Singapore Cruise Holidays
If you are looking to visit Asia on a cruise holiday, or simply want to visit one of the world’s hidden gems of tourist destinations, then look no further than the city state of Singapore.
Officially known as the Republic of Singapore, the small island nation sits at the foot of the Asia continent and is just a few miles north of the equator- guaranteeing hot weather all year around.
To start this guide, it is probably best to state upfront that Singapore is one of our favourite places to visit, not just on a cruise holiday but to visit for anything from a weekend getaway to a 2-week holiday.
That may make our views overly positive, but it is hard to say too much negative about the country from a holidaymaker point of view.
With that out of the way, this guide is for those who are trying to decide whether a visit to the lion city on a cruise holiday is right for you or not or for those who have already booked a cruise holiday visiting Singapore and want to make the most of their time there.
Cruises To Singapore
Singapore Cruise Guide
This guide brings you all that you need to know about both cruises to Singapore and cruises from Singapore and builds on our experience of both cruising and visiting the city state on numerous occasions.
Type of Cruises Available
There are 3 different types of cruises available for those wanting to visit the country onboard a cruise ship.
The first is a Fly Cruise which is what you would expect as these are cruises where you fly into the incredible Changi airport and enjoy a regular cruise from the city to destinations such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
There are a few cruise lines that home port in the city and offer everything from a few days cruise to 2-week adventures.
You can also fly to nearby ports, such as Hong Kong and Laem Chabang (Bangkok) and choose an itinerary that stops in the city, with some offering the opportunity overnight onboard your cruise ship.
The second option is a Cruise and Stay getaway, which is where you enjoy both a cruise holiday and a land holiday on the same getaway.
The great thing about starting you holiday in the city is that you can spend time before or after your cruise there and explore some of what is on offer.
Taking a 5–7 day cruise and then adding a week stay in the city is a great way to take in the best of Singapore whilst also exploring the region and keeping within a traditional 2 week holiday.
The third option is to choose a Repositioning Cruise that either calls into the city or one that starts/ends there.
If you choose the fromer, there are plenty of options including cruises out of Bangkok and Hong Kong whilst those wanting a repositioning cruise starting or ending in the city, there are also lots of options including the famous ‘Spice Route’ between Dubai-India-Singapore.
The latter also allows you to add on a few days in Singapore and then a few days at the other end of your cruise for a truly incredible holiday that will live long in the memory.
Singapore Cruise Port Location
Singapore is home to two cruise terminals, one a modern state of the art building capable of services the biggest cruise ships out there, whilst the second is constrained to smaller ships.
The new terminal, officially named Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) but known as the International Cruise Terminal, is located next to the Marina South Pier, which is well connected to the whole of the island via the cities modern metro city (MRT) and by road.
The terminal is capable of hosting 2 ships at the same time and as with most things in Singapore it is clean and functional.
The second terminal is the Singapore Cruise Centre, which is located on the mainland of Singapore, just across from the fun-filled tourist island of Sentosa.
Accessed via the massive VivoCity, this terminal is also well connected to the rest of the island via road and the MRT.
As an older terminal with limited space for ships, it is only smaller cruise ships that use the terminal but if you are onboard one, you have the unique experience of been underneath a cable car, having ferry sail past ever few minutes and you can also see part of one of the biggest container ports in the world in action.
Singapore Attractions
No matter what you enjoy from a cruise destination, the chances are that not only will you be able to do it, but it will be the best version of what you like doing that you have experienced.
That has been our personnel experience with so much of what we have had the pleasure of experiencing in the Lion City.
With so much on offer, it can be difficult to break down just what you can do whilst in port, but it is perhaps best to break it down in to the CBD and Marina Bay (basically a city centre or downtown area), Sentosa and then the rest of the mainland.
CBD & Marina Bay
THE CBD (Central Business District) and Marina Bay is one of the icons of country as everybody who has seen it, will recognise the skyscrapers that surround the still waters of Marina Bay and the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel complex.
It is also here that the stunning Gardens by the Bay that takes the humble park or Botanic Garden and takes it into the future.
Gardens by the Bay is just a short walk from the cruise terminal making it a great place to visit for those only there for a limited time.
It is also straight forward to walk from the gardens to the Marina Bay Sand complex that features a huge hotel, massive shopping centre and a viewing platfrom offer incredible views over lots of Singapore.
The Marina Bay area is perhaps best known to many as the location of the Singapore GP Formula 1 race and lots of the course can be walked around for fans to take in everything from the Anderson Bridge to the Pit Lane.
The bay is also home to the Singapore Flyer, to the famous Raffles hotel and you can also stand next to an iconic Merlion.
Sentosa
The island of Sentosa has been built with tourists in mind and if you are cruising as a family, this is the place to head to.
Easily reached from the main cruise port via the MRT or directly from VivoCity, most visitors will head from the mainland to the island onboard a monorail, which is also used for getting to the main 3 areas of Sentosa.
