Author: Mrs Messy

KKH

Mrs Messy 0 Comment Uncategorized , ,

So why did I choose to go KKH?

The only reason why I wanted to go NUH, as mentioned previously, was that I desired a water birth. However, as I found out more details about it, I decided that water birth may not be feasible in terms of cost.

To have water birth, it is necessary to engage a doula. A doula, as indicated on WebMD’s website, is a person who provides emotional and physical support to you during your pregnancy and childbirth. I only know of one person, a colleague, who had engaged a doula previously. She did so as she was determined to have a natural birth (her first birth was emergency caesarean). It was very difficult to have VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) but she was so determined she attended classes etc on natural delivery, on what sort of breathing exercises she should use. She was successful in her planning and preparation and gave birth to her second child at NUH via vaginal birth. She delayed going to the hospital as long as she could, with the doula assisting her with the birth and pain at home. By the time she reached the hospital, she was already at 10 cm and could no longer take epidural. With the doula’s help, she could manage the pain (the doula helped to massage her, soothe her etc.).

My colleague paid $1K+ for her doula, who was engaged from an external agency. However, the doula at NUH has went through water birth training and the cost was $2, 500. On top of that, there were extra charges for the bathtub etc. (I think it was around $800). And if I cannot handle the pain, or if there are complications and I require epidural/vaginal birth at the last minute, I had to pay extra for the delivery charges. In total, there was an additional $3,000 minimum cost I was looking at.

At that point in time, there were only 4 gynae at NUH certified to do water birth too. 2 were not available during my EDD and when I read up on the other 2, I had concerns such as long waiting time (quoted very frequently), and unreliability (one of the gynae seemed to ‘disappear’ when mothers were going to give birth). 

NUH also did not provide scans for every appointment, whereas KKH did. I felt more assured if I could see my baby growing.

And finally, NUH was really very far from my house (I live in Punggol). Waiting time of 2-3 hours at the clinics aside, I spend 2 hours traveling to and fro NUH for each appointment.

However, NUH was cheaper than KKH for delivery. NUH offered a maternity package of $2500 or so that covered the costs of all appointments, scans and standard medications from the 20th week to delivery. Their ward charges were also cheaper – remember that colleague who gave birth without epidural at NUH? She chose the biggest deluxe room, which even had a living room area, and paid less than $8000 for 2 nights.

Note: This price was what she paid in 2019. I went to look at their charges recently and it seemed the costs may have increased. However, given that deluxe room is much bigger and cost only $300 extra/night, it is really worth it especially if you’re expecting a lot of relatives to come and visit. Do be mindful of Covid limitations on visitation though – no point getting a bigger room if visitors are not allowed/are capped!

I really struggled with the decision of whether or not to switch. Ultimately, my husband persuaded me to switch as it would be difficult for me to travel so far in future (we don’t drive).

When I looked through the list of KKH gynae, I decided on engaging Dr. Tee Chee Seng, as there were rave reviews about his stitching skills. Coincidentally, another colleague was pregnant, and she was visiting Dr. Tee, whom she described as being fast and humorous. He was also very understanding – when my colleague had to visit him earlier as she had an outbreak of hives, he waived off his consultation fee and she only paid for her medications. 

Upon probing, I found out that in my office, at least 3 other mothers had visited him, and I would be the 4th. Feeling assured, I made the switch to KKH, and never looked back.

1st appointment at KKH

I called KKH and made an appointment to see Dr. Tee (remember, no need polyclinic referral if you intend to be a private patient!).

For Dr. Tee, his first appointment would be at a night clinic (don’t ask me why). There is a surcharge for night clinics.

My first appointment was around 6 pm. I went on my own as my husband was busy with work. My mother, eager to see some scans of her first grandchild, hurried down from Seng Kang. As it was my first appointment, and basing my experience on past NUH appointments, I was expecting to wait for a long while.

After registration, I was asked to take my height, weight and blood pressure (standard procedures). Then I did a urine test. Unlike NUH where they asked us to collect our urine in cups, KKH gave us a urine dipstick and after collecting my urine on the dipstick, I had to show it to the nurse.

At 5.45 pm, to my surprise, my queue number was called. This was the first time my number was called before my appointment time, and it was refreshing. I entered the room and met Dr. Tee for the first time.

Dr. Tee was very friendly, comprehensive and quick to the point. He immediately asked me for my previous reports at NUH and scanned through them. Upon finding out that I have thalassemia trait, he immediately asked my husband and I to both go for thalassemia screening (NUH was not as concerned – they only asked if mine was minor or major thalassemia, and whether my husband had (he doesn’t), but did not ask us to confirm). I explained that my husband and I had done pre-marital screening and my husband did not have thalassemia trait according to the blood test screening then. Dr Tee explained that thalassemia screening was more detailed and sometimes, minor thalassemia may not show up during routine blood screening. 

Dr. Tee was also very concerned on whether my husband was present. For that first appointment as he could not make it, Dr. Tee was tactful in asking whether he was coming. For subsequent appointments, Dr. Tee would always question where he was if my husband could not accompany me, and he made sure that my husband was present when he scanned my stomach, so that both of us could see the growing baby.

For the first appointment, after explaining to me about thalassemia, he scanned my stomach and I could leave. I was out before 6 pm – my actual appointment time. Unfortunately, because he was so fast, my mother missed the scanning. At the waiting area, after waiting for a short while – about 15 minutes – a nurse came to me and passed me my multivitamins. After making payment, I could leave. I was in and out of KKH in less than an hour.

I was delighted at the short waiting time and pleasantly surprised at the service received. The waiting time was a huge difference from NUH. My colleague who went to NUH as a private patient also informed that she had to endure long waiting times, especially for the scanning appointments, so I was glad I made the switch.

For my subsequent appointments, I could continue to see Dr. Tee at his night clinic, paying a surcharge, or have morning appointments. I chose the morning appointments and most of the time, I was finished with the appointment within an hour. Dr. Tee was very fast but comprehensive, and I could be out of his clinic within 10 minutes. Perhaps this is the case for KKH – my husband’s cousin saw another gynae at KKH and feedback that the appointments were super-fast, finished in 10 minutes. The gynae won’t say too much – which in my opinion, no news means good news!

