SINGAPORE | Disney Adventure Cruise Guide for Pre-Cruise & Post-Cruise Hotels & Tours
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
A Disney Adventure Cruise experience doesn’t begin and end at the cruise ship—it’s the perfect opportunity to explore Singapore before and after your sailing. Cruisers can make their trip more worthwhile with a pre-cruise tour before departure or a post-cruise tour after disembarkation. And Singapore is an ideal destination for both—with its compact size, efficient transport system, and attractions, it’s easy to explore even on a short stay. The area around the cruise port itself is interesting enough. In fact, our family maximized our cruise by exploring Singapore just before boarding the Disney Adventure for its maiden voyage and after the cruise at the Changi Airport—one of the best airports in the world for dining, shopping, and attractions.
| DISNEY ADVENTURE CRUISE GUIDE FOR PRE-CRUISE AND POST-CRUISE HOTEL & TOURS TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE? |
SINGAPORE ARRIVAL
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| SURPRISING KID A WITH A FLIGHT TO SG |
We arrived in Singapore two days before our intended Disney Singapore cruise. We would’ve flown in earlier, but Kid A still has classes—in fact, we fetched him straight after school, and he made it to Singapore still wearing his PE uniform, lol.
This is a surprise trip to our son, Kid A. We didn’t tell him we’re going to Singapore. And once in Singapore, we didn’t tell him we were going on a Disney Adventure Cruise. We can just imagine his surprise!
DISNEY ADVENTURE PRE-CRUISE HOTEL: SWISSOTEL THE STAMFORD
We checked in at the Swissôtel The Stamford—a five-star Singapore hotel near the cruise port—just past midnight, which effectively removed a full day of Singapore exploration from our itinerary. We were a bit envious of some of our friends who arrived early that morning, but you play the cards that you’re dealt with.
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| THE VIEW FROM OUR HOTEL ROOM |
We made up for it by spending an hour on the hotel balcony, enjoying a couple of cans of beer—which we got from Changi Airport’s Lotte Duty Free shop. We bought a few cans there—very cheap too—since you can’t buy beer from convenience stores in Singapore past 10:30 PM. Overlooking Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay, the view from our room’s 35th-floor balcony was simply mesmerizing.
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| LOVELY STAY AT THE SWISSOTEL THE STAMFORD |
Our room itself is modernly decorated, with two queen-sized beds, a corner workstation, and an expansive toilet with a bathtub. But yes, the best part is the balcony—we can actually see the Disney Adventure cruise ship docked at the cruise center from it.
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| SOUTHEAST ASIAN BREAKFAST FOR US |
Swissotel also offers complimentary buffet breakfast, which we feasted on for the next two days. They have three dining halls for breaking the fast—Western fare at the Clove, Southeast Asian halal-certified dishes at the Asian Market Café, and a mix of Western and Asian at the Skai, which is located on the 70th floor making it as Singapore’s highest restaurant.
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| BREAKFAST AT THE 70TH FLOOR |
We chose the Asia Market Café on the first morning and Skai on the second. Both were extremely satisfying, but the view from the latter was an attraction in itself and made having breakfast there much more, ehrm… shall we say, elevated.
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| LUNCH AT THE POOL BAR |
Kid A also got to enjoy the hotel’s kiddie pool while I was away covering the Disney Adventure christening ceremony. But not to miss out, I got to enjoy the pool bar’s lunch offering. A huge plate of mee goreng mamak and a bowl of Singapore laksa.
➤ CHECK SWISSOTEL PRICE & AVAILABILITY HERE!
DISNEY ADVENTURE PRE-CRUISE TOUR: SINGAPORE MARINA BAY & DOWNTOWN CORE WALKING LOOP
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| SINGAPORE’S BOAT QUAY AS SEEN FROM OUR BALCONY |
For our Disney Adventure DIY pre-cruise tour, we decided a walk around the Marina Bay area would suffice. We have explored this part of Singapore before, but we don’t mind doing it again.
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| DOING A DIY WALKING TOUR OF SINGAPORE |
After a hearty breakfast, we went out of the hotel and headed to the Esplanade—Theatres on the Bay. These twin theater and concert halls are nicknamed The Durian due to their oddly textured roofs.
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| THE MERLION AS SEEN FROM THE JUBILEE BRIDGE |
We then took the 220-meter-long Jubilee Bridge, which spans the Singapore River and directly accesses Singapore’s national icon.
We’re talking about the Merlion here, of course. A mythical lion-headed fish represents Singapore’s origin as a fishing village and its original name, Singapora, which means lion city.
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| KID A DOING THE MERLION DRINK, LOL |
Kid A did the usual drinking from the Merlion’s fountain pose; I also forced BG to demo it for him, lol. But he remembered from his first SG trip that there’s a smaller Merlion at the Merlion Park, which is just adjacent to the statue, so he also did a drinking pose there too.
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| CHETTIARS TO FINANCIERS AND 24 HOURS IN SINGAPORE SCULPTURES |
Crossing the pedestrian Anderson Bridge, a National Monument of Singapore built in 2019, we passed the From Chettiars To Financiers bronze sculpture and then the hypnotic stainless steel 24 Hours in Singapore mirror balls sculpture.
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| PLAYING CHESS AT THE ASIAN CIVILIZATION MUSEUM |
We chanced upon a life-sized chessboard on the Asian Civilization Museum’s public lawn. Apparently, they’re having Let’s Play More, an interactive exhibit featuring traditional and contemporary games.
