Travel Feature: Simply Stunning Singapore - Day 3 @ Universal Studio

Today's continuation from my last commentary of our Singapore Travel Adventure brings us to the most sensory overloading and adrenaline pumping place in Singapore - Universal Studios Singapore. Universal Studios Singapore is located in Resort's World Sentosa, just a few minutes away from Clarke Quay. This was actually one of the places we were looking forward to visit because of all the hyped up stories about the four must ride roller coaster experience we should experience there.

The moment we arrived in Singapore we immediately went online to check on the best time and day to go visit Universal Studios. We found that since we were going to hit it on the weekend, and a holiday weekend during the time of our visit we had to be in Resort's World Sentosa to buy the tickets as early at 8:30am and immediately fall in line cause it could get pretty long if we dared came late. Gates open at roughly around 10am but those who want the hassle free joys of not having to fall in line can pay an additional SGD 50 for the Express pass on top of the SGD 74 for the all day entrance pass. There are also other options such as an annual pass which gives you access to Universal Studios Singapore for the whole year round.

The Universal Studio Singapore's Day Pass and Map

It was a sight to see a train that goes directly to Resort's World Sentosa and how it runs over the Universal Studio Singapore entrance

At ten in the morning and already you can see people lining up. Here you can also see the day's Mascot who happens to be Kung Fu Panda.

At the entrance there are attendants ready and willing to assist you with your tickets to ensure that there are no hassles upon entry. A chosen mascot is also there at the entrance ready to meet, greet and entertain the Universal Studio Guests. For us though we had an agenda in mind and basically wanted to avoid the potential long lines of the crowd once the gates open for the rides. So once the gates were opened we immediately rushed to the first of our ride choices.

Our first ride choice at Universal Studios Singapore was the well advertised and highly recommended ride called Transformers. This ride is found at the sci-fi part of the park and is basically a feature attraction just for Universal Studios Singapore. The roller coaster ride isn't like your typical ride that most theme parks offer because it combines the roller coaster experience and 4D action film presentation. 4D meaning that you can feel, smell and more making the riders even more engaged in the  robotic adventure experience that the characters of the popular Transformers movie had.  With 3D glasses on we were treated to a scream fest of a ride with the first dosage of adrenaline pumping through our bodies as the freakishly realistic ride took us from one battle scene to the next surviving each moment with just a seemingly narrow means of escape. The finale is something I wont be disclosing as it is definitely something you should experience for yourself. Outside catching our breath we had our photo ops with the many Transformer figures especially with our favorite Lovable Bumble Bee.

Our second ride actually comprised to sets to choose from - Humans and Cylons. Yup this was the most breath-taking gravity defying ride of Universal Studios Singapore - Battlestar Galactica. Here you would be choosing which side of fate you would be going with, in our case since we were such adrenaline addicts picked both and to make matters worse we somehow picked the wickedest ride first - Cylons. Prior to riding the Battlestar Galactica rides you would have to either leave your belongings that would come loose from being flung 360 degrees and back in a locker you can rent beside the ride which is free for 30 min or with your more cowardly but smart friend who chose to keep his or her feet solidly on the ground. The Cylon ride was by far the most wildest ride in Universal Studios because you are literally left with your legs hanging as you are shot through what I think was a 1 minute and something stomach churning ride that includes what seemed to be a 14 storey straight drop. Be mindful of your head and neck by working hard in keeping it leaned against the head rest otherwise suffer the neck pains of whiplash I felt as I finally got off the ride. It was only natural to see everyone walking sideways and staggering like drunks, some quickly dashing for the toilet that seemed miles away to unload what was left in the bowels of their stomach. We however dizzy and disoriented we may have felt from that ride rushed over to sign up for the Humans part of the ride. Though unlike the Cylons side which left our feet hanging, the Human side had us in a more normal seated position but still left us screaming till were breathless with every turn and churn.