Singapore Zoo and River Safari – Part 2

Mrs Messy 0 Comment Attractions ,

Have you read my first post on Singapore Zoo and River Safari? We went back to Singapore Zoo (thanks to my sister’s free tickets again) to explore the parts we didn’t manage to!

Sadly, this time round when we went back, we were not able to dine in at Ah Meng’s restaurant like before, because I was still waiting for my vaccine to take effect. Hence, we had to buy takeaway from Ah Meng restaurant. I ordered the same food – Lotus Root and Peanut Soup + Vegetables + Brown Rice at $7.90. It was delicious, healthy and affordable. In fact, I felt the portion was even bigger when I purchased takeaway. The container cost an extra $0.30 though, and if you need a plastic bag, it was extra $0.10. So do consider bringing your own containers and plastic bag if you want to save money.

I didn’t manage to take a clear picture of the menu last time, so here it is! Looking at the menu, I really feel this brown rice + lotus root set is the one with the best value.

Remember that Ah Meng has a bistro, and not just restaurant? I managed to take photos of the menu there too! The food seems much more expensive that Ah Meng’s Restaurant’s though.

Their drinks menu! The cost of the iced tea is the same as my lunch 😡
Their snacks menu!

After buying the food, we could eat anywhere within zoo that had benches. There are a few such locations throughout the place. We proceeded to KidzWorld to find a somewhat sheltered bench to sit down and eat. We were not the only ones – some other families were eating food there too. Be mindful of macaques though. Some staff walked past as we were eating and they warned us about some macaques they had seen at the forest area behind KidzWorld. We were mindful throughout our meal but thankfully were not attacked by any.

We waited to book the Animal Friends show…and again, it was booked out within a minute! Seriously, how fast could the other people be? Disappointed, we nonetheless were happy that our son was awake this time during the visit at KidzWorld – he was sleeping in the carrier when we last visited. This was his first time exploring KidzWorld and he stared wide eyed at the animals. The funniest part was when he cuckoo along with the roosters!

Similar to booking for shows, you can actually purchase limited animal feed sessions via QR code when you are at the zoo. They have feeding sessions for the goats at KidzWorld. They used to put a bunch of leaves right beside for all visitors to pluck and feed the goats, but this has stopped. I am not sure if it is due to Covid, or because the zoo is putting the goats on a diet, or perhaps they are hoping to earn more money from the feeding sessions. The feeds are not expensive anyway, at $5/session, but they are hugely popular and always sold out.

Rooster pen – they are supe noisy!

This time round we also walked around the other side of the zoo, and managed to see the giraffe, zebra and hyenas. Not sure if it was due to the heat, but the animals didn’t seem very active and were just lazing around. We visited the cheetah too, and she was the most interactive of all.

A bit too interactive – looking like she wants to eat us!

We went to River Safari again too, and visited the giant panda Kai Kai, who is getting all the attention while his partner is on maternity leave. I am sure River Safari would be crowded once Jia Jia and baby return to their enclosure. For this trip, it was noticeably less quiet and crowded than the last time we went, which was before Jia Jia gave birth.

The papa who didn’t get his paternity leave

Overall, it was a wonderful trip that complemented the first one, as we purposely visited areas we didn’t manage to go to the first time round. With Covid cases on the rise, the zoo is probably one of the few safe places to visit since it is almost fully ventilated. We are hoping to bring Baby L again there soon, and here’s hoping we can finally watch the Animal Friends show!

Tayo Station

Mrs Messy 0 Comment Attractions ,

Taking advantage of the National Day public holiday, we decided to bring our small one to Tayo Station! The capacity was still capped at 25% then and I was nervious as to whether we would manage to get slots. Thankfully, we did even though it was a PH. We purchased tickets for 2 adults and 1 child via Klook, spending $31. This is cheaper than buying from their website/over counter, which costs $34 for the same 2 adults and 1 child. Prices are slightly discounted for weekdays.

Tayo Station is located at E-Hub, Downtown East. Since we had booked the earliest slot which was play time of 10.30 am – 12.30 pm, we arrived at Downtown East pretty early. The whole place was rather quiet except for NTUC, where there were many people purchasing groceries. When we reached Tayo Station, there were already some families outside waiting for the place to open. At 10.25 am, a queue started to form. It was cleared very quickly. We were asked to show our tickets via the Klook app, do Tracetogether scan, temperature taking and clean our hands using sanitizer and then – in we go!

Because it was only 25% capacity, I estimated there were only about 30 children or less per slot. With adults, it was roughly about 50 pax at most, which is wonderful. Can’t imagine how crowded it would be at 100% capacity. There was an area where parents can sit and dine, and there were sufficient tables for each family to claim one table and place their belongings on it.

The first area we went to was the giant playground filled with tunnels and 2 slides – Gani’s Playground. Parental supervision is required for kids below 3. Our child was around one of the youngest at the park that day, so I think most families rushed to book slots for Tayo’s Road Circuit when we went in. We had a blissful 20 minutes or so of the Gani’s Playground entirely to ourselves. Baby L couldn’t climb most areas on his own though and Mr Messy and I followed him very closely for each step. Take note that there are some sudden drops within the place – so make sure to watch your child carefully.

Gani’s Playground

There are two slides within Gani’s Playground, and both are not suitable for children 3 years and below due to the speed. It is also not allowed for parents to slide down with their child on the lap for safety reasons. However, we observed many parents violating this rule, and after a while we went with the crowd and my husband brought Baby L down on his lap for the less steep slide. It was fast, but not dangerous as my husband could control his speed.

Rules poster
One of the slides – this is the less steep one and the one we tried with Baby L.

