Countdown at Leisure World Cruise

Twelve of us decided to spend our countdown at Leisure World Cruise.


We gathered at Tanah Merah MRT at around 5pm and then proceed to take bus 35 to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. As expected, the bus frequency wasn’t really good (around 30 mins / bus). Thankfully, we knew it in advance and had some buffer. We reached the terminal at 5.45pm.

It was my first time at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. I never knew that it’s also part of Singapore Cruise Center! The look and feel is really similar with the one at Harbourfront. We went directly to the New Century counter, made payment ($42 each) and got our ticket the next ferry at 6.30pm.

The Tour Counter at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal

I didn’t do much research before the journey (thanks to all the reliable friends I can count on), so I have no clue on how long will it take to go from Singapore to the cruise. I thought it’s a matter of 10 mins ferry, but I was wrong T_T. It was actually a 45 mins ferry from Singapore to Nonsapura Jetty (a location in Batam. Initially I thought the name was a short form of “Not Singapore Jetty”), and then we changed to a bigger ferry, which sent us to Leisure World Cruise (approx. 25 mins). Haven’t been in small ferry for a while, I felt a bit sea sick, but it was ok once we started to chat.

We reached the cruise at around 8.00pm, and then proceed to Level 5 to get our Cabins (3 cabins at $80 each). For a half-decade ship, the ship condition was pretty good. We put our stuff at cabin (which was super mini size), and then went to Starlight for dinner at 8.30pm.

Leisure World Cruise! - Lobby Area (Level 5)

Startlight Restaurant - Dinner

 The impression was quite good, until after another hour and we started to feel it… there is no fresh air in the ship. The air con was blowing so hard and it actually made the air damp. The biggest complain was the smell of cigarettes in the air. People just smoked non-stop there.

After dinner, we toured around the ship, and then went back for supper XD After supper; we went to Paradise Lounge for a countdown, but can’t help to stay there for more than 20 mins, thanks to the suffocating smokes. Finally, we went out to the deck to get some fresh air, and celebrating countdown over some “Fireworks” from other ships.

A big "sweat" for the performance at Paradise Lounge ^^;

The live screen of the Paradise Lounge Countdown

Outside the deck - Taken in 2011!

In the deck - Taken in 2012!

After countdown, none of us felt like sleeping, so we went to get some tea, as well as started with our board games. Time passed quickly, and it was soon 3AM in the morning. Fendi, Boly, Fidel, and Endy decided to stay throughout the night to watch Sun rise. I was less adventurous and decided to go to dreamland.

Board Games Time!

I woke up at around 8am. Surprisingly, I was the first one awake. My cabin mate – Inche and Jess are still soundly asleep, and I didn’t have the heart to wake them up. I washed my face, changed, then went out to the only familiar destination – restaurant! :p I was glad to find some of our friends there, and then joined them for breakfast.

Soto for Breakfast!

After breakfast, we toured around the ship for morning scenery, as well as passed through the Casino (which was the highlight of the ship). The casino was not that big, but the bets certainly are. The smallest amount to bet is SGD 50!! The casino is crowded 24 / 7.

Morning View from the ship

Lido Casino - The biggest Casino in the ship

After a quick tour, we went back to cabins and got ready to check out. We managed to finish couple of rounds of board games, before finally checked out and went for lunch. We took the 2.45pm ferry and reached back Singapore at around 4.30pm. 

Cabin Casino - Our very own game place!

Liong Tofu for lunch!

Overall, it was a nice experience =D Quite value for money, too. It’s only $60 for the ferry, food, and cabins (gym, KTV are also available, but we didn’t manage to try it out). No additional charge for New Year eve. They also have mini market with reasonable prices (e.g. a pack of Doritos for $3.8), as well as Internet service ($2 / hour). For us, the highlight in the ship was definitely the food :P We had dinner, supper, breakfast, and lunch, all within the less than 24 hours we were there in the ship.

Yet, the experience would have been much better if it’s a free smoking cruise. I washed my hair twice and the smokes stink still remain! =(

That’s for my not so typical countdown! =)
ED