Not that others won’t, but Instagrammers are sure to instantly fall head over heels with Genting Dream, the magnificent 18-deck luxury cruise liner that sails across the high seas of Hong Kong, for more reasons than one. Among other things, posting pictures is a breeze while aboard this beauty as one need not ‘edit’ or apply any filters to your photographs. Everything in, around and outside of the luxury cruise liner that sets sail from Kai Tak cruise terminal (42 km from Hong Kong Airport) is simply gorgeous.
The vibes
The blue waters of the South China Sea looked bluer. The green mountains around the dock seemed greener. The city’s night skyline looked more dazzling than ever. It almost looks like life is, to use the shutterbug’s parlance, 16X more interesting on this cruise. There’s water beneath, the sky above and fun and luxury in between. By luxury, we mean enjoying the view while you lie on a thermal lounge on your private deck as your 24x7 personal butler pours from a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label champagne, arranges assorted berries and chocolate pralines, and irons out the wrinkles in your newspaper for reading soon after.
Casino calling
Talk of a cruise ship and everyone has one question on the top of their minds. Will I experience sea or motion sickness? Not really, as the liner is so huge — imagine an 18-storeyed building on water — and the sail is so smooth even at the top speed of 23 knots (42 kmph) that you hardly feel the wobble, except when you are losing money at its casino. The casino takes the centre stage, figuratively and literally, as it is here that your fortune will be decided. The sighs of relief, the shrieks of horror, the moan of resignation and loud cheers — the casino in the centre of the ship is witness to all these emotions.
A hall, the size of a typical Indian wedding hall, it has a multitude of slot machines, Blackjack tables (card game), dice tables, roulette with a crew managing the machine or table. You can spot the veterans with mugs of hot water, stacks of coins/cards and a deadpan face. They typically come armed with dollars every Friday night, play all through the weekend, and go home with loads of money.
Sharon, the girl from Mumbai who works as a butler at Dream Palace (the luxury suites) and my guide in the cruise for the day, whispers, “An Indian came yesterday, started with Rs 1,000 and went back home with Rs 16 lakh.” Each game has its minimum betting amount (as low as $5 HK) and the casino is open round the clock. The casino is the most popular zone in Genting Dream going by the way it was teeming with guests on the two-night one-day weekend trip from Hong Kong and back.
Activities galore
For those who have had a rough day at the casino, there are innumerable fun, luxurious and happy activities to drown your miseries and bounce back to life.
Considered among the largest cruise ships in Asia, the 10-month-old Genting Dream ensures hospitality is the top priority. There are 2,000 crew members to take care of 3,400 guests. That essentially meant that every time I stepped out of my stateroom (there are 1,674 such), I would be greeted by a crew who asked if I needed anything. Such bliss! But considering the cruise encourages you to download the Dream Cruise app as soon as you get on board (and gives you wi-fi, chargeable), everything was available on phone.
I test the app to find out what I could do after dinner. The activities section had a pop-up that showed a foam party on the terrace, EDM night at the Zouk pub, lounging in a hot water Jacuzzi or watching the Voyage of a Lover’s Dream — Hull art of Genting Dream performance live (free). A flyer on the bed and a channel on the flat screen were other sources of information to the happenings on the cruiser.
I chose the last and it was certainly a good pick. Conceived by pop-artist Jacky Tsai, the hull of Genting Dream is adorned by the art piece entitled Voyage of a Lover’s Dream, which envisages an ethereal and fantastical journey of love between a mermaid and an astronaut. The acrobats, the background themes and the acoustics made for a spectacle to behold.
I wanted to burn my calories after the heavy meal and the four-lane glow-in-the-dark bowling alley seemed like a perfect way. However, after the activity, I felt I had some more appetite for activity and adventure and went for the zip lining. Needless to say, zipping across to see the gushing water right underneath can be a humbling experience as you can feel the force of nature under you.
Other on-board experiences will include mah-jong (games and food) room, as well as a plethora of activities for family fun such as pools, water slides, video game centre, 3D cinema, mini-golf, rope course and rock climbing wall (chargeable). However, I was most fascinated with just sitting in my lounge chair in my private balcony and let the ship sail through. It worked like therapy.
Go outdoors
If fancy is the word, the Genting Dream gives you an option to join the mermaid group class and swim in the water with the tail to make your mermaid dream come true. (chargeable). For high voltage action, opt for a submersible underwater journey. One pilot and four guests dive deep into the ocean, where guests can explore spectacular sights and encounter a dazzling array of fish and sea creatures. The cruise offers six meals a day across its 35 restaurants and bars. Asians, especially Indians, can rejoice that they can get Indian vegetarian food aboard. India is a new market the cruise company is looking at. Most recently, an Indian couple celebrated their wedding onboard.
For the food connoisseurs, of course, renowned Australian chef Mark Best, founder and creative inspiration behind Genting Dream’s ‘Bistro’ Restaurant serves menus featuring contemporary Western cuisine ranging from Australian beef, lamb, river fish and the freshest seafood. The 219-seat ‘Bistro’, which includes a 54-seat ‘Grill’ outdoor seating area and a private select 8-seat Chef’s Table, serves a variety of Chef Best’s inspired Western dishes, together with the finest selection of wines.
Kids and their mommies
With babysitting operations at Little Pandas clubs, the adults in the family can indulge in an immersive retailtainment environment with over 1,100 sq m of retail space for duty free shopping, will delight guests with the impressive array of leading luxury-brands and knowledgeable service in a range of products, including fashion, watches, jewellery and cosmetics (BVLGARI, Mikimoto, Swarovski to Tissot and Chivas) personalised shopping experiences include special trunk shows, personal shopper and in-cabin service.
Eat repeat
I remembered what Meg, my local guide at Hong Kong city had told me before I embarked the cruise liner. “When you go on the ship, enjoy sunrises, sunsets and starry nights. Listen to music and watch the waves. Eat, drink, dance, lose yourself while on the move.” Thanks Meg, that was pretty close to what my favourite travel book Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is all about. Whether you win one million HK dollars at the casino or lose yourself to find yourself, all’s fair in love, war and on a luxury cruise ship.
Details: info.dreamcruiseline.com Cost: Starts at Rs 26,000 per person for a 2N/1D weekend trip from Hong Kong to back.