Our 2nd day adventure, Universal Studios Singapore!!! ^___^ * all $ are in SGD *
First, we went to the train station to top up our EZLink Card. The minimum top up value is $10. So we all had our own experience of using their top up machines. Singapore’s train station is clean and organized but when you get to the stations where you can transfer to other line, it gets very busy and disturbing.
Directions: from Paya Lebar (green line) station, go down to Outram Park station to transfer to train going to Harbourfont (purple line) station. When you get to Harbourfront, you can reach Sentosa by monorail or by bus. We opted to ride the bus since we will be trying the monorail the next day. We paid $2 for the bus fare, roundtrip.
When we reached Sentosa, I remembered The Venetian in Macau. The first thing I saw was the Casino! Good thing there are maps all over the place so you won’t get lost. We hurriedly went to Universal Studios since it was already 11am. We got our online tickets c/o Kim (but we paid her afterwards, cost $72). It was only by reservation and they control the number of people that goes inside the theme park. The system was good because they can serve their customers well unlike when they accommodate lots of people and they end up not enjoying the park anymore.
Kim showed the tickets to the customer service for validation and then gave us 2 vouchers. 1 is a $5 off to any Meal purchased and $5 off to the USS store.
The first thing we did is to get a map of the park and the show schedules so that we can maximize our stay in USS. And of course, a lot of picture taking in every stop.
We got a tip from our classmate Diane who already went there that we should start touring going to the right side. The Singaporeans have this habit of “Keep Left” even in elevators and queue. So we took her advice and started our day going to the right.
First Stop: Hollywood’s Monster Rock Show
The monsters are singing on stage! And they are all speaking in English. They sang a lot of songs and the popular Nobody by Wonder Girls. The monster Dracula even sang a song in Chinese and it was then we realized that most of the audience were Chinese because a lot of them clapped their hands when he sang the song’s first line.
It was a nice start off point and when we went out, we decided to eat first since it’s already past 12nn. We had our lunch in Mel’s Drive-in Diner, the restaurant right across the monster theater. We claimed our $5 Meal voucher and paid only $3.50 for the meal. One burger meal is $8.50. It’s a bit pricey if you don’t have the vouchers with you. I had chicken burger with fries and drinks.
After lunch, we are back on track. We saw people in costumes and we want to take their pictures as many as we can. If only we can have a photo with every single mascot in the park, that would be so great!
Second Stop: New York’s Lights, Camera, Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg
We got to see how the special effects in movies are done. It was hosted by Steven Spielberg itself. If you want to experience being splashed by water, go on the first line nearest to the props. You’ll definitely get splashed during the effects demo.
When we went out we saw Betty Boop along the way so again, picture picture! ^_^
Third Stop: New York’s Rockafellas Streetboys Show
At first we were just watching these dancers then after a while we realized that one of the members was Chris of Streetboys! The original Streetboys. It was cool seeing them in Singapore! Of course, we were the first ones in the queue after their show to take pictures with them. We were speaking Tagalog when our photos were taken.
Because we loved their show, we wanted to see them perform again so we took note of their schedule. It was only our 3rd stop and we’re already having a lot of fun.
Fourth Stop: Sci-Fi City
We saw the Accelerator ride but we didn’t bother to experience it. It was just like a spinning tea pot similar to Disney’s.
Their best ride which is the Battle Star Galactica: Cyclon and Human roller coaster is temporarily closed. They still don’t know when is the exact date of operation. I hope that when we get back, we can ride on this one.
We saw some characters along the way and of course we had a picture with them.
Fifth Stop: Ancient Egypt’s The Revenge of the Mummy Ride
This ride was the best we had in the park. It has one of the longest queue we saw in the park. Good thing that even though it has a long queue, you’ll just wait 10mins approximate to be able to ride on this.
It was scary at first because I didn’t know that there were Egyptians hiding in the corners. It was like a horror trail inside so all of us were so cautious because someone might scare us while finding our way to the queue.
We were really screaming during the ride. It was fun and we were really laughing on our way out because we thought that this ride is just a normal roller coaster but it was not. This is a must try when you get to USS.
Fifth Stop: The Lost World’s WaterWorld Show
We were just on time without looking on our list of shows. We hurriedly went inside the theater to see the famous WaterWorld show. It was a great show with all the props and light shows. If you also want to experience being splashed with water big time, you may want to sit on the first row of benches. Once the jetski comes out, you’ll definitely be wet because of the water. I liked the airplane scene, everything is amazing. ^_^
We wanted to try the Canopy Flyer but it has a looooonggg queue. We have to wait 50mins for the ride. We decided to come back after we finished everything and try our luck afterwards. So we moved on to the next stop.
