A world of fantasy, dressing up and pretending to be a fictional character (usually a sci-fi, comic book, or anime character is coming onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas next January, when it plays host to Asia’s first cosplay festival at sea. Organised by The Singapore Cosplay Club to celebrate its 15th birthday, “COSFEST SEA: The Rising Tide” is a special 3-night weekend cruise from January 8 to 11 from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang). It features the region’s top cosplayers for the championship and exciting cosplay entertainment and activities, which is expected to draw hundreds of cosplay fans from around the region.
Stephanie Loh, President of The Singapore Cosplay Club said, "COSFEST SEA: The Rising Tide is the start of a brave new adventure for us at the Singapore Cosplay Club and COSFEST! We aim to be the most fun and exciting cosplay-themed cruise in the world!"
The biggest highlight of this theme cruise is the Asia Cosplay Meet Championship which will feature three contestants from eight countries and territories namely China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand vying for the top spot. This will be open for public viewing for all the guests onboard to catch the action. There is also a special preview before the competition begins. More details on the contestants will be unveiled at a later stage.
Onboard, the cosplayers will also have chances to mingle with one another and discover about different cosplay cultures. As for the guests, they are welcome to join in the mood in their own cosplay outfits. Moreover, they can even get up close and personal encounters with celebrity cosplayers such as Neneko from Taiwan who will be onboard to offer photo opportunities and autograph sessions.
Other activity highlights open to public include:
Cosplay Parade
The cosplayers will be dressed up as popular Anime characters parading down the Royal Promenade.
Cosplay Café
The guests can enjoy drinks there where many characters will appear to serve them delectable cafe treats.
Costume Dressing Session
Popular character costumes will be available for guests to dress up their children for photo taking.
Photo Opportunities
The contestants will be spontaneously appearing throughout the ship dressed in different costumes'
The theme cruise packages are now on sale at the Singapore Cosplay Club’s website. The Interior Stateroom package goes for SGD 460 (including taxes of SGD 131) and the Balcony Stateroom package is at SGD 633 (including taxes of SGD 131). Customers who purchase these packages will be entitled to a specially designed COSFEST SEA souvenir and specially allocated seating at the Cosplay Café. They will also be granted special access to events such as the Private Cosplay Photoshoot and Sounds of Cosfest Singing Party.
