Border Crossing into Singapore 跨境进入新加坡
March 3, 2026
Instead of flying directly from Shanghai to Singapore to start our cruise, we decided to add a little adventure to the beginning of the trip. We first flew to Kuala Lumpur and then took the train south to the border town of Johor Bahru. Normally we prefer to arrive at the embarkation port a day in advance, but rather than crossing immediately into Singapore, we stayed overnight in Johor Bahru, where hotels and food are significantly cheaper.
This morning we took a Grab to JB Sentral to catch the shuttle train to Woodlands Station in Singapore. In the past, we had crossed the border from Laos into China by train, which took nearly two hours and required us to get on and off the train twice with all of our luggage. The process was inefficient and not a pleasant memory, so we were a little anxious about how this crossing would go.
About 30 minutes before departure, the gate opened and passengers checked in using their passports. We then quickly cleared Malaysian immigration and customs. Five minutes before departure, we boarded the train. The train slowly crossed the Johor Strait, and just five minutes later we arrived at the Woodlands checkpoint in Singapore. Passing through Singapore immigration and customs was also quick and smooth.
Overall, the entire experience was efficient and uneventful—a pleasant surprise compared with our previous border crossing.
Afterward, we called a Grab to take us to the cruise terminal to board our 10-day voyage through the South China Sea.
By this point, we had already spent nearly 100 days sailing with Crystal Cruises. The ship felt familiar, and we even recognized some of the crew members. In many ways, it felt like returning to a home away from home.
2026年3月3日
原本我们可以从上海直接飞到新加坡登船开启邮轮之旅，但这次我们特意给旅程增加了一点小小的冒险。我们先飞到吉隆坡，玩了几天，然后乘坐火车南下到边境城市新山（Johor Bahru）。通常我们都会提前一天抵达登船港口，但这次没有直接进入新加坡，而是在新山住了一晚。这里的酒店和餐饮价格都比新加坡便宜得多。
今天早上我们叫了一辆 Grab 前往 JB Sentral，乘坐开往新加坡兀兰（Woodlands）车站的跨境接驳火车。以前我们曾从老挝坐火车进入中国，那次过境花了将近两个小时，还需要带着行李两次上下车，整个过程既低效又令人印象不佳。因此这次过境前我们多少有点担心，尤其是因为中东地区开战，这里的就闻报到说新加坡收紧边境检查，从JB进入新加坡要排队。
在列车发车前约30分钟，闸门打开，乘客凭护照办理登车手续。随后我们很快就通过了马来西亚一侧的移民和海关检查。发车前5分钟开始登车。列车缓缓驶过柔佛海峡，大约5分钟后就抵达了新加坡兀兰关卡。入境新加坡的移民和海关手续同样非常快捷顺利。整个过程高效顺畅，与我们之前的边境经历形成了鲜明对比。
之后我们叫了一辆 Grab 前往邮轮码头，登上即将展开为期10天的南中国海航线。
到这个时候，我们在水晶邮轮（Crystal Cruises）上累计已经航行了将近100天。船上的环境对我们来说已经非常熟悉。某种意义上，这艘船就像是远方的另一个家。