Checkmates!, the larger-than-life playable chess board is a collaboration between two visual artists from Indonesia and India, and you can see their design influences painted on the chess pieces. Chess is Kid A’s latest obsession, and of course, he played a match on it with BG.
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| WE FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE AT THE CAVENAGH BRIDGE, SO HERE’S ANDERSON BRIDGE INSTEAD, LOL |
We recrossed the Singapore River via the older Cavenagh Bridge. Opened in 1869, the cable-stayed bridge is also a National Monument of Singapore. See, we’re really covering ground here!
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| A CLUE! |
As we walked along the riverside, we passed a Disney Cruise standee featuring Donald and Daisy Duck inside the UOB Plaza. And before that, he saw a Moana standee at the hotel and Frozen at the Theatres on the Bay. He asked us if, by some chance, these were clues and we were actually going on a Disney Cruise. We suppressed our smiles; our lips were sealed.
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| PASSING THROUGH BOAT QUAY |
Through the Boat Quay we went next—a strip of restored, colorful shophouses now converted into restaurants, bars, and hostels facing the Singapore River. The historic quay used to be the busiest part of Singapore’s old port.
We have previously stayed here, a prelude to a surprise Kerala trip (another surprise?! Lol), and we know how lively this area transforms during the evenings. It was almost lunchtime when we passed, and the area was starting to get pretty busy.
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| BUMBOATS ALONG THE SINGAPORE RIVER |
Kid A was starting to act up as we exited the Boat Quay and crossed the Elgin Bridge, another bridge designated as a national monument, so we decided to remove the National Gallery of Singapore, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, and CHIJMES from our walking itinerary. It would’ve made a nice loop since they’re right beside our hotel.
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| KID A AND BG AT BUGIS STREET |
Instead, we headed straight to Bugis Street to shop for pasalubong items to bring home—keychains, fridge magnets, cheap chocolates from the Dollar Store, and a few cans of beer for later. We also wanted to eat at the nearby Albert Centre Market & Food Centre hawker stalls, but we have lunch waiting for us at the hotel.
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| TAKING A DOUBLE-DECKER BUS BACK TO THE HOTEL |
We went back to the hotel via a double-decker bus, to Kid A’s total delight.
Our DIY Disney Adventure pre-cruise tour lasted half a day but could be extended to a full day—which can include a visit to Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands Singapore—if not for the cruise christening later that afternoon.
BOARDING THE DISNEY ADVENTURE CRUISE
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| KID A COMES FACE TO FACE WITH THE DISNEY ADVENTURE CRUISE SHIP |
On the third day of our stay, we boarded the Disney Adventure cruise ship and had one of the most fun cruises we’ve had. It was Kid A’s first, and he was vindicated and triumphant that he almost correctly guessed our surprise for him.
You may read our personal experience onboard the ship here: Disney Cruise Adventure Review
And for a comprehensive guide, you may check this: Disney Cruise Adventure Guide
POST-CRUISE TOUR: CHANGI AIRPORT ATTRACTIONS
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| A DISNEY ADVENTURE CRUISE TRAIN AT THE CHANGI AIRPORT |
Our flight back to the Philippines was set on the afternoon of the same day as our Disney Adventure disembarkation. That means the only place we can do a Disney Adventure post-cruise tour is at Changi Airport. But Singapore’s airport is not like any other airport. It is a destination in itself.
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| KID A, MESMERIZED BY THE KINETIC RAIN |
As we were checking our bags, Kid A was totally mesmerized by the Kinetic Rain sculpture at Terminal 1. And upon checking our bags in, we quickly headed to the Jewel Changi. The nature-themed complex features a 40-meter-high Rain Vortex. It is unlike any other indoor water feature you’ve seen.
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| A DISNEY ADVENTURE DISPLAY AT THE JEWEL CHANGI |
We also planned on seeing the Pokémon Center, and we heard the Dreamscape at Terminal 2 was quite interesting, but our time at the airport was limited. We did the next best thing, though; we ate at SG Hawker @ Changi T1, a legit hawker center right inside the Terminal 1 departure hall itself.
PRE-CRUISE OR POST-CRUISE? HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD YOU EXTEND?
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| ICONS OF SINGAPORE |
For practicality’s sake, I find extending your trip before the cruise is better than doing it after. This ensures that you are already in Singapore prior to your cruise. There’s no need to fly to Singapore on the same day of the cruise, lowering the chance of you being unable to board the ship due to unforeseen problems with your flight. Or, if you’re loaded enough, you can also extend your trip before and after!
As for the number of days you should extend in Singapore. That would totally depend on your budget and how deeply you want to explore. Note that on embarkation day, you won’t have any time to explore at all, so do not count that day for sight-seeing. For first-time visitors, three to five days can be enough to see most of the sights in the city. For returning guests, a day or two is probably enough.
➤ SEE: SINGAPORE THREE-DAY ITINERARY
FINAL THOUGHTS
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| THE DISNEY ADVENTURE CRUISE SHIP DOCKED AT THE MARINA CRUISE CENTRE SINGAPORE |
Cruising on the Disney Adventure itself is a joy. But adding a pre-cruise and post-cruise tour of Singapore actually completes the cruise itinerary and experience. Get a hotel located near the cruise port that has interesting spots in the city, and you don’t even need to book a tour and can simply do it DIY-style. Well, like we did!
~ THIS TRIP WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY DISNEY CRUISE LINES. VIEWS & OPINIONS ALL MINE
Disney Adventure Cruise Singapore
Home Port: Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore
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