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Useful Tips when Visiting Universal Studios Singapore

Posted on May 31 in Singaporeby ShelynPrintText Resizer Text Resizer
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After my photo-intensive One Day Trip at Universal Studios Singapore post, I decided to share some useful tips that I realized after my visit to Universal Studios.

Tip 1: Plan Your Visit Wisely

Universal Studios Singapore opening hours is from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. However on Friday and Saturday, it extends its operating hours from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. for Hollywood Zone only. The entrance fee is only S$5.00 and you will get to watch beautiful fireworks burst across the night sky right in front of the majestic Far Far Away castle. It’s ideal for those who have rush trip in Singapore and couldn’t afford to spend an entire day at Universal Studios, to just pay a trivial S$5 to have a look and feel of the place.

The fireworks performance starts at 9:30 p.m., so you’ll have plenty of time to shop and dine prior to the fireworks show. However, if you hate crowds and long queues for the rides and photo taking with cartoons, you may consider visiting Universal Studios on Monday to Thursday. I visited on Wednesday and I got to watch all shows, went on all rides and took photo with every cartoon that I saw and still had plenty of time to walk around. The waiting time was probably just 10 minutes for the longest queue in Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, the rest were just few minutes wait especially during morning that I didn’t even need to queue at all.

Since the transportation fee to Sentosa Island is pretty cheap, I would recommend to have a full day visit from Monday to Thursday and pay only S$5 in one of the Friday or Saturday for Lake Hollywood Spectacular show, which is fireworks show. Furthermore, you get to save more from the entrance fee if you visit during weekday. Look at the pricing table below:

Ticket Type
Adult*
(Ages 13 to 64)
Child*
(Ages 4 to 12)
Senior*
(Age 65 and above)
One Day Weekday Pass
66
48
32
One Day Weekend Pass
72
52
36
Two Day Pass
118
88
58
Annual Pass-
Fun Pass
318
238
188
Annual Pass-
Superstar Pass
1,098
828
738

 

So why pay more to jostle with crowd?

 

Tip 2: Avoid Singapore Public Holidays

To save time and money for your Universal Studios Singapore tour, avoid weekends and public holidays as the ticket prices are higher than normal days and the queue at most rides and attractions will be longer.

Scheduled Public Holidays for 2011
New Year’s Day Saturday 1 January
Chinese New Year Thursday 3 February
Friday 4 February
Good Friday Friday 22 April
Labour Day *Sunday 1 May
Polling Day Saturday 7 May
Vesak Day Tuesday 17 May
National Day Tuesday 9 August
Hari Raya Puasa Tuesday 30 August
Deepavali **Wednesday 26 October
Hari Raya Haji *Sunday 6 November
Christmas Day *Sunday 25 December
* The following Monday will be a public holiday.
Primary & Secondary Schools Holidays for 2011
Semester I
After Term I Saturday 12 March – Sunday 20 March
After Term II Saturday 28 May – Sunday 26 June
Semester II
After Term III Saturday 3 September – Sunday 11 September
After Term IV Saturday 19 November – Saturday 31 December
Scheduled School Holidays for 2011
Youth Day *Sunday 3 July
Day after National Day Wednesday 10 August
Teachers´ Day Friday 2 September
Children´s Day #Friday 7 October
*The following Monday will be a scheduled school holiday.
#For primary schools & primary sections of full schools only.

 

Refer to Ministry of Manpower website for the latest update of Singapore Public Holidays.

 

Tip 3: Plan Your Route Wisely

Remember to obtain the map and the timetable for the shows at the entrance of Universal Studios so you can plan your trip to ensure full coverage of all attractions and shows. Just follow the sequences as depicted in the map below you will be able to save time from going to and fro among the themed zones.

The attractions and rides that might not want to miss – again, visit them follow the sequence stated below:

Lights, Camera, Action!®Hosted by Steven Spielberg  (New York) – suitable for both adults and kids:
Children under 122cm must be accompanied by a supervising companion.

Accelerator® (Sci- Fi City):
Children under 122cm must be accompanied by a supervising companion. Hand-held infants are not permitted.

Battlestar Galactica® (Sci-Fi City):
Guests must be at least 125cm to ride. This ride employes safety restraints which may not accommodate certain people due to their body shape or size.

Revenge of the Mummy® (Ancient Egypt):
Guests must be at least 122cm in height to ride.This ride employes safety restraints which may not accommodate certain people due to their body shape or size.

Treasure Hunters® (Ancient Egypt) – kiddy ride:
Children under 122cm must be accompanied by a supervising companion. Hand-held infants are not permitted.

Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure® (The Lost World) - suitable for kids:
Guests must be least 107cm in height to ride. Children 107cm to 122cm must be accompanied by a supervising companion.

