Alicia Tan: Universal Studio Singapore :)

Hey guys :) I'm here to share with you my trip to Spore, but first up will be Universal Studio ;)

It was just a random trip planned super last minute by my friend, XiaoTung since she was asked to try out a job in a french celebrity restaurant in MarinaBaySands ( Well, she studied Culinary Arts in Le Cordon Bleu Paris, how cool is that huh? :) ) So anyways, it was just a few days trip of shopping, feeding ourselves, catching up/gossiping with my 2sisters and one of d days were scheduled for the fantasy theme park - Universal Studio :)

Since my sis told me it's very similar to the one in US, it is a must-go for me =D

B4 i load you guys with pictures, n moree pics of my journey throughout the park, I think I should give some tips and some idea of the interesting layout of the park to those who haven't gone yet/ interested to go :)

LAYOUT

It is 49 acres in size, consisting of 7 theme zones surrounding a lagoon. Each zone is based on either some blockbuster movies , or famous television shows that has the ability to bring you into their world. :)

Here are the 7 zones :-

*Hollywood*	*Themed after the real Hollywood Boulevard of the 1970s, the Hollywood zone is framed by dynamic architecture, palm trees and the famous Hollywood 'Walk of Fame'.*
*New York*	Themed after post-modern New York City that features sidewalks and classic landmarks that mimic its impressive cityscape. The area is enhanced by neon lights and flanked by street facades that set the scenes for big city fun and also real-time movie production for most Hollywood blockbuster films.
*Sci-Fi City*	*Sci-Fi City is themed after what cities and metropolis may look like in the future, equipped with space-age technologies and the ultimate modern conveniences.*
*Ancient Egypt*	*As the name suggests, the Ancient Egypt zone is themed after the rich Egyptian architecture and artifacts found during the Golden Age of Egyptian Exploration in the 1930s.*
*The Lost World*	*The Lost World zone features two smaller themed regions: Jurassic Park and Waterworld.*
*Far Far Away*	*Far Far Away is based on the kingdom of the same name featured in DreamWorks Animations' Shrek.*
*Madagascar*	*The Madagascar zone features a displaced cargo ship that houses the Madagascar: A Crate Adventure ride. It also features all of the characters from DreamWorks Animations' Madagascar.*

*from wiki

MY TIPS n FAVOURITES ;)

1) TICKETS

To save up, do not buy ur tickets last min (Especially when it's festive season) , try to buy them online or find sellers online that might sell them at half the price !

My mistake was that I didn't know student price will not be taken into account during festive season and bought the ticket at about $90 -__- . And then, I found out that people were selling half the price online. Great. Oh well...

2) Showtime

1st thing when u step into the park is to grab hold of the Universal Studio map and the showtime of all the attractions/shows. Try to schedule your time wisely and do not waste time on sucky rides lol. U might end up missing out on the great shows/rides. Do not think that half a day is more than enough- that is not true. My advise is to go for the best shows/rides first, n when ur done with those, you can take ur time to enjoy the architecture , endless picture taking, dadadada....

3) My ratings :D

Sadly, I myself missed out on quite some performances though i tried my best to go for the better ones first!:( Well, partly it was bcos I had to leave by 5plus cos shopping was my friend's priority too -_- *so try to go earlier - it opens at 10am :) and spend ur entire day there!*

Some performances/shows only have limited showtime, take note of that, so make sure, again, not to miss them.

Must-gos.

1) Transformers-The Ride (Sci-Fi City). - This is like the best ride/experience in Universal Studio yet! U might even want to ride couple of times! It is beyond 3D-HD,It is literally you witnessing / fighting for your life, being inside the movie - mega special effects and stunning robotics. Watch out for the queue! Or solve the problem by Going for express, you wont be able to sit with ur frens, but whatever la, better than waiting for 1 hour right? 8)

2)BattleStar Galactica (Sci-Fi City) - World's tallest pair of dwelling roller coasters ! What more can i say?? But ofcourse, not for the faint of heart haha! ( like me lol). I'd go for the Enchanted Airways ( Far Far Away) instead loll.

3)Lights! Camera ! Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg (New York)- you will be blown away by the filmmakers' incredible special effects as an empty sound stage becomes the setting for a major hurricane about to hit New York City :)

4)Revenge of the Mummy : The Ride (Ancient Egypt) -A high-speed psychological thrill ride with sharp turns and fast reverse sections, it pits guests against fireballs, scarab beetles and robotic warrior mummies — all in partial darkness. Beware of the fast reverse sections !!

5)Shrek 4-D Adventure ( Far far Away) - Being a fan of Shrek, how can I say no to this? :)

6) Waterworld ( The Lost World) - This is a live show performance involving stunts and pyrotechnics :)

7)Madagascar: A crate Adventure ( Madagascar) - Just a calm and friendly ride on a journey with the famous Madagascar characters. What is there to hate? :)

Alright! These are my top picks :) But of course I've missed some live performances such as the Donkey Live that i assume would be enjoyable too! And oh, of course dont forget to spot some cute cartoon/movie characters on the way :) and enjoy the beautiful architecture :)

Pictures right away !!