The next area we tried was the ball pit area! Keep your belongings safe on you – for a moment I lost my handphone and had to search for it among numerous balls. Luckily I managed to locate it within a short while. We spent a short time at this area and did not return to it for two reasons. First, it was one of the most crowded play areas and given the narrow space, it meant coming into close contact with other families. Some of the children were also too excited and were jumping into the pit/throwing balls repeatedly, which was not safe for Baby L, who was much smaller compared to them. Secondly, the ball pit was deep relative to Baby L’s height and there were times he got buried among the balls. He thought it was fun for sure, but we were worried he couldn’t breathe well.

The ball pit! It is located in a narrow strip of space next to Gani’s Playground

We then brought Baby L to the Toddler area, which had 2 slides and a Tayo bus. Boy, he was really happy at this area! We spent the most time here. Although he couldn’t climb up to the slides himself, it was the first time he could slide down on this own, as the slides were not steep. He enjoyed himself so much I think he went on the slides at least 20 times. The slide on the bus is much steeper though and he got a shock trying to go down on his own – landed on the floor as he couldn’t control his speed.

There’s also the Tayo Road Circuit – we didn’t manage to take photos here, only videos. Although it is more suitable for older children, the staff said we could bring our son to ride together on one vehicle. He wasn’t that interested in riding though – he was more interested in the tools at the toolbox station, and wanted to bring the toy hammer with him /sweat. In the end we ended our ride earlier and returned to the toddler playground above.

Another area is the sand pit area. What I like about this sand pit is that the ‘sand’ is actually small cuboid blocks, and not tiny sand like the ones found at Poporo Park. I did not have to worry that much about him swallowing those blocks. He spent some time here burying himself in the pit.

Finally, there is a resting area you and your child can go to to watch videos on Tayo Station. It wasn’t a popular place though – guess the kids prefer running about!

At the end of each section, a Tayo Station mascot would come out and walk one round around the area. Sadly we missed it as we were busy playing at the Toddler’s area. Take note that Tayo Station, unlike Pororo Park, does not have a diaper changing station or hot water area. They also do not have a cafe that sells food, though there are some vending machines selling drinks and snacks.

Let us know if you have been to Tayo Station, and what you think of it!

Royal Carribean – Cruise Planner

Mrs Messy 0 Comment Cruise ,

Having booked my cruise, I wasted no time in logging in to Cruise Planner. You will have to create an account to sign in, and once you do so they will automatically load your upcoming cruise details. This is the website you use to pre-book dining, internet, beverage packages as well as entertainment and activities. However, the activities booking won’t be available until nearer the cruise date. You can also add the reservation numbers of your family members to do cruise planning for your entire cruise planner.

Cruise Planner

Beverage Packages
There are three beverage packages to choose from – a deluxe beverage package ($77.52/day) that allows you to indulge in liquor, beer and wine, a refreshment package ($40.80/day) that gives you mocktails, premium coffees and teas, and finally a classic soda package ($12.23) that gives you foundation soda and reviews. There is also a coffee card that costs $42.16 that entitles you to 15 cups of speciality espresso-based coffee. Take note that this 15 cups actually mean 15 shots of espresso – I have read elsewhere that if you order a venti coffee with two shots of espresso, that means you are left with only 13 cups.

Since I don’t drink alcohol and I don’t want my father drinking too much, the deluxe package is out for us. It is also too expensive – it costs close to $800 for 2 adults for the entire cruise ($77.52 x 5 days x 2 adults). For deluxe pckage, all passengers above 21 in the same cabin must purchase the package, although it is not necessary for the refreshment or soda packages. However, sharing of drinks between passengers is strictly not allowed. You can view more about the difference in their packages here. There are also packages whereby you can combine one of the above three packages with wifi.

Royal Carribean often gives discount on such packages. The prices I quoted above are normal prices without discount – refer to the screenshot below for discounted prices (the advertisement stated it was up to 35% off depending on the number of sea days and day of departure. My calculations tell me it’s closer to 12% off for my cruise). It seems discounts are not applicable for coffee card or soda package though. I have read that discounts can go even lower – to $24+ for refreshment package. However, fret not if you bought a package at a higher cruise – like the Best Price guarantee for your cruise, there is a Best Price guarantee for any packages you purchase too. See something cheaper after you’ve paid? Call them and get a refund of the difference to your credit card or get the refund as onboard credit.

There are complimentary beverages on board. Only two free bottles of mineral water are given on the first day of the cruise, but you can always boil water. You can also get free coffee and tea sachets to prepare your own beverage. If you are looking at premium coffee like cappuccino though, you will have to pay for it, or get the refreshment package/coffee card.

The chances of me getting any beverage packages is very low. I am not a fan of sweet drinks – plain tea and water are my best friends. My parents and husband too don’t seem to think they will drink so much premium coffee/tea. If I do purchase a package, I will do a review on whether it is worth it. I am leaning towards the coffee card though.

Dining packages
From the website, there are a total of six included restaurants. If you prefer something fancier, you can dine at the speciality restaurants onboard. You can choose to reserve just one restaurant, or purchase the unlimited dining package at $174.08, which entitles you to dinner at multiple speciality restaurants. It also includes lunch at speciality restaurants on sea days (i.e. when there are no shore excursions). Since this is essentially a cruise to nowhere, it means you can eat lunch at speciality restaurant daily.

If you don’t see the point of spending for unlimited dining at speciality restaurants when you can already have free flow food at the 6 included restaurants (and yes, you can dine at multiple restaurants during each meal), but still want to eat at a speciality restaurant perhaps to experience the ambience, you can consider booking the individual restaurants. Again, these dining packages are often discounted.

Discounted dining package prices

I read about the details of the six included restaurants very carefully. Essentially, two are fast food restaurants – one is akin to a pop up store that offers only hotdogs (Dog House) and the other is a restaurant that offers only pizza (Sorrento’s Pizza). Of the other four, one (Cafe Promenade) is open 24 hours, offering free coffee, sandwiches and simple dishes for lunch and dinner. The Cafe @ Two70 offers salads, soups and more sandwiches and they can pack for you to eat elsewhere. Only two restaurants – Main Dining Room and Windjammer – offer buffet style, global food, and likely these two restaurants will be jam packed during dining time. Main Dining Room has a menu but you can order as many courses as you want from the menu, and feel pampered as the staff serve the food to you. For Windjammer, that is where you can go for your traditional buffet style – walking around the restaurant and choosing what you want to eat.

