area on board the cruise somewhere else.
The stateroom was already set-up for the three of us, me taking the converted sofabed while my parents had the comfy bed.
The room was pretty spacious, hot water kettle, complimentary hot drinks sachets and a daily refresh of 2 bottled water were offered inside the room.
My aunt was curious how big the bathroom was, so I got my mum to sit on the toilet to make a reference. The bathroom was pretty spacious, and there were complimentary toiletries and amenities available in the bathroom.
In the closet, they even pretty comfortable bedroom slippers for our use! I love it when a hotel offers complimentary bedroom slippers.
Food
Including in our cruise fare, we were offered 3 meals a day, with a choice of dining at either:
- Lido Buffet,
- Function 8 Room Buffet,
- Dream Dining Room Upper or
- Dream Dining Room Lower.
The other dining establishments within the cruise ship would be on our own personal expense should we prefer to dine exclusively.
Overall, we preferred the quality of the food served in both upper and lower dining rooms. The dining experience in both dining rooms was much better than the buffet since both were more of a sit-down service compared to a buffet line. There are no formal dinner nights on this cruise, which was quite a downer but then again, every cruise ship is different.
*tip* The dining rooms will get crowded during peak meal times, so go early when there is less queue.
Lido Buffet
Located on Deck 16 AFT (Aft meant the back side of the ship, FORWARD meant the front of the ship) it serves the standard buffet fare for all the passengers. This was the first place I brought my parents to for the first dinner of the entire trip — just because I had prior experience with Royal Carribean’s Liberty of the Seas and their buffet was amazing! — and also because my friend who already made a trip to Dream Cruise prior to us said that Lido Buffet was his best choice out of the four.
Unfortunately, the quality of the buffet was way below my expectation.
I thought maybe because I already had an amazing cruise experience to the Carribean, I had a higher benchmark than my parents, but my parents felt it wasn’t impressive too.
One thing we noticed (after we had better experiences in the other dining options — which I will share after this) — is that the cruise has made a better effort to cater to their Indian passengers — tour groups which probably had some deals made with the cruise ship where these tourists would take a weekend trip on a cruise while holidaying in Singapore.
Half the buffet line was Indian food — much to my disappointment actually.
Function 8 Buffet
Function 8 serves the same buffet offers as Lido Buffet – sans the Indian food fare. It was a very small enclosed dining room, much akin to have breakfast as business hotels or serviced residences. Not much of the difference compared to Lido Buffet. If I were to choose between Function 8 and Lido — definitely Lido, because of the fantastic view of the sea.
Dream Dining Room Lower
I must say, don’t be fool by that short, limited menu — while we did not dine at the Dream Dining Room Lower during lunch or dinner, we did have breakfast there on the last morning of our trip, and it turns out to be the best decision ever!
While there was a short buffet available – the usuals, the cold cuts, the cereals, the traditional English fare, there was also soya milk, Chinese fare, some dim sum. What I love most was the made-to-order eggs menu. You can choose from omelette with a selection of toppings, scrambled eggs, sunny side up to minute boiled eggs that came sitting on a mini egg cup — all served to you at your table by the waiters.
While the selection was fairly limited, the quality was better than those served in Lido Buffet. We had our breakfast at Lido on the second day, and we felt that the Dream Dining Room Lower had better quality and atmosphere to have a meal. Besides being located on Deck 7 FORWARD, you get to have a glimpse of the helipad and the bow of the cruise ship from the windows, which was pretty amazing too.
Dream Dining Room Upper
After a disappointing dinner on the first day and breakfast on the second day at Lido Buffet, Mum decided that we should just ignore what my friend mentioned — saying that the Dining Room wasn’t worth it — that we should try them ourselves to determine its worth.
We had lunch and dinner at Dream Dining Room Upper, which is located one floor above the lower dining room on Deck 8 FORWARD. We were definitely not disappointed. It was like regular Chinese restaurant fare; and since both my parents preferred Chinese food, the menu at Dream Dining Room Upper was much suited for their taste buds. I enjoyed dining here too!
Portion sizing
The portion you are looking at serves 3. In fact, if you were there alone or with a partner, the portion of some items — like the soup etc, looks probably the same size. We had tried to compare to another table across the room where there was only a couple at a table, and we conclude that the dining room does serve enough, or sometimes more than what you can normally finish.
