During the pandemic we’ve seen airlines engage loyal flyers in a variety of ways, giving them more ways to earn and redeem miles. Singapore Airlines has done a great job with this, and has done everything from opening a restaurant on an A380, to offering DIY first class meals at home. Singapore Airlines has now launched its latest initiative along those lines, which sure is creative.
In this post:
Singapore Airlines charters a cruise ship
Singapore Airlines is chartering a cruise exclusively for KrisFlyer members. The two day cruise will be operated by Dream Cruises (specifically, the World Dream ship), and it will operate to & from Singapore on November 17-19, 2021. Here’s the itinerary:
- On Wednesday, November 17, 2021, boarding will start at the Marina Cruise Centre at 2PM, and the ship will depart at 9PM
- On Friday, November 19, 2021, the ship will return at 9AM
KrisFlyer members will be able to redeem miles to book this experience, and enjoy a variety of airline related gifts and experiences:
- Singapore Airlines first & business class amenity kits and sleeper suits will be offered as welcome gifts, along with other SIA and KrisFlyer commemorative items
- Singapore Airlines’ signature satay service will be served upon boarding
- KrisFlyer members will enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the cruise
- Members who book the Palace Deluxe Suites and Palace Suites will enjoy Singapore Airlines’ first class inflight meal on the first night, developed by Georges Blanc
- There will be an onboard grooming workshop, conducted by Singapore Airlines’ cabin crew trainers, as well as a course on how to make Singapore Airlines’ batik roses
- Bingo will be KrisFlyer themed, and participants can earn KrisPay rewards
This chartered cruise is part of a new partnership with Dream Cruises, allowing KrisFlyer members to earn miles on all regular Dream Cruises bookings starting in mid-September 2021. It will also be possible to redeem KrisFlyer miles for cruises, and KrisFlyer members will enjoy further privileges. More details about this should be announced soon.
Here’s how JoAnn Tan, Singapore Airlines’ SVP of Marketing Planning, describes this initiative:
“Over the last two years, KrisFlyer has evolved from an airline loyalty programme to a lifestyle-centric rewards programme. This partnership with Dream Cruises means that we are now able to offer members new experiences even over waters! As KrisFlyer adds new partners to our rewards ecosystem, we will continue to offer our members more accrual and redemption opportunities that are especially relevant to their lifestyle interests and needs.”
How many KrisFlyer miles does the cruise cost?
This special chartered Singapore Airlines cruise can be booked on the KrisFlyer Experiences portal, and reservations are already being accepted.
How many miles are required for this cruise?
- A palace suite for two costs 120,000 KrisFlyer miles
- A balcony stateroom for two costs 50,000 KrisFlyer miles
The redemption costs include all port fees and taxes, but don’t include gratuities, which are SGD 52 per person, and must be paid with a Mastercard. In order to take the cruise, passengers must take a rapid antigen test at the port prior to boarding.
Bottom line
In November, Singapore Airlines will offer a cruise exclusively for KrisFlyer members, and the only way to book is with KrisFlyer miles. The two day cruise will be on the World Dream, and it will even be airline themed, with everything from amenity kits, to signature meals, to grooming classes.
Personally I’m not much of a cruise person, but an airline twist sure does tempt me more.
Do any Singaporean OMAAT readers plan on taking this Singapore Airlines cruise?
Fabulous idea and if Singapore Airlines is doing it,..... Must be a great way to cruise!
Kudos to their Marcom team for thinking out of the box!!
Cruise to no where? How boring!
After cruise or during catch Covid 19. Thanks
Great partnership. The comparison to a budget airline is a ridiculous. Which is pretty obvious if you just look at the photo Lucky included of the Palace Suite.
But yeah, people like to make things up to suit their agendas.
(That said, I do find the prices high as well, but it's up to each person to assess their values. Obviously people have had points for a while, and little to redeem them on, and SQ points expire, so I'm sure will get taken up.)
LOL, you've probably never been on a cruise before so you never have a chance to compare marketing photos vs reality. This is actually a good thing for you, so you can start from Dream Cruise to a much better lines. Cruises is one of the few things that if you drop down, your whole trip will feel miserable.
Unfortunately, the photo you're referring to is a Palace "Deluxe" Suite, which is larger and better...
LOL, you've probably never been on a cruise before so you never have a chance to compare marketing photos vs reality. This is actually a good thing for you, so you can start from Dream Cruise to a much better lines. Cruises is one of the few things that if you drop down, your whole trip will feel miserable.
Unfortunately, the photo you're referring to is a Palace "Deluxe" Suite, which is larger and better than what you can get for 120K Palace Suite. And cruise lines photos make those better than reality hotels photos look amateur. I'd also suggest you go look at suites on luxury lines like Seabourn or Silversea.
And yes, it is all taken up. As Singapore residents are probably frustrated to get stuck on a tiny island with some man made attractions which gets boring if you lived there for a few years. So cruise to nowhere is a good change of pace.
So SQ is chartering Dream Cruises, they've lost their QC department to Covid?
This is just like Seabourn Cruise Line chartering Southwest.
120K per 2 night cruise might be reasonable if you are on Seabourn.
This is no different than paying Flasgship/DeltaOne/Polaris/Mint prices but ended up on Southwest planes.
Unless you are Singaporean or Hokkien or never cruised outside Asia before, avoid this.
Now if SQ dry lease the ship and have the...
So SQ is chartering Dream Cruises, they've lost their QC department to Covid?
This is just like Seabourn Cruise Line chartering Southwest.
120K per 2 night cruise might be reasonable if you are on Seabourn.
This is no different than paying Flasgship/DeltaOne/Polaris/Mint prices but ended up on Southwest planes.
Unless you are Singaporean or Hokkien or never cruised outside Asia before, avoid this.
Now if SQ dry lease the ship and have the entire crew trained and from SQ, that's another story.
So can I just transfer 120K KrisFlyer miles from Chase and get a palace suite?
Yes