Given the above six restaurants, I am unlikely to purchase any speciality restaurant package. My parents would not want us spending money on food when there is already so much free food on board. Also with a young child, it is unlikely we can spend too much time at each restaurant to enjoy the food, and part of the experience is enjoying the ambience right? So bye to speciality restaurants, but I will try to do a detailed review on the included restaurants during my cruise.

Internet Package
5D4N cruise without internet or social media?? To be honest, I won’t mind but it also means I cannot message my family members who are on the same cruise. Although Royal Carribean has an app, the Royal App, which has a message function you can use to message those on the same cruise party, it costs US1.99/day/pax to use. Given this price, I much rather purchase a wifi package that would allow me to use Whatsapp and communicate not just with my cruise party, but other family and friends who are not on board the cruise.

Again, these packages are often discounted. Again, these packages are often discounted – I have read that the best discounts are usually at 40% off. Of course with the best price guarantee you can always get a refund, but that involves more diligence on your end to monitor the prices and then call in to seek a refund. It would be easier to just book the package at a price that you know is going to be the lowest it could be, then you can stop monitoring the prices.

Internet packages at up to 30% off

Another difference between the time when they are offering discounted packages vs normal-priced packages – it was only when they are offering discounted packages that they also offer additional celebration and kids-themed packages, such as the screenshot below. I didn’t see these packages previously until I received Royal Carribean’s email that there was a sale on all packages. You can also purchase photo packages, such as digital prints, or even a private photo session, via Cruise Planner.

You can also book entertainment such as shows and spa treatments via Cruise Planner. It is a bit too early for me to book entertainment shows though (they open for reservations 90 days in advance), so I’ll do a blog post on it once I can book.

Dream Cruise or Royal Carribean?
If you are considering going for one of the two cruises, these are some considerations you might want to think about.

Leave
First of all, most importantly, how many days of leave do you have? Royal Carribean sails from Monday – Thursday, or Thursday – Monday. Assuming you are on a 5 day work week, that means you have to take minimally 3 – 4 days of leave. You also have to do your PCR testing prior to the cruise at a fixed location (Raffles Place). Assuming you cannot secure a slot to do the test on a weekend, you would have to factor in extra 0.5 days of leave for that.

For Dream Cruise, they sail from Friday – Sunday, Sunday – Wednesday or Wednesday – Friday. If you go for the weekend cruise (which is also the most expensive cruise), you will only need to take 1 day leave on Friday. So if you are leave depraved and hopes to go for as many cruises as possible, go for multiple weekend Dream Cruises.

However if you have plenty of leave to clear which should be the case for most Singaporeans this year given that we can’t travel overseas, then move on to the next consideration.

Cost
I paid $1, 210.80 for a 5D4N cruise for Royal Carribean, balcony room with no bathtub (only their suite rooms have bathtubs). This is for 1 senior (aged 55 and above), 1 adult and 1 child. Although the child cruises free, I still have to pay for his taxes etc. The seniors’ discount was $48/pax. Assuming I didn’t have this discount, it would be a total of $1, 306.80 for 2 adults and 1 child. This is an average of $326.70/night.

For Dream Cruise, we paid $660 for a balcony deluxe room with bathtub. However, this was because the room only had my husband’s and child’s name. My name was placed with my mother’s room. Since she is a RWS member, she is offered free cruises and I only had to pax for taxes and gratuities. Dream Cruise doesn’t offer kids cruise free promotion and there is no kid’s discount either. This means for a normal balcony deluxe room with 2 adults and 1 child, the cost would be $990 ($330/pax x 3 pax). This is for a 3D2N cruise hence it is an average of $495/night.

From the above comparison, Dream Cruises is clearly more expensive. I am sailing ‘off-peak’ for both – for Dream Cruise, I sailed in April 2021, and for Royal Carribean, I am going in Jan 2022, before the Chinese New Year holidays. The cost for peak dates are even higher – right after I came back from my Dream Cruise, I saw that the price has increased to $450/pax for a 3D2N cruise for a balcony deluxe room.

Of course, the ‘premium’ you are paying for Dream Cruise is based on the fact that you are going on a weekend cruise, hence you can save on your leave. You will have to weigh which one is more worth it for you – 3 days of leave vs 1 day of leave, or an extra $168.30/night (based on the above example).

Cruise Party
Who are you cruising with? Just you and your spouse, a cozy couple? Or with elderly parents, or your children? How old are your children? Below 3, or already a teenager?

Based on amenties, I personally feel Dream Cruise is more baby friendly because they offer baby bathtub and sterilizer, both of which would be a must if your child is still very young. Both Dream Cruise and Royal Carribean offer baby food and cot. In terms of facilities/entertainment, well there is really not much to offer for both cruises if your child is below 3. Both cruises offer an infant care service which is chargeable on Dream Cruise but apparently free on Royal Carribean (subject to reservations – max 8 infants/toddlers below 3 at one time). Dream Cruise has a dedicated swimming pool area for children, complete with water slides, but from the pictures I see there is no such swimming pool on Royal Carribean. Also, do note that Dream Cruises allows infants 6 months old and above up on the cruise, but Royal Carribean seems to allow only infants aged 12 months and above.

If your child is above 3, then Royal Carribean would definitely be more fun because your child can play the Bumper Car and Ripcord activities. They can also take part in free classes such as towel artistry, scrapbooking and jewelry making (materials used may be charged).

If you are cruising with parents who prefer Chinese cuisine, Dream Cruises may be more suitable as there is a restaurant that serves Chinese cuisine only (Lower Dining Room on level 7). For Royal Carribean, I have heard feedback that their food is all Western and may not be suitable for someone who prefers Chinese cuisine.

Conclusion
If you can afford both cruises, and have sufficient leave to clear, then go for both! If not, I hope my simple comparison above helps you. You can also read more about my reviews of Dream Cruise, and I will write one for Royal Carribean too so keep a lookout for that!

Let me know your thoughts on which cruise you had visited and which one you prefer!