Dinner Menu (Top Left to Bottom Right)
Appertiser
Deep Fried Chicken Wing with spicy sauce
Soup
Double Boiled Fish Bone Soup with Premium Dried Seafood
Main Course
Steamed Seasonal Fish Glazed with Porcini Mushroom
Braised Pork Trotter with mushroom and peanut
Poached Fresh Prawns in Cheese Wine Herb Broth
Braised Eggplant with Gui Hua Shen in Yu Xiang Sauce
Sauteed Green Vegetable with garlic and brown mushroom
Dessert
Sweet Creamy Red Bean with Lotus Seed
We managed to have some tender mini abalone in the double boiled fish bone soup they serve! The fish soup was good, the broth was flavourful. It wasn’t too hot to taste, it was a pretty enjoyable appetizer.
The steamed seasonal fish was fresh and mum mentioned it was codfish — which meant the fish wasn’t the cheap kind~ Mum and I love fish so this was delicious to us. The sauce complemented the fish very well and it was very good on a bowl of rice!!!
The braised pork trotter was easily dad’s favourite. Soft and tender, the pork trotter slides off the bone easily and coupled with the mushroom and peanut sauce, flavourful and yummy! Again the sauce was good with rice. I love the sauce too!
Prawns are not really our favourite because we always try to avoid high-cholesterol food. However, we did taste a couple of prawns — we also not in favour of wasting food, and mum mentioned that the prawns are fresh and the broth was well really infused into the prawns.
Eggplant is always a favourite for our family and this dish hits home with its soft and mushy eggplant totally absorbing the spicy flavours.
A traditional red bean dessert was served and while we were afraid it was too sweet, it wasn’t. Thus, it was a pretty good finish for our dinner although we were already so full of all the dishes being served before this!!!
Other Dining Options – The Blue Lagoon
We did not really try out other exclusive dining restaurants, such as Hotpot, Japanese or Bistro, that were available on board. Although so, my friend did mention a place that serves food at a very low price of $2 daily from 11pm to 2am!
Located on Deck 7, the cafe was decorated with an ancient period setting, allow you to feel like you travelled back in time (or maybe not.).
We did not manage to try out the food at the Blue Lagoon since we were all stuffed, but you can try grabbing a bite at midnight if you are a bit peckish without hurting your wallet!
Entertainment
Besides the casino (which I will cover further below), I felt that the Entertainment options on board were pretty limited. It might have also been because that the weekend I was there it rained two days straight, so the outdoor areas were pretty much wet and closed – so I did not get to enjoy those facilities too. Also, I am not a clubbing/alcohol person — so Zouk was not for me too.
Here are some shots of the few places I mentioned above before I continue talking about what I actually did on board the cruise!!
Outdoor water park and pool area
The Voyage of a Lover’s Dream
Touted as a show put together by an award-winning entertainment team, it supposed to be a show that tells “a mysterious story with a mermaid and an astronaut through the main character named ‘Little Chili’ who would help you discover that the universe is full of possibilities and dreams.”
However, I felt that it was a ‘Cirque de Soleil’ show without the ‘Soleil’. The individual circus acts and dance numbers were good, but the story failed to tie together the story together as a whole. Nevertheless, their individual acts are still entertaining to watch!
Curtain call
Bridge Tour
I also signed up for the Bridge Tour! However, this was not a free activity. This tour cost SGD22 per person, and it was credited to my room card.
Hey, SGD22 to meet those handsome first officers, not too bad really; not too bad. LOLz~
Our tour guide brought us to the control room where they showed us where all the cameras are and the sensors that control the fire alarm and water gates of the ship, then we went on to the bridge where actual officers were on duty steering the cruise ship.
I even got to sit in the captain’s chair!
View from the Captain’s seat!
Shopping
Shopping options are very limited, with just one single circular arena of duty-free shops. The selection isn’t much, but some of the deals during their time-sensitive sale are fairly decent. I didn’t see anything that caught my eye, except for an unknown brand watch with interchangeable belts at SGD29.90.
There was also a limitation on souvenirs, major items are not really attractive (tiger balms to noodles??). The only iconic item was the mermaid tail blanket — which again isn’t something I would be interested in.
I would have hoped they would develop more items with the mermaid theme — things that would entice me to open my wallet and make some huge purchases. Things like holographic pouches with mermaid tails and seashells would be my number pick if they had developed some.
Casino
The Casino area is scattered everywhere and you will definitely walk by them everytime you want to get to the other side of the ship. If you love to play some slot games or try your luck at those green velvet tables, they are very accessible from all corners of the cruise ship.
Transit from shopping to gaming
The gaming area is spread across three levels surrounded by a circular stage and bar on the 1st level, where there is always music and performance on the stage.
Slot machines range from $0.10 onwards, but per bet on table games begins at $50.
