We did a 3-day Royal Caribbean cruise from Singapore with a stop in Penang, Malaysia. This was my first time cruising in Asia.

Unlike the Caribbean and French Polynesia , most passengers were from Chinese and India. And this reflected well in the activities as well as food choices. The quizzes were geekier, e.g., guess the airport from the codename. Food choices were way more vegetarian friendly including a Jain food counter!

A large, white cruise ship docked in a harbor, featuring multiple decks and lifeboats visible, surrounded by waterfront buildings and a cloudy sky backdrop.
A cruise ship at a port in Singapore, featuring a cloudy sky
A large cruise ship is docked at a port in Singapore, with balconies visible on multiple levels.

Day 1 - Check-in

We arrived at around 3 PM, 90 minutes before the start of the cruise. We know we are late when we saw absolutely no one in the check-in line!

A man in a black suit and hat is playing the piano passionately on a stage with warmly colored lighting

After putting the stuff in our rooms, we decided to check out rock climbing

A rock climbing wall on a cruise ship in Singapore

And then took visit the glass floor.

A person is rock climbing on an artificial wall on a cruise ship, utilizing bright-colored holds against a blue wall background. The setup suggests a recreational activity available on the cruise.

In the evening, we saw a show about Showgirls. Among all its glitter and noise, it left a lot to be desired.

The food choices were impressive. Especially, if you are a vegetarian. This is my fourth cruise, and this is the first time, with tons of vegetarian choices, including eggless pastries!

Day 2 - Penang, Malaysia

The day started with the workout.

A person performs a workout on a cruise ship deck in the morning, with exercise equipment visible. Day 2 in Penang, Malaysia starts with a workout session.

Then we spotted some dolphins from our balcony.

The cruise ship reaches Penang, Malaysia at 3 PM. This is unusual. This was the first time, I have seen such a weird arrival time. And it was indeed terrible. The sun still sets at around 7 PM. The museums close by 6 PM. The market closes by 8 PM. And the tour stops are also done by 9 PM. So, one has to return to the cruise ship by 9 PM as there is absolutely nothing to do on land.

Our arrival was further hampered by the sudden tropical downpour that happened within 30 minutes of our arrival on the island!

We still continued with our plan to visit funicular at Penang Hills. We took a 40 USD taxi to a 40-minute taxi to Penang Hill Station. If you negotiate well, you should pay 30 USD. Further, try to reach as soon as possible as the queue to go to the top becomes long pretty quickly. The standard ticket is 30 Ringgit per person, to save an hour, we took the priority ticket that cost us 80 Ringgit per person instead. The train ride is fun. Try to sit in the front if possible. We missed that while going up. However, we sat in the front while coming down.

A funicular train is shown descending a steep track, surrounded by lush greenery

Atypical of south Indian traditions, The Hindu temple for Lord Murugan was carved elaborately both on the inside and outside.

A Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Murugan features intricate carvings on both the interior and exterior, showcasing its elaborate architectural design.
View from Penang Hill showing a scenic temple surrounded by lush greenery, with a pathway leading through the tranquil landscape.

While returning, we took Bus #204 for 2 Ringgit that eventually stopped at the cruise harbor. However, we decided to get down to Hin Bus Depot to explore the local market. Contrary to what Google Maps say, this market is open only from 11 AM - 5 PM on the weekend and not on the weekdays.

Then we visited Little India, not much to see here this late though.

A wooden jetty extending over water, with wooden structures built on stilts

And Chew Jetty. A jetty is a wooden structure built on shallow lands. And in this case, this belongs to the Chew clan. There wasn’t much to see there at 9 PM either. So, feel free to skip it.

Chew Jetty in Penang, Malaysia, showcasing traditional stilt architecture against a waterfront setting.
A traditional wooden house on stilts overlooks calm waters, situated in a coastal area with a walking path and lush greenery in the surrounding environment.

Back on the cruise ship, we saw a magic show.

A magician on a cruise ship performs a magic show, lifting a girl on stage

Demonstrated Wine Bottle Magic Trick . One can buy these here .

A girl hides in a wooden box during a magic show, performed in a theater setting. The audience's focus is on her disappearing act.

Spoiler: This trick was very similar to how this is done.

Then there was a glass penetration magic trip. Spoiler: This is the secret behind it.

A person in a bright red outfit performs a magic trick on stage, attempting to penetrate a large, impossibly solid glass panel as part of an illusion show.

And there was an awesome demonstration of the assistant’s revenge. Spoiler: This is how it is done.

A magician performs on stage with a wooden box and assistants, demonstrating 'assistant's revenge' in a cruise ship magic show setting.

Day 3

I started the day by riding waves

Followed by Bollywood Dance Lessons

Bollywood dance lessons

And tried our hands at archery

Archery, drawing a bowstring back, with a target in the background during an onboard activity.

Then we participated in some fun quizzes like Treasure Hunt and Guess the Airport.

In the afternoon, we attended the most popular show, Silk Road. I would highly recommend it. Since we don’t have a reservation, we queued up an hour in advance. And there were people who queued up even earlier. I came across an old version of it on YouTube . Ours was a few notches better than this one.

Silkroad show on the cruise

Finally, at night, Effectors was the last show, that we saw. Apart from too much of special effects, there wasn’t much to this show.

A colorful cruise ship performs a vibrant light show on the water, showcasing various special effects

Note

  1. While citizens of India need a visa to visit Malaysia, no visa is required to visit Penang, Malaysia. The 4-day cruise that stops in Thailand as well, however, requires a visa for Thailand. And Royal Caribbean charges a hefty fee if you don’t already have a Thai visa.
  2. Royal Caribbean has extended its American practice of mandatory tipping to Singapore as well. As far as I know, they cannot legally force one to pay it. So, you can ask them to remove/reduce it and they will have to oblige. I believe it is the onus of all cruise passengers to fight against America’s mandatory tipping culture that tries to mask the original cruise fare.
  3. Penang isn’t that great of a stop, feel free to skip and stay inside the cruise ship.
  4. While there were multiple entertainment shows, there wasn’t a comedy show on the ship.
  5. The pools were small and shallow but still pretty good. And were filled with fresh water, not salt water.