Precious Memories: Infinity Pool and Sail Away

Infinity Pool and Sailing Away, Singapore -- November 22, 2016

With jet lag in tow, I did not sleep well and got about four hours of sleep only. But, we had our day planned. First thing was to get up early, real early, to go up to the 57th Floor to check out Sky Park and take a dip in the Infinity Pool.

Infinity Pool, MBS

One of the perks in staying at MBS Singapore is to have a chance to swim in the Infinity Pool at the top of the building. Our stay at the hotel was too short that the only time we had was to go up there early in the morning. Also hoping to avoid the crowds at a later time and maybe watching the sunrise up there.

The pool is only for hotel guests use and each guest would need to have his/her own key card to get in, adult or child alike. Outside guests can pay to get up to Sky Park without using the pool though.

The very quiet hallway early in the morning.

Taking the elevator up to 57th floor.

Here it is!

It was a bit windy that morning which made it a little chilly up on the roof.

It started off with only a few people there.

Absolutely stunning!

I believe this is the kids pool.

It was a little wet because it rained the night before.

The lap pool on one side.

Dividers between the regular pool and the lap pool.

A view of Singapore skyline.

This is how the edge actually look like.

It was actually warmer staying in the water.

We stayed up at the pool for about an hour and a half. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and we did not see the sunrise.

Jacuzzi with the garden view.

Entrance to the pool

Elevators to the pool deck.

"Sky" Lounge

View of the gardens from 57th floor.

Marina Bay Cruise Terminal--we were not sailing from there.

Now that we have been to the Infinity pool at MBS, I can check it off my bucket list. I doubt that we will ever pay big bucks to stay here again in the future. I must say that it was a memorable experience that is worth trying at least once in your life time if one can afford it. As for us, we are thankful!

Rise Restaurant, MBS

After washing and changing, we went down to the ground floor for breakfast at the Rise Restaurant. Breakfast was included in our room rates, otherwise it costs $35 per person which, in my opinion, is a bit overpriced. This is a huge restaurant that can serve hundreds of people at a time. With many stations serving a variety of cuisines. It kind of reminded me of the buffet restaurants in Las Vegas.

After a short wait in line we were lead to our table.

These are called "Money Bags".

They also had a noodle station.

Check-out time for the room was before 11:00. After breakfast, we finished packing and checked out with the very efficient staff. The staff here at the hotel were courteous and helpful. At least the ones we encountered.

We walked out to the front of the hotel to the taxi line and once we told the young man in charge that we had five people in our group he got us a van that was waiting at the other side of the line. Very organized. Soon, we were on our way to Harbourfront Cruise Terminal.

Boarding HAL Volendam, once again!

It was an easy drop-off at the curb in front of the terminal. We walked in, handed our luggage to the counter, filled out the health forms and then went upstairs to check-in. There was a line but not too bad. Then we went through security check and then passport check. The line there took longer but still bearable. A passenger behind us who was on B2B cruises said they were told that they did not have to get in line when returning to the ship but in fact they had to. She was quite upset with the long line and the wait which I don't blame her.

Walking towards the gangway to board the ship in this beautiful terminal. Everything looked so familiar. Oh yeah, we were here just a few months ago!

Finally, our cabin 1926 Dolphin deck, port side.

An oceanview cabin.

Mariners Embarkation Lunch was served from noon to 1:30 at the Rotterdam Dining Room on deck 4 and that was where we headed after dropping off our carry-ons. They were kind enough to let SIL and her husband join us even though this was their first cruise with HAL. There were hardly anyone there and it was very quiet. Much nicer than joining the crowds up at the Lido on this first day. It was a simple menu but it worked for us.

Chicken tenders, one of the appetizers.

fruit cup

MOR's entree -- fish skewer and noodle.

My burger and fries.

ChC's steak sandwich.

First of many sundaes on board.

We were tired after lunch so I took a little nap before the muster drill that was held around 3:15. BTW, HAL finally had the scanner to scan our sea passes at the muster station. I was wondering why they were still doing the roll-call in February when other cruise lines already scanning sea passes. Thumbs up, HAL, for catching on.

Harbourfront Cruise Terminal and Vivo Centre.

cable cars above us

retractable dome

Hard Rock Hotel on Santosa Island.

Leaving dock

Notice the background as the ship made the 360 degree turn in port before sailing out.

The whole turn made, now we were ready to sail out.

Good-bye, Singapore!

Sailing off to Koh Samui, Thailand. It was great looking out at MBS when we sailed past that area of the sea.

After sail-away, we found our luggage already inside our cabin but we were so tired that we decided to take our naps before even unpacking. Got up a couple of hours later, unpacked, and then went to dinner.

Dinner menu posted outside Rotterdam.

We had late seating (8:00pm) at the Rotterdam, deck 5, table 51. We found out a couple of cruises ago that late dinner works best for us if the cruise is port intensive. We wouldn't have to rush back or miss our assigned dining time if we are in port late even though we usually like to have early dinner. The disadvantage is that we usually miss the shows in the evening which was no big deal for us.