Singapore cruises are back… to nowhere
As we slowly revert to the new normal, it is recently announced that the cruise lines are back in business and they will bring you to the high seas. The pilot phase which is only open for Singapore residents start in November and you can add the high seas as one of your options for a holiday staycation. Genting Dream Cruise and Royal Caribbean have announced their departure dates and here is what we know about some details. 1. Covid testing before departure Some people may remember about the cruise infections from earlier in the year and in order to prevent the same from happening again, some key safety measures have been put in place. The first of which will be a mandatory COVID 19 test 2-3 days before your cruise departure. Everyone will have to then show the negative test result and complete a health questionnaire and temperature screening before being allowed to board. As of now, Genting Dream will be charging $60 for the test while Royal Carribbean will have the cost included for departures before 31 Jan 2021. More details on the test will be given by the cruise company closer to your sail date. 2. Safety measures Besides the pre-departure screening, there will also be social distancing and hygiene measures in place to further enhance safety. Accommodation, public areas and activity equipment are scheduled to be frequently sanitized especially at touchpoints such as handrails and life buttons. Social distancing will still be practiced at all times including during shows and dining places. Masks are also to be worn except during sports, dining and in your own rooms. Buffet dining is also suspended and your food will be served by the crew. On a positive note, at no more than 50% capacity, you can expect more space for your favorite cruise activities. To further prevent the transmission of diseases, air ventilations are also filtered to ensure everyone on board are given fresh and clean air. Air will not be recirculated within the ship. To ensure everyone’s wellbeing, more doctors and nurses will be onboard with capabilities to conduct rapid tests and to deal with suspected cases of COVID -19. Click the links below to understand more details on their safety measurements Royal Carribbean: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/sgp/en/royal-promise Genting Dream: https://www.dreamcruiseline.com/en-sg/travel-advisory-updates/ 3. Cruise with confidence Due to the current situation, both cruise companies allows you to get a full refund in terms of future cruise credits if you cancel your trip at least 48 hours before your departure. For Royal Caribbean, bookings on or before 30th Nov 2020 are qualified for this perk. For Genting Dream, departures from Singapore through 9th April 2021 are eligible. So which cruise should I choose? For those who are not too particular on the experiences provided within the cruise you can start with looking at the availability of your desired date of departure. Genting Dream starts sailing from 6th Nov and offer 2 – 3 night getaways. Royal Caribbean starts with a 2 night cruise on 1st Dec and offers 3 – 4 night cruises thereafter. For those seeking some thrill, you might want to consider Royal Caribbean as the Quantum of the Seas offers skydiving and surfing simulators as well as the North Star view capsule. For a family vacation, you might want to get on the Genting Cruise to enjoy the Waterslide Park. With something for everyone to enjoy, do consider a cruise trip for your next outing! Don’t take too long to decide! Although prices start from the range of $300s, room prices will increase (even for same category rooms) as the rooms get filled up! If you would like us to help you with getting your cruise trip, do contact us at our contact number 65354334 or email us at enquiry@ikchin.com.sg. As we are all on WFH at the moment, our retail office is closed. Visits will be on appointment only.
