Marina Bay Cruise Centre managing peak season arrivalsMarina Bay Cruise Centre managing peak season arrivals

'The three ships will be bringing more than 17,900 passengers to Singapore,' said Norma de la Fuente head of marketing and business development at MBCCS ahead of the ships’ arrival.

'We are working with all stakeholders to ensure the best passenger experience and smooth operations on the day.  We will be assigning more manpower and putting up signage to help achieve an easy flow of passengers and crew.'

A week earlier there was reported delays of about an hour for passengers boarding Genting Dream, which has a capacity of up to 3,350 passengers, and had recently began its extended homeport season in Singapore.

On November 26, operations went without a hitch despite the record passenger numbers as SCN can testify: Passengers were ushered smoothly from station to station for necessary documents such as visa forms. Many were ostensibly first-time cruisers. Besides English, terminal ushers spoke various Asian languages such as Bahasa Indonesia to help guide guests ahead of boarding Genting Dream.

The S$500m terminal which received its first ship, Voyager of the Seas, on May 26, 2012, has more than a five-year track record now.

Last year Singapore’s cruise passenger throughput grew 16% to about 1.2m.