“AirPhil Express operates a cruise ship now?” I asked when I got invited to experience their new Fly and Sail AdvenTour Package. It turns out that AirPhil Express partnered with Star Cruises to create a unique travel package making a cruise escape more affordable to everyone. The idea of having a cruise seems too luxurious and exclusive for the can-afford or post retirement crowd but it turns out it can be for everyone. Since I haven’t tried a cruise before I was happy to join in. So here’s the start of a 4-day adventure with a bunch of media peeps.
Day 1 of the tour starts with a flight from Manila to Singapore via AirPhil Express. The flight usually leaves in the afternoon around 4:50pm and arrives around 8:00pm. Since it’s a 3 hour flight we made sure we had some snacks at the airport past the immigration. You can bring in snacks on board as long as you buy it from the airport.
We arrived earlier than the expected time by 30 minutes. With an excited bunch and a first timer companion in Singapore, picture taking was an imperative. We found a little time to take some pictures in the aircraft cockpit. Changi Terminal 2 was our airport which I think was a lot convenient than their Budget Terminal. We moved past the immigration and on to our dinner stop in the airport.
On a regular tour, a Singapore Guide would meet the group on the arrival and immediately whisked away to their hotel. But we are a hungry bunch and we had dinner first at Pasta de Waraku, A Japanese Casual Pasta and Cafe Restaurant. Then we moved on to our bus for our ride to our hotel.
Fragrance Hotel was our accommodation for the night. It’s one of the hotel chains in Singapore with numerous locations in the country. Our was at Selegie near Little India. I thought that location was very strategic as it’s near Bugis and the famous Sim Lim gadgets mall. We also made a walk along Little India at midnight for Mustafa’s 24 hours Mall and money exchange.
As for the room, it was small and basic as expected. We had a twin bed room but it had most of the amenities needed like hot shower, complimentary water, Cable TV, cool air-conditioning and most of all comfortable bed. Their Mascot Franz, the bear was there to greet us. I pulled out my Tempur Travel Pillow for additional comfort and slept deeply for a full day ahead.
*This 4-day Fly and Sail AdvenTour was made possible by AirPhil Express
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.