Gong Cha and more: What to expect aboard the Majestic Princess cruise

Introducing Majestic Princess, the newest ship to join the Princess Cruises fleet.

In the words of Farriek Tawfik, Director of Southeast Asia for Princess Cruises, Majestic is the "most stylish, and most luxurious flagship in our fleet."

She recently made her maiden call to Singapore, docking at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre this past Sunday and marking the completion of her 28-day voyage which started in Rome on 21 May.

As more than 3,000 guests alighted in Singapore, another new batch of 3,000-odd embarked.

Now, Majestic Princess is headed for Shanghai, with eight stops along the way including Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yokohama, Osaka and Incheon (Seoul).

Wonder what it's like to set sail on this 143,000-tonne luxury ship that boasts a towering 19 decks?

Here are some of the highlights when we took a tour of the ship:

The SeaWalk

The first of its kind at sea, the SeaWalk is a dramatic over-the-ocean glass walkway on board the ship.

Although the walkway is beautiful architectural feat, it can also be quite scary for those afraid of heights.

After all, you'll be looking down at the ocean from 39 metres above, and because it's transparent, it may feel like you're floating mid-air over the waves. 

Nevertheless, it remains a must-try experience for many guests when they step on board the Majestic Princess.

Considering how popular this feature is among guests, it's a good thing they have more than one!

Whether it is because the queue is too long for one or you just want to experience both, there are two glass walkways on board the ship - so you can see rushing water right below your feet on either side of the Majestic Princess.

Gong Cha onboard

If you've been keeping up with the recent bubble tea hullabaloo in Singapore, you'll know that Gong Cha has been temporarily replaced but promised a comeback rivaling Schwarzenegger's Terminator.

So imagine our surprise when we found out that you can sit by the poolside and slurp on your boba till the cows come home.

Until the people at Gong Cha can finalise a date for their return, we'll just have to content ourselves with their competitors and envy those onboard who can indulge in all the milk teas and pearls they like.

Unfortunately though, you'll still have to pay for them.

Piazza Atrium

As the elegant, lively heart of the ship, the Piazza Atrium is the site of several events and activities happening throughout the day and evening.

Featuring a range of restaurants, lounges, shops and services, this gorgeous atrium is always bustling.

Not only is the atrium nice to look at - with its marble steps, golden accents, ponds of water at the foot of the stairs, and twinkling crystal light fixtures that hang from the ceiling - it's also huge at three storeys high.

In fact, Majestic Princess owns the largest atrium among the Princess Cruises fleet; a big heart for a big ship.

A garden in the middle of the sea? 

Nestled within the interior decks of the ship, the Hollywood Conservatory is a feature unique to the Majestic Princess, a relaxing space for passengers to unwind and enjoy the picturesque ocean vistas.

Amidst a garden-like environment and the lilting chirps of birdsong, this area looks like the perfect place for families - parents can sink into plush resort furniture and children can be kept entertained with life-sized chess pieces and Jenga blocks.

The entrance also features a "Wishing Wall", where guests can contribute to a wall mosaic by writing their wishes on the tiles.

Largest duty-free shopping at sea

Other than eating, it's been said that shopping is the second love of every Singaporean.

Well the people over at Princess Cruises have taken heed of that call.

With over 1,100sqm of luxury boutiques, the Majestic Princess has the largest duty-free shopping onboard any cruise ship.

With big names like Bvlgari, Cartier and Chopard gracing the glitzy atrium, the tai tai in you will be able to shop (or at least window-shop) your heart out without ever stepping off the ship.

What's upcoming 

Want to know when to catch this ultimate cruise experience? 

Majestic Princess will offer two new 14-Day Grand Asia voyages sailing from Shanghai to Singapore on February 25, 2018 and Singapore to Shanghai on March 11, 2018. 

ljoey@sph.com.sg

thanhb@sph.com.sg