Annie Chang of Singapore Tourism Board with World Dream captain Robert Bodlin and Dream Cruises president Michael Goh.
Dream Cruises has officially restarted its cruise service as World Dream set sail from Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore today.
This is World Dream’s debut in the city and the ship will be offering a Super Seacation ‘cruise to nowhere’ as part of a pilot scheme approved by the Singapore government earlier this autumn.
The cruise experience begins and ends in Singapore, providing passengers with an ocean voyage operating at a reduced capacity of 50%. Around 1,400 guests embarked on the historic inaugural voyage.
It’s hoped the ‘seacations’ will help reinvigorate the Singaporean economy and the local tourism industry. The two- and three-night Super Seacation itineraries includes a host of leisure and recreation facilities on board including live entertainment in the Zodiac Theatre, virtual reality gaming in the Esc EXPERIENCE LAB, six waterslides and a zip-line suspended 18-decks over the ocean. Every Super Seacation ends with Asia’s only laser show at sea.
“We are delighted to be the first ship to restart operations here in Singapore and to give a much needed boost to the local tourism industry,” said Michael Goh, president of Dream Cruises. “It’s our goal to provide Singaporean residents with more vacation options after the many months of Covid-19 restrictions and we hope to bring back the joy of cruising but, of course, with a heightened focus on safety.”
All activities on board are being organised in accordance with local social distancing regulations and permitted group sizes. In preparation for finally welcoming guests back on board, Genting has enhanced all health, hygiene and operating protocols throughout the ship, including social distancing in dining, entertainment and public areas, safe food and beverage handling and 100% fresh air ventilation in cabins and public areas.
Cleaning and social distancing implementation in progress at the Zodiac Theatre.
The ship’s medical facility houses a PCR machine and Covid-19 laboratory testing technology. Isolation cabins and quarantine rooms have been prepared in case of an outbreak and all passengers were required to take a S$60 Covid-19 antigen rapid test before boarding. A 'Mice pod' token was also issued to all guests for contact tracing purposes while on board.
The resumption of cruise operations will see Dream Cruises operator Genting Cruise Lines reviving sea-faring opportunities in Singapore with more than 100 job vacancies to fill, from marine officers to galley chefs and cruise ambassadors.
“It’s a great honour for us to continue our long and fruitful partnership with Singapore which began in 1993,” said Goh. “We could not have done this alone and I would like to acknowledge the great support we’ve received from the Singaporean authorities and especially the Singapore Tourism Board for their trust and confidence in us.”
Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International were given the green light to offer cruises with no ports of call by the Singapore government in October. Royal Caribbean International plans to begin sailing Quantum of the Seas in December. Both World Dream and Quantum of the Seas, which are home-ported in Singapore, must sail with Singapore residents only and at a reduced capacity of 50%. The pilot cruises will be closely monitored by the Singapore government as it decides how the city's cruise industry is to move forward.
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