Universal Studios Singapore Travel Tips & Guide for First Timer
Singapore 2018: A Day in Universal Studios Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa
Hello Universal Studios Singapore™!
Glad to be back to Universal Studios Singapore last August, spent a perfect day enjoying all the fun rides, shows and attractions.
Second time here, but definitely won’t be the last!
Located in Resorts World Sentosa Singapore, Universal Studios Singapore is one of the primary attractions in The Lion City that doesn’t need further introduction. It is the first and only Universal Studios theme park in Southeast Asia, featuring seven movie-themed zones that span across 20 hectares – about the size of 25 football fields.
Getting There:
It is easy to reach Universal Studios Singapore, whether by train, bus, or taxi.
- By train: From MRT Harbour Front station, take Sentosa Express Monorail (S$4.00) into Sentosa Island, align at Waterfront Station.
- By foot: Alternatively, you can walk into the island via Sentosa Boardwalk (FOC) connected to VivoCity Shopping Mall.
- By Bus: Via public bus service 123 from multiple points. Get down at Resorts World Sentosa Singapore bus stop 14519.
- By taxi: The not-so-economical yet the easiest way. Just hop onto a taxi and tell the driver your destination is Resorts World Sentosa Singapore.
Where to Buy Tickets, Ticket Price:
Universal Studios Singapore ticket can be bought online HERE, or from the ticket counter outside the theme park. If you purchased online, you can pick up your ticket at the customer service counter.
Major tickets and pass types:
- 1 Day Ticket -Valid only for 1 day
- 2 Days Tickets – Valid for 2 consecutive days
- Season Pass – Valid for 6 months with unlimited admission, starting from the date of applied
- Annual Pass -Valid for 12 months with unlimited admission, starting from the date of applied
- Season Pass with Express- Valid for 6 months with unlimited admission, unlimited access to Express queue
- Annual Pass with Express – Valid for 12 months with unlimited admission, unlimited access to Express queue
There’s also other special passes like Student Season Pass, Student Season Pass with Express, 2-Park Annual Pass, 3-Park Annual Pass, etc..
Check out link below for full list & price: https://www.rwsentosa.com/en/attractions/universal-studios-singapore/tickets/ticket-and-pass-types
Usually for overseas travelers, 1 Day Pass is recommended but if you planned to re-visit this place several time within 12 months, Annual Pass is a more money-saving option.
Opening Hours: Typically, Universal Studios Singapore opens from 10AM to 7PM on Monday-Thursday, Sunday. While for Friday, Saturday and public holidays, operating hours will extend to 10PM. However, it might vary on different days. Take one “USS rides & shows” timetable sheet from the brochure stand after you enter the park. Park hours on that day is written on top.
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Having been to USS for 2 times, we now got a better picture about this place. Hence we made a comprehensive compilation about our experience, sharing some tips which will be very useful especially for first timer to this fun-filled theme park.
So if you are planning to visit USS in no time, check out all the USS travel guides in this blog post. You’ll get some ideas on how to fully utilize your day in this everything-is-interesting-but-rather-huge theme park; what are the must-try rides and must-watch shows; food to eat in Universal Studios Singapore, and more.
Tips to Maximize Your Time in Universal Studios Singapore You want to try out most of the rides, you want to take pictures with your favourite characters, you do not want to miss the major shows – it seems like you have so many things to do, yet so little time. It happened to us too, but some planning helps to maximize our day in this theme park better.
1. Buy our tickets beforehand We always encourage buying tickets online, so that you can save the hassle of queuing at the front counter on the day of your visit. Imagine people already enter the park, start playing but you still standing in the line waiting to get your ticket. No, try not to.
So, get your online ticket here : Book USS Tickets
2. Arrive earlier before the park opens Universal Studios Singapore opens at 10AM. It is suggested to be there before 9.30AM, as the queue usually begins to build up from 9AM onwards. The earlier you are in the queue, the faster you can be in the park once the gate opens.
3. Grab a park map and timetable of shows & performances Upon entering, we grab a park map, and a sheet listing down the time for each shows, performance and meet & greet for the particular day.