Genting Membership
Also, bring along your Genting membership card so you can apply a Genting at Sea card (This Genting at Sea card works for cruise ships only). If you are wondering if you can you accrue Genting points on board, well, you can only accrue to the Sea card, and not the RWGenting card.
WiFi
Wifi on board is NOT FREE. You have to pay for it.
Image reference from Dream Cruise FAQ
I bought WiFi on board because the in-room TV only had China channels and I was getting bored. However, I found out even the WiFi has some limitations on it.
1. Server resides in HongKong.
2. WiFi speeds are slow
3. Can’t exactly post images on Instagram, the app does not recognise your account and posting — I have my suspicions that it was because the server was in HongKong, and since HongKong is part of China — internet restrictions may be in place.
In the end, I only used Whatsapp to chat with friends back home and also connect to Facebook for my Candy Crush score. It was totally not worth the $38. I was tempted to purchase the higher tier Wifi, but after the disappointing experience, I decided against it.
Genting Dream App
My friend told me about the app and the convenience of using the in-app chat inbox to contact your roommates or friends in another room anywhere on the cruise ship.
Recommend that you download the app from App store or Google Play before you embark on the trip so you can save the hassle and start using the app.
You won’t be able to access the app before you board, or after you disembark; the app only works with the wifi onboard.
From the main screen (centre image above), you can access the chat screen from the “My Inbox” tab, and all you need to do is to just input the cabin number and message, and there you go. The only downside is that the inbox does not give you any notification on your mobile, so in order to know what messages your mates left you, you need to constantly check the inbox.
Besides the chat screen, you can access the Dream Daily on the go. Dream Daily is a daily summary or the day’s activities and all the important information you need to know while you cruise. The next day’s Daily will be placed in the stateroom at the end of the day when they turn down your room, or when they clean the stateroom for the day.
Besides using the hard-copy Daily guide, all the activities and show times can also be found within the app itself. I found that the only downside again for this app is that I could not book the shows and activity via the app, and I have to make my way down to the registration counters at the front desk to do so, which only leaves the app to be more of an info guide than being able to do more.
The features I like in the app are the nautical information map that tracks the current position of the cruise ship. It was quite accurate compared to Google Maps, and I found that without purchasing a wifi package — this nautical information map is quite interesting to look and track.
The app also features a location guide of the facilities, so that you have a map of the decks right in your hand rather than having to figure out the directions while you are out and about.
Dream Elite Member Perk
If you have signed up as a Dream Elite member as at when you purchase your cruise package, you will find a freebie you can redeem via the app. Not many people will know of this, but it is a fun and free souvenir one can get from the cruise vacation.
Members can choose between a souvenir photo taken of them by their photographer or a number padlock. I chose the number padlock instead!
Cost
The total cost for the three of us came up to a total of around SGD$1950
Cost breakdown:
Cabin Fare: $1647.50
Port Charges: $120.00
Credit Card Discount: – $100
Gratitudes/ Tips: $120.00
WiFi: $19 per night -> $38.00
Bridge Tour: $21.00
Shopping: $101.00
Total: SGD$1945.50
Overall
If you are a regular patron of Genting Highlands and you want something different in terms of location for gambling, you can try out the ship. My dad who enjoys an occasional trip to Genting Highlands did not really enjoy because of the high entry point for table games.
As for non-gamblers like me, if you want to fully enjoy this cruise ship, it’s best to pick a period when the weather is good. Since the period we went was still the rainy period, I can’t fully enjoy or even review the fun entertainment they had advertised about.
Taking in overall, it’s a nice ship to just go for once to try it out, but for me, unless they improve the shopping, entertainment options and the smoking situation — since the casino is so open and smacked in the centre, I probably won’t be interested to take a second trip on board again.
TL;DR: Overall expensive, not exactly worth it. Can try once, but don’t go during rainy seasons. Casino table games minimum $50, not much shopping.
Off to the next adventure!
I never really thought about going to a cruise before, it looks beautiful though. May need to add it to my want to do list.
This is such a great reveiw of Genting cruise. The bedroom is quite spacious as compared to the one I went many years ago. I can’t remember the name of the cruise, departing from Singapore to nowhere – Cruise to nowhere. The show in your cruise look pretty interesting and thanks for the pictures you have shared, it gives me some ideas of what the cruise provide.
Whoa that’s a huge trip. I am happy to hear about your cruise and this cruise line. I love going on cruises. The rooms look lovely anc comfy. I would live at the buffet. The food looks so yummy, Sounds like a great time to me.
