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Skipping a popular port excursion can mean more time and less crowds, so you get up to maximum family fun. With nearly every activity at their fingertips – no queues, no competition – Paul and son uncover hidden gems, from secret sundecks to exclusive spots for sunset cocktails.
1. You’ll have exclusive access to the ship’s quirky attractions
There is a reason they don’t let 14-year-olds tend bar. I realise this the moment I take a sip of the murky, cloyingly sweet cocktail that my son has programmed for me into the Bionic Bar, a quirky drinking spot on Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas where robot bartenders shake up any drink you can tap into an iPad.
He doesn’t fare much better with his mocktail, both are Frankenstein creations that stitch far too many disparate parts together, but he has been dying to dial up a couple of drinks since setting foot on the ship in Singapore.
Usually packed with equally enthusiastic mixologists (you need an adult ID to access the bots but no-alcohol drinks are popular) today we have both the robot arms to ourselves, as we do much of the ship that can carry up to 4,905 passengers.
2. You’ll skip queues and enjoy the view
We are nearing the end of a full day of activities aboard the ship, so peaceful in parts it seems deserted, due to some counter-programming. Most of the passengers have headed into Ho Chi Minh City for the day but, having been to the former Vietnamese capital recently, we decide to stay on board.
We start with a rare window seat at Windjammer for a continent-spanning buffet breakfast, followed by a barista coffee and plate of cakes from the café enjoyed in the mezzanine seats of TWO70, named for the degrees of view you get from the rear of the ship. We feel a little smug as the huge video screens, also operated by robot arms, remind those leaving the ship of what they should be taking with them.
3. You’ll have more time for exploration and discovery
All we are taking is a leisurely stroll, and our time, exploring the Royal Caribbean cruise ship and making serendipitous discoveries like the sundeck with a view of the main pool (accessed via a hard-to-spot door inside) which remains a bit of a secret and provides prime viewing later in the cruise for the ever-popular belly-flop contest.
Our first post-breakfast stop is Seaplex, the huge indoor entertainment space, where we try queue-less activities like table tennis (winners: adults) and archery (winners: kids). We then take in a few mid-morning trivia sessions at the nautical-themed Schooner Bar in the hope the reduced numbers will make us winners (they don’t).
4. The dining will make you feel like a VIP
Turning up for lunch in Main Dining on a shore excursion day, with its crisp, white tablecloths, shiny silverware and suited-and-booted staff has you feeling like a VIP, then it was up to the upper deck for a rest by the pool with hundreds of sunbeds all ours for the lounging.
The Bionic Bar might not have been a highlight for our respective tastebuds, but we force down our adventurous concoctions before heading up to the North Star bar. This spot has a prime vantage point on the outdoor decks where bartender, Mahendra, has been making us a frozen cocktail and frozen mocktail of the day since we first boarded. He greets us warmly at sunset, already reaching for the peach syrup, as the daytrippers trickle back on board.
5. You’ll have the freedom to choose how you cruise
It’s not like a full ship of passengers has seen us confined quarters. Over the course of the nine-day Royal Caribbean cruise we have toured the bridge and learned a thing or two about piloting such a maritime behemoth. We have climbed aboard the North Star observation orb to be dangled over the briny beyond and seen the ship and its scurrying passengers from a bird’s eye view. We even had strangers take our photo as we were shot up into the air in the skydiving simulator Ripcord by iFly.
We went ashore, too, and spent a spicy couple of days in the Thai capital of Bangkok watching a Michael Jackson avatar dance across curtains of water at the nightly aquatic show outside ICONSIAM shopping centre and discovered vegan Thai delights in a retro shophouse setting at Vistro. We also passed a quiet afternoon in a beachside brewery in the Vietnamese resort town of Nha Trang.
But, in a packed itinerary, our hushed day aboard Spectrum of the Seas, was a quiet delight.
This article was originally featured in the fifth issue of Dream by Luxury Escapes magazine. Get your copy of the latest issue here.
