Christmas came early for 15 families yesterday, when they received the novel gift of staying the night, surrounded by fishes and marine animals, at the S.E.A. Aquarium in Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).

This was the prize for subscribers of The Straits Times who were successful in an ST+ news with benefits contest.

Each winner could take three members of his or her family for the overnight stay, which is part of the aquarium's Christmas celebrations.

To win this Ocean Dreams package, the subscribers had to answer one question: Why do you want to win an Ocean Dreams sleepover?

Businessman Ng Chee Wee, 38, had written: "Conservation workshops at a young age are important for my children, as they need to understand the importance of conserving the environment."

Hence, he was looking forward to the talks on conservation. With him were his wife Cheong Yuen Kuan, 38, and children Ryan Ng Yiheng, nine, and Jake Ng Chongkai, six.

The aquarium is home to 40,000 marine animals from 120 species, which families will learn more about during their stay, which ends after breakfast today.

"Earlier generations have made mistakes in conservation and it's important to educate the current generation and get things right from the start," Mr Ng added.

The package, worth $558, also includes the families getting the rare opportunity to watch the manta rays being fed. They will also be given a farewell breakfast before leaving.

An RWS spokesman said it is planning to create special editions of the package next year for Chinese New Year, World Ocean Day, Halloween and Christmas.

The ST+ news with benefits contest was launched last year and, earlier this month, 50 subscribers won a pair of tickets each to the premiere of the blockbuster movie, Star Wars: The Last Jedi.