Around 2,800 Singaporeans aboard the Genting Dream cruise were given the opportunity to vote mid-voyage when the ship made a special detour back to port on Polling Day.
The cruise, which departed from Marina Bay Cruise Centre at 8pm on Friday (2 May), was originally scheduled to come back on Sunday (4 May).
Source: Genting Dream Cruise on Facebook, for illustration purposes only
However, it returned to shore at 7am on Saturday (3 May) to allow Singaporean passengers to fulfil their civic duty.
According to Shin Min Daily News, passengers were seen disembarking early at the terminal, with many heading straight to their constituencies.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
“This is our country — of course, we have to fulfil our civic duty. We’re so happy we can come back to vote,” said 76-year-old Madam Huang, who travelled with her 77-year-old friend, Madam Zhi.
Madam He, 70, shared that she had booked the cruise in March and considered cancelling when Polling Day was announced — until the ship made the special arrangement to return.
“Once I found out the cruise would be returning to let us vote, I decided not to cancel,” she said.
Couple Madam Chen, 63, and Mr Zheng, 72, are regular cruise-goers who woke up at 6am to avoid the crowds at the polling station.
“We’re semi-retired and take cruises monthly,” they shared. “We didn’t expect this trip to coincide with Polling Day, but the cruise arranging for us to return was a special experience.”
Another couple in their 50s mentioned they had taken leave to go on the cruise.
While the voting stop was “a little inconvenient”, they appreciated the effort.
“It might affect foreign guests somewhat, but at least we still get to vote,” they said.
In a notice to passengers, Genting Dream offered S$100 onboard credit per cabin to those who had paid in full as a token gesture to help offset transport costs and show goodwill.
The cruise operator later confirmed that there were over 3,000 passengers on board, with approximately 2,800 being Singapore citizens.
Singaporean passengers who disembarked to vote were given the option to reboard before the gate closed at 5pm.
The cruise will set off again at 6pm and continue its journey, with the scheduled return at noon on Sunday remaining unchanged.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and TravelAge West.