Cruise – Happily Messy Life

Royal Carribean – Cruise Planner

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.

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.

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.

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

August 16, 2021August 16, 2021 Mrs Messy 0 Comment Cruise Cruise, Royal Carribean

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.

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!

3D2N Dream Cruise Review – Swab test, activities, FOOD

May 7, 2021May 10, 2021 Mrs Messy 0 Comment Cruise Genting Dream Cruise, Outing

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!!

Say hi to Tracey – it is compulsory to bring it along with you everywhere but do note that it drops very easily so I placed it inside my landyard cover for safety. It will be collected back at the end of the cruise.

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.

You will receive this booking slip after you have successfully booked your pool!

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.

Breakfast menu at Dream Dining Room Upper. You can view this from the Dream Cruise app!

Breakfast at Lido – their hashbrown was awesome!

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!

3D2N World Dream Cruise Review – Room and Baby Amenities

May 7, 2021May 10, 2021 Mrs Messy 0 Comment Cruise Genting Dream Cruise, Outing

To celebrate Baby L’s first birthday, we decided to bring him on his first ever cruise!!

As my mother is a RWS member and can get free rooms on World Dream, we decided to sail with them. Another reason for the preference over Royal Carribean is the number of days of leave we have to take – World Dream is the only cruise that sails Friday – Sunday, so we only have to take Friday off. Royal sails from Thursday – Saturday, meaning we have to take at least 2 days of leave.

When I checked the room availabilities (directly from the website here), balcony staterooms were still available at around $250/pax (including taxes). Because Mr Messy kept forgetting to ask his HR if he could go on cruise, only balcony deluxe staterooms were available by the time he obtained approval and we wanted to book. It was $330/pax for deluxe room inclusive of taxes.

However, no regrets booking the deluxe room in the end! Deluxe rooms are slightly bigger and some deluxe rooms have a bathtub – we specifically requested for that during our booking. See the comparison between a deluxe and a normal balcony stateroom below, but pardon all the mess ok.

Deluxe stateroom – can fit a baby bed in between sofa and bed!

Balcony room – no space between sofa and bed to put baby bed

I hope the pictures helped you to decide on which room is more suitable for you! If you are not planning to stay long in your room, honestly just save the money and get a normal balcony. But if you have a young child like us, a bigger room and bathtub really helped in entertaining the small one. P.S. they also gave free masks during the cruise, so thoughtful!

Bonus – this is the balcoy. It’s the same size for both deluxue and normal balcony room.

Baby Amenities

Before going on the cruise, I did my research to make sure it would be baby friendly. I read that I could request for baby bed, bottle sterilizer and bathtub. When I called in to book, I was also informed that there is baby cereal available at Level 16 Lido. Certainly makes me more assured!

There are two kinds of baby crib – Pack n Play cribs (size: L40” x W 28.5” x H 29”) and regular wooden cribs (size: L40” x W25.5” x H38.5). During booking I requested for the wooden crib, but somehow they gave me the Pack n Play one instead. It served its purpose though and we could throw some toys inside for him to self-entertain as we pack our stuff.

The baby bathtub looks so cute! My son could fit into it. It may be more useful for smaller babies though and we didn’t use it in the end.

Baby cereal. Sorry for the blurred photo!

Although we were told there are Heinz and Gerber cereal, when we went on board they provided only Heinz in apple or pear flavor. I chose the apple flavor and it was super sweet. My son didn’t like it. We didn’t give it to him again and he enjoyed eating the same food as us.

I hope this post makes you more assured about bringing your baby on board the cruise. Apparently there is baby toilet seat available as well but we did not request for it. Throughout the ship, there are wheelchair-friendly toilets and these toilets also have a diaper changing station, so it is really convenient to find a place to change his diapers.

Read on to find out more about the swab process, food and activites on board the cruise!