Royal Carribean Quantum of the Seas pre-cruise booking

Mrs Messy 0 Comment Cruise ,

I have been to Dream Cruises many times pre-Covid, and once with my baby so far. I have found it to be baby friendly, and my child thoroughly enjoyed the food on board, though of course they were limited activites on board for him.

Since it is unlikely we can travel overseas anytime soon, my parents and I decided to go on our very first cruise trip to Royal Carribean. My mother has been pretty excited about it for a long time, but due to work she and my father cannot travel except during Chinese New Year season. As a result, they always go overseas during the festive period, and 2021 was the first time they stayed in Singapore. Since there is no way they can be on a plane, they decided to be on a cruise ship this time instead.

I, too was pretty excited about going on board Royal Carribean, having heard about their activities such as ice-skating rink, bumper cars, iFly and Flowrider. I was particularly impressed when I read that there is a library on board the ship, and their shows feature popular characters such as Kung Fu Panda. My expectations led to some disappointment when I realized that for Quantum of the Seas, the only Royal Carribean cruise ship in Singapore at the moment, there is no ice-skating rink, library or shows featuring such popular characters. iFly, which used to be free, is also now chargeable. Strangely, even though I had messaged them on Facebook enquiring about their activities on board, they were hesitant to tell me exactly which activities were available (they refused to tell me outright there is no ice-skating rink/library on board) and only directed me to their activities page. Not sure of the reason for this secrecy. Excitement down a notch, I went on to find out about their prices.

During the last weekend of July 2021, there was an offer of $100 off for each cabin along with their usual 50% off and kids cruise free. I had been monitoring their prices for a while and found that despite all these ‘offers’, the prices actually don’t differ that much. I searched for 2 connecting rooms, 1 for 2 adults and 1 child, and 1 for 2 adults. Same dates and room type (obstructed view balcony) for each.

Searched on 1st August – with the $100 off, 1 room for 3 pax (2 adults and 1 child) is $1, 254.80 and the room for 2 adults is $1, 097.20.
However when I seached on 2nd August, just one day later, despite the same offer $100 still on and choosing the exact same date, room type and even room itself, the price for 2 adults 1 child had increased to $1, 290.80 and the price for 2 adutls has increased to $1, 133.20

You may have noticed that in the first screenshot, the price per pax was $873, but it increased to $909 in the second screenshot. I wasn’t sure whether this was due to a surge in bookings on that day, even though I found these prices just 1 day apart. I also found the web interface to be confusing – several times when I searched, they informed me that connecting rooms were no longer available, and yet when I selected the room, I clearly saw connecting rooms still available.

Feeling perplexed by their booking system, I called their Singapore hotline but the person who answered couldn’t even tell me whether there was a baby bottle sterilizer on board, putting me on hold twice and saying he will check. He eventually told me there wasn’t one and said I could bring my own if I wanted. When I pointed out that the sterilizer is a heating device and enquired if I could really bring it up, he said I could try and if it is not allowed, it would be confiscated before boarding. Joy. Take note that this hotline only has customer service officers who speak English. I decided to give their Chinese hotline a try instead at +65 3158 9166, and the woman who attended to me was way more helpful.

Besides giving me details on the activities and facilities on board, she told me there was a senior’s discount of 10% per room and a HSBC card discount of 5% per room. She also informed me that there is a Cruise with Confidence program for all cruises booked before 31 August 2021. If we had to cancel our cruise for whatever reason, as long as it is 48 hours before the cruise, we would receive a full refund towards a future cruise. For cruises booked after this date, usual cancellation charges apply. They also have a Best Price Guarantee program and if you see a future price lower than that you paid, you can call them and they will refund the difference to your credit card, or give you onboard credit. As I was wondering whether there would be future promotions like the $100 off or perhaps 8/8, 9/9 or 11/11, she assured me that whenever they have offers, they will keep the previous promotions they offered in mind and there would not be too much of a price difference. Even if there is, we can get a refund via the Best Price Guarantee. Neat!

Feeling more assured, I decided to apply for the HSBC credit card first. There is an ongoing HSBC credit card sign-up promotion offering cashback of $200, which makes the deal even sweeter. After securing the credit card, I called the Chinese hotline again and spoke to Tom, who was very friendly and helpful.

If you are thinking of booking a cruise on Royal Carribean, I suggest you call in via the hotline to enjoy the HSBC discount (not applicable for website bookings). The staff can also instantly tell you which rooms are available and recommend you staterooms. When I checked online, for some reason the website only offered me staterooms on level 6 and 7. Tom however very quickly found connecting balcony rooms on level 11 for me, and it was near the lift too.

My final cost for the two rooms was $1, 210.80 for 1 senior, 1 adult and 1 child, and $1, 057.20 for 1 senior and 1 adult. To enjoy senior discounts for both rooms, I had split my parents’ names for each room. Notice that there is an extra savings of $75/pax? Not sure what it is for, but my guess these extra savings are to balance out any past/future promotion prices.

Room for 1 senior, 1 adult and 1 child
Room for 1 senior and 1 adult

After booking, I received an email with a payment link and very quickly after payment, I received the link to log-in to my Cruise Planner. You will have to create an account, and once done you can log in to see your upcoming cruise details and to book packages for the cruise, if you want.

In the next post, I will share more about the drinks, wifi and dining packages you can book through Cruise Planner, so keep a lookout for it!

Zoo and River Safari

Mrs Messy 0 Comment Attractions , ,

I haven’t been to the zoo since I was pregnant as my father was against it. According to some old traditional belief, pregnant women should not visit zoos to see animals. So I was pretty excited when my sister received corporate passes for Zoo and River Safari and offered the passes to us.

I was up early on the day of our Zoo trip, happily preparing and overpacking as usual. I took two packets of wet wipes and way more snacks than required. Initially I wanted to delay the trip out of fear of wet weather, but I was glad we went ahead with it because from the following Monday, dine-in was reduced to 2 pax again.

