The Ship
Spectrum of the Sea has been touted as the largest cruise liner in Southeast Asia, operated by Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean had previously deployed smaller cruise ships to Singapore, like the Navigator of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas. However, the company started to deploy one of its larger cruise liners, Spectrum of the Seas, to Singapore in Apr 2022, replacing its sister ship Quantum of the Seas. Spectrum of the Seas, consisting of 2137 cabins with 16 decks of accommodation, dining and entertainment options, is built for China market and has been deployed to Singapore due to the pandemic. This 5-day, 4-night cruise that we booked sailed from Singapore to Penang and Phuket and back.
The Junior Suite
The Junior Suite onboard Spectrum of the Seas has various configurations and sizes. Cabin #13722 is located at the starboard aft of the ship, with a floor area of 26m2 in the cabin. We picked this cabin due to its quietness and larger balcony space. The moment we opened the door to the cabin, we were greeted by a long corridor that led into the actual living space in the cabin. I thought the long corridor was a wasted space, there is nothing much Royal Caribbean can do to utilise this space.
Sleeping Area
At the end of the corridor, we spotted a dressing table that doubles as a work desk. The space afforded by the table was tight, and Royal Caribbean placing a tray consisting of an electric kettle and mugs on here further eats into the available space here. Despite the limited space, we found sufficient space on the table to place a laptop. We also used this space to charge our mobile devices with its three power outlets and two USB charging points. The minibar comes in the form of a cabinet beside the table housing a Lavazza coffee machine and an empty mini fridge.
Passing the table, we were greeted by a king bed capable of being converted into two single beds. The sleep quality on the bed was very comfortable (partly due to the ship’s motion), and we got excellent sleep quality every night. Two tiny bedside tables were fitted next to the king bed, where we found sufficient space to charge our mobile devices. However, only the right bedside table is fitted with a power outlet. In addition, the smaller open cabinets on the bedside tables created additional space for us to stow away smaller items.
The Junior Suite cabin has two large wardrobes, one next to the king bed and another opposite the bed, next to the bathroom. These spacious wardrobes allow us to stow all our clothing for this four-night cruise with much space left. I like how Royal Caribbean was generous in providing lots of hangars for its passengers to hang their clothes in the wardrobe. The wardrobe next to the bed hides away the in-room safe and has two drawers below for us to put away smaller clothing items, while the wardrobe opposite the bed allows passengers to hang longer clothing, such as an evening dress. This wardrobe has sufficient space for us to stow away our cabin-sized luggage.
Tucked in one corner next to the bed, before the entrance to the balcony, is a two-seater couch (my sister was staying in another Junior Suite, and their couch was larger). As the placement of this couch was a tad weird, we mainly used this couch to place our backpacks. The coach serves as an alternate sitting area for passengers who want to look out into the sea but do not want to step out into the balcony. I thought Royal Caribbean was very clever in the use of the space in the cabin, the furnishings placed in the cabin made it very liveable. A small coffee table and two chairs are placed between the bed and the wardrobe, giving additional seating space. I thought the placement of these chairs and tables was a tad weird. They were placed in the middle of the walkable cabin space, facing the corridor and the bathroom, instead of facing the TV mounted on the wall. Despite its placement, the chairs and table here did not obstruct our movement further into the cabin or the use of the wardrobe. The TV in the cabin provided us with limited but sufficient entertainment options. Unlike the other suite my sister was staying in, the TV in our cabin was mounted on a fixed bracket which did not allow us to swivel to face the TV or the couch.
Bathroom
Despite being the smallest space in the Junior Suite, the ensuite bathroom is small but functional and does not feel cramped. The sink counter is fitted on the left of the entrance to the bathroom. The sink is of a good size. Despite the limited sink countertop space, Royal Carribbean fitted little shelves on the wall of the sink area that allowed us to place our toiletries. I quite like this design which fully utilises the limited space in this area of the sink. A large drawer at the bottom of the sink countertop provides us additional space to stow our gear. The bathroom is fitted with a shower/tub combination. Although the bathtub is rather sizeable, soaking does not feel cramped. Royal Caribbean provided its passengers with the in-house Salt+Breeze range of bath amenities available for its suite passengers, fused with coconut and sandalwood smell. I like the shower amenities; they made us feel refreshed and smell nice.
