High life on the High seas
The most luxurious experience on the sea isn’t found on some private yacht; it’s on board the magnificent Genting Dream by Dream Cruises
some might mistake cruises for bland holidays when they imagine spending their vacation on a boat — but not us. four days and three (or more) glasses of exquisite whisky later, however, we emerged from the Genting Dream gloriously tanned, pampered beyond belief, and very ready to set sail again.
We were booked on a three-night cruise to Phuket, one of five new summer itineraries on Genting Dream, with 18 decks and a total capacity of 3,352 guests and 2,016 crew. all these become mere numerals when we are confronted with the sheer scale of the vessel up-close. What cruise ship? this colossal beast is more akin to a castle on the sea. Managed by Dream Cruises, asia’s new luxury cruise line, Genting Dream is raising the standard in ocean travel. if first impressions are anything to go by, it’s already got the title in its bag.
the lap of luxury began even before we set foot on the ship. as guests of its exclusive Palace class, we were whisked away from throngs of passengers in the cruise centre and into a private lounge, where our departure documents were processed in the time we took to finish a cup of tea. and before we knew it, we were on board and inside our stately Palace suite.
the Palace comprises 142 luxurious suites. every Palace guest enjoys not only a sprawling room with a private balcony and marvellous ocean views, but also a host of exclusive privileges that make you feel as if you’re in your own section of the ship.
one benefit of being a Palace guest is getting a personal butler to assist with anything you can imagine. Curious about the service, we summoned ours. a phone call later, Darryl turned up at the door and offered to take us on a tour of the facilities. over the next three days, this impeccably composed and polite chap tended our every whim: lastminute shore excursions in Phuket, dinner reservations, and even requests for Red Bull at 2am.
But back to the tour. We started with the Palace part. Genting Dream has several decks restricted to Palace guests. at the private Palace pool, dotted with jacuzzis and cabanas,
eagle-eyed waiters roamed throughout, ever-ready with cold drink or towel in hand.
Tempting as it was to while away the afternoon sprawled out under the sun, we partook in the wealth of activities Genting Dream promised. At the Crystal Life Asian Spa, a skilled masseuse sent us dissolving into slumber in a velutinous recliner.
Genting Dream’s slew of dining options come in 35 different concepts that run the gamut from teppanyaki to a celebrity chef steakhouse — so it was important to stay focused. We started the culinary expedition at Bistro, by award-winning Australian restaurateur Mark Best. Even if “celebrity chef” might invoke some measure of scepticism, any reservations about the quality of food were assuaged when our knife sliced through that slab of buttery, perfectly crusted steak.
After that exquisite cut of meat, we found ourselves looking for the perfect alcoholic accompaniment in the ship’s Bar City, a coalition of various bars and lounges. The Johnnie Walker House offered a staggering selection of whiskys, including the rare John Walker & Sons variants. If you’re a wine lover, the Penfolds Wine Vault has a label — or three — that will catch your fancy.
The ship offered several shore excursions when we docked in Phuket, with tour highlights ranging from live Muay Thai matches to trips to theme parks. A friendly guide brought us straight from the docks to the Fantasea theme park, where we had several hours of boisterous fun. An elaborate show rounded off the night, after which we boarded the shuttle back to the Genting Dream thoroughly spent but very satisfied. On the last night of the cruise, the ship sailed to a halt on the open seas, and unleashed an array of gorgeous fireworks into the inky night sky. This culminated in a stunning lightshow that we watched from the comfort of a private lounge with highball in hand.
It’s hard to believe that at any given time this behemoth of a ship houses enough people to populate a small town, because there’s never a rush for anything on Genting Dream.
Time seems to stand still here, whether you’re sampling whisky in a cigar room that Gatsby himself would’ve killed for, or luxuriating on the private sun deck. The level of service and indulgence we experienced during our stay on the Genting Dream was nothing short of a reverie — and one we would very gladly revisit. And with four other summer itineraries this season — fivenight trips through Redang, Koh Samui, Sihanoukville, Surabaya, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Penang and Bali — we know we’ll want to set sail again very soon.
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