With 3 adults and 1 baby and a pram, we took a taxi to the Zoo. I was surprised when the driver turned into the new carpark – it looked so posh and nicely designed, with pictures of animals over the walls. Here we had a bit of mishap when Mr Messy lost his handphone but the kind taxi driver who picked it up drove back specially to return to him.

We reached the place at about 11 am and there was already a lot of people heading to the zoo. As my sister had visited the zoo just a few weeks before, she advised us that only two restaurants – Ah Meng Bistro and Ah Meng Restaurant, were open inside the Zoo. The KFC located at Rainforest Kidzworld was closed. However, all the restaurants outside the Zoo, including KFC and Inuka Cafe, were still open.

Having checked the menu online beforehand, I decided to lunch at Ah Meng Restaurant as there were a variety of choices which were suitable for my son too. Didn’t want him eating KFC at such a young age!

If you are planning to head to the zoo too, I suggest you dine early, because a later timing means a much longer queue. We joined the queue for Ah Meng Restaurant at about 11.30 am, and waited for 15 minutes to place our orders. The area inside was free seating, capped to 5 pax/table. If there were no more indoor seats, we had to sit at the outdoor area at Ah Meng Bistro. This meant a hotter sitting area and besides eating lunch, you would be lunch to all the mosquitoes around too. However during Covid period, it might be advisable to sit outdoors instead.

We were informed by the staff that the indoor area was full and we need to get outdoor seats. However when we passed by, coincidentally a family got up to leave and we snagged the table.

Did you think that food at the zoo must be expensive? Not really!

Lotus Root and Peanut Soup + Vegetables + Brown Rice at $7.90. I think this set is really worth it, especially since it came with brown rice!
This hainanese curry chicken noodle is $7.90 too. The portion is big and the broth is spicy but delicious!
Oyakadon. We lost the receipt and can’t remember the exact price but it was less than $10.

We spent some time enjoying the food here and as mentioned, do come early for lunch. As we ate we watched the queue outside get longer and longer. My son ate mostly my food – he enjoyed the lotus root soup and took to the brown rice. The curry noddles was too spicy for him, but he loved the egg and chicken in the oyakadon.

After the hearty meal, we made our way to KidzWorld to register for the show. Take note that registration for shows open up 1.5 hours prior to the show time, and you must physically present at the show area to scan the QR code to register for the show. Pretty smart – the website will ask you to switch on your GPS to determine your location and you can make a booking only after the website has determined that you are really at the zoo.

Sadly, even though we were at KidzWorld five minutes after registration opened, the show had booked out by that time. We were only five minutes late! We were rather disappointed as it was a kid-friendly show and Baby L had just started saying ‘dog’. Am sure he would definitely love the dogs appearing in the show! Oh well, we know to be earlier the next time round.

Registration for the show is via QR codes. You ahve to activate your GPS to be able to register for the show

Due to Covid measures, the wet play area and pony rides have all been suspended. The KFC at Kidzworld is closed too. However, the carousel was still open and it was really crowded. Having missed the show, we walked around the rest of the Zoo, viewing the other exhibits.

Saying hello to the elephants! One defecated and urinated right infront of us.
Saying hello to the little otter family!

After a few hours at the Zoo, and having managed to catch one show – The Rainforest Fights Back – show at Shaw Foundation, we decided to make our way to River Safari so Baby L could see the pandas. Purchased a cute and delicious snack along the way!

Cute animal buns at $2.90 each! They are sold at a convenience store outside the Zoo, and within the Zoo there is a food cart outside Ah Meng Restaurant that sells these buns, slushies and other snacks.

The first part of River Safari was air-conditioned and we welcomed the cold breeze after the heat at the Zoo. If you are tired, there is also a Starbucks next to the entrance of River Safari, but it is always crowded – spotted long queues the two times we passed by. As we were in a rush to go home, we did not explore River Safari in detail, going straight to the pandas exhibit to greet the two giant pandas. We then made a dash to the only show at River Safari – Once Upon A River – but sadly again we missed the show. Unlike Zoo where we had to register for the shows using QR codes, the show at River Safari used the traditional method of queuing.

Kai Kai lazing around. Jia JIa only appeared for a short while before heading back inside.

Still, we enjoyed ourselves at the end when we reached the giant aquarium. It reminds me of the one we saw at SEA Aquarium, but on a slightly smaller scale.

At the exit, we also saw a display of the entire Mandai park, consisting of Zoo, River Safari, Night Safari and the soon-to-be moved there Jurong Bird Park. The highlight was an eco-resort. I am wondering what sort of experiences it would bring but I am sure it would burn a hole in our pockets too.

The site of the eco-friendly resort. I am already excited for it!

Overall, Baby L enjoyed himself very much at the Zoo and River Safari. If you are planning a trip, fret not even if you have yet to be fully vaccinated. The Zoo is an open space and there are benches around the place where you can sit down and dine with a group size not exceeding the current recommended group size limit. Take note that the Zoo no longer provides physical maps – refer to the e-version here instead.

Let us know if you are planning a trip to the Zoo, and do share with us your favourite animals!

Universal Studio Singapore!

Mrs Messy 0 Comment Attractions ,

To celebrate my birthday, we brought our little one to Universal Studio Singapore. Since it was my birthday, I received a free magnet, a voucher for a free bag of popcorn and 15% off retail and dining vouchers.

Prior to the trip, I was very excited packing his stuff and imagining the rides he could play. Of course being only 14 months old, I doubt he could play many rides and I guessed the trip would be more for him to sightsee and run around. I was thinking he could play at most 3 rides – Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase (a slow, kid friendly ride where you witness Elmo and friends battling monsters), Madagascar: A Crate Adventure (a slow boat ride – won’t get wet, don’t worry!) and King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round (a carousel).

However, when I was there I was really disappointed to know he could only play 1 ride out of the above 3, and that is the King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round. For the other two rides, he was sadly too short – for the Space Chase, a minimum height of 92 cm was required, and for the Crate Adventure, the minimum height was 80 cm, which he was just a few cm short of. Take note that the minimum height requirements stay despite having a guardian accompanying. You can check the minimum height requirements for the rides here.

The only ride he could play!

