Universal Studios Singapore’s (USS) design team should be applauded for the awesome park they have created on the now even more awesome Sentosa Island.
I had the chance to visit the park for the first time (while it was still in its soft opening stage) a few weeks ago. I have also visited Universal Studios Orlando (USO), Universal Studios Hollywood (USH), Islands of Adventure (IOA) and now, Singapore. I can safely say that although USS isn’t as big as Hollywood or Orlando, it holds its own with a style of park I call a “hybrid Universal”.
The designers of USS have cleverly taken the greatest aspects of the rides from all of the Universal parks and combined them into single, well thought out and planned rides.
Take the Battlestar Galactica (BG) roller coaster for instance. It bears the perfect combination of look and intimidation of the Hulk Coaster, combined with the thrill of Duelling Dragons. BG unfortunately wasn’t open when I visited, but from inspection of the sheer size and impressiveness of the ride from the ground, I can guarantee it would be an awesome ride. Thankfully, I live only 20 minutes from USS so I can visit the park anytime to try this beauty out.
The park itself is very well planned out. It is quite small, but packs a punch even though it was not entirely finished when I wrote this post. Once the 24-odd rides and attractions are completely installed and functional, this park will be a must-see destination to any person within the reach of Singapore, which is anyone! It is much more financially accessible than dragging the whole family to the US to visit the other Universals, which are at the same level with USS.
Back to the rides! The Revenge of the Mummy doesn’t fail to impress. I’ve only been on the version in Orlando, so I can’t make a detailed comparison, but it’s exactly the same except for the stop in the middle where the Mummy itself actually talks to you instead of a false ride operator.
Jurassic Park Rapid Adventure is interesting. In my opinion, it takes the best of the Jurassic River Adventure from USO and IOA and combines it with Popeye’s and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. The ride is fun, fast and you do get wet! The drop at the end is slightly disappointing… but manages to soak riders if you happen to fall on the wrong side of the nine-seater raft. Theming is up to standard, but the rotation of the raft sometimes distracts riders from some of the effects that jump out at you.
Madagascar: A Crate Adventure also wasn’t open yet, much to my disappointment.
Each “zone” of the park is well defined, with each area having its own distinct look and feel. The most impressive of these zones was Sci-Fi City. As you pass from the New York streets under the arch connecting to Sci-Fi City, you are greeted with a wall of mist that (in the right conditions) seems as if you are stepping through that intergalactic portal and into another world. Of course, all the lands are equally impressive for anyone who hasn’t experienced a Universal park before.
Far Far Away is purely magical. Giving the Disney castle a run for its money, the Far Far Away castle stands impressively in its designated zone and can be seen from almost any location in the park. It also makes a nice feature when travelling over the bridge by car to Sentosa, as it’s the first thing that really catches your eye. The castle houses the Shrek 4D Adventure, which is a standard amongst the Universal (and Warner Bros.) parks. Far Far Away also features an interactive show featuring Donkey and Enchanted Airways which (according to RCDB.com), is a custom version of the Vekoma Junior Coaster. However, I was pressed to find anything different with this ride compared to Road Runner Roller Coaster at Movie World on the Gold Coast, apart from the fact that maybe it was higher.
I unfortunately didn’t get the chance to see the Waterworld show as it began to rain heavily as I was thinking about heading over. However, I was able to catch the Lights! Camera! Action! and Monster Rock show.
Being a current student of musical theatre, and having a passion for live performance, the Monster Rock show fails, miserably. The shows at Universal’s other parks all seem to work better. They have attempted to modernise the show too much, throwing in songs like My Prerogative by Britney Spears amongst a batch of poorly done RNB/Hip Hop songs. This could also be my overly critical mind as the audience did seem to be enjoying themselves. But from seeing the Monster show in USO, I think the graveyard-style of show works better.
Light! Camera! Action! was highly entertaining. I felt like I had seen this exact show somewhere, but wasn’t sure if I was getting it confused with Tornado or something similar from USO or the like. The attendant in this attraction had quite a thick Singaporean accent, so for people who aren’t used to the accent, it made it difficult to understand. But, unlike Universal Studios Japan, the entire park and attractions are in English (just like Singapore!).
As always, sticking to standards throughout Singapore, the park is spotlessly clean and park employees are almost over attentive. Every employee you make eye contact with jump straight to it and greet you, ask you if you’re enjoying yourself and what attraction you’re heading too next. Trained down to the bone, you almost have to giggle and think that maybe if they aren’t doing their job they get a hit across the head (of course, I’m joking!). But considering the small amount of pay they get, they do a fabulous job! Hats off to the employees.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at my day at USS. I can’t wait until the park starts operating in full swing (although, I CAN wait for the crowds…). I will reserve my “out of 10″ rating until the park “officially” opens but I highly suggest that USS and Resorts World be a must-see destination if you plan on travelling and you’re not sure where to go. For now, two thumbs up.
Photo: Tom Ragen
Does anyone know if the bg goes faster than it did in the test runs on YouTube??
As far as I know, what you see in the video is what you get. However, the videos don’t do the ride justice. It’s much bigger then you think when you’re standing underneath it. Once the ride reopens I will head to USS and ask the appropriate questions