Tweet
Although an SQ A380 makes a brief cameo appearance in this TR, this report covers a cruise, not a flight. Now that we have that inconvenient little detail out of the way, I did find that the format, and conventions, of a TR lent itself quite well to a voyage on a cruise ship. I also found many intriguing parallels and points of comparison between the inflight experience and that onboard a cruise ship (Although you can argue that this linkage between ships and planes has existed since the time of the Pan Am Clipper Flying Boats…).
Last December, Mrs yflyer, the kids and I went on a cruise on the Genting Dream, the first ship in the Dream Cruises fleet. Dream Cruises is the premium/luxury cruise arm of Genting Group, who also owns Star Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Resorts World Sentosa. The Genting Dream is a very new vessel, built and launched in late 2016 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. As of late 2017, the vessel's home port is Singapore, where it operates cruises to Asian destinations such as Penang, KL (Port Klang), Phuket, Surabaya and North Bali.
Our five day cruise was to Surabaya and North Bali. On this cruise, our cabin was a Suite in the Dream Palace section of the vessel, which had its own lounge, restaurant and facilities: essentially this was almost a “Ship within a Ship”, quite similar in concept to staying in the Club Level of a hotel.
This cruise in December was also the Genting Dream’s inaugural port visit to Surabaya, and on arrival we were treated to a water cannon salute (Not unlike those given to inaugural flights…), and onshore festivities. While in Surabaya, rather than spend my time on a tour of the sights, or shopping, I headed out on foot for a run through the city. In North Bali, we indulged in a local speciality: Babi Guling, or roast whole piglet.
Onboard the ship itself, there was a wide range of activities, running the gamut of casinos, clubs, shows/performances and special events. Although the vessel catered to both young and old, there were many facilities geared towards youths and the active set, including a rock climbing wall, several vertiginous waterslides, and a zipline over the sea, which, depending on your point of view, was either exhilarating or terrifying.
There is a whole genre and subculture of cruise ship enthusiasts who pore over, and discuss, ships, cabins and itineraries the way we over here discuss the latest SQ aircraft deliveries, seat layouts, and cabin service (And the occasional 3D map...). But rather than post this report on one of these cruise forums, I am posting it here because, at best, cruises are an occasional indulgence for me – I don’t see myself becoming as fascinated with cruise liners as I am with air travel. Aviation is as much about engineering as it is about luxury: How to provide comfort onboard while surmounting the technical challenge of getting (and remaining) safely airborne. That element of trying to get the most out of limited resources is present to a much greater degree in aviation than other modes of transport, whether it is the engineering challenge of flying ultra-long haul sectors like SIN-NYC, or more mundane problems like how to cook a good steak at cruising altitude…
I will say one thing: this cruise experience did trigger a re-evaluation of how much I would be willing to pay for a few hours of luxury on a plane. Sitting in the comparative luxury of First or Business Class onboard a plane for 8 or 13 hours is one thing…but on a ship, you have lots more space, crew, and material, not to mention time, to deliver an all encompassing luxury experience. The smallest inner cabin on the Genting Dream has more space than any F / Suite cabin on any aircraft for example, and the suite we checked into onboard was the size of some hotel rooms. Let’s not even compare the kind of F&B possible onboard a ship vs a plane.
“Not the same thing!” you say…of course it isn’t. A plane gets you from A to B really quickly! A ship takes its own sweet time. On the other hand, if the journey is the reward, and you want to spend some time relaxing and indulging in a bit of luxury, a cruise is not a bad way to do it.
And you do get somewhere too…eventually. I think there is some merit in exploring nearby regional destinations by cruise ship. These days short LCC getaways to nearby destinations are very popular, but I think cruises offer a decent alternative as well, as long as you take the trouble to get off the boat and maximize the hours you have onshore to explore each port of call.
Interested? Read on!
Last December, Mrs yflyer, the kids and I went on a cruise on the Genting Dream, the first ship in the Dream Cruises fleet. Dream Cruises is the premium/luxury cruise arm of Genting Group, who also owns Star Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Resorts World Sentosa. The Genting Dream is a very new vessel, built and launched in late 2016 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. As of late 2017, the vessel's home port is Singapore, where it operates cruises to Asian destinations such as Penang, KL (Port Klang), Phuket, Surabaya and North Bali.
Our five day cruise was to Surabaya and North Bali. On this cruise, our cabin was a Suite in the Dream Palace section of the vessel, which had its own lounge, restaurant and facilities: essentially this was almost a “Ship within a Ship”, quite similar in concept to staying in the Club Level of a hotel.
This cruise in December was also the Genting Dream’s inaugural port visit to Surabaya, and on arrival we were treated to a water cannon salute (Not unlike those given to inaugural flights…), and onshore festivities. While in Surabaya, rather than spend my time on a tour of the sights, or shopping, I headed out on foot for a run through the city. In North Bali, we indulged in a local speciality: Babi Guling, or roast whole piglet.
Onboard the ship itself, there was a wide range of activities, running the gamut of casinos, clubs, shows/performances and special events. Although the vessel catered to both young and old, there were many facilities geared towards youths and the active set, including a rock climbing wall, several vertiginous waterslides, and a zipline over the sea, which, depending on your point of view, was either exhilarating or terrifying.
There is a whole genre and subculture of cruise ship enthusiasts who pore over, and discuss, ships, cabins and itineraries the way we over here discuss the latest SQ aircraft deliveries, seat layouts, and cabin service (And the occasional 3D map...). But rather than post this report on one of these cruise forums, I am posting it here because, at best, cruises are an occasional indulgence for me – I don’t see myself becoming as fascinated with cruise liners as I am with air travel. Aviation is as much about engineering as it is about luxury: How to provide comfort onboard while surmounting the technical challenge of getting (and remaining) safely airborne. That element of trying to get the most out of limited resources is present to a much greater degree in aviation than other modes of transport, whether it is the engineering challenge of flying ultra-long haul sectors like SIN-NYC, or more mundane problems like how to cook a good steak at cruising altitude…
I will say one thing: this cruise experience did trigger a re-evaluation of how much I would be willing to pay for a few hours of luxury on a plane. Sitting in the comparative luxury of First or Business Class onboard a plane for 8 or 13 hours is one thing…but on a ship, you have lots more space, crew, and material, not to mention time, to deliver an all encompassing luxury experience. The smallest inner cabin on the Genting Dream has more space than any F / Suite cabin on any aircraft for example, and the suite we checked into onboard was the size of some hotel rooms. Let’s not even compare the kind of F&B possible onboard a ship vs a plane.
“Not the same thing!” you say…of course it isn’t. A plane gets you from A to B really quickly! A ship takes its own sweet time. On the other hand, if the journey is the reward, and you want to spend some time relaxing and indulging in a bit of luxury, a cruise is not a bad way to do it.
And you do get somewhere too…eventually. I think there is some merit in exploring nearby regional destinations by cruise ship. These days short LCC getaways to nearby destinations are very popular, but I think cruises offer a decent alternative as well, as long as you take the trouble to get off the boat and maximize the hours you have onshore to explore each port of call.
Interested? Read on!
) was quite comprehensive...with ship info, Movies on demand, several satellite TV channels, and billing/account info...
Comment