Sixth Stop: The Far Far Away’s Shrek 4D Show
I already watched this film in USJ (Universal Studios Japan), however their language is in Japanese. Unlike here in USS, their primary language is in English so we are enjoying everything. I wanted to experience it again especially now that it is in English. Well, as expected the show was awesome! ^_^
It was already late in the afternoon and the sun is so high. It was hot outside so we prioritized the rides/show that has air condition and will not entail exposing ourselves under the sun. So we decided to watch Donkey!
Seventh Stop: The Far Far Away’s Donkey Live Show
I thought that this will be a boring show, but it was not!!! It was really Donkey Live! He was interacting with the audience and I don’t know how they did it. Maybe there’s a hidden camera somewhere and someone’s manipulating Donkey or something. We had a great time even if we don’t know the song that Donkey sang. ^_^
When we got out, we saw Puss in Boots along the way. Their body guards told us that the photo station is near Donkey Live’s entrance so we went back there and took our photos taken. It was the only mascot we had our solo pics taken because majority are in a hurry.
Eight Stop: The Far Far Away’s Enchanted Airways Ride
This was just a mini roller coaster but still we screamed. I don’t know what’s with these rides that make us scream! Hahaha! ^_^ It was just quick but we had fun.
Ninth Stop: Madagascar’s King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round
Early that day, Reg told us that she wanted to try the carousel. So we did. It was just quick but we were like kids having fun.
Then we had our pictures taken with the cast of Madagascar and with the Penguin Mascots. After that, we went back to watch the final show of the Rockafellas Streetboys.
Tenth Stop: New York’s Rockafellas Streetboys the 2nd time
This time, we waited for the streetboys to start their show. We were really infront of the spot waiting for their arrival. We were like fanatics that time. Hahaha!
They were wearing a colorful jerseys so they looked like United Colors of Benetton. ^_^ Also, in this show it was Nicko’s turn to dance but he is wearing shades that’s why he is not easily recognizable at first look. After the show of course we again strike a pose with them. Hahaha!
Since our time is almost done, it’s already 5pm that time and the park closes at 7pm, we tried to roam around the whole park once again and wished our luck with the Canopy Flyer in the Lost World.
Eleventh Stop: The Lost World’s Canopy Flyer Ride
Earlier that day it will take you 50mins before you ride the Canopy, but this time, it will only take us 10mins so we hurriedly went there to experience the ride.
It was a roller coaster but you’re riding in reverse. The rail is on top of your head and your feet are hanging in the air. Again, we thought that this would be a “sight seeing” ride but still it was a bit scary seeing the people down on the ground. It’s similar with the Diavlo ride I rode in Himeji theme park in Japan but a lot lighter.
After that, we were thinking of trying the Jurassic Park ride but we don’t want to get wet that’s why we skipped that. So we went shopping since the shops will close at 7pm. I just got a pin and a magnet for my collection. I also bought a shirt for Andrew. I wanted to buy one but there was no available size for me. By the way, we also saw Kung Fu Panda, Poe along the way. And while Reg and I were shopping inside the store, Kim and Roocie got a picture with Woody Wood Pecker.
Final Stop: Hershey’s Land
The store is located outside the Universal Studios and it was heaven for me and Reg. We both love chocolates so our eyes lit up when we saw a LOT of chocolates inside the store. However, we didn’t get to buy anything since it’s a bit pricey and we remembered that we don’t have any check in baggage so it might be an excess for us.
After the day’s activity, we still wanted to see the “Songs of the Sea” which is also located in Sentosa. We didn’t know how to get there that’s why we didn’t get to watch it. Later in our trip we knew that it is just one monorail ride to the beach where the show is held. Maybe next time we’ll be back, we’ll find time to see the show.
We went back to Vivo City to eat dinner before going home. We had spicy crab, gyoza and fried rice in Asian Kitchen. Then for dessert, the much awaited Ben & Jerry’s ice cream treat for me and Reg. We bought it in Cheers, a store located in a gasoline station near Kim’s place. We bought the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor. Yummy!!! ^_^
We had a great time and we enjoyed every attraction we saw in USS. The next time you visit Singapore, try going to Universal Studios Singapore. ^_^
For a complete IT of Singapore travel, click here: August 2010 Travel: Singapore
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