Our last turnaround day of the season.
Our last time in Singapore…at least for the foreseeable future.
Our last cruise on the Sapphire Princess…ditto.
Our 7th holiday cruise on Princess in the past eight years.
Where in the world are we?
This day felt special from the moment I opened my eyes. Actually, that’s not quite true. I first opened my eyes when G jiggled my shoulder and told me to get up and do a breathing treatment because my chest was crackling when I breathed. So as soon as I was hooked up to that and started to wake up, this day felt special. This was the day we were finally going to get to the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, and maybe do the Singapore Flyer, the large wheel overlooking Singapore Harbour, like the big wheels we’ve been on in Melbourne and London.
Well, it didn’t quite work out that way, but it was fantastic all the same.
We weren’t in a rush to go to the Horizon Court Buffet for breakfast, because we know what a madhouse it is on disembarkation day morning…usually. Today, when we arrived there at 8:15am, it was nearly empty. In fact, we were soon the only ones left in there. I guess that made sense; most of the passengers on the last cruise walked on with their limited luggage, and just reversed the process today. Those 1100 guests from Singapore were probably already home doing laundry by that time.
We claimed our passports for the final time this season, picked up the day bag from the cabin, and walked off the ship. The terminal was empty, with not a piece of luggage in sight. We went through Singapore immigration (what was it I said about not getting stamps in our passports? They are so covered with stamps now that I’m happy we got the additional pages the last time we had them renewed), and, this time, knew exactly where to go to exit the terminal and walk to the public bus stop. We were even prepared with four Singapore $1 coins for the bus rides we intended to take. See, we figure things
out eventually. We are simply slow learners and it takes us a couple of times to feel like we know what we’re doing. ;-)
The 402 bus arrived within eight minutes, and we rode it just three stops to the Marina Bay Sands stop. From there we walked about 10-15 minutes directly to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Actually, as we walked past that large expo hall where we had spent so much time looking at running gear the day before the Singapore Marathon, G asked if I wouldn’t really rather go wander around in there for awhile. Haha. Today our focus was laser sharp.
The Sapphire Princess on the right st the Marina Bay Cruise Centre
Looking up at the 57-story tall Marina Bay Sands
The Singapore Flyer
Inside the hotel
For S$20 each, we bought a voucher worth the same amount for the Cé La Vi (their spelling) restaurant and bar on the top, the 57th floor of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. They were very clear what we were buying. We could sit down and have something to eat and drink , but not go to observatory deck, the outer edges of the floor on the harbor side of the hotel. For S$23, we could go to those areas, but there was no shade and no place to sit. We opted for the outdoor bar area, and were up there as soon as it opened, garnering us a table with an unblocked view.
Not coincidentally, the drinks were S$23 each, meaning that with our voucher we still had to pay an additional S$3 more (plus service charge plus tax) so we ended up paying just a little more than we would have for the observatory deck ticket. But we had shade and a seats and settled in to enjoy a Singapore Sling (me) and maitai (G). We got up and walked around a bit, too, taking photos from different vantage points and checking out the rooftop infinity pool and sky garden reserved only for hotel guests. It looked amazing, and G declared that, if we ever return, we’ll have to spend two nights there (maybe for our 40th anniversary…we’ll start saving now). ;-)
Gardens by the Bay
Singapore coastline
My first overpriced Singapore Sling ;-)
Paying for the view!
We sat there looking at the Singapore Flyer just below us and decided that we were more interested in having another overpriced drink at Cé La Vi than riding the big wheel, so we ordered another round and spent another 45 minutes reveling in the fact that we were on top of Singapore’s iconic hotel about to begin our final wonderful cruise of the season. When it came time to pay, we used our very last Singapore dollars and made up the small difference with a credit card. I did not want to get back on the ship with leftover local currency. That’s such a waste. I’d much rather just enjoy using it.
My second overpriced Singapore Sling
(‘cause we had Singapore dollars to spend)
Infinity pool area and Sky Garden reserved for hotel guests only. Someday...
Infinity pool area and Sky Garden reserved for hotel guests only. Someday...
The view from the infinity pool
We backtracked then to the returning bus stop (and this time knew which side of the street it would be on). G was concerned because the sidewalk was under construction on that side of the street and he feared we’d have to walk with our back to traffic in the street to reach the bus stop, but oh no. This is Singapore. Not only was the construction area walled off, there was a clearly marked pedestrian detour to an adjacent walking trail, then another sign directing us back to the regular sidewalk with a sign saying “To the Bus Stop”. Because it’s Singapore, and that’s what they do here. Everything is pristine and organized and much of it is underground and air conditioned too. It’s quite an amazing place.
My Citymapper app told us we had a 16 minute wait for the next bus, and would be delivered to the Marina Bay Cruise Center at exactly 2:48pm. We thought that might jeopardize our “seldom early, never late” standing on our last cruise of the season, but were through immigration and on the gangway at exactly 3pm. We needn’t have worried. The line of embarking passengers still going through immigration was long, and, when we ran into Customer Services Director Miguel on the gangway, he said he still had 600 passengers not yet on the ship.
Most of the rest of the afternoon unfolded the way it generally does on turnaround days: G decamped to a hot tub and I first washed out the clothes I wore today and hung them up to dry, then showered during the muster drill (which was running a little late). I did have to pay yet another visit to the Medical Center when it opened at 5pm. We had returned from breakfast this morning to find my nebulizer gone; only the mask and tubing remained. “Homer!” I yelled, with the urgency of someone whose life support was just cut off. Homer yelled back that he was there, then I just had to find which open cabin he was cleaning at that moment. I finally found him, and his first words were “I tried to stop him but he said he had to take it. I told him you still needed it, that you were still coughing and that you were on until Shanghai!” I was so touched by his concern. I knew he’d know who took it; he would have had to let them into our cabin. He said it was a Medical Center steward, and I assured him I’d get it back this afternoon. And I did. I walked back down the corridor with it in my hand at 5:15pm and no one was happier to see it than Homer.
It is nice when doing back to back cruises to know exactly which table to go to for dinner. Waiter Joffrey is under the weather, and was replaced tonight with Hector from Mexico, who just came on board today. Lest you think I am playing Typhoid Mary and spreading my germs around the ship, I have never run a fever and was never quarantined, and, in fact, limited my coughing mostly to the cabin, spending most sea days there myself.
The two tables for two near us in the Vivaldi Dining Room have been sparsely used since we reboarded the Sapphire Princess on 11/28, but are filled this cruise with a couple from San Francisco who have done this cruise in the past and are originally from China. He has travelled to these ports on business several times, and has already shared a wealth of information with us. The other couple is from Auckland. The nice thing about tables for two is we can talk or not, depending on our mood.
Then we went to the Princess Theater to get seats for the 8pm performance of pianoman and vocalist Bradley McCaw. I know we’ve seen him in a previous year, and, if I had ample decent WiFi, would search my blog for his name. I’m guessing it was in Australia last year.
Cruise Director Marcus announced the passenger demographics for this cruise: we’re from 57 countries! In a total change from every cruise so far in Asia but particularly the three day cruise, there are almost no passengers from Asia on board, and far fewer Asians from Australia, Canada and the US. Instead, there are many families from those countries and the UK, and fewer little kids than last cruise but more tweens and teens. I think it’s going to be a fun cruise.
After the show, we did a quick run through of the Horizon Court Buffet (a bad habit we’ve picked up staying on the Lido Deck) and then went back to the cabin. We set clocks back one final time tonight, for Thailand and Vietnam, and, in addition, have a sea day tomorrow.
Life is good. :-)
