rctneil Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 (edited) Hey all, So, this story starts on an overnight ferry heading to Finland as part of the TPR Scandinavia tour last year. I was asked by my cousin if I would be Best Man at his wedding the following year. Agreeing straight away I then noticed the location of the wedding: Borneo! Trip planning then started shortly after I arrived back in the UK from that trip trying to help get family and friends to the venue in Borneo at the same time from over 10 different countries, all with their own planned holidays before or after the event. (I take my hat off to you Elissa! Trip planning for others is very hard work!). Ok, let's skip a lot here. Off to Malaysia I fly, get through the wedding which goes superbly and a few days later I fly off to my post-wedding destination: Singapore! After a look around Singapore in the time I had on my arrival day, I headed over to Sentosa at the south to spend the day at the newest of the Universal parks:- Universal Studios Singapore! After a grabbing a taxi from my hotel to the Sentosa area, I was dropped off by the Casino and the large shopping area at Resorts World. I had planned to meet up with Nolan that morning who very kindly offered to give me a tour of the park. After the usual stop at Starbucks, I headed to the VIP meeting point, located Nolan and the day began!... I found one of my favourite asian restaurants: Dinn Tai Fung! I was introduced to this place by Robb & Elissa on the Taiwan tour in 2013 so was very eager to return. I actually managed to do this the previous night at a different location but it was good to see many of these around Singapore! YAY! I made it to my third Universal Studios park! Managed to find Nolan for the tour around the park! Much appreciate you taking time out of your day for this. The "Main Street" sort of area is the Hollywood area. Home of the Minion Mart! Heading towards New York. I'm sure you can all guess my first location From New York into Sci Fi City Past Transformers: The Ride. I'll be back for this later! Looking back towards Transformers Accelerator is the parks really awesomely themed teacup style ride First ride of the day! Battlestar Galactica! (I actually rode the Human side first but the Cylon train was in the station so I took some pictures!) Nicely themed queueline I've not seen Battlestar Galactica but i'm guessing this is a Cylon! Time to ride the Human side first. It was a fun ride but pretty tame. It rode pretty smooth and was re-rideable so all good. The Cylon side was much more intense compared and I enjoyed it much more. I LOVE the launched lifthills (especially front row of Cylon) and this was also very smooth. The mist in the craters at the beginning and exit of the vertical loop were great. Right, as promised it was time to ride Transformers. Having only ridden two rides of it's type (Curse of DarKastle and a typhoon themed one at a Happy Valley park that was awful), and the fact I have not ridden Spiderman (I've walked the track, seen all the videos, heard the soundtrack, sat in the vehicles and seen the rides movement, just never ridden it!) I was very very much looking forward to riding this. It did not disappoint! Really decent length attraction that is beautifully done. Can't wait to ride it again in Hollywood in September! Heading back through the New York area now. Now into one of the small side streets Ooooh! and more ooooh's! Here's Nolan's own personalised window! (How awesome must it be to have your own window at a park!?) There's that big red and blue ride again. BSG just looks stunning sat over the water like it does. My Cylon on ride photo. I didn't realise the camera's were so close to the bottom of the lift so a bit of an odd pose in this one! My Human photo is more normal looking A view from BSG over to somewhere Far Far Away. Back towards Hollywood and the main entrance. The weather is so clear today that you can just about see as far as Madagascar! More loopy goodness Third coaster of the day is Revenge of the Mummy. Up until this point I had only ridden the Hollywood version of the ride. I had been told that the Florida version was much better and I knew this one was a clone of that ride but with different theming so was very interested in trying it out. This one is SOOOO much better. Great ride. Really enjoyable! Looking at the entrance of Treasure Hunters. We'll come back for that later in the day. Looks pretty similar to Hollywood's judging by the ride vehicle. After visiting Egypt it was time to jump to Isla Nublar or otherwise know as... Jurassic Park! First up here was Canopy Flyer. This was a short but fun ride and riding backwards vs forwards gives two entirely different experiences. Great fun and people here seem to love it. Singapore's version of River Adventure is very unique. This one is a rapids ride called Rapid Adventure. As I didn't feel like getting wet so early on, I returned for this later in the day. I really like the themed kiosks We've arrived at Far Far Away! This looks to me like a castle. It's definitely bigger than Disneylands! Now, Puss in Boot's Giant Journey only opened a few short months ago as the parks newest attraction. It's a suspended roller coaster which occupies a very very small plot of land at the end of Romeo Drive. It's quite short and if you are looking for extreme thrills then this ride won't be for you but the people over here love it as it proved very popular and is perfect for ALL members of a family to enjoy together. Once again the ride is themed nicely and the drops are big enough that as soon as you start to feel some forces then the car pulls out of them to keep it suitable for all. The park seems to call them "Anti-gravity zones". Looking down Romeo Drive Pretty unique vehicle designs. The restraints can comfortably accomodate a wide range of people too. Nerd photo Time for the final coaster of the park. Enchanted Airways. It's a standard Roller Skater but has a great train theme and plenty of themed characters