The first area is found at the Waterfront monorail stop and it is here where guests can visit Resorts World (a large casino and shopping area) and the more family friendly Universal Studios theme park, the Adventure Cove Waterpark and the impressive S.E.A Aquarium.
The next area is around the Imbiah monorail station which is where guests can climb the largest of Singapore’s Merlion’s, enjoy a cable car ride across the island and back to the mainland and numerous over attractions.
Lastly is Beach station and it is here where you get off for a day at the beach or to enjoy lots of seaside activities Singapore style including a water and light show, luges and even a bungee jump.
Rest of the Mainland
One of our favourite attractions in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which is a great place to grab a bite, take a stroll and see plenty of local nature and wildlife including ginormous water monitor lizards.
A must visit for animal lovers is the world renowned Singapore Zoo, which is constantly voted amongst the best zoo’s in the world and is famed for it cageless environments that put the animals first.
Singapore is completely different from all other countries in Asia, and you may feel that you are missing out on an ‘authentic’ Asian experience but one get a glimpse of that is China town where the streets are more narrow and crowded than most of Singapore and you can visit the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
Another great way to get an ‘authentic’ experience is to visit a ‘Hawker Centre’ where you can eat and drink local food alongside locals and with out the expense of dining at a western facing restaurant.
If shopping is your thing, the cities Orchard Road is the place to be but be prepared for a different experience to Oxford Street (London) or 5th Avenue (New York) as Orchard Street offers 1000’s of shops in numerous shopping centres (malls) all of the highest quality expected in Singapore.
If you fancy heading on a hike to work off some of those extra cruising pounds, the MacRitchie Nature Trail offers a easy to follow circular walk with lots of interesting sections including a tree top bridge and you are likely to see lots of wildlife including monkeys, snakes, lizards and more.
For most destinations, this list of attractions would be something to aim for but in Singapore, that is only a brief look at what is on offer and the thing to always keep in mind in Singapore is that 99% everything is done to the highest standard and can rival any similar attraction anywhere in the world.
Singapore Shorex
The majority for the attractions found across the small island nation of Singapore can be easily reached via its efficient, clean, cheap and safe public transportation system, so there is no real need for anybody to book on an excursion.
That doesn’t of course mean that there isn’t the option to do that however, with most been tours around the city to allow you to see lots of it in a short amount of time.
One popular option is for those ending their cruise in the city and flying out the same day as cruise lines often offer the opportunity to enjoy a coach trip around the main sites, with stops at some of them, with the tour ending at Changi airport.
Best Time To Visit
There are a few cruise ships that now base themselves in Singapore and others that visit throughout the year, but whilst it is possible to go there all year around, we would recommend visiting in the northern hemisphere winter.
The weather in the country keeps constantly warm all year around and that attracts more ships between October-March from destinations such as Alaska and Europe, which gives cruisers a wider choice of ships and itineraries.
Transport
Getting to or from Singapore is relatively straight forward as the city is connected to most of the world via Changi Airport.
At the majority of major international airports around the world, you simply want to spend as little time at it as possible before boarding your plane but Changi is actually an attraction in its own right and many get their early to enjoy the Jewell- a nature themed shopping area.
Getting around the city is also much more pleasurable than others thanks to its modern MRT (underground/subway) system, that connects most major attractions and tourist areas with the airport, downtown and cruise ports.
Other transportation options available to tourists include buses, tour buses, cable cars, river boats, ferries and a monorail.
Singapore
Location: South East Asia
Currency: Singaporean Dollar
Language: Malay, English, Mandarin, Tamil
Demonym(s): Singaporean
Singapore is an island nation and city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.
The country is made up of 1 main island, 63 satellite islands and one outlying islet and interestingly, since the countries independence from Malaysia, its land area has increased by around 25% thanks to land reclamation.
Although the country has one of the highest population densities in the world, it feel so much more less crowded than other major cities and that is for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the cities nickname of the ‘Garden City’ hints that there are lots of open spaces and places to take in the fresh air whilst there has also been a lot of money and effort spent to develop what are locally known as underground cities.
These are areas of shops, restaurants and more that are built underground to either link metro systems, avoid busy roads or to help move people around busy areas.
Another great aspect of the city is that, when compared to cities of a similar size and population, the roads are relatively quiet thanks to the incredibly high cost of car ownership in Singapore and the fantastic public transportation system that means most simply don’t need a car.
Since independence, Singapore has become a multicultural country that should be lauded for their respect of not just their own cultures but of others to the point where the world’s main cultures and religions sit side by side and even learn from each other.
Singapore Cruises From UK
Whilst it is possible to cruise to Singapore directly from the UK, it is a long and expensive trip that will need you to take a World Cruise.
Singapore Cruises From Southampton
If you were to choose to take that option, the itineraries tend to be offered from either Southampton or Dover but they are infrequent at best.
Thankfully, it is still relatively straightforward to head to Singapore for a cruise holiday with direct flights from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester complimented by indirect flights from numerous local airports via the likes of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam and Qatar.
