World Dream departs from Marina Bay Cruise Centre. If you’re taking a taxi, alight at Level 2. The Cruise Centre is where you check in your luggage, collect your Tracey, pass immigration and finally board the ship. Next to the Cruise Centre is another building (I think it was repurposed from a carpark but I can’t be sure) where you go specifically for swab test. There are many staff available to guide you through so you definitely won’t get lost. No pictures allowed, so don’t expect any!
You will be directed to go to the 3rd floor of the other building. If you’re reading this post, it means you’re interested in going on Dream Cruise. You might have read about their Palace stay, a luxurious experience with dining at speciality restaurants, a dedicated butler and a private pool. Another reason to splurge on a Palace stay, if you have the financial means, is that even for swab tests, Palace guests have priority.
It was super crowded when we arrived and there was a long queue in-front of us. We were asked to sit down at seats spaced apart. The staff were friendly and fast – they immediately helped us to fill up the forms for the swab and after that, it was waiting time! There were fans so it wasn’t too hot, and the staff distributed bottled water too. We arrived at 2.15 pm and by 3.05 pm, we were done with the swab test and were waiting for the results.
The swab test was carried out in individual stations. Each station had one nurse, a single chair and a fan. The nurse would swipe the chair with alcohol after each use – very careful preparation here. They would then prepare the swab materials and ask you to sit at the chair when they are ready. They would require your IC for verification.
How was the swab test? It was my first time doing a test and frankly I was quite nervous. I asked the nurse if it was painful and she said it was just itchy. I calmed myself and when she swabbed my right nose, it just felt a bit uncomfortable and yes itchy. Then she swabbed my left one. I sneezed after each swab. And..that was about it. The uncomfortable feeling persisted for a few minutes after that but seriously nothing unbearable.
I was apprehensive when it was my son’s turn. After me, my husband went first so my son was placed last, in anticipation that he would cry like nobody’s business and both of us had to be available to handle him. I carried him and sat on the chair and the nurse asked me to hold his head to ensure that he won’t turn. When the swab entered his nose I thought he would cry – and to my surprise, he didn’t!
After a few seconds he started to whine and looked angry and the nurse quickly pulled out and swabbed the other nose. Same – he stared curiously at her for the first few seconds and when he decided he didn’t like it, he whined and that was it. The end. No tears!!
We were then asked to wait at the waiting area. Each of us was assigned a number. The waiting area was divided into different color zones and we were told to wait until our numbers were called. Here, we were each given a bottle of water and a copy of Dream Daily, telling us the schedule for the cruise. The wait here was about thirty minutes, then they will call out the numbers and issue you a slip telling you the result. Hold on tight to the slip – you will need it for registration later!
Registration
After collecting the swab test result, we had to go back to the Cruise Centre Level 2 for baggage scan and registration. Take note that power socket extensions are not allowed on board! They used to be but for some reason are banned now. Prohibited items would be collected and you can take them back at the end of the cruise.
After baggage scan we had to collect our room cards and the ship’s own version of Trace Together token, called the Tracey, then finally it was time to go through immigration and board the ship!!
Activities
Before you board the ship, do download the Dream Cruises app. You need the app to book their entertainment shows. You can also pay for any outstanding fees using the app and view the daily schedule. As a bonus, you can message your roommates using the app’s message function too – no more needing to use radio transmitter to communicate (seriously, I’ve seen people using the transmitters to commuicate on other cruises).
There were 2 entertainment shows when I went onboard – a magic show and a dancing/acrobatic show. Both required advance booking. Booking slots were released via the app every hour from 5.30 pm – 9.30 pm. I am not sure how many slots are released each time, but they ran out really quickly. Try to book during the earlier time slots because as more passengers board the ship, it would be harder for you to book.
During the shows, the staff would guide you to seats based on the number of pax. They really put in a lot of effort in keeping to the safe management measures – when arranging seats, they did it on the spot to ensure that for the immediate row infront and behind you, there would be no passengers sitting in those seats. Say yay to a clear view!
World Dream also has a new VR facility located at Deck 17. The activities looked pretty cool, but of course everything was chargeable, which explained the lack of crowd when we went in.
There are also 2 arcades, 1 at Deck 16, and another one at Deck 6. All the games are chargeable.
