A day trip to Universal Studio Singapore - Part 1
Last month on February 2012, I manage to go to Universal
Studios Singapore (USS) with two of my colleagues. We went there after our last
day training held at our Singapore office. We managed to buy the ticket online
with express pass. We bought the express pass as we want to bypass the long
queue for rides offering at USS.
Need to interchange from the MRT at VIVO city to this monorail station
One need to buy the ticket from the vending machine for S$3.00
The station was pack with tourist.
Reach at Sentosa Island
The Iconic Globe
Me and my colleague
The main entrance to Universal Studios Singapore
USS opens its gate to visitors at 10:00a.m. On Friday, we
decide to check out from hotels and put our bags in our office before heading
to USS. The public transport in Singapore is much more efficient in KL but it
was quite pack during peak hours. Carrying a big luggage in a train it seems
like a bib “NO NO” as most of the passengers in the train will be looking at
you with a kind of looks. Since it was our last day, we just make “muka seposen”
aka thick face.
After we put our luggage in our office, we went to Vivo city
where we will need embark a monorail which link Singapore island to Sentosa
Island. The ticket cost is S$3 for 2 ways trip. You many need to keep this
ticket and don’t loose it.
We have our breakfast at VIVO city and when we reach at the
monorail ticket vending machine, there was a long queue. We thought that during
weekdays there will be less patrons going to Universal Studios but it does not
what we expect. Mostly of the patrons going to USS are from the mainland China.
At the station, most of them does not queue entering the monorail and they keep
on pushing each other. We decide to take the next monorail but yet it was
packed like a sardine in a can. We manage to squeeze ourselves in as it we wait;
we won’t be able to catch our flight back home in the evening.
At Hollywood Boulevard
It was packed with tourist
One stop souvenir shops
Trying out the SPARTA headgear
Tourist taking photo with Mr.Franko, you may need to queue up to take photo with them
The place where you collect your photo taken at USS by its staff
Tebowing in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard
Betty Boo anyone?
Oscar Awards replica
Riding on a Leo.
The ride from Vivo to USS station took around less than 8
minutes. It was nice scenery along the way. When we reach at our station, I
start to snap the photo. The important snap was the iconic Universal rotating
globe.
Since we bought our ticket online, there is no need for us
to queue for purchasing the ticket. I and my other colleague start to snap
photos with all the building and scenery. For our first rides was the
Transformer: The Rides which is the latest attraction at Sci Fi section in USS.
We managed to seat at front rows and you can feel the adrenalin rush through
your blood vessel (Two thumbs up for the ride).
Inside Transformer: The Ride
One of the ride which we skip
This ride is just spinning you around inside the so called cup.
Then we went to our 2nd destination which was the
Battle Star Gallactica (BGS) roller coaster rides. It was the main attraction
rides in USS. When we reach the rides counter, it was close due to technical
problem and it will be open until further notice from the management. It was a
disappointment for us.
Then we decide to go to Monster Rock at the New York section
and we rush ourselves there. Once we have seated at the theatre hall, the shows
runs for 8 minutes and then technical problems occurs and we were instructed to
empty the halls. What a frustrated days for us.
Inside the halls for Monster Rock
Going out from the theater, we decide to go to Steven
Spielberg special effects shows. It was a shows where you will be behind the
scene how sound, lightings and special effect was done. We were in the front
rows and guess what, I got splashed by water. It was indeed refreshing for me.
Once we out from the special effects studios, we saw BGS was
functioning back again. So we rushed ourselves to the roller coaster and we
took on the “Human” rides first. This is a sit-down coaster designed for riders
wanting a roller coaster experience without inversions, which makes up one side
of the Battlestar Galactica duelling coaster. The trains are modeled after theColonial Mark
II Viper and utilize lap restraints, giving the rider total
upper body freedom. At certain points along the ride, the coaster can reach
speeds of up to 90 kilometers per hour (56 mph). Three of us was seated in
front rows and the feeling of fright is really there.
Then, we took on the “Cylon” rides. This time we were seated
on the 2nd rows. The Cylon coaster's train design is based on
the Cylon heavy Raider as seen in Battlestar Galactica, it
is a suspended roller coaster which performs intense maneuvers including a
total of 5 inversions in the form of a Cobra roll, corkscrews, vertical loop,
and a zero-g roll. The Cylon coaster also plunges into a 5-meter (16 ft)
deep pit filled with artificial fog to give thrill seekers the sensation of a
near miss with the ground. It also includes many sudden turns close to buildings
emphasizing the sensation of near misses throughout the ride.
Battle Star Galactica Rides
The mascots for BGS
The Sci Fi City
A view of the BGS. Blue for Human, Red for Cylon
Don't take your meal if you intend to play this rides.
After this rides, it really had an effect on me. I can feel
the dizziness and about to puke the food which I ate this morning. But I
managed to control myself from making a scene by drinking more fluids. It takes
time for me to recover from the sudden dizziness which keeps my 2 colleagues
worried. Plus with the weather is hot, it really does not really help. I think I
will continue talking about this in Part 2.