Day 3 in Singapore and today it was my turn to visit Universal Studios, Singapore – a theme park located on Sentosa Island.
A brief history of Universal Studios – USS or Universal Studios, Singapore is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island. The park opened on 18th February 2010 and is a one-of-its-kind theme park in Asia. It is open from 10 AM – 7 PM on all days. It is roughly 25 kms from Changi Airport, Singapore.
The theme park is divided into 7 sections or themed zones as they are commonly called surrounding a lagoon-
- Hollywood
- Madagascar
- Far Far Away
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park
- Ancient Egypt
- Sci-fi City and
- New York
Each zone in Universal Studios, Singapore is based on a blockbuster movie or a television show and features unique attractions, character appearances, dining, and shopping areas. In all, the Universal Studios, Singapore has over 30 restaurants and food carts. Dining outlets that are certified “Halal” are clearly marked with the “Halal” logo.
I won’t go into the details of all the 7 zones however, I will mention the activities and rides I indulged in during my stay at Universal Studios, Singapore.
I started with the Hollywood zone and there’s was nothing much here except the Hollywood setting. The minions retail outlet was a good experience with a lot of minions merchandise. Kids are surely going to have a great time here. There’s also a magical mirror section here that makes you look fat, slim, tall, short once you stand in front of it.
The first ride I went for was Madagascar: A Crate Adventure. It’s a water boat ride with state-of-the-art animatronics, digital projection and surround sound housed within the hull of a displaced cargo ship. The ride was truly amazing and you can expect to get a little wet (very little in fact) but overall I would rate the ride as 5/5. There’s a surprise at the end which I would want you guys to check it out for yourselves.
Other than the water ride, there’s a King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round, Penguin Mercantile – a retail outlet, Marty’s Casa Del Wild Food Court and Gloria’s Snack Shack.
Next up is the Far Far Away zone inspired by the hit Shrek franchise. The main attraction is the 40-metre tall Shrek castle which looks amazing from the exterior. Trust me, it is the most beautifully built castle I have ever seen.
I enjoyed 2 of the attractions here. The first one was Shrek 4D adventure which is a stereoscopic show with added physical effects. The show is based on the story of Shrek and his quest to save Princess Fiona. 5/5 stars for this amazing adventure show.
Next in line was the “Donkey Live” show which is a live performance using digital puppetry technology. It features the “Donkey” entertaining and engaging guests in a conversation in an intimate theater setting.
After this comes the most awaited section: The Lost World: Jurassic Park. It consists of the Canopy Flyer – a suspended roller coaster, Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, Waterworld – a live show, Amber Rock Climb and Dino-Soarin’.
The queue for the Rapids Adventure was too big but was moving fast. I stood in the queue and by the time my turn came, the weather thought to play spoilsport. It started to thunder accompanied by lightning and as a safety measure, all the outdoor rides in the park were suspended until the rains stopped.
Dejected, I went to the next section – Ancient Egypt. The Ancient Egypt zone consists of Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride – an enclosed roller coaster in complete darkness, Treasure Hunters and a couple of F&B outlets. The Revenge of the Mummy ride had a wait time of almost 90 mins and I decided to skip it. The Treasure Hunters was closed due to the rains.
Dejected again, I went to the Sci-fi City zone which features the world’s tallest pair of duelling roller coasters Battlestar Galactica Human & Cylon. There’s also a Transformers 3D ride which is again an enclosed ride. The waiting time here too was 70 mins and I thought to have an early lunch and wait for the rains to stop.I went to the Oasis Spice Cafe located in Ancient Egypt.
I went to the Oasis Spice Cafe located in Ancient Egypt which is a “Halal” certified cafe and ordered a meal for two. Though slightly expensive, the food was delicious. Post lunch, I again went to the Lost World zone to see if the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure ride was operational or not only to be returned back with a negative response from the USS staff manning the entrance.
I then quickly had a look at the stage show schedule and there was a Rockafellas show scheduled. Went there, enjoyed the show, took a couple of pics with the cast and then proceeded to the Lights, Camera & Action show by Steven Spielberg. This is one show which you shouldn’t miss when you’re in USS.
The show lasted some 20 mins and as soon as I came out, the rains had reduced and it was time to again head back to the Lost World. Luckily this time, the gates were open and I joined the queue. After standing in the queue for almost 1-1.5 hrs, my turn came and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I wanted to go back and enjoy the ride once again but a quick look at the queue turned me off and I decided to head to the next ride/activity/show.
Our driver was supposed to pick us up at 5 PM and the last ride that I went was the Spaghetti Space Chase. Though a ride meant for the kids, I had a great time here as well.
Before returning back to my hotel, I clicked a few more pics. Took the exit, went to the basement and headed back to my hotel completely satisfied and with some awesome memories of Universal Studios, Singapore.
Will I come back to Universal Studios, Singapore? Well, given a chance I would for sure. It is one hell of a place for kids, men, women, children alike.
Thanks Universal Studios, Singapore for some awesome never-to-forget memories.
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