There are spa facilites (Crystal Life Spa) and a gym located at Deck 15. The area looked really posh and classy, but the prices were expensive too. You can also spend your time shopping around their many shops selling luxury watches, handbags and jewelry. They have a sounvenir shop located on Deck 8 – we went there a few times just to view the goods. There were many offerings from Japan – comestic products and even Merries’ diapers!
And of course, if you’re game for it, have a spin at one of their many, many casino machines. Sign up as a Genting Rewards Member and accumulate points – you can even use points to redeem for free cruises in future!
Facilities
There is 1 adult swimming pool, 1 kids pool, 1 toddler pool and about 6 jacuzzi pools. Pre-booking was required for all the pools except the toddler pool. You would have to proceed to Level 16, where the pools are located, to do the booking personally. The booking corner was located at the opposite end of the Lido restaurant. Each person was allowed to book only one slot each time, and could only book a second slot after the time for the first slot had passed. The kids pool only allowed up to 5 pax/hour, child included, and the jacuzzi pool allowed only 2 pax/hour/pool. I didn’t enquire about the swimming pool as I wasn’t planning to use it, but I heard it is 8 pax/hour. The slots ran out really fast so I recommend that you book the slots as soon as you board the ship. There are also 6 water slides – no pre-booking required for those slides.
We booked slots for the kids’ pool on Saturday, 1 pm. Unfortunately, it started raining from 10 am and all the pools were closed. They were reopened only around 3 pm. We managed to re-book another slot for 6 pm, their last slot, but it was still raining. Although the pools had reopened, we ultimately decided to give up the slot as we did not want the small boy falling sick due to the cold water. This was why we were really glad we booked the Balcony Deluxe room as he could play in the bathtub.
Besides the pool, there are also a rock climbing wall and ropes course located at Deck 18. Strangely, this area is not accessible by lift – you would have to take a staircase from Deck 17 to reach the area. I had been on their previous cruise ship, Genting Dream before, and I remembered that there was a lift on Deck 18 then. This meant it was inconvenient for wheelchair and pram users to acess the area and we did not bring our boy up in the end.
Food
The highlight of the cruise! What is the point of being on a cruise without eating? World Dream has 3 inclusive (i.e. free) restaurants – Dream Dining Room Lower at Deck 7 that focuses on Chinese cuisine, Dream Dining Room Upper at Deck 8 that focuses on Western cuisine, and finally the Lido at Deck 16, that focuses on pretty much everything else (halal, Indian food, vegetarian, etc). Take note that the vegetarian food is mainly Indian cuisine though.
Due to Covid, guests are not allowed to self-serve. You would have to tell the chef what you want and he would take it for you. Guests are still allowed to walk around the restaurant and request for the items they want. Take note that only Lido provides such a service – at Dream Dining room, whether Lower or Upper, the food would be served to you based on the number of pax for your table. So if you are a small eater, do tell them in advance that you would prefer smaller portions – don’t worry, the food is all refillable, and you can choose specific dishes to refill. It was unfortunate that I witnessed a lot of people wasting food on board the cruise ship.
You can also go to another inclusive restaurant to eat after finishing at one restaurant. They take good care of our bellies :). 5 meals are offered – breakfast, morning tea (at Lido only), lunch, afternoon tea (at Lido only) and dinner. There is also a 24 hours snack corner located outside Lido, offering pastries and fried snacks on a rotational basis. You could also get juices, coffee or tea.
When I went, there was a special Thailand event. On Saturday afternoon, they set up booths at Deck 17, selling Thailand food and goodies such as mango sticky rice, bubble tea etc. All these were chargeable. There was also a small photobooth and we could take pictures with staff dressed in Thailand’s traditional costumes. The highlight was that for dinner at Lido, there were free Thai dishes such as pad thai for us to enjoy. The current theme is Japan, running till 31 Aug 2021, and I am really tempted to go again and experience the event!
Being poor, I did not go to any of the inclusive restaurants, but you can read up about them here. For Palace guests, there are also Palace-exclusive restaurants, providing a truly luxurious and dedicated experience.
I hope this post has been informative for you. Leave a comment if you plan on going World Dream!
P.S. if you missed my previous post on baby amenties on Dream Cruise, read about it here!