Balcony
Our Junior Suite comes with a slightly larger balcony (compared to the Junior Suite next door). The balcony faces the aft of the ship with an unobstructed view of the ship’s wake and gives us maximum privacy. The balcony has two deck chairs, footrests, and a small table to relax and drink coffee from the Lavazza coffee machine while watching the ship sailing. I find the balcony a great hang-out place to get some breeze and watch sail aways or port arrivals.
The Perks
The Junior Suite onboard Spectrum of the Seas was classified as the Sea Class category. The perks for Sea Class cabins were minimal compared to the larger suites onboard. The only additional perk for passengers in the Sea Class cabins was access to the Silver Dining with a smaller menu than the Main Dining Room or the Windjammer Marketplace. We appreciate the access to Silver Dining Room as the ambience feels relaxed compared to the Windjammer. We frequent Silver Dining for breakfasts and lunches. In addition, there are no reserved seatings in theatres for shows for Sea Class guests, as these seatings are meant for Sky or Star Class guests. Other perks, such as better bathroom amenities and Lavazza Coffee machines for Junior Suite, were found in the cabin.
The Key Programme
We got the Key Programme during our planning of the cruise. As the price was a few dollars more than the Voom+Surf internet, we thought it made sense to get the Key. The Key gave us additional benefits such as priority boarding and disembarkation. There was also priority entry to shows and a section reserved for the Key guests with great views of the shows at the Royal Theatre. There are dedicated sessions for activities such as bumper cars, rock climbing and flow rider for the Key guests. However, these sessions are short in the mornings (during breakfast time). The other perk with the Key is the Welcome Lunch during embarkation day at the Main Dining Room, where we were served a small menu selection from Grills Chop House. I thought the Key Programme was worth getting mainly due to the privileges of embarking and disembarking that come with it, including Voom+Surf internet.
Service
The service onboard was generally good; the crew were generally friendly and welcoming. But there were still some misses during our vacation onboard. Our cabin attendant, Pande, was fantastic. He always greeted us with a big smile, making us feel welcome whenever we bumped into him along the corridor. Pande diligently kept our cabin twice daily and was meticulous with his job despite having to service several cabins aft of the ship. On top of that, he was incredibly gifted with towel art (we did not bear to destroy them), which he would decorate our cabin every time he tidied our cabin. We were served by Mark and Subawa every night in the Main Dining Room. Mark and Subawa were very welcoming and always received us with the biggest smile. Mark was extremely personable and was not stingy in sharing information about the food and what we should try. Mark took note of our preference the first night we dined at the Main Dining Room and proactively checked in with us on subsequent nights. Upon knowing my nephew’s preference, Mark went all out to ensure our dining experience was memorable.
Not all crew onboard were like Pande, Mark, and Subawa. Our first experience onboard Spectrum of the Seas was damped by the staff at the Main Dining Room, who initially wanted to squeeze us into a table for four. After insisting we would instead take a bigger table, the staff reluctantly caved in and told us it would take them a long time to set the table. The staff came across as lazy and literally lied in our faces regarding the setting up, which took them less than 5 mins. The service went downhill from there, there were no smiles from the staff, and their service was very rushed. They did not even bother asking how we wanted the steak done. Our steak turned out to be chewy, tough and cold. One of the staff even ordered us to finish our food quickly as they were closing.
Overall
Despite the negative experience, we did have a great time onboard Spectrum of the Seas. The Junior Suite that we chose was comfortable and of a good size. I like the balcony and the view of the ship’s wake from our balcony. The bedding was comfortable, and we had a great night’s sleep. I thought the Key programme was only worth getting when it is marginally more than the internet package. Spectrum of the Seas was a great ship with more facilities catered to their younger passengers. I would book the same cabin again the next time I sail with Spectrum of the Seas or any of Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Class ships.