One of the world’s major economic hubs, Singapore is a wonderful blend of modernity and a rich colonial legacy. With a stunning skyline, great sightseeing options, luxurious resorts, spectacular nightlife and colonial precincts which are nearly two centuries old, Singapore is an ideal holiday destination for the entire family. Visitors must not miss the many tourist attractions such as the Henderson Waves, the Jurong Bird Park, Universal Studios, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the National Gallery and Sentosa Island. Any visit to Singapore is incomplete without taking in the sights and sounds of its major cultural hubs like Chinatown, Kampong Glam, Little India and Joo Chiat. Food lovers can make their way to Marina Bay Sands, or sample the local cuisine at Chinatown or Little India. Old markets like Bugis and Haji Lane are a bargain–hunter’s delight.

It’s no surprise that Singapore has turned into a major cruise destination, bringing hundreds of thousands of cruise passengers to its two major cruise terminals.

• Marina Bay Cruise Centre: This recently constructed cruise terminal is one of the largest and most modern terminals in Asia. Located on the Marina Bay, the terminal can manage upto 6,800 passengers and docks many of the world’s largest cruiseships.
• Singapore Cruise Centre: This terminal is situated in the heart of the city, and is a very short distance from Sentosa Island. The Singapore Cruise Center was reconstructed in 2012, and now provides state-of-the-art facilities to passengers.

Singapore is the starting point for a large number of international cruises. Singapore cruises cover exotic destinations across Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu), Thailand (Phuket, Bangkok, Ko Samui and Laem Chabang), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang), Cambodia (Sihanoukville), Bali (Indonesia) and Australia (Perth, Hobart, Sydney).

Most of the world’s leading cruise liners operate cruises out of Singapore. Currently Star Cruises is the only cruiseliner that operates year round cruises from Singapore to Thailand and Malaysia. Royal Caribbean has sailings from Singapore for more than seven months in a year between October and May and will soon have year round sailings like Star. Costa & Princess Cruises operates from Singapore during the winter months from November to February. The newest and largest ship to operate from Singapore will be Genting Dream from December onwards. Other popular cruise liners that have one-off sailings or repositioning cruises from Singapore are Celebrity, Seabourn, Azamara Club Cruises, Holland America Line and Silversea.

Star Cruises The Hong Kong based company is the world’s third largest cruise line. Star Cruises focuses largely on Asia, and offer year-round sailings to destinations in the Asia Pacific. Currently, Star Cruises offers cruises from Singapore throughout the year, on the Superstar Gemini. This ship can accommodate over 2,000 passengers and more than 700 crew members. For itinerary and prices, please click here.

Royal Caribbean The Royal Caribbean is the second largest cruise line in the world. For Singapore cruises, it operates two ships – the Voyager of the Seas and the Mariner of the Seas. Both these ships are part of the Mariner class of ships and have a capacity of over 3,000 passengers and more than 1,100 crew members. Singapore cruise packages aboard these ships range from 3 nights to 14 nights, covering important ports-of-call such as Port Klang, Ho Chi Min City, Nha Trang, Penang, Phuket, Hong Kong, Adelaide, Sydney and Hobart. For Voyager of the Seas itinerary and prices, please click here.

For Mariner of the Seas itinerary and prices, please click here.

Costa Cruises This is a Italian family cruise liner with multiple cruise packages from Singapore. The Costa Victoria is the only Sky Class ship owned by Costa Cruises, and can accommodate nearly 2,000 passengers. The ship sails from Singapore between December and March, and covers ports such as Malacca, Penang, Phuket and Langkawi.

For itinerary and starting prices please click here.

Princess Cruises This premium cruiseliner offers Singapore cruise packages aboard the Sapphire Princess. This ship can carry over 2,600 passengers and 1,100 crew members. It sails from Singapore from December to February. Packages include important cities such as Langkawi, Penang, Phuket, Bali, Port Klang, Perth, Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang.

For itinerary and starting prices please click here.

Genting Dream (Dream Cruises) This is probably the newest large cruise line operator in the world. Its flagship, the Genting Dream, focuses on Asia cruises. This is one of the largest and newest cruise ships in the world. With 1,700 staterooms, 35 restaurants and state-of-the-art entertainment facilities, the Genting Dream can hold 3,400 passengers and 2,000 crew members at a time.

Previously a part of Star Cruises, the Genting Dream was launched by Dream Cruises in November 2016. Currently the home ports of the Genting Dream are Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China. However, from December 2017, the ship will also homeport in Singapore. Once Genting Dream homeports in Singapore, it will offer cruise packages ranging from 2 nights to 12 nights, covering various destinations across South East Asia – including Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket, Surabaya and North Bali.

For Genting Dream itinerary and starting prices please click here.

The best way to make the most of a Singapore cruise is to combine it with a land holiday. Plan for three or four extra days in Singapore, either before or after the cruise. If you have booked a cruise package which is not round-trip, it may be more sensible to take a land holiday in Singapore before the cruise. Make sure you do not miss all the sights and sounds of this vibrant city and take home an unforgettable experience.

Author The author is a travel blogger and writes about popular holiday destinations and cruise packages. In this particular article, he talks about Singapore as a travel destination and gives his take on the best Singapore cruise packages.