We kept a copy of this and be at the designated place 10-20minutes before the shows/meet & greet, so that we do not have to wait aimlessly, wondering when will the show starts or when will our favourite character comes out.
4. Download park map and plan our routes There are 7 themed zones in Universal Studios Singapore. We downloaded and studied the map before visiting to have a big picture for each of them. Also had some routes planning on which way to go first, or which theme to start with.
5. Have some research on the rides/shows you want to try/watch Know the theme, know the rides and shows too. For example, we want to try the TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle first, so we pinned the Sci-Fi City zone. For Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure™, marked on The Lost World Zone. It seems like a lot of hardwork but worth it, as we do not have to waste time figuring out where these rides/shows are at, but go straight to the particular themed zone.
6. Purchase Express Pass & Beat the Queue!
Get an Express Pass!
This is probably the best way to maximize your time in Universal Studios Singapore because queue for rides can be very along, like TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle, Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase, Revenge of the Mummy™ can go up to 2 hours of waiting sometimes.
For a day where every second counts, you certainly want to Spend less time on queuing, keep more time for playing.
An Express Pass will grant you priority access to most rides in the park. In other words, instead of queuing like other non-express pass holders, you can join the Universal Express lane and get into your ride faster. A lot faster, we really meant it.
We took just 30minutes to complete the TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle, while the waiting time in normal queue is 100minutes. When all rides require long waiting, Express Pass comes to be very useful, like an VIP entry. Lol.
Get Universal Express Pass (*one time for each ride) from SGD30, Universal Express Unlimited (*unlimited express ride) from SGD50.
7. Get yourself a Season Pass or Annual Pass for Unlimited re-visit Trust us, one time in Universal Studios Singapore is never enough. We do not want to limit ourselves to only one day in this awesome place too, so we got a Season Pass this round!
Season Pass gives us the privilege to unlimited access to the park for a time period of 6 months, while for Annual Pass, 12 months.
1-Day Ticket is SGD76, while 6-month Season Pass is SGD98; 2-Days Ticket is SGD145, 12-month Annual Pass is SGD188. — A simple calculation will tell you it is more worth than buying Day Pass if you are planning to return within 6 or 12 months.
For rides that we couldn’t try on, we keep in for next time because with Season Pass in hand, we can have unlimited access to the park within 6 months! Can’t wait to come back for more!
Membership Counter This is where you register as season pass/annual pass member.
Also, the reason why we recommend getting a Season Pass or Annual Pass is because, the park has special pop-up event or festive decoration from time to time. For example, they will be having Halloween Horror Nights from 27 September 2018 till 31 October 2018, followed up by special festive decoration for upcoming Christmas & New Year celebrations.
You’ve got the tips on how to cover your day in the park better. Now, let’s move on to things you can do in Universal Studios Singapore. Plenty of beautiful pictures so read till the end!
Things to do in Universal Studios Singapore
USS Themed Zones Routes: (anti-clockwise) Hollywood > New York > Sci-Fi City > Ancient Egypt > The Lost World > Far Far Away > Madagascar
Theme Zone: Hollywood Hollywood is the first theme right after the entrance gate.
It is a lively street modelled after the legendary Hollywood Boulevard, filled with colourful buildings and palm trees on both sides. Photography-worthy at almost every corner. TIPS: Remember to get a park map and shows’ timetable in this zone.
1. Elmo’s TV Time – Watch the lovable red monster as he directs his own TV channel! Here, you can join Jim Henson’s imagination and the Sesame Street friends as Elmo creates comedy shows, action hits and reality talent competition. Stay for the finale starring of Elmo himself!
2. Meet & Greet : Hollywood Walk of Fame Along the Hollywood Boulevard, meet the Universal cast of characters honored with star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, from the glamorous Marilyn Monroe to wacky Woody Woodpecker and more!
3. Mel’s Drive-In Already feel like eating? Get burgers at Mel’s Drive-In!
4. Character Meet & Great: The Minions! Minions! Our happiest character Meet & Greet of the day! Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-nana~ OMG so cute!
