Guests joyously taking part in the second anniversary celebration on Genting Dream. — Courtesy photos
THE universe sometimes conspires to send me to places of interest – sometimes more than once.
Two years ago, I had the pleasure of experiencing my first cruise onboard Resorts World Cruises’ (RWC) flagship Genting Dream to Penang and Singapore, departing Port Klang Cruise Terminal in Pulau Indah, Selangor.
This time around, we were invited to RWC’s second anniversary celebration on a four-night cruise with special “open house” events on Genting Dream and sister cruise liner Resorts World One in Singapore.
The event was open to the public via registration and had close to 1,000 attendees that included business and travel partners, as well as regional media.
(From left) Genting Dream chief engineer Tony Lund, Genting Dream captain Jukka Silvennoinen, Goh, hotel director Mithun Shetty and Genting Dream staff captain Stefan Runberg toasting the event.
RWC also unveiled its new and friendly mascot, Pin Pin, whose cute and plush costume resembled the pin drop logo.
Guests at the celebration were the first to meet Pin Pin, who will be making appearances regularly on both ships.
After checking into the Balcony stateroom on Genting Dream which can accommodate three to four people, we were given access to some of the features of the liner, from the luxurious accommodations to world-class entertainment venues.
With 18 decks and 1,674 staterooms, the 335m-long Genting Dream is more expansive than a skyscraper and definitely more fun.
The Waterslide Park has five adrenaline-pumping water slides, while the rope course and zipline could keep you occupied all day too.
The occasion also marked the milestone of RWC welcoming close to 3.3 million cruise passengers to date.
With homeports in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, and now Jakarta, Indonesia, RWC will be adding Keelung and Dubai as homeports in July and October respectively.
It was indeed a rare occasion for both ships to dock in Singapore at the same time.
As RWC president Michael Goh said during the celebration: “To have the Genting Dream and Resorts World One here together in Singapore for our second anniversary is truly special.
“The open house celebration is our way of thanking our valued guests and those who have supported us over the years.”
We thoroughly enjoyed the evening entertainment of live production shows at the Zodiac Theatre, such as “Affinity 2024”, a captivating acrobatic and dance performance, and “Spellbindra”, an extraordinary and mesmerising magic show.
This is included with every cruise on Genting Dream.
RWC also offers many choices of onboard accommodation with best-in-class services, including Interior, Ocean View, Balcony staterooms, and luxury suites.
Top of the range is “The Palace”, a luxury ship-within-a-ship private enclave with exclusive amenities, including a 24-hour European-style butler service and private restaurant, sundeck, gym and spa.
Genting Dream sails all-year round from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur via Port Klang, where guests can enjoy the two, three or four-night cruises between both cities and also to Penang and Phuket, Thailand.
On the second day of festivities, we docked at Marina Bay Cruise Centre with the option to enjoy a shore excursion.
The centre is conveniently just a 10-minute walk under shelter from Marina South MRT station, opening up sightseeing opportunities.
Back on board, dinner was served at The Lido, a restaurant featuring halal food and beverages, including vegetarian and Jain cuisine.
In conjunction with the second anniversary celebration, Resorts World One also joined Genting Dream in June this year to receive its official OIC/SMIIC Standard Halal-Friendly Cruise Ship certification.
Resorts World One commenced sailing from Keelung and Kaohsiung on July 12 with a series of two, four and five-night cruises to Japan, taking in cities like Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Sasebo and Nagasaki in Kyushu as well as spots in Okinawa.
Starting Oct 18 this year and until April 13, 2025, Resorts World One will chart new waters to homeport in the Arabian Gulf with departures from Dubai, offering the two-night Sir Bani Yas Weekend Cruise, three-night Oman Cruise to Khasab and Muscat and two-night Doha Cruise.
“Dubai is an exciting journey for us,” said Goh.
“It’s the first time that an Asian-brand cruise line will be en route to Dubai.
“It’s a destination well-liked by many people.
“Instead of running a longer itinerary to Dubai, we decided on two and three-night packages because people who fly to the Middle East don’t have long holidays.
“So they can add the two and three-night packages as an extension to explore the Arabian Gulf, visit the desert dunes and go shopping.
“When guests are in Dubai, they can combine their itinerary into a five-night package too,” added Goh.
For details, visit www.rwcruises.com or email reservations.en@rwcruises.com
