Spectrum of the Seas SHAKEDOWN PREVIEW Cruise! - Initial Impressions

UPDATE (FEBRUARY 2023): With the lowering of Singapore’s Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) to GREEN LEVEL as of February 2023, the preventive measures and/or testing requirements mentioned within this article are no longer in effect. Guests are advised to enquire with the respective cruise lines for updated Testing, Vaccination Requirements and Preventive Measures.

Welcome Onboard Spectrum of the Seas! We took a tour of the latest ship to homeport in Singapore.

*Spectrum of the Seas leaving Singapore* **PHOTO: SINGAPORE CRUISE SOCIETY**

Today’s the day! We are boarding Spectrum of the Seas today for her shakedown cruise, in preparation for the commencement of the inaugural Ocean Getaway cruise from Singapore. Here’s our first impressions of the ship.

Pre-Embarkation Test

As you may know, everyone needs to do a pre-embarkation test before boarding the ship. There were three of us, and hence we tried out all three testing methods suggested by Royal Caribbean. We will explain them in detail later this week, but here’s the one we thought was the best.

Tele-ART! We decided to go with a different provider this time round. We went with Kingston Medical Group, one of the Tele-ART providers that conducted supervised tests round the clock for Pre-Event and Pre-Departure purposes. We received the link to the Zoom call an hour in advance, and got swabbing the moment we got in the call. Just like any other Tele-ART, you will have to point the cartridge to the camera for 15 minutes.

The weird thing was, I could see others in the call! As it was conducted on Zoom, it wasn’t one to one. Hence, we could see other patients swabbing and talking to the staff. Once the 15 minute is up, we were dismissed from the call, and got our results via email, SMS and TraceTogether within 5 minutes. That was quick.

Interestingly, we noticed a family of three (with a young kid) was doing the test together! Seems like different Tele-ART providers have different rules on family testing, so do check with your preferred one directly!

Boarding Spectrum

If you’ve sailed with Royal Caribbean before, nothing much has changed here. From completing online check-in, selecting your arrival time, and your health questionnaire, everything went smoothly. However, there is an additional step of checking your negative COVID test results.

We went through immigration and we were ready to board. Something different this time was that we had to complete our Muster 2.0 immediately after we boarded. Watch the safety video, you all.

We went straight to our assigned Silver Junior Suite on Deck 13. It was on the port side, with the category code J4.

Welcome Onboard!

We headed for the media briefing at Two70, with Angie Stephen, Managing Director for Asia Pacific region, and Captain Wu Hui Min, the first Asian Captain across the Royal Caribbean Group. Here are some important takeaways from the briefing.

Spectrum of the Seas has been approved to operate at 75% capacity
Spectrum will comply with the relaxed protocols, set out by the Singapore authorities - with live entertainment in bars, latest mask mandates and limiting social groups to 10.
Next for Royal Caribbean would be to bring back ports to Singapore cruises, with Royal Caribbean and STB working closely with Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand to sync SafeCruise protocols.
Target is for guests to be able to enjoy three countries on a cruise, with only one test required throughout their vacation.
Spectrum of the Seas is also now welcoming international guests

There were no dates provided when asked when the earliest we can expect ports. But we can be almost certain that Spectrum will remain in Singapore between July to October.

We also got a quick preview of the ‘trailer’ of the Vistarama and Roboscreens - Leonardo’s Dream.

Ship Tour!

We went on a ship tour after the briefing. Here are some highlights. We will publish the entire album in our Facebook Gallery!

Lunch at Sichuan Red

We went for lunch at Sichuan Red - one of the Asian-inspired speciality restaurants onboard Spectrum. Since it was a shakedown cruise, we had the ‘start up’ menu - which had lesser selections as compared to the regular full menu. When enquired, the staff shared that the full menu will be ready on the inaugural cruise on April 11.

We started with the soup, and went with the restaurant's recommendations on what to order. Tofu was acceptable, and the fish was great. The spice level was adjusted for the market, but if you want to elevate it, feel free to request for ‘extra’ when you order.

Here is the full menu.

Dinner at Teppanyaki

Teppanyaki is located on Deck 14 on Spectrum, right next to the Windjammer Marketplace. The Teppan chef came in and greeted us before getting right into the ‘theatrics’. His job is not only to cook for you, but to entertain you as well.

The waiters came to take our orders before passing it on to the chef. Having done Hibachi on Wonder of the Seas just a month ago, we thought it was pretty similar, with familiar punchlines and jokes - we thought they were all trained by the same person!

You could choose between a salad or miso soup to start, followed by the egg fried rice which comes standard, before proceeding to the mains which you will choose. Apart from the eye-catching lobsters, there were also different cuts of steak available for your selection.

Nothing much to complain here as everything was almost perfectly executed.

Royal Suite Class

We took a tour of the suite enclave, with the highlight being the largest suite onboard, the Ultimate Family Suite.

The neighbourhood also houses the Silver Lounge and Dining (for Sea Class guests), and Gold Lounge and Dining (for Sky and Star guests), this is Royal Caribbean’s first steps into creating a special and exclusive experience for their suite guests. We will be highlighting their food and beverage offerings more tomorrow!

An interesting observation: If you are staying in a Silver Junior Suite, apart from being able to access the Silver Lounge and Dining - you now get Concierge service as well! This is exclusive to Spectrum of the Seas, and you can find the concierge at the desk right next to the Silver Lounge.

For Sky Guests, your concierge desk is located right next to the Gold Dining on Deck 16.

We also took a tour of the boutique, which remains exclusive to Star Class guests. It’s more of a venue than a shop, with the help of your Genie, you can arrange private viewings of whichever retail options available onboard.

Half of the Solarium is reserved for suite guests. The other half on the starboard side remains open to all guests.

Initial Impressions

Spectrum feels very familiar. Having spent most of time cruising on Quantum Class, Spectrum felt like the company pulled Quantum into a drydock, refurbished it by adding a few restaurants and modernizing it. My cabin still had a ‘new ship smell’ to it.

If you’ve sailed on Quantum, you will have no problems navigating Spectrum of the Seas. With an expanded selection of F&B, shopping, entertainment and activities, this ship is certainly a step up from Quantum, and is the best ship Royal Caribbean has ever deployed in Singapore yet.

We will be doing a full walkthrough of the ship tomorrow live on Facebook in the morning (timing subjected to internet connectivity!), and a live Q&A session in the afternoon, so do stay tuned to our Facebook!

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