Dream Cruises first cruise-to-nowhere in Singapore is embarking on its first sailing on Friday, Nov. 6.
With a variety of facilities onboard including several restaurants, a spa and two pool decks among others, the ship is described to be as long as the stretch from Far East Plaza to Tang Plaza.
1,400 guests on first sailing
In a press conference on Nov. 6, president of Dream Cruises, Michael Goh, revealed that they anticipated close to 1,400 guests on the first sailing.
Before embarking on Dream Cruises' round-trip with no ports of call, guests are required to take a mandatory antigen rapid test at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre.
According to a spokesperson from Dream Cruises, swab tests for guests are scheduled from 9am until 6:45pm.
The process -- from registering for the swab test to getting the results -- can take close to an hour.
Here's what the process looks like:
Swab registration
Photo by Fasiha Nazren.
Swab testing stations
Photo by Fasiha Nazren.
Waiting area
Photo by Fasiha Nazren.
Two-way shuttle bus to VivoCity for early guests
Check-in onto the cruise officially starts at 2pm and the boarding gates will close at 8pm.
Photo by Fasiha Nazren.
The ship will begin to cruise the Straits of Malacca and parts of the South China Sea from 9pm and will return at 9am the next morning.
To provide a "good customer experience" for the guests, the cruise line will also provide two-way shuttle buses from Marina Bay Cruise Centre to tourist destinations like VivoCity.
This is catered especially for guests who may have their swab tests scheduled much earlier than the check-in timing.
MICE Pod for contact tracing
Upon boarding the cruise, every guest will receive a MICE Pod, which is similar to the TraceTogether tokens.
Photo by Fasiha Nazren.
These MICE Pods will be scanned at the different facilities within the cruise for contact tracing purposes.
The pods will have to be returned at the end of the trip.
Safe management measures on board
Located on the fifth floor of the ship is the medical centre.
Led by two doctors including an infection control officer, the medical centre is fully equipped with an operating theatre, an intensive care unit (ICU) and several wards.
Photo by Fasiha Nazren.
In case guests display symptoms of Covid-19, swab tests will be done and confirmed on board.
The cruise has also fitted seven isolation cabins in case of a Covid-19 infection on the same floor.
There will also be 34 cabins set aside to quarantine close contacts.
Photo by Fasiha Nazren.
According to a Dream Cruise spokesperson, thermal scanners and automated hand sanitiser dispensers will be available at all facilities within the cruise.
Seafood Grill by Mark Best, a restaurant in the cruise, has also fitted an automatic handwashing system, which ensures that guests continue to wash their hands for exactly 20 seconds.
Photo by Fasiha Nazren.
Guests are also required to reserve facilities like the swimming pool.
Photo by Fasiha Nazren.
Photo by Fasiha Nazren.
Each guest can reserve up to an hour block of the selected facility during the trip.
Subsequent visits to the facility will depend on the allowed capacity.
The main pool deck, for example, can only accommodate up to 26 persons at any time.
Over 6,000 bookings in a few days
On Oct. 13, it was reported that Dream Cruises had over 6,000 bookings over a matter of five days.
Goh said that this is a "clear indication" of the cruising potential in Singapore.
"There are so many measures taken to safeguard the safety of the passengers, and we are really optimistic about the cruising potential.
We will continue to educate the public consumer on how safe it is [to cruise]... I want to stress that we will continue to provide a safe environment [for our guests]."
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Top image courtesy of Dream Cruises and Fasiha Nazren.