In cruising, the short sail is the new ‘in’ thing
In the Golden Age of Cruising in the ’50s, people could literally spend weeks on a boat. Therese’s grandfather, traveling from San Francisco back to Manila on the S.S. President Wilson in 1950, ran into storms and other delays that extended his journey from a couple of weeks to a month.
Seventy-five years hence, cruising has become a much speedier proposition. While weeklong cruises are popular, the in thing now is the “short sail,” ranging from three to five nights with fewer ports of call.
Royal Caribbean recently debuted its cruise ship Anthem of the Seas, actually one of its first Quantum category ships, in Singapore, offering a mix of short getaways and longer-haul itineraries for travelers to explore the top destinations in Southeast Asia and beyond.
As cruising grows in popularity among families and young travelers, Anthem has tailored its holiday itineraries to those demographics, packing them with world-class entertainment, global cuisines, adrenaline-filled adventures and immersive shore excursions. And it’s decidedly less formal: instead of mandatory bowties for males at dinnertime, it’s “Tonight’s Dress Code: Casual.”
We went on Royal Caribbean’s four-night sail to Penang and Phuket, hoping to de-stress and get away from it all for a few days without completely abandoning our duties back home.
Embarking on an adventure
After booking, you catch your Royal Caribbean cruise at Marina Bay Cruise Centre: an easy drop-off straight to immigration and the ship. With over 4,800 people booked for this cruise, you’d think there’d be long lines and waiting. But short cruises are more streamlined. It’s fairly breezy, and you can opt to wheel your own luggage with you or drop it at the entrance with tags to have it delivered to your shiproom.
When passing through immigration at the Marina Bay terminal, at the electronic gates where you scan your passport, the second language onscreen is Tagalog, which underscores the volume and importance of Filipinos working in the cruise industry.
Day 1: Castoff
An Ocean View Stateroom was our handsome home for the next days—a spacious abode with a balcony, couch and all amenities, even a desk for scribbling notes or doing makeup. Love that balcony view, and the serene ocean waters actually rocked us to sleep.
For dinner, we tried one of several specialty restaurants in our package: Wonderland—inspired by Alice in Wonderland—starts out with a blank menu; you dip a large paintbrush into an inkwell and wash it over the page to reveal the night’s invisible-ink entrees. There are five “elements,” so we just chose the main course; they surprise you with the appetizers. Our server, Komang, was from Bali. A personable guy, he made us feel like we were invited to the Mad Hatter’s dinner party. Standout appetizers were the crispy shrimp that we dipped in a cup of mildly spicy sauce; the crispy crab cone with avocado mousse, and the consommé with asparagus, carrots and noodles in a bowl with two depressions and asymmetrical spoons.
and inspired desserts, such as Mystical Mushroom Garden made of white chocolate mousse, red velvet and chocolate soil.
But first, cocktails are a must-try. Therese had the Cheshire Cat Cosmo, a martini glass topped with cotton candy that magically disappeared as Komang poured over the libation, which was hot pink and as sweet as a bonbon.
Scott had Smoke Rings, a mix of rye, whiskey, Angostura bitters and maple syrup under glass. When revealed and swirled, the smoky flavor was like drinking sweetened bourbon by the fireplace, all warm and cozy.
The Rib T Luscious Short Rib was cooked for 5 1/2 hours to a glutinous tenderness, the Bordelaise sauce imparting the rich, nuanced flavors of meat and Bordeaux. We also learned the chefs here are Filipino and Indonesian!
After dinner, we headed to the Royal Theatre to watch the West End production of We Will Rock You, the musical based on Queen’s greatest hits. Not just a highlight version—this was the entire production. As Scott has learned from previous cruises, Royal Caribbean takes their live productions to a new level, using lasers, drones and LED screens to deliver high-tech shows.
Day 2: From Penang to Sea Day
We sampled the complimentary three-course brunch at the American Icon Grill, where Therese had lentil soup for an appetizer while Scott chose the more breakfast-y granola parfait. For mains, Scott had the Classic Eggs Benedict with bacon while pescatarian Rese had the NY-style bagel and lox (smoked salmon). Then you have a choice of dessert: we shared a Crema Catalana good for two. (Pro tip: if you go later, like at 10:30 a.m. you have a better chance of scoring a table by the window with a romantic view of the sea.)
We were slated to dock in Penang so we checked out the shore excursions when the captain announced over the PA system that due to a medical emergency (a passenger needed urgent care), we would not be stopping but continue sailing straight for Phuket, where we’d arrive at 7 a.m. the following day. Now, this must have been a serious case for the captain to decide to upend the ship’s itinerary, but he said we would do it “for any of our loved ones,” so we rolled with it and prepared for a day at sea enjoying what the beautiful ship had to offer.
For Therese, this meant taking a K-pop dance class at Two70, the ship’s other theater. Kids, adults and seniors from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines converged for a super-fun session led by a female instructor from the UK, who taught easy-to-follow K-pop moves to hit songs like Kissy Face to the K-pop classic Gangnam Style. We were able to trot out the moves we learned later at a K-pop dance party held at the same venue after dinner.
