Recently I went to Clubmed Bintan in Indonesia which is about an hour’s ferry ride away from Singapore (Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal) and I would strongly recommend you to take the Emerald Class (especially on the return journey to Singapore).
If you looked up on the fares on their website, a return trip on Emerald Class is about 50% more than the original price of a ticket. BUT you get lounge service, a (100m) buggy ride to your ship, priority boarding/disembarking and an allocated bigger seat. That’s right, in economy class, your seats are on a first come first serve basis. However, it’s only an hour away… and if that doesn’t bother you.
Like I mentioned before, I find that the return journey on the Emerald Class is definitely well-worth it. I took the ferry back to Singapore on a Sunday afternoon. The crowd at the ferry terminal in Bintan, queuing for immigration with 300 other people was… not fun. With Emerald Class, you do not have to queue for immigration. Instead, you wait comfortably in the lounge whilst the staff gets your passport stamped for you. Easy peasy. Breath.
The lounges on either shores are not fancy (think business class lounges at the airport). They are, for a lack of a better word, segregated room that separates you from the main crowd. There are comfortable seats, biscuits, packet drinks and that’s it. You even have to pay about 30,000IDR for a cup of coffee.
Nevertheless, if priority boarding, allocated seats, private waiting area are a must for you, by all means get the Emerald Class. I enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.
Emerald Lounge – Singapore
Emerald Lounge – Bintan
Oh by the way, if you came this far, I want to tell you that Clubmed Bintan was beautiful. It is worth going.
PS: This post is not sponsored by Bintan Resort Ferries or Clubmed. However, I am more than happy to accept any benefits from them.