Visiting Universal Studios Singapore with kids is probably on most families’ to-do list when visiting Singapore. Our kids were initiated to these film studio theme park monstrosities last year in Disneyland so knew what to expect. And those expectations were met – we all enjoyed Universal Studios Singapore even more than Disneyland despite visiting on a busy weekend. These would be our tips for other comfort-seeking family visitors:
Universal Studios Singapore: plan your visit
As always, try to visit on a weekday. You can save a few dollars by buying your tickets online, or as part of one of the packages offered by Sentosa. Have a look at the rides online to get an idea on how many your kids can do – many have height restrictions. Get there for opening time and start with the rides high on your list.
Express pass
Go for it if you are visiting on a busy day, have young kids in tow or don’t want to spend a full day in the park. We suddenly got stingy and didn’t buy it despite having had a great experience with the similar pass at Disneyland – and gritted our teeth in the snail-like queues with the pass holders whizzing by. There is really no way to do the park cheaply anyway, so just swallow the price and enjoy the rides.
This rare sight was spotted only in the most uninteresting rides! The most popular ones had waiting times of over 100 minutes in the middle of the day!
Water World
The Water World show was one of the highlights for us. Having said that, I am a staunch critic of violent films and generally a party pooper when it comes to popular culture, sugary snacks and fast food and I have to say the show was pretty violent! There are people falling off boats and from high places, people shooting at each other and trying to explode them. So it may be too much for the young and sensitive kids, but for the others it is a great way to see how films are made without actually hurting anyone!
Transformers! Transformers!
Transformers The Ride: Ultimate 3D Battle is maybe the best ride ever. Refer to my party-pooperness – even I was very impressed. Not for the faint-hearted though!
Not all rides are made equal
Some of the rides, especially those geared towards the youngest visitors are really not that great. If there are absolutely no queues, the kids will love doing all the rides but we thought Madagascar – A Crate Adventure, Donkey Live and Treasure Hunters were really not worth a long wait. I have to note though, that the kids claimed to love all the rides! Even Puss In Boots was a bit of a disappointment with a very short ride time and more effort put into the decoration than the ride itself.
And final tip: there is a Starbucks near the entrance for those in need of a huge ice latte and a moment in an air-conditioned space.
Enjoy your trip! During this trip we stayed at the Shangri-La Singapore, read the review here.
One Response
Some great tips here. Thanks!