As we went in June, group sizes were capped at 5 pax and I believe operating capacity was at 50%. The place was not crowded, but because there are not a lot of kid-friendly rides, there was quite a queue for King Julien’s carousel. The first time we played, we were there early (about 12 pm) and we waited only 15 minutes. When we played one more round at 5 pm, the queue was at least 30 minutes. Safe distancing measures contributed to the queue – only unmarked seats could be taken and capacity was halved.

Look at how empty the place is!

Sad that he could only play one ride so far, I sustained hope that he could enjoy himself at Magic Potion Spin, a small ferris wheel inside Fairy Godmother’s Potion Shop. Sadly, the ferris wheel was closed and I was not the only disappointed parent who brought her child out of the shop.

However, to my surprise, there were two other rides he could take – Dino-Soarin (I certainly wasn’t expecting him to be able to take this one!) and Treasure Hunters. For both rides, a child below 122 cm must be accompanied by an adult. Take note that your child must be able to walk independently as hand held infants are not allowed. When we wanted to enter the queue for Treasure Hunters, the staff asked my husband, who was carrying my son at that time, whether our son could walk. My husband had to put my son down to prove my son could walk independently.

Queue for both rides was fast, less than 20 minutes. The queues had safe distancing markers on the floor and each party (max of 5) was supposed to stand in the individual circle. After every ride, the staff will clean the seats with wipes.

Since I purchased my tickets via Klook, I was entitled to a free set of nuggets for each adult ticket, and a free cake + coffee/tea for each senior ticket. I redeemed the nuggets at Jungle Bites, a restaurant in the Jurassic Park area. Luckily there were seats and we sat there, resting our legs while my son napped. For the senior’s cake set, it had to be redeemed from the Malaysian Food Street’s drink stall. Sadly, they no longer seem to be offering free food sets – instead they are giving retail vouchers.

Because of Covid measures, take note that no shows are allowed. Hence all shows, including the exciting Waterworks, were suspended.

Due to the wet weather, and because of my son’s age restrictions, we didn’t play as much as we had hoped. Still, he had fun walking around and sight seeing in general. He went wild in the shops too!

Look at how cute these Despicable Me baby clothes are! Didn’t get them due to the high price tag though 🙁

We purchased dinner at the dining street infront of the casino. Take note that many restaurants were offering takeaway discounts.

This is our quick review of USS! My suggestion is, if you really want to bring your toddler there, do check the rides’ height requirements first to determine whether it is worthwhile for your child to go. For now we probably won’t be bringing him again until he is older – 3 perhaps? Before he needs to pay for a ticket. Currently, tickets are free for children below 3.

Let me know if you are heading to USS and drop me a comment on whether you enjoyed yourself!

Daycation at Fairmount Singapore – Part 2

Mrs Messy 0 Comment Random ,

Read about my review on the room and food here. After eating lunch (we were too full for the cake and left it in the fridge to enjoy as an afternoon snack), we changed and made our way to the swimming pool.

We had to prebook the usage of the swimming pool, gym and spa facilities. However on the day itself the staff told us we could extend our booking for the swimming pool if we wanted as there weren’t many guests. We booked the pool for 1 pm – 2 pm. The pool was relatively big and during the whole hour my sister and I were there, we were the only ones swimming. The rest of the guests preferred to suntan on the seats around. It was actually quite peaceful and I swam for the first time in more than a year.

After the pool, we went back to the room to refresh ourselves and had my birthday cake as an afternoon snack. We then changed again to go to Willow Stream Spa. We could book the spa in 3 hour slots and we booked from 3 – 6 pm. We went down promptly at 3 pm and were super happy we did, because for the first half an hour it was just us using the facilities. There was a cold pool, hot pool, jacuzzi pool, sauna and steam room. The pools are quite small and due to Covid measures, each pool is limited to only 2 pax. Hence it is best to be there early so you can access the pools. Then again due to the high temperature, it is unlikely anyone can stay for more than 20 minutes in each pool.

The cold pool infront, and the hot pool at the back.
The sauna room
They provide towels and a locker key when you check in. They also provide toiletries but didn’t offer us any perhaps because we were guests and intending to shower in our room.
The relaxation lounge

The best part about the whole place was definitely the relaxation lounge. Some of the towels are marked by ‘X’ due to safe distancing measures. Each bed had a towel which we used as a blanket, a lamp and a small bedside table that had a power socket. The place also had soothing music playing and a nice aroma. It was easy to fall asleep there and we spent 45 minutes at this place. I was sad to leave but knew I had to because I had to rush home to pick up and look after my son.

Checkout was really easy – we just had to drop our keys into the box provided at the lobby. We then strolled the shops at Raffles Place B1, looking at all the foods they sold – so many desserts! Then it was home sweet home.

We really enjoyed ourselves at the staycation. This was a short post but hope it was helpful for you if you are considering going for a daycation at Fairmount, or simply to book to go Willow Stream Spa for their facilities.

P.S. You can get six free passes to Willow Stream Spa if you sign up as a Fuzzie Club member. Use my referral code senna0719 and both of us will get $5 voucher.

Daycation at Fairmount Singapore Part 1

Mrs Messy 0 Comment Random ,

It can be really tiring to look after a baby, especially if you place the child in infant care because a baby falls sick really easily in infant care. And with only 6 days of child care leave, you can burn through your annual leave very fast because infant care centres are allowed to close 6 days a year (excluding PHs). Between a couple, there would only be 12 days of childcare leave and half is used up for those centre closures.

As such, my husband and I do not really take leave unless necessary, keeping it for the next time our son falls sick (touch wood!!). We only take leave during our birthdays and see it as a chance to relax and unwind without having the need to take care of our baby.

To indulge myself, I decided to take 2 days leave for my birthday, and my sister insisted on spending 1 day with me. She suggested going on a daycation, and kindly sponsored one at Fairmount Singapore. The daycation is $145++, total $170.66. Sounds like a hefty price for a room you can only have access to from 8 am – 7 pm, but for this daycation, it comes with $75 nett dining credit at selected restaurants. If you don’t like the restaurants, there’s the option of in-room dining too.