around. I found Shrek's Swamp house. Didn't go in though! Looking towards Mummy and Treasure Hunters The carousel here has the most creative seats i've seen on a carousel ever! Another photo of BSG? Oh go on then! Next up is the parks take on Small World. Here it's called Madagascar: A Crate Adventure. Great theming and sets throughout Time to go on a Space Chase... with spaghetti of all things! This is a Peter Pan sort of ride with suspended ride vehicles Quite strange and quirky but it was very busy and popular with everyone. Back to Sci Fi City for another ride on Transformers! Getting the low down on the upcoming mission Then another ride on each side of BSG. Here's the Human side entrance and if you couldn't guess, the Cylon side entrance. Entering Egypt from Sci Fi City Time to try out Treasure Hunters. Treasure Hunters is a car ride in Vintage style cars around Egypt. The ride offers great views of the park. and is even better because it has an animatronic Hippo! They are (alive) and well in Singapore Far Far Away in the distance Time for the inevitable... Rather interesting getting to ride this as a rapids ride. The boats are very strange as they flex and allow water to run through the centre of the boat around the sets of 2 passengers. Entering the tunnel at the end of the ride and lifting up with the T-Rex coming down directly above you is excellent! I love the attention to detail on the driers here! Edited August 16, 2015 by rctneil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rctneil Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 (edited) Continuing from above: This is Dino Soarin' Time to try out Donkey Live. This is a unique attraction to Singapore and is sort of the same as Disney's Stitch Encounter type attraction. It was great fun, loads of audience participation and then everyone stood up and sort of dancing at the finale! Next up was a trip to see Shrek 4D. I have previously seen this in Hollywood in 2009 so was nice to see again. The theatre here is much larger than Hollywood but the show is identical. I still LOVE the preshow with the three little pigs in their boxes. Yep, another pic! More rather unique seating on the carousel This is either Stuart, Bob or Kevin and this is one of the other two that the one above that is Stuart, Bob or Kevin isn't. Back to Hollywood Time to see Lights, Camera, Action I actually really enjoyed this. It reminded me of backdraft a bit and I had to accidentally stand in one of the only two "super soak" points where the roof beam dropped down and soaked myself and the gut standing to my left. At this point it was time for the second of the days showings of the Waterworld show. Excellent show and loved the SeaPlane launch at the end. From back in you get a fun view of the new Puss in Boots coaster. Another round of Mummy. and back for a last ride here I even managed to locate the Golden Egg! Love the hidden details that lots of people will just miss and walk on by. Best name ever for a cookie shop!!! Even better ride when it starts getting dark That's all folks! This is the HUGE underground car park, taxi drop off location for Resorts World. Thankyou for reading and many many thanks go to Nolan for taking time out of his day to show me around the park and helping me out! Neil Edited July 29, 2015 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattguyver Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Thanks for this TR! Looks like you had an amazing time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Great TR Neil! The mix of everything there looks great. Was there any one attraction you really liked the best, coaster or non-? And did you eat there as well? How was the food, if so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rctneil Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 Battlestar Galactica: Cylon, Mummy and Transformers were the top three rides for me personally. I did eat and the park and found no problems whatsoever. Any food type you are into is available in at least one park location or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarmor Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Thanks for the pictures! Cant wait to see what is next... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mousch Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Nice report! Definitely one to add to the bucket list! The park is superbly themed but I expect nothing less!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 So geeked to go there in a couple months. Hell, this made me consider needing a two day pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanTPM Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I seriously love the theming at this park! thanks for the trip review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intimidator305 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 As a Shrek fan, I'd love to visit this park. That area of the park seems incredible! Thanks for the photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I305forever Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 How did the Mummy ride differ from its U.S counterparts? Was just the theming different of was the actual layout different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterFEV Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 How did the Mummy ride differ from its U.S counterparts? Was just the theming different of was the actual layout different? Revenge of the Mummy in Singapore is an improved-version of its Orlando counterpart. The overall layout in Singapore is exactly the same as Orlando - but there are some slight differences that were made. For example, the transitions in Singapore were engineered MUCH much smoother and the turntable (thanks to Nolan) spins the other direction. The biggest difference is the overall storyline and showsets - MUCH improved in the Singapore version. Beautiful queue - fully themed inside and out to an Egyptian temple/dig site. Very clear storyline. Very little use of video on the ride itself - for example, the turntable and launch are all full-size physical sets (rather then the video used on the Orlando version). Biggest improvement? No Brendan Frasier!