Thursday, May 29, 2014

Universal Studios Singapore

I managed to get some tickets from a friend, 4 for $120 such a steal!
So I decided to bring my family there on one of the sundays :D
Yes... a sunday! ikr but that's the only day my family was free...


How to get here
USS is part of Resorts World Sentosa.
By train is the easiest!

Take to HabourFront Station (purple line) and then go to Vivocity.
Go up up up up to the top floor and look out for the Sentosa Express.

If you are using an EZ-Link Card already, just tap at the gantry and hop on the Sentosa Express.
Alight at the very first stop to go to USS.

ALTERNATIVELY.
At Vivocity, go to the ground floor and ask for directions to the Sentosa Walkway.
It's a 500 metre long bridge (I think) where you pay $1 to walk yourself all the way to USS.
Don't worry I tried it myself, took only 10 minutes walking slowly while enjoying the view.

Which day to come



(yikes. Source: http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201312/3831/)

Avoid public holidays at all cost.
Saturdays and Sundays can be crowded, so be the first in line to get in and play!
Weekdays are generally better but can still be crowded

What time to come

Opens at 10am, so come at 9.45am and start queuing at the big gates!
I promise you, coming early would pay off.

I literally ran my family all the way to the transformers ride at 10 am, and then after that to the mummy ride.
Both waiting time showed 05 mins at 10am.
At 10.30am, the waiting time increased to 20mins
At 12pm, the waiting time became 45 mins :O

So when you enter the gates... FOLLOW US SINGAPOREANS AND RUN!
Start running straight and at the T-junction turn right and run all the way! hahaha

Ticket

Get tickets straight from the counter early! (9.30am is a good time)
Each ticket is $74 for an adult which is WAY TO EXPENSIVE in my honest opinion.
I'm not too sure why but if you are coming to Singapore often or have a friend here, ask them to search on the mobile app Carousell for people who have supplies for USS tickets at a cheaper rate of $40 to $50.

What to do

The interactive map can be found here.
When you enter the main gate, be sure to grab the white slips of papers at the front which states all the timings for the shows like monster rock and meet-and-greets

My recommended schedule of playing at USS would be

First hour: rush through all the rides you want to try.
Recommended: Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers Ride, Lost World Rapids Adventure

Rest of the day: Start to plan out which shows and meet-and-greets you want to see, and plan the other rides around them.
Recommended: Monster Rock, Waterworld

Note: I only stayed inside with my family till about 4pm afterwhich we left.

Where to Eat
Since USS is inside Resort World Sentosa, there are other dining places outside of USS where you can have food.

Otherwise, the food court at Lost World is one of the best places to have lunch and get a taste of local cuisines! Though the food is definitely pricey, but the quality of the food isn't bad! :D

Things to Avoid

1) The Sun
needless to say, it's hot in Singapore. But the toilets are really big and it's good to freshen up once in a while

2) Getting thirsty
Lots of water coolers around! DRINK PLEASE

3) Certain Rides
Really, certain rides are NOT WORTH a long wait (long wait = 30 mins and beyond)

One ride I don't get why everyone queues for is the Treasure Hunters at Ancient Egypt.
It's a ride for kids, so its a no thrill ride that just winds about and lets you see ancient animals and stuff idk it was so boring I fell asleep. My parents too

Sesame Spaghetti Space Chase was really cute BUT also not worth a long wait. Really it was a short 2 min round about ride that was only enjoyable because I love Sesame Street so much.
Here's a pic of what goes on inside that ride! Cute right? But not worth a 45 minute wait really. I waited for the queue to disappear so that I only waited 5 minutes for the ride.


Things to do
1) Watch the Street Shows!
There are many shows along New York, of which my favourite was the Rockafellas (B-boy dance crew) and Sesame Street's When I Grow Up!

See how cute Oscar is?

2) Take pictures with the mascots!
The only bad thing is the queue. Bleh. It was so long I didn't bother taking any pictures.
It did not help that due to Singapore's hot weather, the mascots are only out for picture for 10 minutes before they are brought away to change. It's a good thing though, I really would not want any of them to suffer from heat stroke.




3) Take pictures of the beautiful place!
Look carefully around and you'll notice a lot of hidden picture spots, especially in the shops!
Sorry I largely took photos of the Sesame Street ones because I loved it so much AND it was the newest attraction when I went there. So not much pictures of the rest of USS...



That's all for now!
Images are all taken by myself so do not use them without permission please!
I will update with more images and pictures when I go to USS again :D

The beginning of something new

Well well, I realised that it is always the blog of foreigners who travel to other countries that do travel posts.

I WANT TO DO A SINGAPORE TRAVEL BLOG SO THERE

This blog is currently in the making, please do be patient as I slowly set up more and more posts! :D