It was here we decided to take one minute to literally get reoriented with mother earth right after the Battlestar Galactica Series. Makes me wonder what fighter pilots have to through as training just to get used to all that G - Force. But one minute was all that we gave as the rest of the gang rushed us over to the next ride which would more or less turn everyone inside out - actually more rather than less. The ride that I am talking about here is The Revenge of the Mummy Ride. As disoriented as a lot of us already were from the three rides that just squeezed every ounce of our adrenaline and sweat from our body we braved through the seemingly dizzying maze of an entrance all the way to the ride. When we got on the initial impression we had was we had time to breath on this ride because it was seemingly a lot easier and lighter of a ride compared to all the rest. But that was the biggest mistake we ever made - once we hit what seemed like a dead end part of where the Mummy unleashes his curse our ride get pulled backwards, turned and rocketed into what I would describe as a dizzying myriad of darkness and sudden flashes of monstrous images and darkness. Our poor minds and bodies confused and dazed all at once. Those who were screaming suddenly fell silent as many started to feel this morning's meal wanting to say hello at a rather inappropriate moment. Time felt so slow for all us as we prayed for the ride to end as quickly as we got on it. By the time we reached the end it was a mad dash for the toilet. After we had expunged our early morning's blessings we decided to have a picture with the monolith guards and costumed characters that were aptly dressed up to look like Gods and Guardians of the Mummy. It was then we laughed at the thought that, the effect we felt in our stomach that caused us to belt our insides out was the Mummy's Curse. Given the circumstances of how we rushed from one ride to the other it was quite highly likely that we would have ended up hugging the sink, but fun nonetheless.

With everything we ate gone and our bodies exhausted from an over dose of panic we decided to take our lunch in the many shops found in the Hollywood side of Universal Studios. The food is good but I wouldn't say great either but the ambiance was a real plus as it really gave that vibe of being in a Hollywood set. We were happily greeted by our favorite childhood characters from Sesame Street and were treated to a Street dance number by the Street Boys who showed of their dancing acrobatic talents to everyone that was gathered to watch them perform.

Pinoy Pride - Street Boys Performing at Universal Studio Singapore

After we had all recovered from our rather seemingly mindless greed to get to all the top rides we decided to get on a couple more renowned ones. The next ride took us to the Jungle part of Universal Studios and followed the path to what was known as Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park was going to be a river raft ride that was sure to get people wet and in a lot of cases rather soaked. It would be best to be ready to keep your stuff safe from any splash and for SGD3 you can get a rain coat to provide some protection from the cold wet outcome. The Jurassic Park Ride is a spiraling water adventure ride that takes you through many dinosaur sites and the Movie's Disaster Area where the biggest badest Dinosaur shall be waiting to pounce on its unsuspecting victims. Expect a big splash down towards the end. There are also water gun stations for onlookers to use to wet whoever is left that didn't get drenched more like a revenge post for those that took the ride earlier and got a good soaking. I forgot to mention that in every rides starting from the transformers, are hidden cameras ready to take that rather awkward shot of you screaming in panic at every turn, so do try to do your best to give a smile or two every now and then.

The next thing on our agenda after getting drenched was Shrek's kingdom which showcased a 4D cinematic experience. This gave us a moment to rest up and dry up. I won't divulge much as to what you would be experience in the Shrek Movie as not to spoil the surprise and fun for you, but I can guarantee that like us we were all caught off guard by the experience causing us to have shall we say a rather emotional and physical response towards the movie unlike in any other movie we have ever watched.

Our last ride was the water boat ride of the animation group Madagascar. It was pretty much a kiddie ride that was quite pleasant, fun and relaxing for everyone in the family. I guess if this was a show it would be rated G as a ride, but it has an ending that I am sure will leave you with your mouth open in panic - a surprise I won't spoil for you either.

There were many other things to see after our rides such as Monster Shows and more, but we were all pooped out for the day and wanted to simply rest before our planned group dinner at our good friend's home in River Valley Close.

Here's the rest of what we saw at Universal Studio Singapore:

At the end of the day we just hopped off to Resort's World for a full on snack which felt like dinner at Chili's in Resort's world, but not before we had our pictures taken first with the ever popular Universal Studios signature globe for all of our timeline as evidence of our presence there.

Overall, Universal Studios Singapore delivered top class entertainment which can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike, though from my observation more of the adults hehe. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to everyone that would pay a visit to Singapore. I have to admit it is because of this and many more that one can say one weekend in Singapore wouldn't be enough. In the next article I would be talking more of the ever growing popular tourist spot and Singapore's architectural pride - Marina Bay Sands and of course Gardens by the Bay.

Till Next Time...

-Metz-