TIPS: The Minions Meet & Greet location is usually outside Minion Mart in Hollywood zone.
5. Character Meet & Great: Meet Gru too! He is also one of the main characters in DESPICABLE ME.
At the end of this zone, you can continue to either Madagascar theme on your left, or to New York on your right. But like many people said, the landscape structure of USS is like a doughnut shape – ROUND. You will eventually get to touch on each theme if you follow the route on map, no matter is in clockwise or anticlockwise. So no worry ya! Just have fun. We managed to make like 3-4 rounds that day. Haha.
Theme Zone: New York Say Hi to the lively New York street!
This is also another Instagram-worthy zone.
Rides and shows are suitable for children at younger age (7-12 years old), equally loved by adults too!
6. Lights, Camera, Action™! Hosted by Steven Spielberg Checked out this interesting show where an empty sound stage becomes the setting for a major hurricane about to New York City – right before our eyes.
7. Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase One of the cutest rides in USS. We went on a space mission with Elmo and Super Grover 2.0 to stop Macaroni the Merciless in his plot to steal all the spaghetti from Earth. Quite fun!
TIPS: This is the ride in New York theme with never ending queue, from morning till evening. Our Express Pass came into rescue. We managed to shorten our waiting time from 120minutes to like about 25minutes. Well done Express Pass!!!
8. Character Meet & Great: Elmo and Friends from Sesame Street! Happily strike a pose with Elmo and Abby. They are so friendly.
9. Spot the New York Library façade.
Theme Zone: Sci-Fi City™ Third theme zone of the day – Sci-Fi City. Get ready to be surrounded by futuristic structures, next-generation rides and everything in between. A zone for tech junkies!
Universal Studios Singapore top rides reside here, such as Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN™, Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN™, TRANSFORMERS The Ride: TheUltimate 3D Battle
10. TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle The reason to why we are going anti-clockwise on the route, because we wanted to try this hyper-realistic 3D thrill ride earlier!
We jumped into the world of TRANSFORMER, becoming a freedom fighter to battle against the forces of evil with OPTIMUS PRIME and the AUTOBOTS.
TIPS: Top 3 rides in Universal Studios Singapore. Waiting time can go up to more than 2 hours. Be patient is the key.
11. Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN™ Yes, Summergirl’s most awaited attraction in Universal Studios Singapore!
HUMAN™ and CYLON™ is a pair of roller coaster designed for speed, inspired from the storyline of a famous science fiction TV series – Battlestar Galactica. It is the tallest dueling roller coaster in the world, built up to 42.5metres high. – Just the fact is enough to lure us for a try. Lol.
Twist, turns and propels over 14 storeys into the air with HUMAN™ roller coaster!
TIPS: Store your belongings at nearby lockers before you go in, as loose articles are not permitted.
12. Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN™ VS CYLON™ Conquered the HUMAN, let’s try the robot CYLON. Scream your lungs out like others as the roller coaster goes up, around and upside down with intense corkscrew and a cobra roll! Super cool ride but definitely not for the faint hearted!
TIPS: Store your belongings at nearby lockers before you go in, as loose articles are not permitted.
13. Meet & Great: BUMBLEBEE! Looks like everybody loves BUMBLEBEE! We’re fans of him too! Couldn’t hold our excitement when we finally get to great him in person.
TIPS: It is located near to the Transformer’s car display. The longest meet & great queue we had that day. The line began to form up 30minutes before BUMBLEBEE appeared. So, again, be early.
14. Accelerator™ Whirling twirling kind of activity to test your stamina.
15. StarBot Cafe™ We had our lunch in StarBot Café, a restaurant serving Asian delicacies like Braised Beef Rice, Sweet & Sour Chicken with Olive Fried Rice, and finger food such as chicken wings, nuggets, fries, etc.. Our food bill came to SGD29 including Braised Beef Rice, Chicken Fingers and 2 drinks.
Done with lunch and reluctantly bid goodbye to our beloved TRANSFORMERS. We’ll be back!