I was about to call it steep then I looked back and saw that everything seems to be worth it despite the food selections. I think you’ve pretty much covered what this cruise has to offer, from the menus to the entertainment parts. The room you stayed at looks simple and comfortable for a two-day relaxation.
Aww I loved this post! I think its lovely that you went with your parents, I go on holiday with mine too and I really enjoy time with them. The ship itself looks really good – beautiful inside and out but its a shame you had a rough experience with the food.
This is a very honest take on your experience, which I completely appreciate. My experience of cruises have all been pretty positive, but then again, I haven’t had that many to compare against. I appreciate knowing ahead of time if it’s worth the cost and what to choose as far as all the options. I would be very curious to try the Genting Dream Cruise at least once. Thanks for the detailed review!
It looks like a really luxurious cruise ship you stayed on. Your pictures are wonderful and it really looks like you had such a great time.
The pictures look amazing, but I understand you couldn’t fully enjoy this experience because the entertainment and shopping weren’t great. That makes me think that if I every book a cruise I need to be sure of choosing the right season!!
I have never been on a cruise but I would like to … I appreciate the detailed review and the cost breakdown of your trip. That is really helpful.
❥ tanvii.com
I can totally visualize Tiffany getting frustrated with the bad and paid WiFi. For me, I think I would take that as a digital detox and go offline for some time, training and have some fun making videos!
Oh, the food! I was just wishing I could reach out and grab some. It does sound like a lot of fun. thanks for amazing review.
I love cruising and will have to check out this route and line.
Nailil
http://thirtyminusone.com
We’re a party of twelve so-called DreamElite Members on Dream Cruises tour. The manufactured dream by Dream Cruise nicely printed on the brochure alluring and beckoning an experience you will never forget turns out to be a nightmare from the moment at check- in to check-out.
The promise of a personal butler and 24 hours concierge existed only in a dream. Never once we hear nor see the so-called two fellows. We were left to fan for ourselves in all the necessities by asking around. There were plenty of international staffs with smithereens of English employed to stand around only to confuse. The number of staff does not even equate with efficiency let alone expectation of a satisfactory service.
What an experience! Never again would l put myself through this chaotic and nightmarish cruise.
Hi Henry,
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
I can totally feel your pain when you paid so much but the experience is so little.
Do share your feedback with the company, so they may do some improvements themselves, which I usually will feedback and we can only hope they do better in the future.
Have you tried other cruises yet?? I love Royal Carribean cruises when I wenton board in the States but have yet to try any departing from Singapore.
You only get a butler if you book the suites. I suppose you booked the normal stateroom.
Hi Pingerrain, appreciate so much for your post. And I had at least have a brief idea of this cruise. I am planning for a 3 days 2night cruise with my parents , sail to KL. But not sure is this a right choice for me or I should still choose royal carribean. The promotion which is around 300++ plus per person. Sail from 9pm on the first day, then 2nd day whole day on cruise, third day 11am reach sg. Do you think is a right choice for me ? thanks .
Hi Evon,
It will depend what you are looking for in your cruise vacation, and what do your parents want?
However, honestly, my dad who also loves casino games didn’t enjoy playing on board. He commented that Star Cruises are much better, as the currency used on board Star Cruises is Ringgit and their selection of games are much diverse.
Royal Caribbean Cruises have a balance of entertainment, games and other family friendly activities. However, if I recalled correctly, the currency they use on board is USD. I’m not sure about the RC cruises disembarking Singapore, because I do know they will change when these cruises visit different port of calls.
Also, I haven’t been on Star Cruises, so I cannot compare them altogether based on experience, but my parents definitely preferred Star than Dream.
If you decide on Dream Cruises, you might want to look out for the promo where the second person is $1 or there is a super low promo for senior citizens. Honestly, only take them there if the sole purpose is gambling, cause I think that is the biggest so-called entertainment on board. Then again, my dad said he preferred Genting Highlands than Dream cruise.
Otherwise, I think Star Cruise (based on my dad’s comment) and Royal Caribbean cruises will be a much better choice. More variety of activities, not just gambling only.
Hope this helps!
My parents they don’t gamble, they just want to try the cruise experience. Their focus are on the comfortability of the room and also the food. Any activities you play on the cruise? I plan to go for the bridge tour, cause is like quite an eyes opening experience.
For the food, which one will you recommend ? The chinese one and the blue lagoon?
I plan to have a 3D2N to KL. Yours are also 3D2N right ? sorry yours are sail to ?
Now the promotion is like 300++ per person can get a balcony room.