Dino Soarin’® (The Lost World) – kiddy ride:
Children under 122cm must be accompanied by a supervising companion. Hand-held infants are not permitted.

Amber Rock Climb® (The Lost World):
Children under 122 cm must be accompanied by a supervising companion.

*Please note that extra charges apply for this attraction.

Canopy FlyerTM (The Lost World) – suitable for both adults and kids:
Guests must be at least 92cm in height to ride. Children 92cm to 122cm must be accompanied by a supervising companion. This ride employs safety restraints which may not accommodate certain people due to their body shape or size.

Magic Potion Spin® (Far Far Away) – kiddy ride:
Children under 100cm must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Enchanted Airways® (Far Far Away) – kiddy ride:
Guests must be at least 92cm in height to ride. Children 92cm to 122cm must be accompanied by a supervising companion.This ride employs safety restraints which may not accommodate certain people due to their body shape or size.

King Julien’s Party-Go-Round®: (Madagascar) – kiddy ride:
Children under 122cm must be accompanied by a supervising companion.

Madagascar: A Crate Adventure® (Madagascar) – kiddy ride:
Guests must be at least 80cm in height to ride. Children between 80cm to 122cm must be accompanied by a supervising companion.

Apart from the above-mentioned attractions, there are some performance shows that only show during specific time and they are only repeated 3 to 5 times per day. So grab the daily schedule from a member of staff at the information counter. Decide which shows you want to see, and select performances that don’t clash and give you adequate time to make your way between the show venues.

The shows that not to be missed:

Monsters Rock at Pantages Hollywood Theater
Show Time: 12pm, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm

Waterworld
Show Time: 1pm, 3pm and 5pm

Take note that the above timing may change at any time without prior notice.

 

Tip 4: Don’t Expect to Stay Dry

Don’t tell me you visit theme park and expect yourself to be dry and clean throughout the whole day, especially in the tropical country Singapore. Not only the hot and humid weather may get you drenched in sweat, the rides and shows like Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure and Shrek 4-D may get you wet as well. Either enjoy the wet by bringing spare clothes for change or bring along poncho if you  don’t fancy traipsing around in the wet. Disposable ponchos are also available in merchandise shop and vending machines in Universal Studios. You may purchase with S$2.00 for a piece. It’s also possible to continue your tour in raining day as long as you are well prepared with raincoat or extra clothes for change.

 

Tip 5: Make Good Use of the Lockers

Lockers are available for rent in Universal Studios. There is a lockers room right in front of the entrance where you can store your bags or any other personal belongings. All lockers have been computerized and operated by computer. Before choosing your locker, you need to key in your desired password and choose your favourite colour as security pass codes to lock and unlock the locker. No keys required so you don’t have to be afraid of key lost. Very interesting and convenient! However, all lockers rental has a fee, and they are charged by the size of locker and the total hours rent.

For those who want to go for thrill-rides, you’re not allowed to carry anything at all, not your cellphone, not your bag, not your camera, nothing. So you can’t avoid to rent a locker. However, there are plenty of lockers right next to the thrill-rides in between of Sci-Fi City and Ancient Egypt. It’s very convenient that you can just leave your belongings nearby. Furthermore, the lockers next to the thrill-rides are free of charge for the first 30 minutes.

 

Tip 6: What You Should Know When Going For Thrill-Rides

According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) the odds that you’ll be seriously injured on an amusement ride are about one in seven million — the odds against a fatal injury one in two hundred fifty million. In other words, amusement rides are among the safer recreations you can participate in. However, there are still certain rules that we shall abide.

As mentioned in Tip 5, we are not allowed to carry any loose item that might have a chance to fall out from the ride, like camera, bag, cellphone, glasses, cap and even slippers. Those who wear slippers will be requested to remove them. So I would suggest to wear sandal instead as I noticed that the visitors were not allowed to leave their slippers at some of the thrill-rides station. Try not to hide the camera in the pocket or under your butt by sitting on it. Accident might happen, you won’t know if it might fall out from your pocket and hit some passerby. It’s even worse if the hard object drop and get stuck in the railway, disaster like Final Destination 3 might happen :-p. I know the probability is just one in many millions, but just be a responsible rider, ok?

 

Tip 7: Get Your Tickets in Advance

If possible, purchase your tickets in advance to save time when you arrive at the park. Go to www.rwsentosa.com to make your purchase. Upon making your payment online, you will receive an email from Resort World Sentosa with attachment of a booking confirmation letter and an e-ticket. Bring these two copies to the Gift Services window located just outside of Universal to exchange for a S$10(per ticket) shopping and dining vouchers. You may also check for the promotion from www.rwsentosa.com from time to time, you may have surprise as sometimes they do give very good discount. Like the one that I encountered was 15% discount on the ticket when you pay by Master Card.

