Before the world shut down for the Covid-19 Global Pandemic I had the opportunity to visit a small portion of southeast Asia. I went on a five day Royal Caribbean cruise onboard the futuristic Quantum of the Seas. We left Kansas City off on a flight to connect in Denver then over to San Francisco. From San Francisco we had a very brief layover to connect on our final Flight to Singapore. Fast forward 16 or so hours and we finally landed in Singapore. While we should have booked a cab or some direct form of transportation to our hotel, we decided to live on the wild side and take the subway. I would have to say I am impressed with the subway system in Singapore. It was very clean and very easy system to use. However I should have read the map a little better and we ended up getting off at a station that was still over a mile to our hotel. We had a full day previous to our cruise we got to visit China Town which was awesome.

On Monday we had a private vehicle pick us up at the hotel and take us to Marina Bay Cruise Centre. Once at the Cruise terminal we quickly made our way through security and before we knew it we were on board the gorgeous Quantum of the Seas. For this cruise we were assigned a balcony stateroom just over the lifeboats. Good news is they did not necessarily impede our view of the exciting ports we were about the visit.

Our first port of Call was Port Klang in Malaysia. This port Services the capital city of Kuala Lampur. While in Kuala Lampur we pre-booked our excursion to visit the Batu Caves, Stop by The Petronas Towers, and finish the afternoon at the KL Tower to have lunch. Early that morning we got to the Batu Caves. After climbing the stairs we got inside the caves where we got to witness a Hindu Ceremony in progress at the temple. My word of advise while visiting the Batu Caves is to watch any food and loose items as the Monkeys may take a liking to whatever small item. Next we drove for about a half hour to downtown Kuala Lampur to visit the Petronas Towers. As a child growing up I was always intrigued by the ingenuity of these towers. These towers were funded and constructed by two different construction firms from two different countries. After stopping for pictures we then headed to have lunch at the KL Tower. Lunch was provided while we had a fantastic view of the city.

The next day we stopped in Penang, Malaysia. This city we had a full day lined up. We started off on a tour of Penang Hill to start our day. We got to ride the Penang Hill Railway which carried us to the top of the 2,733 foot hill. From the top we had amazing views over the city below. From this point, on a clear day you can easily see the cruise ships that are docked. There are several stops along the way in which you have the ability to take some amazing pictures. Also at the top there is a Mosque, a Hindu Temple, and a Buddhist Temple. These are all worth visiting while you are there. After leaving here we went to Kek Lok Si featuring 10,000 Buddhist Statutes. One key design at the top is a 120 foot tall statue of Guanyin which stands the same height at Christ the Redeemer in Brazil. I had the chance to immerse myself in the local life by going down to the Jetty. I stopped and checked out many of the different shops ranging from a variety of food and small and large trinkets. After spending the afternoon down at the Jetty I walked my way back to where Quantum of the Seas was docked.

In the morning we woke up to the sun rising over Phuket, Thailand. This is one morning I won’t forget as I walk out onto the deck of our stateroom and just admire the view before me. This is a memory that I will keep with me forever. But I had a full day ahead so I better make sure that I have some food before starting such adventures that lay before me. This day was going to be one of my young son’s memories. This is the day we got the chance to spend time with elephants. In Phuket there is no dock for the ship to moor to, so instead we had to run tenders to a shallow dock to be able to go inland. We met with the rest of our group and we were whisked away to a Cashew Nut Factory. Here they gave us a brief tour of the facility and got the opportunity go purchase some cashews. After here we then proceeded on to the Green Elephant Sanctuary Park. Here is where we got to feed and bath the elephants. This was an incredible experience and to see the sheer joy on my sons face made this moment that much more magical. The afternoon we got to spend on a motor couch taking a tour of the area and listened to our tour guide recount the events of the 2004 Tsunami that devastated the Island. The fact that they have survived so much is truly incredible. We slowly made our way back to our ship. This unfortunately was going to be our last day stop before a day at sea before returning to Singapore.

The next day we got to relax as it was a sea day. My favorite thing about sea days is you don’t feel rushed to explore the ship. I spent most of my sea day checking out the sea plex on one of the upper decks. That morning they were setting up an inflatable laser tag arena. Around the ship there were several different activities happening throughout the day. That morning Santa came to visit the ship for the little kids, all while singing Christmas carols. That evening we got to watch the evening show in the 270 theatre. This was definitely a treat for the evening as this is the most technological advanced show I have ever seen. They have 15 large screens on robotic arms that move to what is happening on the stage. Unfortunately this is where the reality of, “this is our final evening onboard'“ sinks in. As we prepare to wind down for the evening we make sure our suitcases are outside the door and ready to go.

In the morning I can see lights in the distance as when we go back to our original sailing port I like to wake up early and watch us pull into port. I notice that the morning is raining and just overcast which is an omen to the day. We head up to Windjammer Café to get our breakfast, which for us would be our final meal onboard the ship. After breakfast we head off the ship and go back through customs to have our passports inspected and welcomed back into Singapore. We decided to live on the more adventurous side and carry off our luggage and head to the subway to make our way to our hotel. We take the subway over to Little India and drop our luggage off at the hotel. We head over to a local mall and kill some time and have lunch. To our surprise they had a fully functional and busy Toy's R Us in the mall which is almost unheard of in the United States. We spend the day walking around Little India and in the evening head back to our hotel to rest up before the big flight back home.

Next Morning we wake up bright and early, grab our suitcases and head to the local subway station for the quick ride to the airport. We check into United airlines at the main terminal and head to our gate. On our way we Grab a quick coffee. Finally we board our flight home.