It all happened 4 days ago, on 24 April, where I took my first cruise experience on-board the Genting Dream Cruise with boyfriend. This trip was my advance-birthday celebration, and it was marvellous! Dad dropped us off at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre at about 9pm and the place was already packed with people. And here I thought that we were being early (departure was at 12mn).
Checking-in took a little queuing and waiting time due to the crowd. A little chaotic and we felt a little lost, but boarding was a breeze. Our room key was issued to us upon checking-in, so the first stop upon boarding was to our room (on Deck 5)!
Back Story: We booked the Oceanview Stateroom as all the Balcony / Balcony Deluxe Staterooms were unavailable, and that was the only other room type that will give us a view at a not-overly-expensive rate.
While making our way to our room, I managed to peep into the other Oceanview Staterooms as housekeeping was still in the midst of vacuuming them. The room was okay, with 2 single-size beds directly side by side, a window and some (not much) walking space.
When we reached our room, we did not enter because I realised that there was a choice for a room upgrade depending on the availability of the rooms (from the daily magazine)! So, we zoomed over to the reception and...
W E U P G R A D E D T O T H E P A L A C E S U I T E !
At an additional cost, of course!
Our newly assigned room was located at Deck 15 and was furnished with a queen-size bed, sofa, huge balcony, mini bar, walk-in wardrobe, bathtub with separate shower, two basins, and a huge walking space!
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| Huge and comfy bed, facing the balcony and gives a fantastic view. |
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| Outside the bathroom were an open-concept closet and an in-room bar on the other side. |
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| The bathroom comes with a huge bathtub on the left side, and two sinks in the middle. |
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| On the other side, a sizeable shower and toilet. |
The suite was more than what I expected, and I really couldn’t contain my excitement so I was basically jumping around the room for a good 15 minutes! Plus, the upgrade came with quite a few benefits as well.
Palace Exclusive Privileges / Benefits:
➺ Butler service within the Palace and 24-hours concierge service
➺ Complimentary city shuttle transfer
➺ Complimentary fitness classes
➺ Complimentary in-suite beverage
➺ Complimentary Little Dreamers Programs for all kids (between 2 - 12 years old)
➺ Complimentary premium beverages package to be enjoyed in all bars and lounge
➺ Complimentary pressing service (3 pieces of clothes)
➺ Complimentary set menus in all specialty dining restaurant limited to 1 meal per day per pax
➺ Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the cruise
➺ Exclusive access to private areas such as Palace Restaurant, Palace Pool, Sun Deck, Palace SPA, Palace Gymnasium and Palace Studio
➺ Priority booking for the Vintage Room private food and wine chef's table
➺ Priority disembarkation at every end of the cruise and port stay
➺ Priority seats for live production show at the Zodiac Theatre
➺ Welcome drink at the Palace Lounge
After finally settling down, we went to explore the cruise a little before heading to the Palace Lounge for our welcome drinks. That was where we met our butler, who introduced us to all our entitlements and cruise programmes and helped us make all the reservations for our meals at our chosen specialty restaurants and activities for the following days to come.
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| Chilling at the Palace Lounge. |
Shortly after, supper (11pm – 2am) was served at the Palace Restaurant. And since boyfriend had not had his dinner, we shifted over to the Palace Restaurant to have our supper. Like any other buffet-type of places, we thought we were to help ourselves to the food at the counter. But NOOO, at the Palace Restaurant, that is not how it works.
Unlike other buffet-style dining places, at the Palace Restaurant, though buffet-style, the waitress will serve all food and drinks, except for the dessert selection. That is freestyle, ownself take. Plus, though buffet, some food items were to be ordered from the menu and the chef will only cook the item upon ordering. This also means that the food is served hot and fresh.
We ordered a lot of food, especially from the menu. We didn't take much photos because we were hungry and all the food were so good. Got standard one ok! Especially the carrot cake, which we ordered from the menu.
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| Century Egg Congee and a pot of Pu-Er Tea. |
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| Dessert. |
The upgrade to the Palace Suite was worth every penny to us
With all the benefits and privileges that came along with our room upgrade, we felt that it was worth every penny. The service standard was superb, the room was extra comfortable, the dining area wasn't crowded and the food were great.
It was all really beyond what I expected it to be like.
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