Scott headed to the Bionic Bar, where an automated bartender fixed him a “Bionic Chiller,” an iced concoction of pineapple, lime cordial, crème de banana and peach schnapps. The two robot bartenders not only prepare, mix and serve your drinks, they occasionally do a little dance together, like during castoff.
Hungry and thirsty, we bought coffee at the Starbucks counter inside the Cafe before gorging on classic hotdogs with everything on it at the Seaplex Dog House, which also offers smoked bratwurst and Sicilian pork sausage.
After chillaxing in our state room for a bit, we queued to play badminton at the Seaplex on Deck 15, which is an onboard marvel: it’s the largest indoor activity space at sea, a multipurpose sports complex that can be converted into everything from a laser-tag maze (with a Monsters, Inc. theme) to bumper-car track to courts for pickleball, basketball and badminton. At the upper level are ping-pong and air hockey tables, and even an Xbox den with couches on offer. Truly, this cruise is ideal for families, because the entire ship is a safe zone for kids to play in where their parents need not worry. Another feature we loved: the free-flowing soft ice-cream stands on each end of the pool decks, to the delight of the young and young at heart.
Speaking of free-flowing, there are premium beverage packages that allow you to order cocktails or mocktails all over the ship, but even the basic buffet restos (Windjammer, Silk) offer free-flowing coffee, juices and soft drinks.
Therese’s shoulders were sore from her flamenco show so Scott booked a Manager’s Special massage for her that Anthem’s Vitality Spa offered on the first day. For the special price of $149, it included a full-body massage, mini facial and hot stone therapy for $30 extra. Her therapist from India had skilled, gentle hands that eased her muscle tensions away with finger pressure and the heat of the hot stones.
We had dinner at Windjammer Marketplace, an expansive buffet full of international stations of Asian and Western favorites, from tom yum soup to Indian popadums to baked potatoes and steak, with desserts like ice cream that you can top with chocolate chips, sprinkles or sliced almonds.
Earlier in the day Scott explored the aft or tail part of the ship and discovered Solarium, an 18-plus refuge for adults who want to hot tub it away from the noise of children. There they have their own bar, and you can sip while relaxing in a Jacuzzi and easing your body aches away with strong jets of warm water. It felt heavenly on our feet for sure.
At night, we tried Jamie’s Italian, a restaurant concept by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, and it was an excellent meal (with another Filipino waiter, Jun!) that featured fabulous bruschetta with imported Italian tomatoes—you know, the ones that burst with Italian flavor—and its own handmade pastas. Therese had the béchamel- brûléed lobster linguini (she couldn’t stop eating the house-made pasta) while Scott had the aged fillet steak with truffle butter, portobello mushroom and Chianti gravy. Jamie’s Italian is touted as a family restaurant, and you can see why: the pasta dishes are delicious and abbondanza!
Day 3: Phuket
After taking a quick ferry ride from the ship to the pier, our guide Pui took us to for a bus tour of mountainous Phuket, the largest island in Thailand with 10 million annual visitors. With a population of 480,000 out of 70 million in the country, it’s known as a beachfront party haven, but we explored other delights, like a cashew factory (they’re a big cash crop here, grown in northern Thailand) that offers tons of flavors, from truffle, green tea and wasabi to honey, sesame and nori.
Later that night, back onboard, we sampled Izumi restaurant’s modern Japanese fare, including five kinds of fresh sushi, spicy miso ramen, and delicious strawberry, matcha and chocolate mochi for dessert. Scott sampled a nice sake and Therese had the Geisha Cocktail with pomegranate. Our hostess Cheryl noted that, of 1,553 crew members on board, almost a third are Filipino; others are Indian or Indonesian. She calls them all “hardworking,” and we’d add cheerful and attentive.
Day 4: Last day at sea
That day we sampled two super-fun onboard attractions: the North Star, a glass-enclosed pod on a crane that lifts you 350 feet above sea level to catch a breathtaking, 360-degree view of Anthem of the Seas cutting through the ocean waves and the surrounding vista (pro tip: go at sunset for the most spectacular view); then Scott slipped into a boiler suit and helmet to try out Ripcord by iFly, a skydiving simulator in which he dropped facedown into a clear-plastic silo with a huge updraft, and was instructed to relax as his cheeks wobbled from the current and a much more skilled instructor herded him around like a parade balloon. It was certainly a glimpse of what skydiving must feel like for newbies!
We wrapped up our last night onboard with a Virtual Fireworks Dance Party at Two70. This was a good way to work off the incredible meals we’d been having for the past few days: as Katy Perry’s trademark hit Firework boomed from the speakers and sparklers lit up the Singapore skyline on an LED screen, we joined the line-dancing passengers in one final fling before returning to shore—back to all our earthly cares, at least aglow now with memories.
