Singapore : Universal Studios

it’s not just the thrilling rides, or the accurately designed buildings and sets, or the awesome shows or even the meeting with famous movie characters – it’s me and my four Ks, going to this fun place with abah and umi, and with my two younger sisters. a long-awaited family trip, at last.

universal studios singapore : USS.

 

 

going to USS was so much easier and laid-back since we’re staying INSIDE sentosa island, at one of the five hotels – festive hotel – which is like 5 minutes walk to USS. we could arrive at the entrance by 9am, go back to freshen up by noon, and be back an hour later to rumble again at USS till the park closes at 9pm.

USS is divided into few attractions : hollywood, madagscar, shrek’s far far away, jurassic park, ancient egypt, sci-fi city and new york. a small park, comparatively speaking but still full of fun for everyone.

 

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MADAGASCAR

 

 

attraction

we walked through hollywood section to our first stop – madagascar. line up to take a picture with the four main leads; marty, alex, gloria and melman. if you’re patient enough to wait, the line will be short as the day progresses. by evening, there were hardly anyone there at all!

we missed the penguin singing, so if you go to USS, be sure to check their schedule and be there in time to enjoy the show!

 

 the rides

kiddy rides dominated ‘madagascar’ section. there is ‘the crate ride’ which is like disney’s ‘it’s a small world’ ride. just 8 people in a boat going through diorama picturing scenes from madagascar. totally adorable but the ride is really slow. surely a hit with younger kids. again, be patient – go for other rides first because as evening approaches, there would be hardly any line at this ride.

we went right in the morning, and had to wait a little over 40 minutes for this 15-minute ride!

next, try the merry go round, and choose which character to sit on. even adults can join in! for moms with babies, there are seats on the moving merry-go-round for you to sit, while holding your baby. kazim and i sat on the benches. there are only 2 sets of benches so be quick when it’s your turn to ride!

 

me holding kazim, with my sister syidot; while my youngest sis azot at the back on melman, next to khaleef who’s riding the foosa!

 

* * *

 

FAR FAR AWAY

 

attraction

see the little hut with the crescent moon on the door? that is probably one of the most recognizable toilets in the world! haha. i was so excited seeing the life-size replica of shrek’s humble abode in the swamp. cute!

wish shrek was in though. he’s probably out saving fiona from the fire-breathing dragon…

this section also included the beautiful lord farquad’s castle. as you walk through ‘far far away’, you’d be entertained by soundtracks from shrek, including the quirky song of ‘duloc’.

 

the shows

a must-see : catch the 4D shrek show, please! if you think shrek by itself is funny and entertaining, imagine shrek in 3D AND you get to FEEL the wind when shrek flies on dragon; or FEEL the snoot on your face when donkey sneezes; and FEEL the tickles at the back of your knee during the spider scene!

great, great stuff!

we caught the LAST show of the day, and there’s only ONE other family with us. we practically got the whole theater to ourselves. seronok gile gelak kuat-kuat!

 

 

the rides

if your young ones loved roller coaster, and you’re looking for a mild one, take a ride on the ‘enchanted airline’ which is a short roller coaster ride on a dragon-train. still heart-pumping, but kids-friendly.

enter the souvenir shop and you’ll see a small ferris wheel at the back of the shop. again, GO IN THE EVENING and there would be hardly any people lining up. your kids can ride again and again – no waiting!

 

* * *

 

JURASSIC PARK

 

 

attraction and shows

fake rock hills and plenty of greens – that’s the setting for jurassic park. make sure you catch the WATERWORLD show which is an amazing live action-packed show roughly based on kevin costner’s movie ‘waterworld’ – a group of people living on waters in search of dry land. explosions, aeroplanes crashing down, stunt man falling down from 10 m high and so much more. make sure you know the time schedule for the shows!

 

the rides

in jurassic park, there are rides for kiddos and bapak kiddos alike! khaleef enjoyed the ‘dino-soarin’ – an interactive ride where there’s a button to push that would take your ‘ride’ higher, and when you let go, it will drop with a jerk! khaleef had fun ‘navigating’ his pterodactyl!

there were few more adventurous rides like the you’ll-get-wet ‘rapids adventure’ and ‘canopy flyer’ that gave you an air-view of parts of USS.

 

 

* * *

 

ANCIENT EGYPT

 

high and mighty statues of anubis (the human with the head of a cat) guarding the entrance of the rides were quite a sight. there’s even a ‘market of cairo’ – but selling sodas and snacks la, bukan souvenirs from cairo ya!

it was so apt that we reached this section of USS at the peak of noon. in ancient egypyt, at noon, when it’s really scorching hot. memang padan sgt la tu!

 

 

the rides

my sisters and mr. khairul tried the ‘revenge of the mummy’ ride – a roller-coaster that moves at top speed – in the dark! syida and azi said it’s probably better than the usual roller coaster as they cannot see whether the train is about to plunge down or soar up. the unexpected element is the thrill of the ride!

me? of course i didn’t go! i sat outside in the heat with the three boys; waiting for those crazy people to finish up having fun by scaring themselves on a roller coaster ride!

 

* * *

 

SCI-FI CITY

 

 

the rides

there was one for the kiddos n kiddos at heart. a sci-fi version of the revolving-tea-cups ride. funnest when it moved real fast!

mr. khairul tested his metel when he took a brave ride on the incredibly scary-looking roller coaster ride – the galactic bla bla something. haha. there were actually two trains moving together at great speed – red for human, and blue for cylon. my sisters and i totally sat this one out, so mr. khairul went all by himself!

…and survived!

 

 

 

oh, i hate roller coasters! the last crazy one that i went on was the ‘triple looper at sunway which has since been closed after someone fell off it to their death…

 

* * *

 

didn’t we get hungry?

we stopped to eat at ‘the friar’s’ at far far away – munching seafood platter and icy-cold lemon tea. look through your USS map carefully to spot halal foot outlets, which can be easily found inside the USS. i think you can even pack up nasi lemak and egg sandwiches to save some dollars!

make sure you bring a water bottle, because when empty, you can easily fill them up again with all the water coolers found all over the theme park.

for dinner we also at at far far away, this time at a old tavern-like makan place called ‘goldilocks’, serving food like in KFC.

 

abah & umi @ ‘the friar’s’

 

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it was very disappointing that we didn’t see po from kungfu panda, but we met puss in boots! ‘nuff said! he was absolutely adorable and charming!