Universal Studios Singapore

Universal Studios Singapore is located at the eastern most part of Resorts World Sentosa. Here you can find a total of 24 attractions of which 18 are originally adapted for the park. It boasts a comprehensive collection of many world's firsts namely: The world's first biggest collection of Dreamworks Animations; The world's first Madagascar movie based theme park ride; The first Far- Far Away Castle inspired from the movie Shrek; and, The world's first tallest dueling roller coaster.





There are seven themed zones in the park.

Hollywood zone - It is based on the real life Hollywood Boulevard and the first zone as you enter the park. Here you can find the Pantages Hollywood Theatre - a broadway - style theatre hosting musical plays and performances. It features the infamous Universal Monsters in the rock-in-roll musical Monster Rock. The show is set in a 1500-seat indoor theatre.

At the Hollywood street, you will get the chance to stumble upon characters like Frankenstein's Monster, Woody Woodpecker, Marilyn Monroe, PO from Kung Fu Panda, Betty Boop and Scorpion King. Be sure to spot them and snap a photo immediately!

Some of the merchandise stores you can find in this zone are the Universal Studios Store, the Dark Room, Star Characters, Silver Screen Collectibles, Superstar Candies, the Brown Derby and That's a Wrap. Grab your fave merchandise in these places for souvenirs!

Restaurants in this area include Hollywood China Bistro, a restaurant that serves that 'east meets west' cuisine as well as the traditional Cantonese favorites; Celebrity Cafe & Bakery, a 1950's cafe that serves freshly made gourmet sandwiches, pastries, gelato, coffees and more; and lastly, Mel's Drive-In, another classic 1950's restaurant that serves all-American favorites.

New York zone - This zone features the most prominent replica of New York Public Library with two lion statues at the entrance. You can see trademark city skyline, neon lights, facades, sidewalks as well as the romantic atmosphere of the Big Apple. Attractions in this area include 'Lights, Camera, Action!' by Steven Spielberg where you will be blown away by the incredible special effects when an empty sound stage becomes the setting for a major hurricane about to hit New York City - right before your eyes! Another one is the Stage 28 which unravels the secrets of film productions and is set in a fully-outfitted state-of-the-art sound stage for motion picture and television productions.

There are two restaurants that you can find in this area: Loui's NY Pizza Parlor and KT's Grill.

Sci-Fi City zone - This zone features how a modern metropolis would look like. The most talked-about attraction here is the Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cyclon, the world's tallest dueling roller coaster, which features one suspended track (blue track) representing Cyclon and one seated track (red track) representing Human. While the Cyclon ride lets you go up, round and upside down with intense corkscrews and cobra roll, the Human ride zooms at a speed of 90km/h and narrowly avoids collisions as it twists, turns ad propels you over 14 storeys into the air! Unfortunately, this attraction is currently closed until late 2010 to mid 2011.

 Accelerator is another attraction which is a whirling-twirling ride, testing guests' inter-galactic stamina as it spins round  and round. But the most awaited attraction you'll soon find here is the Transformers: The Ride, which is opening in 2011. It will be the 20th attraction in Universal Studios Singapore and will set to premiere in Singapore too and in the US Hollywood shortly after.

The only merchandise store you can find in this zone is the Galactica PX where maybe you can bring home a piece of the future and beyond.





Ancient Egypt zone - This zone is based on the historical adaptation of ancient Egypt during the 1930s Golden Age of Egyptian Exploration. It features Pharaoh's statues, obelisks and Pharaoh's tombs. The Revenge of the Mummy, an indoor, psychological thrill roller coaster ride, is the most awesome ride you can find here. It will plunge guests into total darkness with sharp turns and fast reverse sections as it pits them against fireballs, beetles and warrior mummies!

Another attraction in this zone is the Treasure Hunters which is a children ride allowing those young people to drive their own desert jeep through an abandoned Egyptian excavation site.





Buy your souvenirs of this zone at Carter's Curiosities where you can uncover replicas of historical artifacts and fossils in ancient Egypt. Plus dine in at Oasis Spice Cafe, an Egyptian-themed buffeteria serving cuisine specialties from Turkish, Lebanese, Mediterranean and Indian spices.