Theme Zone: The Ancient Egypt
Upon crossing the Sci-Fi City zone, we were instantly transported from the city of science fiction into ancient Egypt – a land of mysteries, with oldest, yet the greatest civilization of the past.
Felt so small here because most structures here are large in size!
16. Revenge of the Mummy™ Revenge of the Mummy™, another heart-pounding star ride in Universal Studios Singapore. Famous for its actions-packed and pyrotechnics mechanism, having roller coaster soared through the darkness, comes face to face with warrior mummies and scarab beetles.
Very thrilling. We like the unpredictable, high speed backward motions. Officially Summerkid’s favourite ride in USS, because he rode 3 times that day.
TIPS: Don’t get step back by the long wait as it is a must-try, highly recommended ride. Store your belongings at nearby lockers before you go in, as loose articles are not permitted.
17. Treasure Hunters™ Drive your own desert jeep through an abandoned Egyptian excavation site. A nice ride for family with kids.
18. Character Meet & Great: Meet the Ancient Egypt Anubian Warriors
19. The Pharaoh Walkway with Anubis Statues Personally, we feel it is best to come here during evening, around 7 to 8PM. This is the time where we felt like we were really get transported back into the past, immersed in the mysterious air that this secret piece of land holds up to, like real.
To us, this is a zone to beyond just just rides, but also to appreciate a little about the Egyptian civilization that has continued for over 5000 years.
Theme Zone: The Lost World™
Entered The Lost World of Jurassic Park.
Walked through the winding path of dinasour-infested jungle, enjoy watery-trip through river raft ride, explore precious stones and fossilized insects here.
20. Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure™ Had so much fun getting wet and soaked up as we enjoyed a thrilling river raft ride through primeval dinosaur habitats.
21. Canopy Flyer™ Our favourite ride in The Lost World zone, as we get to enjoy a stunning bird’s –eye view of the park as we swing over Jurassic Park.
22. WaterWorld™ The much-talked about “live” water show that kept our eyes to the stage all time with its death-defying stunts and awesome explosions.
23. Dino-Soaring Pilot your own Pteranodon!
24. Character Meet & Greet: Hatched!
Theme Zone: Far Far Away Far Far Away, a dreamy escape for all ages.
25. Far Far Away Castle Not a prince, neither a princess, but taking a picture with the iconic castle is a must!
26. Enchanted Airways Junior roller coaster for every one!
27. Shrek 4-D Adventure Join Princess Fiona & Shrek in a fairytale adventure in 4D effects.
28. Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey The world’s first Puss In Boots’ Giant Journey roller coaster.
29. Meet & Greet: Happily Ever After™ Meet Shrek, Princess Fiona, Puss In Boots and Pinocchio greeting you in royal ogre-style!
Theme Zone: Madagascar
“ I like to move it, move it; I like to move it, move it” We are in Madagascar zone!
30. Madagascar: A Crate Adventure Here, we went on an unforgettable rive boat ride with four heroes – Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria!
31. King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round Carousel ride with King Julien, the Lemurs and other Madagascar characters.
32. Madagascar Boogie! Watched the cast from DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar films! Took picture with characters from the movie too!
33. Spent some Zen moments by the lake. The lake is located at the center of the park, overlooking some of the major attractions and rides.
34. Get more photos along the way. Everywhere is picture-worthy, so take more pictures in between your rides and zones visit!
Instead of keeping those beautiful pictures just in your mobile phone, why not print them out? For Meet & Great session, there will be staffs helping you to take pictures of you. You will be given a number card to keep, just show it at the photo counter to view your pictures. For those you like, print out a physical copy and keep as memories!
35. Don’t forget to buy home souvenirs! Bring home more than just memories! Fridge magnet, cookies, plush toys, bags, shirts, stationary and more are available at souvenir shops in different themed zones.
Buy one, buy all. Hehe.
**** Bravo! We’ve completed all the 7 zones!
Exhausted but feeling happy!
For hassle free without the need to queue for ticket, you might want to check out the kkday’s Universal Studios Singapore Ticket with Shopping Voucher or One-Way Pick-Up Service. Enjoy!