We checked in at about 9.30 am. We had to be early as I had a meeting to sit in from 10 am – 12 pm (what a bummer right, and it was supposed to be a day of enjoyment). The hotel is very easy to access – it is right above City Hall mrt station. Exit the station and go to Raffles Place and take the escalator up – you will see a sign that states ‘Fairmount Singapore’. Follow the directions and you will reach the hotel’s lobby easily.

Beautiful lights at the lobby!

Once my booking was confirmed, I received an email to do online check-in. I had to submit soft copies of mine and my sister’s NRIC for the online check-in, and once that was done, I was given a QR code. Upon arrival at the hotel lobby, all I had to do was show them the QR code, make a refundable deposit of $100 and I was then given my room keys.

We were given a room on the 13th floor. The room was spacious, with a small balcony that looked out to the swimming pool below. The only thing missing was a bathtub – they only had a rainforest shower.

The spacious room! Yes, there is a person on the bed.
If you are a very rich person and can afford a daycation at Fairmount to work from hotel, here is a nice desk with power sockets!
Comfortable sofa bed!
Mini balcony. Nothing much about it, but it offers a nice view of the swiming pool.
There is a rainforest shower at the top, and a shower seat behind.
Free toiletries – refillable
Nescafe coffee capsules and TWG tea are provided for free! Both refillable.

Besides these, the room also offered slippers, bathrobe, safe box and they gave a care pack consisting of hand sanitizer, masks and alcohol wipes. While I sat on the study desk comfortably, having my meeting, my sister was lying on the bed watching TV. We ordered food earlier and arranged for it to come once my meeting ended – and oh my, we were really impressed with the food!

You have to order your food on their website accessible via this QR code!

As mentioned, the daycation package comes with $75 nett dining credit. You can use the credit at Prego, Anti:Dote, Mikuni, The Eight or for in-room dining. After looking at their menus, we decided to order in-room dining because it seemed most worth it monetarily (Mikuni is too expensive!) and because we can control our timing, and potentially keep food for later consumption.

And boy, we were glad we took in-room dining! Mindful of the $75 dining credit, we made sure we kept to the budget and not overspend. Not wanting to eat too much as I was planning to swim, I looked at the kids menu only and decided to order fish with vegetables, and added in a fruit bowl. My sister went for a lamb main course. Seeing there was an additional $5 credit after ordering the above, I added in one chicken noodle soup (also kids menu) for $6. Since it was my birthday week, I ventured to ask for a birthday cake and they agreed to deliver one. We were really impressed with the food – scroll down for photos!

The free cake! This was HUGE and absolutely delicious!
My sister’s lamb chops. I don’t eat lamb, but she said the lamb was really one of the best she had eaten. The fries were hot and crispy too!
My kid’s meal! The fish was DELICIOUS. Grilled perfectly seriously! And there were a lot of vegetables. How is this just a kid’s meal?? I was so full after eating!
My chicken noodle soup! Comes with a bowl of crunchy chips. This portion seems more like for a kid.
The fruit bowl! Portion is quite big too. Take note if you have young children though, the passion fruit seeds are quite big. The passion fruit is really sour, but other than that the fruits are fresh!

The above food came to about $77 including GST and service charge. With a dining credit of $75, it was only an extra top up of less than $3. The portions were big, even for the kid’s meals, and the food was really delicious. Everything was prepared perfectly.

I was really impressed with the room, food and service. What about the facilities? Watch out for my next post on my review of their spa facilities, Willow Stream Spa.

Blood test and baby gender

Mrs Messy 0 Comment Pregnancy

My subsequent appointments at NUH – I think I went for about 2-3 more before I switched to KKH – went about the same as my first appointment. I visited the same clinic G and was asked for a urine sample each time, and to take height and weight. I had to go to the pharmacy afterwards to get my multivitamins. Each visit took at least 1.5 hours and there was once it took up to 3 hours. I was taking an advance diploma then at NUS, so I had to rush off after the appointment to attend my class.

During one of the medical appointments, the doctor spoke to my husband and I about doing blood tests to check if the baby has genetic conditions, such as Down Syndrome. The tests are highly accurate. There are two types of tests. In general, the first one is a cheaper test ($100?) that can inform you whether there is a chance your child has these conditions. The second test (called Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT)) is a more expensive test. And by expensive, I mean it is around $800+. The accuracy of this test is higher than the first test, and as an added bonus, it tells you in advance the gender of your child. The one that I took at NUH was from the iGene Laboratory, and the other one more commonly offered in Singapore is the Harmony test.

I had heard about these blood tests early on from my friends who gave birth a year earlier, and I was determined to take the expensive test to ensure that my baby is healthy. Knowing the baby’s gender in advance is really just a bonus to me.

Both tests involve taking a blood sample and waiting about two weeks for the result. The result would be communicated to you via the doctor, so it is necessary for you to make an appointment. Take note that this may differ between private and restructured hospitals – my friend took the expensive test at a private hospital and the doctor called her to inform her of the baby’s gender. However, for me I was told to make an appointment.

Also, do note that the cost of the test would not be subsidized just because you are a subsidized patient. I was informed by the nurse that there are no subsidies for the expensive test, and I paid the full amount despite being a subsidized patient at NUH then.

I collected the results during my last appointment at NUH. The results were placed neatly into a folder and passed to us. The first page showed that my child was at low risk of all the listed genetic conditions, and the last page informed us that the child is likely a male.

iGene results
Gender result – male fetus!!!

I was really happy as I was hoping to have a son first then a second daughter. Although my husband said he is ok with either gender, he then started talking excitedly about teaching our boy all the different sports – badminton, skating etc.

At this appointment, I informed the doctor that I was keen to switch to KKH. They did not ask any questions on why, which I found comforting. I asked them for a copy of all the test results and the nurse was very prompt in photocopying everything for me.

It was a short journey at NUH, but I appreciated the care and concern of the nurses and doctors. It was also really a waiting journey though, and I was happy that my experience at KKH was different. Read on to find out more about KKH!