This is outside Universal Studio, packed with restaurants, cute candy & chocolate stores, souvenir stores and so on. I will post these pics last, because it was actually my last stop b4 I left. This should also be your last stop if ur going. Spend more time inside Universal Studio first ! Dont waste time n ur ticket haha ! Time + money is precious :P

Welcome to Hollywood baby! ;p

Hollywood's at the main entrance area of the park. Picture above shows the replica of the Hollywood Boulevard, flanked by palm trees and dynamic architectures :) Watch out for special character appearances such as Betty Boop, Marilyn Monroe, Frankenstein's Monster and so on :) Though I didn't get to see all the characters, at least I met this super adorable + huggable Po !! :)

Woodpecker :)

Other than the pretty buildings and architectures, one of the only attractions in Hollywood is the broadway style musical theatre (shown below). To me it's just okay , nothing too spectacular. I see people sleeping inside the theatre too lol.

On the way, you'll be able to enjoy performances by street dancers & singers maybe while grabbing some snacks hehe. Of course this zone is accompanied by several restaurants & flagship stores inspired by Hollywood.

Welcome to New Yorkkk!

This zone is based on the original New York City, during the era of post modernization. Picture below shows a replica of the public library :-

These are pictures of how the New York zone looks like, featuring various icons such as sidewalks, neon lights and city skyline.

It was Xmas ! :) Christmas season did accentuate the beautiful "city". *sings Joy to the world~~ Joy to the world~~* lol.

And most importantly, when you are in this zone, you cannottt miss out Steven Spielberg's Lights!Camera!Action!

While queuing up to watch the performance :P

Picture below shows you how the stage looks like. It is basically showing a major hurricane scene about to hit New York City by filmmakers :) You will be blown away by the incredible effects :)

Big transformation from New York to Sci-Fi City - highlighting an imagined metropolis of the future!

Also, ready to rock on the world's tallest pair of dueling rollercoasters haha! I was so close to riding it , but bliv it or not, when it was just about to be my turn, there was some technical error for nearly an hour. Oh well, fed up waiting so we left. Thinking about it, maybe it's a blessing in disguise because God knew I would die of heartattack if I'm up there. haha.

As I've mentioned above, the best, like the most awesome ride yet is Transformers: The Ride !!! If you're telling me u went to Universal Studio n missed this ride, I tell you, don't tell ppl u've been to Universal Studio :P Mega special effects and stunninggg robotics with a ride system- all in one package !!

Transformers!

One of the cool looking restaurants in Sci-Fi . Super Sci-Fi looking right?? haha.

Alright moving onnn, one of my favourite zones !!

Welcome to Far Far Awayyyyyy :D

You will instantly be happy in this land ! :) Too bad it drizzled when I landed here.

You can see from the pictures below ;(

But oh well, still happy :)

Just like im in a fairytale :)

It was so funny, the weather was soo hot and it suddenly rained, so I was sweating bcos of the heat, and was also wet at d same time haha.

Ben & Jerry's awesome during a long walk + hot weather :D

Guess which flavour i chose?? :) I think it was cappuccino chip or smtg. So goooodddd *yumsss*

Posing with the uber cute gingerbread men!! :)

While queuing up to watch the Shrek 4-D animation and saw this cute lovely frame of the King & Queen :)

This is inside the FairyGodmother's Potion Shop :) Cuteee !

See how cuteeee donkey n his baby drakeys (dragon+donkey babies) hehehe.

Enchanted Airways!! A short rollercoaster ride apparently for children?? Lol, I think children will cry riding it.
Lol.. I'm a timid child.

Next up... Ancient Egypt ! It kind of reminded me of Sunway Pyramid lol. But of course the architecture here is more dynamic :)

Interesting Zone :) And of course as usual, restaurants and stalls that complement the theme :)

Oh.. and pls dont miss the ride in this zone- Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride !

Super thrilling with speeding turns and gosh the reverse sections, my heart dropped.-_-

Somemore I sat at the first row, super thrilled.

For those adventurous ones, sit at the front row for all rides haha.

Now, Let me now bring you to..

" I like to move it move it. i like to move it move it.. MOVE IT!!"

Madagascar!

It is a cute zone, especially if u love this cartoon ( I love it !)

I went for the water boat ride called A Crate Adventure which featuree the famous voices of Ben Stiller (Lion) and David Schwimmer (Giraffe) to name a few :)

Nothing great, but for a Madagascar lover like me, I enjoyed it ! :)

A picture I took during my crate adventure :D

Oh yea, if I'm not wrong, u might get a little wet. But just a little...

Hungry? Grab some snacks with Gloria ;)

Can't leave without a group picture with the madagascar crew :D

One thing I love about Universal Studio is that u do not need to buy pictures from them :)

They will help u take the shots for you using your camera, and they are even kind enough to take like 3 poses no matter how long the queue is ! *thumbs up*

What about the Lost World?? :)

They have quite some activities in this zone, such as the Canopy Flyer and Amber Rock Climb.

Unfortunately due to the long queue and we were running out of time, didn't get to sit on any rides in this zone.

I also heard that the Waterworld Live Show is a must-go!

But because I did not manage my time wisely, and this performance has limited showtime, I missed it :(

It is based on the film WaterWorld starring Kevin Costner which contains mainly water-based attraction. (like duh right, the name speaks for itself lol)