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Royal Caribbean cruise ships to start sailing from Singapore to Malaysia in end-June

Singaporeans will soon have more options for travel, as Royal Caribbean cruise ships will start calling at ports in Malaysia from the end of this month, with stops at Penang and Port Klang.

The cruise line said on Thursday (June 2) that it will offer three and four-night cruises on its ship Spectrum of the Seas from June 30.

This puts an end to more than two years of cruises-to-nowhere that started in Singapore in November 2020, as an attempt to bring back cruising safely amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Singapore had ceased port calls for cruise ships since March 2020.

According to Royal Caribbean's website, three-night cruises will stop at Penang, while four-night cruises will stop at both Penang and Port Klang. Prices for three night cruises start from $310, while prices for four night cruises start at $390.

Shore excursions include a visit to St. George's Church in Penang, and a trip to the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur.

All guests will need to have six months validity on their passport, and must have updated the MySejahtera app before their cruise. They also need to adhere to the local vaccination requirements, the cruise line added.

The Singapore Tourism Board' s director of cruise Annie Chang said port calls will provide more vacation options which will hopefully draw in more first-time and repeat cruisers in the coming year as more ports in the region open up.

"We have been working closely with various governments in Southeast Asia to align on cruise protocols and policies, and are excited to bring back port calls in Malaysia for sailings as a start," she said.

Ms Chang had previously said that STB had been working to set up a few ports of call by year end. Popular destinations such as Bali in Indonesia, Port Klang and Penang in Malaysia were being considered. Phuket in Thailand had also been revealed earlier as a possible destination.

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.

TOURISM & TRAVELCRUISES