Touring in Singapore: 6 things to do at St John Island
With the pandemic still looming, choices of where we can go to spend our free time is limited to within Singapore. Besides the usual leisure activities of urban life, we would like to also show some places you can go to enjoy the great outdoors! Our first suggestion is a place not commonly visited by most – St John Island! St John Island, located just south of Sentosa was known for being a quarantine island for immigrants who are detected with diseases coming into Singapore. It was then converted into a prisoner’s settlement and then a drug rehabilitation facility before becoming what it is today – a holiday spot. So let us take a look at some of the things that you can see and do there! 1. Find the historical sites Here in St John Island you can still see some of the remaining structures used in the past. The former quarantine centre that the British built to house immigrants found with infectious disease. Also it was later used to detain political prisoners. In 1955, it became a drug rehabilitation centre for opium addicts. Today, some of the bulidings can still be seen. 2. Spot heritage trees Besides heritage buildings, the island is also home to 10 heritage trees which are identified for their exceptional value. They are marked by the National Parks with a small sign infront of each of the trees. For Nature lovers, you can spot some of these trees as you trek the island trail. (As stated by Nparks, do note that some of the trees are not in public accessible areas) 3. Visit the Marine Park Gallery Corals and marine life is seldom heard of in Singapore unless you visit the SEA aquarium. Located deeper into the island is a gallery which showcases the research and conservation programs being done to protect and breed marine life at Sister’s Island. Here you can see some of the corals found in Singapore and the marine park at Sister;s Island. (due to social distancing, only 10 people are allowed in the gallery at one time) 5. Enjoy the nature Besides the beach, you can also take a walk following the trails. Get to know more about the plants and animals of the island. For the more casual nature goers, you can have a picnic on the fields and just enjoy the wonder atmosphere the greenery will provide you with. 6. Visit the other connecting islands Taking a ferry to St John Island also offers you the opportunity to visit the other Islands by foot. Connected is Lazurus Island, the former quarantine hospital which now boast a fine sand beach with clear waters (Now due to the travel restrictions, be prepared for a crowd if you are heading there on a weekend!). Walking further on, you can also get to Pulau Seringat and Pulau Seringat Kecil where we found less people at. If you are looking for a grass field to sit with lesser people, this might be a good spot. 6. Visit the other connecting islands A trip to St john Island is a great choice for a short escape to enjoy the outdoors and look at Singapore from afar. To get there, you can take a ferry from Marina South Pier reachable by the red line MRT (Marina South Pier station exit B). You can buy the tickets on the day itself but it is advisable to arrive early as you might have to queue to purchase your tickets. Plan your trip ahead by checking the ferry schedules of the 2 ferry companies Singapore Island Cruise and Marina South Ferries. You can also leave some time for a visit to Kusu Island which is part of the ferry route to the Singapore southern islands.
Touring in Singapore: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
For now, it seems like a holiday overseas may have to wait for a few more months. Well, in case you are bored of just visiting the central area for your weekend outings, here is one for you to consider! Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve. Hiking trail all the way at the North You may joke that you have to bring your passport, but at a time like this the passport joke will bring about tears especially from us. Located towards the end of Singapore, this place might be accessible only by bus or car but still, it offers a great place to have a healthy walk in nature, discovering all sorts of animals and plants along the way. The entire hiking trail is only about 3.3km which is a good distance to bring your elders along for exercise. Map taken from NParks. Enjoy your walk in nature A little different from your other hiking trails in Singapore such as the Southern Ridges, Macritchie Reservoir or the famous Bukit Timah Hill. Sungei Buloh is a wetland which will feature mangroves, forest and mudflats. Mangroves swamps are always highly regarded as natural tourist sites so what better to see it at home! With the different habitats available, you can train your keen eye as you spot the different wildlife from migratory birds to monitor lizards and crocodiles! Just as we entered the place from Carpark C, we see some photo enthusiast taking photos of birds up in the trees. This may require you to bring a professional camera with a zoom lens as we could not catch the birds with our phone. Our greatest prize was catching our celebrity crocodile swimming on camera! Enjoy your walk in nature The wetland is a great place to take some good photos with your friends and family as well! Take photos with giant plants and trees as well as the picturesque coastal trail where you will find points of interest such as Eagle Point and Kingfisher Pod. On clear weather, you can also spot Johor from across. You can catch our video of Sungei Buloh we posted on Facebook here! If you are like us, who went on a weekday morning, we only saw 2-3 groups of people along the coastal trail. You can easily sink into the calm atmosphere of the place. On weekends, we will expect more people but the place should still be spacious enough to take your time with our photos and your walk. Based on the map as provided by NParks, your journey in the wetlands will mostly start from Carpark C entrance and will take about 3 hours to complete the trail. Before we can travel again, let’s enjoy our touring in Singapore!