 

Do you have your own tips for saving time at Universal Studios? Why not share them with others by leaving your comments here or in the forum? If you spot something wrong in the article, or disagree with any of the tips, please let me know through the comments.

Join the forum discussion on this post

About Shelyn

Shelyn is the founder and editor of Travel and Living Bliss. You may get to know more about Shelyn in About page or follow Shelyn on Twitter and Facebook. You may also click here for Email Subscription to RSS feed.


22 Comments

  • Don says:
    June 10, 2011 at 8:36 am

    These are good tips. Very practical and simple yet would increase the enjoyment from the theme park if followed.

    Reply
  • mylo says:
    August 12, 2011 at 11:07 am

    Excellent post!

    Holidays, pricing, map, attractions + do’s and don’ts = a comprehensive guide. NICE!

    Reply
  • vinyl sheds says:
    January 8, 2012 at 3:29 am

    I was just considering the same thing

    Reply
  • uith says:
    April 15, 2012 at 4:33 am

    thanks for the tips, these will help me a lot since i’m goin to singapore and will surely visit univeral studio, by the way the does the entrance fee includes the ride?

    Reply
    • Shelyn says:
      April 15, 2012 at 5:07 am

      Hi Uith,

      You are welcome. Yes, the entrance fee includes the rides. Wish you have a happy journey in Singapore!

      Reply
  • Björn says:
    April 22, 2012 at 11:55 am

    Hello,
    Do you know if I will really need the “Universal Express” tickets if I plan to go there on June 22, 2012?
    Or is that only needed for public holidays?

    Thank you.

    /Björn from Sweden

    Reply
    • Shelyn says:
      April 23, 2012 at 5:13 am

      Hi Björn,
      Please look at the list below of what Universal Express tickets bring to you:
      – Universal Express allows you to bypass the regular at participating attractions at Universal Studios Singapore.
      - Universal Express access is a separate line with a shorter wait line at each valid attraction.
      - Valid for use only one (1) time at each participating attraction.
      - Universal Express pass is not valid for admission to the theme park.
      - Monster Rock™
      - Lights, Camera, Action!® Hosted by Steven Spielberg
      - TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle
      - Battlestar Galactica: CYLON®
      - Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN®
      - Accelerator®
      - Revenge of the Mummy®
      - Treasure Hunters®
      - Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure®
      - Canopy Flyer®
      - Dino-Soarin’®
      - WaterWorld™
      - Shrek 4-D Adventure
      - Donkey LIVE
      - Enchanted Airways
      - Madagascar: A Crate Adventure
      - King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round

      My advice would be to skip the Universal Express tickets, it’s like SGD30-50 dollars on top of the admission ticket. My friend has just visited USS recently on Friday as well, and the lines were not as crazy as the lines in Disneyland. So no worries about the line, just save the money and enjoy.

      Cheers,
      Shelyn

      Reply
  • qq123 says:
    May 1, 2012 at 9:15 am

    thx for your sharings. just asking can bring own food and drinks into the park? any bag checking in entrance?

    Reply
    • Shelyn says:
      May 2, 2012 at 7:10 am

      Hi, no bag checking at the entrance. But beware of the following items:

      Acceptable items:
      – Bottled water
      – Any food required for medical purposes and medically–indicated nutritional supplements
      – Any food required for special dietary needs
      – Baby food/baby formula
      – Soft-sided insulated bags no larger than 8.5” wide x 6” high x 6” deep (216mm x 152mm x 152mm)

      Prohibited items:
      – Picnic lunches
      – Alcohol
      – Hard-sided coolers and glass containers
      – Soft-sided coolers larger than 8.5” wide x 6” high x 6” deep
      – Coolers, suitcases, and bags with wheels

      Reply
  • chin chern says:
    May 3, 2012 at 6:45 am

    Hai, im going to uss tomorrow morning, do i need to come as early as 830am to start queuing

    Reply
    • Shelyn says:
      May 3, 2012 at 8:17 am

      Hi Chin Chern,

      I don’t think you need to be there by 8:30am. Ticket counter only opens at 10 a.m.. But do expect a long queue as it’s Friday. I would suggest to purchase ticket online and just print it. Good luck!

      Reply
  • debbie says:
    May 6, 2012 at 12:24 am

    Hi Shelyn, nice blog! My husband and I are going to visit Universal Studios Singapore this September. I’m wondering if we could transfer to Sentosa particularly on the FestiveWalk to watch Crane Dance and Lake of Dreams after Universal Studio? Is it accessible from there?

    Reply
  • Michelle says:
    May 14, 2012 at 11:12 pm

    Hi!