The Lost World zone  - This zone is divided into two sub areas: Jurassic Park and Waterworld. Jurassic Park features the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, a thrill river raft ride through primeval dinosaur habitats. Thrill seekers on board the circular raft are tossed on waterways within the Jurassic Park compound and find dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures roaming freely. You are bound to get wet at the end of the ride so it's advisable that you'll get yourself prepared of another pair of clothes with you or else you'll end up buying a souvenir T-shirt from the merchandise store nearby, speaking of which the Jurassic Outfitters is the immediate venue which is just in front of the exit of this attraction. If you wish to find innovative Jurassic Park souvenirs, then maybe you can head down to Dino-Store where there are various collections to enjoy.

The Waterworld attraction presents the most spectacular stunt show ever! The show is based on the film Waterworld starring Kevin Costner. It involves death-defying stunts, awesome explosions and pyrotecnics and loads of thrills! You will get the feeling of real movie-making right before your eyes!A must-see attraction in The Lost World!

 

Other attractions you can find at the Lost World are the Canopy Flyer and Dino-Soarin which are more for the children kind of rides. Canopy Flyer is a 23 seconds ride on board the 'Dino-proof' flying vehicle that lets you enjoy a prehistoric bird's-eye-view of Jurassic Park. Dino-Soarin is a ride that allows children to pilot their own Pteranodon, soaring up and down. Last but not least attraction is the Amber Rock Climb in which guests are able to scale the walls of the Lost World but for an additional fee of $10 per one climb.

If you wish to try Singapore's favorite local dishes, desserts and drinks in Jurassic setting, hop on to Discovery Food Court. You can also enjoy quick bites like tasty hot dogs gourmet sausages and chicken wings, and a refreshing frozen drink at the Fossil Fuels. These two are the eating places you can find in this area.

Far Far Away zone - This zone is inspired by the Dreamworks Animations Shrek. The highlight of the zone is the Far Far Away Castle - a world's first. It hosts attractions like Shrek 4-D and Donkey Live (an interactive 'live' show, where you can talk or sing along with Donkey in an intimate theatre setting). Another attractions here are the Enchanted Airways where guests climb aboard Donkey's beloved Dragon for a flight over Far Far Away and beyond in the form of a junior roller-coaster ride and, the Magic Potion Spin , a miniature ferris wheel for children located in the Fairy Godmother's Potion Shop.

There are three restaurants at this zone namely: Goldilocks, which sells homemade special, seven-spiced chicken as well as delicious fish and chips and chicken sandwiches; Friar's, which sells a variety of hot and cold  specialty sandwich wraps accompanied with freshly made "season-it-yourself" potato chips!; and Fairy Godmother's Juice Bar, where you'll get the chance to mix your own concoction of colourful elixis at the juice bar.

Be sure to spot some famous characters along the street like Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots and Princess Fiona and snap a photo with them! 

Madagascar zone - This zone features attraction like Madagascar: A Crate Adventure, which due to open only by late 2010 to mid 2011. It is a river boat ride with the famous heroes, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria, on an adventure complete with state-of-the-art animated figures, evocative sound, digital projection and visual effects that will surely create a one-of-a-kind immersive ride experience. It features voice talents of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith. Another attraction to look out for is the King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round which is a carousel ride.

Don't forget to stop by Penguins Mercantile store where you can buy some silly keepsakes inspired by the many characters of Madagascar.





If you're hungry after that long stroll and adventure, you can uncover a variety of lip-smacking southeast asian favorites such as Thai Green Chicken Curry and Tom Yam soup at Marty's Casa Del Wild or, savour a selection of yummy Japanese influenced rice bowls topped with grilled meats,vegetables and seafood at Gloria's Snack Shack.





Look out for character appearances in this zone like Alex, Gloria, Marty, Melman, King Julien, Skipper, Kowalski, Private and Rico. Check out street performances of these characters too.





So if you're looking for a fun playground to enjoy around Southeast Asia, visit Universal Studios Singapore. I'd been there and I love it and I'll definitely go back for more next time around when more of its attractions are ready to test my guts yet once again!





You can also go on a VIP tour which offers VIP access on rides, attractions and performances, complimentary dining, golden photo opportunities with celebrity lookalikes and merchandise discounts. For more info. of these privileges, speak to their team member at their Guest Services or email rwstours@rwsentosa.com.





To know more about the park highlights and ticket prices, please visit http://www.rwsentosa.com/.