Singaporeans will soon be able to choose from more options for travel, as RCI-Royal Caribbean International ships will commence visiting ports in Malaysia from the end of June, with calls at Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur) and Penang (Georgetown).
The company said on Thursday, June 2, that it would offer 3- and 4-night sailings on its vessel Spectrum of the Seas from June 30, 2022.
This puts an end to 2+ years of cruises-to-nowhere from Singapore (started in November 2020) as an attempt to bring back cruising amid the COVID crisis. Since March 2020, Singapore had ceased port calls for cruise ships.
3-night itineraries will call at Penang, while 4-night ones will call at both Klang and Penang. Fares for the 3-nighters start from US$310, while fares for 4-nighters start at US$390.
Shore trips include a call at St. George's Church in Penang and a trip to Kuala Lumpur's Batu Caves.
All passengers need to have 6 months of validity on their passport and an updated MySejahtera app before their voyage. They also have to adhere to the local vaccination requirements, the line added.
Royal Caribbean's Asia-Pacific vice-president and managing director, Ms. Angie Stephen, said the cruise line is the first in Singapore to resume port calls.
Currently, the cruise line requires all guests to undergo a supervised antigen rapid test the day before boarding the cruise, regardless of their age or vaccination status.