Cruises are perfect for a family getaway and Singapore being in the heart of Southeast Asia makes her the perfect location to be a cruising hub to explore the neighbouring cities or simply to go on an idyllic vacation out in the sea.
With so many choice, we take a look at the best family cruises from Singapore, and share our tip and recommendations for families going on their 1st, 3rd or even 100th cruise!
Popular Family Cruise Lines from Singapore
Many cruises will dock at the cities of Malaysia, Thailand or Indonesia, with longer itineraries going to India, Japan and Europe. The following cruises travel within Asia, and pack lots of fun activities on-board to keep the family, both kids and parents, entertained!
Also Read: 6 Short Family-friendly Getaways from Singapore
Princess Cruise
Highlighted Cruise: Sapphire Princess
Other Cruises: Diamond Princess, Grand Princess
Highlighted Activities for Families: Discovery at SEA, Movie under the Stars, The Voice of the Ocean,
Sapphire Princess
Known to bring out the atas side of cruising, Princess Cruises provide state of the art play and activity facilities. Their tie-up with Discovery allows kids and teens to enjoy Discovery at Sea, programs based on the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and Science Channel.
There's also The Voice of the Ocean competition, a high-seas version of The Voices, where guest choose the winners of the singing competition!
On the 11- Day South East Asia (departing Dec 17 2019) get to celebrate Christmas at sea before experiencing an annular solar eclipse on Boxing Day night. It’ll be a holiday season your family won’t easily forget!
Upcoming Cruises*
3- Day Malaysian Peninsular: from $394.00
8- Day Vietnam & Thailand: from $1,551.15
11- Day South East Asia with Solar Eclipse: from $1,399.00
16- Day Grand Asia (Singapore to Shanghai): from $2,292.65
*This is just a sample list of upcoming cruises. Pricing is taken from Princess Cruise on 3rd Nov for Interior Room. Check website for updated pricing and sail dates.
Dream Cruise
Highlighted Cruise: Genting Dream
Highlighted Activities for Families: Reach for the Stars 2019,The Dream Experience, Little Dreamers Program, Little Dreamers Club, Sonio - A Tale of Two Dreams, Waterslide Park
Genting Dream
One of the highlights on Dream Cruise's Genting Dream is Reach for the Stars 2019, a talent competition for both Juniors (5 - 16 yrs) and Golden Age (55 yrs and up). If performing is not your thing, you can catch the award winning performance, Sanio - A Tale of Two Dreams.
Want some alone time? Drop the kids off at the Little Dreamers Club and let the little ones take part in the Little Dreamers Academy at Sea programmes. Or play together as a family at the Waterslide Park!
From 20 Nov - 29 Dec, go on a special Justice League Superheros Cruise on Genting Cruise. Enjoy 1-for-1, Kids Cruise Free, and Citibank $200 off promotions! T&Cs apply, visit the promotion page for details.
Upcoming Cruises*
2- Night Cruise (Port Klang or Port Dickson): from $415.00
5- Night Cruise (Malaysia and Thailand): from $1,392.00
*This is just a sample list of upcoming cruises. Pricing is taken from Dream Cruise on 3rd Nov for Interior Room. Check website for updated pricing and sail dates.
Royal Caribbean
Highlighted Cruise: Voyager of the Seas
Other Cruises: Marina of the Seas
Highlighted Activities for Families: The Perfect Storm, Laser Tag, Adventure Ocean, FlowRider, Ice Skating
Voyager of the Seas
Royal Caribbean cruises are one of the most popular in Singapore. With the newly refurbished (Oct 2019) Voyager of the Seas, we can expect new excitement on this 1998 built ship!
Some of the highlights includes the adrenaline-pumping waterslide, The Perfect Storm, where you will race through twists and turns across translucent panels for an unforgettable panoramic view!
Older kids will enjoy the new Laser Tag: Battle for Planet Z while the younger ones will be entertained at the award-winning Adventure Ocean, a kids club for 3 to 12 year olds, that has been updated with a new open layout!
Don't miss out on the FlowRider, Ice Skating Ring, Shows and so much more!
Note: In case you have been searching, Royal Caribbean will no longer have the Dreamworks Experience since Apr 1, 2019.
Upcoming Cruises*
3- Night Penang Weekend Cruise: from $349.00
5- Night Spice of SouthEast Asia Cruise: from $552.00
10- Night Singapore to Hong Kong Cruise: from $1,490.00
14- Night Asia Repositioning Cruise: from $1,479.00
*This is just a sample list of upcoming cruises. Pricing is taken from Royal Caribbean on 3rd Nov. Check website for updated pricing and sail dates.
Also Read: Start Planning, here's a list School Holidays, Public Holidays and Long Weekends for Families in Singapore!
Tips and Recommendations
We will share some tips and recommendations for going on a cruise with young kids. Stay tune as we work on a full article for this at a later date too!
- Wait - wait for promotions that the cruise lines usually run. 1-for-1 or Kids travel free are usually the best deals for families.
- Don't Wait - once you have booked your cruise, do check out for any pre-book activities or meals. Not only will you ensure the best experience (no need to fuss onboard), you may even save some money in doing so!
- Check the Age Limit - there are several that you should check
- To even board: some cruises have 6 months or 1 year age limitations, so check with the indivdual cruises.
- Kids Club: If you are looking forward to leaving the kids at the cruise's Kids Club, most will require the kids to be at least 3 yrs old and potty trained
- Pool: related to age, but many pools do not allow kids who are not yet potty trained
- Book Early - this includes for meals, baby chairs (if provided) and for the kids club. Do this immediately (or at least once you have settled down) after you have boarded the ship. This will make the rest of cruise easier too.
- Going Onshore - decide if you will be going onshore, and prepare a separate day bag so you don't have trouble bringing the necessary items (diapers, hot water flask, water bottle, wet wipes, x million other items).
- Nursing Rooms - do check if there are any available, and if you are comfortable, definitely bring along a nursing cover to nurse on the go.
- Strollers and Bag Carriers - we say bring them along, its worth the hassle when you need to bring the kids from one end to another end of the ship, or if they fall asleep at weird place!
And there you go, our tips and recommendations if you are going cruising with young kids. Agree or disagree with us? Or have something else to add on?
Let us know in the comments below!
