S'pore salaryman, 33, lives the baller life on 3-night Genting Dream cruise, complete with butler

Like many Singaporeans, I like the idea of travelling to unwind.

But while exploring new places, trying out new experiences and food, and the novelty of being abroad is awesome — the planning can sometimes cause more stress than it relieves.

Which is why, when I got to try out a three-night luxury cruise experience aboard the Genting Dream with my colleague Swarn, I was excited to disconnect from work and scratch my travel itch without putting in too much effort.

It turned out to be an incredibly baller trip, with the convenience of a concierge service available all day and night by The Palace, a full suite of amenities for entertainment and relaxation, a Korean-themed live theatrical performance, and more food and fun than I was prepared for.

If you are wondering what The Palace is about, it is an exclusive all-suite enclave with private facilities and a 24-hour concierge service, for those who want to travel in style (on the ship).

The cruise also made stops at Penang and Melaka during our stay.

Here's how it went.

Day 1: Checking in, meeting our butler and finding out what’s good to eat

For the cruise, Swarn and I enjoyed the same privileges as The Palace guests on Genting Dream – minus The Palace Suites, which had been fully booked.

And the service did not disappoint.

The Palace guests enjoy priority check-in and embarkation, which allowed us to get on the ship more quickly and enjoy its amenities.

Instead of having to queue up at the cruise terminal, we were ushered into a private lounge area for The Palace guests, complete with comfy seats, snacks and coffee, while staff processed our documents.

After checking in and boarding the ship, we were introduced to our butler, Yollanda, who showed us to our room — a comfortable balcony suite with excellent views of the ocean.

Friendly and professional, she helped us arrange activity bookings and reservations for the entirety of the cruise, greeted us warmly at all our meals, and gave daily recommendations for how we could maximise our stay.

Such as when and where to catch the sunrise and sunset, and which shore excursions to go on for the best views.

Colour me impressed.

With tummies rumbling, we decided to check out the specialty dining options on the cruise, which boasts a range of options like a steak lunch at western restaurant Bistro and Chinese fine-dining at Silk Road restaurant.

Meanwhile, regular passengers also get to enjoy an all-day selection of international, Asian and halal cuisine at buffet restaurant Lido, alongside semi-buffet outlet Dream Dining Restaurant.

Frankly, the ship felt like a labyrinth, and we felt lost amidst the various entertainment and dining venues.

But thankfully, Yollanda gave us a guided tour to orientate us, including lesser-known areas such as a public viewing gallery and a sneak peek at the ship's bridge operations.

Once we were done exploring the ship, we followed Yollanda’s recommendation and visited The Palace restaurant, which is open all day, to enjoy their scrumptious afternoon tea.

Scones with clotted cream? Check. Macarons? You bet. Bougey vibes? Immaculate.

With the sun going down, I decided to unwind by swimming laps at a private pool for The Palace guests.

It also proved to be a peaceful and idyllic spot to enjoy the sunset from the comfort of a deck chair.

Our day was made complete with two types of entertainment.

Firstly, a teppanyaki dinner at the Umi Uma Japanese Restaurant which, with smoke, sizzle and showmanship, was truly a feast for the senses.

Then it was off to watch an energetic and acrobatic performance at the ship's Zodiac Theatre.

It helped that Yollanda had reserved priority seats for us at The Palace section, which we could stroll in to claim after our meal.

Day 2: Excursion in Penang and catching a Korean theatrical performance

There was no better way for Swarn and I to start off our second cruise day than by having breakfast with a view.

We spent a good 10 minutes just sitting quietly to watch the waves after we were done.

At noon, we got ready for a guided shore excursion in Penang, where the ship had docked.

With my main objective to get some pictures for the 'gram, Yollanda recommended Penang Hill for the best views, so we opted for the excursion which included a stop there.

After the bus ride, we took a funicular ride to the top, which from the front cabin, gave me roller-coaster vibes.

Despite the light drizzle that day, the views were gorgeous.

The second stop on the excursion was Kek Lok Si Temple, a sprawling Buddhist temple built in 1891.

After climbing up a good number of steps, which I lost count of, we were rewarded with stunning views of the surrounding landscape.

Totally worth it.

The excursion also came with a stop at the Gurney Paragon mall where we grabbed a bite and coffee, before it was time to take our bus back to the ship. Perfect for those who love shopping!

We were just in time to catch another beautiful sunset from the upper decks, this time over Penang.

As for the highlight of the day? It was definitely the debut Cookin' Nanta performance which we enjoyed after dinner.

Cookin’ Nanta, a renowned kitchen-themed Korean theatrical performance that combines comedy, acrobatics, and music, is running on Genting Dream Cruises from Aug. 26 to Oct. 5, 2025.

We watched in awe as the cast used chopping boards as percussion instruments, laughed at their 'Mr Bean'-esque slapstick comedy, and were on the edge of our seats as the performance reached a frenetic pitch.

The thunderous applause when the performance ended was absolutely warranted.

Day 3 - Getting our adrenaline pumped

On Day 3, when the ship docked in Melaka amidst the morning rain, we opted to stay onboard and try the rest of the amenities.

One of these was the 24-hour indoor gym, which boasted a view of the ocean I could enjoy while burning off calories on the treadmill.

What caught our eye was this absolute unit of a basketball court, which was located on the upper deck next to other free activities such as table tennis, mini golf and giant chess.

Sadly, we weren't recording when I scored five-in-five free throws, but Swarn managed to drain a couple of nice threes.

At around 3pm, I decided to channel my inner Spiderman by scaling the 7.2-metre high climbing wall, under the close eye of the cruise staff.

The routes were quite family-friendly and provided a nice burst of adrenaline before the main course — the rope course and zipline.

I would be lying if I said my legs weren't shaking as I navigated the obstacles with the open sea looming off to the side.

Then, it was the leap of faith from the last platform before I whizzed down the zipline.

After this, there was even enough time to cool off by trying the six waterslides before dinner. And you'd be surprised — they are faster than they look.

After a day of fun, we tucked into a special Nyonya-themed barbecue dinner for The Palace guests.

Before the night ended, there was even time to catch an outdoor movie screening at Zouk Beach Club where I watched the live-action 'Mulan' from the comfort of a sofa bed.

As well as a couple of games of giant chess with Swarn, a self-professed recovering chess addict.

Day 4 - Singapore and final thoughts

On the last day, I managed to squeeze in one last swim and dip in the jacuzzi before the cruise docked in Singapore.

Truth be told, there were activities we couldn't pack into our schedule, like fitness classes, a Melaka shore excursion, glow-in-the-dark bowling, and more.

We were also pleasantly surprised to find quite a few young people on the cruise — lounging in the pools, playing a basketball game close to midnight, or even grooving to the beat of an impromptu dance party on the upper deck.

It was an energy I didn't expect to find on a cruise.

If you'd like to find out more about the Genting Dream cruise packages, you can check out their website here.

For those who are a fan of the Smurfs, or looking for a kid-friendly themed cruise, Genting Dream will be running “The Smurfs Dream @ Sea” themed cruises from Nov. 21, 2025 to Jan. 20, 2026.

Highlights include The Smurfs live musical show, a Smurfs-themed high tea with the show’s characters, as well as other Smurfs-themed cooking sessions and Art & Craft creative workshops perfect for children.

Embarkation for the cruise is available from Singapore, Melaka or Port Klang, and it also travels to destinations such as Penang, Phuket and Bali.

For more information, you can visit this link.

This sponsored article by StarDream Cruises encouraged this writer to check out cruise deals for his next holiday.

Top image by Daniel Seow/StarDream Cruises