    My family (2 adults and 3 kids) will be visiting Singapore on Oct 29-Nov 2 and we’ll be staying at the Festive Hotel. Our estimated arrival time in Festive Hotel would be around 10AM. We’re hoping for an early check-in, though, not too sure if we’ll be accommodated. Anyway, do you think its best that we go to Universal Studios the following day, Oct 30 (Tuesda), instead of on the day of our arrival? OR, would you recommend that we get a 2-day pass? Is it worth it to get the 2-day pass on a weekday so that the kids would have more time to enjoy, or 1 day is enough? Does USS have special Halloween celebration/attraction on Oct 31? Also, what tourist attractions would you recommend for our family?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Shelyn says:
      May 17, 2012 at 7:45 am

      Hi Michelle,

      One day would definitely be enough for your kids to enjoy their time in the entire park. Especially when you go on the weekday, the crowds will not be an issue and you won’t have to waste much time on queuing. The USS open at 10AM, I guess you might not want to risk missing the early check-in and don’t get to enjoy the maximum time in the USS.

      Look at this! They have horror night event in USS on 30 Oct http://www.rwsentosa.com/language/en-US/Specials/HalloweenHorrorNights

      But I’m not sure if your kids would like it though.

      Reply
    • Shelyn says:
      May 17, 2012 at 7:54 am

      I would recommend the following Singapore attractions for kids!
      1. Singapore Zoo – it’s one of the best zoo in the world, you must bring your kids there!
      2. Night Safari – the night safari is just located right next to the zoo, worth visiting to see the night life of the animals. I personally like this place very much.
      3. Jurong Bird Park – it’s the biggest bird park in Asia. I guess it’s educational to bring your kids there as well.
      4. Merlion park – the best place to snap the photos of the majestic Marina Bay Sands and Eye on Singapore.
      5. Marina Bay Sands – it’s the prominent landmark of Singapore, guess it’s just a must visit place when you go to Singapore.
      6. Since you stay in the Sentosa Island, I guess you can basically spend another one whole day in the Sentosa Island. I personally don’t like the Underwater World in Sentosa, but you can do your own research, maybe you will like it.

      Anyway, I’m not sure how many days you’re going to spend in Singapore. The list can be added on depend on how much time you have.

      Reply
  • rajat b says:
    May 19, 2012 at 12:22 am

    great thread, and good job, shelyn

    we are a family of three ( son 6 years old), and visiting s’pore for the first time. our visit to USS is part of a package of 3 days. they are taking us to USS on 24 may (pick up from landmark village hotel at 0900am) till 1700pm (thats over six hours).

    do you recommend our cutting this down to say 3-4 hours, and squeezing in JURONG bird park on the same day {the tour operator has sadly missed this attraction :( }

    if so, can you suggest an itinerary for the USS visit in 3-4 hours, and how do we get to JBP.
    be grateful for your advice

    Reply
    • Shelyn says:
      May 19, 2012 at 12:57 am

      Hi Rajat,

      I’m glad you find this post useful. hmm… it’s a tough decision. I’m not sure if it’s a good option to pay so much to spend only 3-4 hours in USS. As for Jurong bird park, it’s advisable to spend at least half day there. If you must go to Jurong bird park, can I suggest you visit Jurong bird park in the morning instead as Jurong bird park opens at 8:30 a.m.. This way you would be able to maximize your time in both Jurong bird park and USS. Suggested itinerary would be as follows:

      8:30 a.m. – Jurong bird park
      1:00 p.m. – Leave Jurong bird park and head down to USS.
      2:00 p.m. – Arrive at USS
      7:00 p.m. – Finish your day in USS

      If you would like to focus on the attractions for kids in USS, I would recommend the following itinerary (the sequence follow the routes in the map that I embedded in my article):
      1. New York – Watch the show – Lights, Camera, Action!®Hosted by Steven Spielberg
      2. Ancient Egypt – Treasure Hunters kiddy rides
      3. The Lost World – This is a theme area designed for kids, you can spend more time here. Show that must not be missed -> Waterworld – catch the 5pm show
      4. Far Far Away – A fun theme area for kids as well. Shows not to be missed -> Shrek 4-D Adventure and Donkey Live
      5. Madagascar – A theme area for kids as well.

      I believe all these activities in USS should be able to cover in 5 hours. To answer your query of how to get to Sentosa from Jurong bird park, they are actually located quite a distance away. I would strongly recommend you to take a cab to avoid wasting any time looking for MRT or buses. Since you’re going to do 2 attractions within a day. It takes about 30 mins for a cab drive from Jurong bird park to Sentosa island.

      You may use this link http://www.worldtaximeter.com/singapore/resort+world+sentosa/jurong+bird+park to estimate the travel time and cab fees for different distances.

      Good luck and have a nice trip!

      Cheers,
      Shelyn

      Reply

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