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chargersmichael Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Wow! Great Trip Report! I really enjoyed reading it! I was always curious about their Jurassic Park ride being a family raft and all. It seems very unique and I would love to try it out (if I ever can get to Singapore in my lifetime) but I feel like I'd prefer my hometown giant boat. It still looks amazing. The park appears to be in great shape! Thanks for the report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azza29 Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Battlestar Galactica: Cylon, Mummy and Transformers were the top three rides for me personally. Not Treasure Hunters? Great report, Neil! Universal Singapore is an excellent park with some surprisingly immersive lands - Far Far Away and Egypt in particular are really well themed. And that version of Mummy is definitely my pick of the three. Can't wait to head back for Horror Nights later in the year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rctneil Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Battlestar Galactica: Cylon, Mummy and Transformers were the top three rides for me personally. Not Treasure Hunters? Great report, Neil! Universal Singapore is an excellent park with some surprisingly immersive lands - Far Far Away and Egypt in particular are really well themed. And that version of Mummy is definitely my pick of the three. Can't wait to head back for Horror Nights later in the year! Oh yeah, scrap those three, Treasure Hunters tops the list by a long way! Treasure Hunters I think had the longest queue of the day and that's INCLUDING using Universal Express! but I couldn't leave USS without a ride on it! How did the Mummy ride differ from its U.S counterparts? Was just the theming different of was the actual layout different? Revenge of the Mummy in Singapore is an improved-version of its Orlando counterpart. The overall layout in Singapore is exactly the same as Orlando - but there are some slight differences that were made. For example, the transitions in Singapore were engineered MUCH much smoother and the turntable (thanks to Nolan) spins the other direction. The biggest difference is the overall storyline and showsets - MUCH improved in the Singapore version. Beautiful queue - fully themed inside and out to an Egyptian temple/dig site. Very clear storyline. Very little use of video on the ride itself - for example, the turntable and launch are all full-size physical sets (rather then the video used on the Orlando version). Biggest improvement? No Brendan Frasier!!! Thanks for posting the differences. Considering I have not ridden the Orlando version I had no clue so great to hear it's improved over that one. It was 100% better than the Hollywood one. As you stated the story was easy to follow and the theming outside and inside the ride are superb. Dan, you'll be pleased to know that all photos (with the exception of a few iPhone ones) were taken with the same camera from Scandi last year! All repaired and back in action! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterFEV Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Dan, you'll be pleased to know that all photos (with the exception of a few iPhone ones) were taken with the same camera from Scandi last year! All repaired and back in action! VERY happy to hear that, Neil - and those were GREAT pictures of the park! Plus - is it any surprise that the "technologically-advanced" Treasure Hunters is TOTALLY the most amazing attraction in the park???? And is it any surprise that the Treasure Hunters wait time is always longer then Revenge of the Mummy? (well...yes...we were totally surprised too!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_koppen Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Awesome!! This is by far the best report from this park I have seen, I had no idea about much of the rides you shoed here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I would like to visit Universal Singapore someday. Universal's "greatest hits" combined with plenty of unique attractions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Wow, great TR. I need to get to this park one of these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Treasure Hunters FTW!!!! And I'm glad you kept up with your Din Tai Fung credits along with the coaster credits. Yum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rctneil Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Treasure Hunters FTW!!!! And I'm glad you kept up with your Din Tai Fung credits along with the coaster credits. Yum! Yep, If we hadn't have visited the Taipei 101 location I would have totally been unaware of the awesomeness I was missing out on! We just need some UK locations now! Can we start a petition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Awesome report, Neil! It's so great to see BSG back up and running, and hear that it's running well. And the rest of the park looks great, too. I had no idea Treasure Hunters existed; kind of excited about that. And let's put our hands together for Madagascar and Donkey Live! Must get to this park someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Awesome photos!! It's awesome to get a look at another Universal park! Their Jurassic Park ride looks really interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbottgen Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Nice TR, glad to see your report on Battlestar, and that you liked it. It was still down last year when I was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Universal Studios Singapore looks like it hosts an insane level of detail throughout! Thank you for sharing so many great photos with us here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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