World Dream Super Seacation Cruise To Nowhere

While the Balcony Stateroom was sufficient to be in for the next 2 nights on board the World Dream, The Palace Upgrade was on offer after walking the gangway on board the ship. Instead of upgrading straightaway, I went to see the Balcony Stateroom first, before heading down to the Reception Counter at Level 6 to enquire more and make my decision.

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The Palace On-Board Upgrade at Reception Counter (Deck 6 FWD)

In my haste and excitement to make my Palace upgrade, I forgot to take a single picture of the Reception Counter throughout the cruise, so please enjoy this older picture which I took on my previous cruise instead with Chinese New Year decorations which are now gone.

This is the list of Palace privileges I can get immediately once I make my Palace upgrade. Doing The Palace upgrade at the very start of the cruise allows me to maximize the value paid for my upgrade.

Excluding the check-in privileges which I didn’t get since I checked in as a normal Balcony Stateroom passenger, here’s what I can get from here on for the next 3 days if I part with some money.

Greeting and welcome drink at Palace Lounge (worth S$13.50 + 18% service charge x 2 persons)
Inclusive set meals at The Palace Restaurant
Complimentary set menu meals in all Specialty Dining Restaurants for lunch and dinner per day (worth up to around S$108 + 18% service charge x 4 meals x 2 persons)
- Silk Road Chinese Restaurant
- Blue Lagoon (please don’t do this – it’s a food court)
- Prime Steakhouse by Mark Best*
- Seafood Grill by Mark Best*
- Umi Uma
- Umi Uma Teppanyaki*
- Umi Uma Korean BBQ
- Hot Pot
  - * indicates my suggestions for a must-try visit
~~Inclusive Premium Beverage Package (worth S$188 x 2 persons)~~ – no longer valid from 3 March 2021
Exclusive daily evening Happy Hour with selected wines, beers, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages – from 3 March 2021
Complimentary in-suite beverages (minibar) (couldn’t be bothered to count the extensive list)
Complimentary in-room bottled water (worth S$2 each)
Complimentary WiFi throughout the cruise (worth S$18 x 2 persons)
24 hours Butler Service within The Palace and dedicated concierge service
Private deck and pool
Complimentary access to Palace Spa including sauna, steam room, and gym (worth S$20 x 2 persons comparing with Crystal Life Spa facilities)
Complimentary group gym classes
Priority booking – food and wine pairing Vintage Room
Selected exclusive kids activities or programs
Priority luggage collection and disembarkation

The Palace On-Board Upgrade at Reception Counter (Deck 6 FWD)

I first requested to view the Palace Suite which I’ll be upgraded to and to hear the sales pitch the crew was giving me. More details on the Palace Suite will be in the next article.

As compared with the Balcony Stateroom, this spacious Palace Suite is definitely and upgrade, not to mention the various additional dining and beverage privileges.

The cost to upgrade from the Balcony Stateroom to the Palace Suite is a very reasonable S$552, which works out to be S$276 per person. By just having 3 meals in a good Specialty Dining Restaurant, the upgrade would have paid for itself already.

Personally, I had already budgeted to go for 1 set meal on the last day at Prime Steakhouse by Mark Best which would have cost S$118 per person already. By paying S$276, I’ll also be getting lots of alcohol, and 3 more specialty set menus, which I would more than break even already, and that’s not even counting other actual Palace privileges.

Heading back to the Reception Counter, I made my payment and signed up for the high life on high seas.

Palace gratuities of S$52 can also be paid immediately at the start of the cruise. This is just S$10 more gratuities (2-night basis) than the Balcony Stateroom, which is totally worth it considering the personalized and premium service you get, and you save on the 18% service charge at Specialty Dining Restaurants since they’re part of the inclusive meals at The Palace.

Following the payment, I handed my humble red cabin access key card over to the front desk staff. During this period, I spoke with my butler on the phone first to pre-arrange certain activities and restaurants which are popularly booked out, and of course to make my immediate lunch reservation.

In exchange, I received my gold The Palace cabin access key card for my luxurious Palace Suite life the next 2 nights. Follow me on my amazing experiences on board The Palace on the World Dream Cruise To Nowhere!

Book your World Dream Super Seacation Cruise To Nowhere here!