Thank you so much for your sharing.
Hi Evon,
If your parents don’t gamble, then don’t go for Genting Dream.
Shows are much limited, with two major shows: China Talent Show and the Dream Voyage show I mentioned in my blog. The room is definitely comfortable. Food wise, unless you are willing to spend extra to pay for the other food options that is available on board (steam boat, Japanese food or Western) then you can pretty much choose and try out the different dining rooms and Function 8 to see for yourself.
Mine was a cruise to nowhere and besides meal time, I was spending most of my time just walking around the different decks (exploring what else I can do and taking pictures for the blog) and there is nothing much else for me to do. Some decks reek of cigarette smoke so it was pretty unpleasant for me. On top of that, I couldn’t even swim cause it was raining.
As for the promotion — it’s really just an advertising gimmick. Because about 95% of the staterooms on board Genting Dream are balcony rooms! They do not have exterior staterooms (the room with a round porthole window); and they only have a handful of interior stateroom. I think it’s harder to book an interior stateroom than a balcony!
So if you actually compare the deck maps of Genting Dream vs Royal Caribbean (which I did), you will realise that balcony staterooms are Dream cruise most basic and common tier rooms. So, pretty much $300+ you are paying the same for an interior stateroom on RC. Basic vs Basic.
The only perk is really the balcony which I also spend a lot time on, reading on the balcony and enjoying the cool monsoon winds.
If you want to bring your parents for a real cruise experience, take them on RC. RC have captain’s night, formal dining, dance nights and lots of entertainment option. They even have parades within the promenade if you are travelling on the cruise that feature Dreamworks characters. Shopping wise are much more fun, and there are more space to move about plus my favourite — the promenade cafe that serves free drinks and snacks 24 hours a day.
They can also dress up formally and enjoy a sit down formal dinner like the rich and wealthy, which was quite an interesting experience!
I know I didn’t blog much about my trip on Royal Caribbean — partially cause I was seasick during that cruise (I was the one without fear of seasickness among my friends but I was the only one with seasickness! SO unfair!) so I spent most of my time in bed and jealous over the photos of my friends having fun.
For bridge tours, I am sure all cruises have that option — you just need to ask the concierge on the availability.
Also, do note that I took RC in USA, I haven’t tried one leaving from Singapore. You can check with RC on the experiences I mentioned, every RC cruise have a different offer.
Honestly, RC cruise still tops the cruise experience for me and I highly recommend it.
P.S. I went to research the pricing for Voyager of the Seas, Royal Caribbean cruise. They do have similar pricing to Genting Dream for balcony.
3 night Penang cruise, sail date may not be near, 1-4 march 2019, but it’s average $375 per person. (Haha, I may book this too!)
3 night M’sia getaway cruise, 15 – 18 Oct 2018, average $360 per person.
I also made a call to the RC service line — just for your sake — and also found out that the RC package online includes port tax and tips! — no need to pay extra like I had to on Genting Dream.
Good luck on making a decision! Let me know which cruise you are intending to choose!
Thank you for your comprehensive review. However you may have gotten some details wrong. I am quite amused when reading that you could catch a glimpse of the helipad at the dream dining room. The dream dining rooms are actually located at the back (aft) of the ship and the membership program is called Resorts World at Sea not Genting at Sea. Besides these, well done!
Hi Anne,
Thanks for your comment!
Yeah I went to review my photos and I realized I mistook the similar looking outdoor deck as the helipad, thus I thought it was the front!!!
Thanks for the tip, will go change them!
Hi Pingerrain ! Thanks so much for the blog ! 😀
I’m boarding my ship this weekend, and i’m really interested in doing the bridge tour. Is it really cost 22 SGD for the tour ? cause I tried to pre-book the tour via DreamElite website, and the cost was 35 SGD 🙁
Hi Vincentius,
Sorry for the late response.
They may have risen the price since the last time I went. Hope you had a pleasant cruise!
hi, thankyou so much for sharing! i just wanted to ask, are the casinos really open for public? I mean, mostly for casino when we want to go inside, we have to show your pasport or at least well-dressed. but for Genting Dream Cruise is it unessessary??
Nope, the casino is very open. There are rooms for high-rollers and high-players that are enclosed. Otherwise, it is free-range, really.
Can we check in and board the Cruise before the stipulated time that is indicated on the ticket?
Hi TNS,
Sorry for the delay response. I was away for travelling.
No, I doubt so. We were early too, and we got our passports checked-in and everything but the boarding time was exactly what they set to be. We had to wait in groups (as per timing) to board the cruise.