A guide to Universal Studios Singapore

Located on Sentosa Island, Universal Studios Singapore is the only Universal theme park in South East Asia. Its also the first non-U.S park I had visited in my quest to do all the Disney and Universal Parks some day. The park is the smallest of all the Universal theme parks that have been opened to date, but its still worth a visit when travelling to Singapore as it contains quite a few unique attractions that can’t be found elsewhere. In this guide I’ll explore the park and offer some suggestions that will help you plan your day touring.

Heading to Singapore and want to see what else is around? Check out my 3 day Singapore itinerary HERE.

The Basics:

• Where? 8 Sentosa Gateway, Singapore 098629
• When? Park hours vary depending on the day and time of year. Generally the park is open from 10AM-7PM weekdays and closing later on weekends. Check the calendar here.
• How much? Admission depends on the day selected, but at the time of writing, one day admission for adults is $81.00 SGD. Universal Express is also available for an additional fee. See the Universal Studios Singapore website for more details. Purchase your tickets online rather than at the park entrance.
• How to get there? The closest MRT station is HarbourFront from which you can catch the Sentosa Express Monorail to VivoCity. Alternatively, walk from HarbourFront along the Sentosa Boardwalk or catch a cable car from HarbourFront Centre or Mt Faber.
• Website: https://www.rwsentosa.com/en/attractions/universal-studios-singapore

Park Layout

If you’ve ever been to Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Florida, you’ll have a basic idea of the layout for this park (although Universal Studios Singapore is much smaller than its Orlando counterparts). The park consists of a series of ‘lands’ or ‘zones’ containing attractions that circle a lake in the park’s centre (which is also where the end of day fireworks show takes place on weekends). Through this guide, we’ll enter the park at the main entrance and venture counterclockwise around the lagoon.

Hollywood

Hollywood is the first “land” you’ll enter when you arrive at Universal Studios Singapore. It effectively serves as your traditional “main street” park entrance, filled with shops and photo opportunities before you’re able to branch out into the other lands surrounding the main lagoon. The area is themed to the Hollywood of the 1970s and includes notable landmarks among the assortment of shops and dining options.

While there’s no rides in Hollywood, you can meet the Minions and Gru from Despicable Me here, as well as Hollywood icons such as Marilyn Monroe (check your times guide when you visit). There’s also American style dining options such as Mel’s Drive-In (burgers) and Starbucks. The area is all under cover as well, making it a good place to hang out during a customary afternoon downpour. All in all, I didn’t spend much time in Hollywood, but all about getting you inside the theme park.

New York

Moving to the right as you leave Hollywood, you’ll come to another land drawing its thematic inspiration from the good old USA, this time the east coast jewel of New York City. This was one of my favourite zones, as it almost felt that you had stepped out onto a New York street (aside from the humidity of course!) with a beautiful recreation of the New York Public Library facade serving as the centrepiece of the area. There’s a bit more to do in New York, but you’ll also find more dining and shopping options. Grab some pizza at Loui’s NY Pizza Parlour or visit KT’s Grill for a feed if you’re hungry. Kids will also enjoy meeting their favourite Sesame Street characters such as Elmo and Oscar the Grouch in this land near the Sesame Street attraction.

New York is home to 2 main attractions.

1. Lights, Camera, Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg

In this show, you enter a soundstage after being briefed by a projection of Steven Spielberg himself. Here you bear witness to the recreation of a massive hurricane hitting New York City. Its not a long show (only a few minutes in duration), and you’ll be standing for the whole thing, but its worth checking out. As you enter the soundstage themed around a New York boathouse, you’ll witness gale force winds, explosions, bursts of flame and things crashing down while you look on. The climax comes when a massive ship comes slamming through the boathouse before the set reverts to its original layout for the next showing. There’s no huge rush to get to this attraction as it has a fairly large capacity. I’d initially skip it for the more popular attractions then see it later in the day if you head to New York first thing.

2. Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase

This dark ride is aimed mainly at children, but given the small number of rides at this park, you’ll probably still have time to check it out. It may just bring back some Sesame Street nostalgia even if you’re not travelling with young ones (and plus, its a unique attraction that you won’t find anywhere else in the world).

Based on the highly successful children’s franchise, the idea here is that Elmo and Super Grover have to board a rocket ship for a showdown with Macaroni the Merciless, who for some reason has stolen the world’s supply of spaghetti. Weird, I know. All the Sesame Street characters make an appearance at some point throughout the ride. It was fun for what it was, but unless you have young children, definitely don’t plan your day around riding this one. It actually had quite a lengthy queue when I visited, so this might be one to hit early in the day if its important to you.

Sci-Fi City

No, its not Tomorrowland, really. This section of the park is themed around depicting a futuristic metropolis rooted in science fiction films. In simple terms, its where you’ll find the park’s most intense thrill rides. This is the section of the park that I recommend hitting up first thing (especially as one of the headliners may close if it rains, which is quite common in Singapore). Sci-Fi City is home to a set of duelling coasters, a popular 3D adventure that you’ll find in other parks, and another more gentle ride that I’ll cover below. The rather small land (particular for the number of headline attractions here) also contains the Starbot Cafe serving Asian cuisine and the chance to meet the Transformers’ Autobots.

1. Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN (red) and CYLON (blue)

This set of duelling rollercoasters is my favourite set of rides at Universal Studios Singapore. Loosely inspired by the popular science fiction series Battlestar Galactica, the rollercoaster represents a battle between the humans and cylons (alien species) while weaving and careening around at high speeds up to 14 stories high. Its a lot of fun to say the least, and is the only real thrill coaster in the park.

Of the two tracks, HUMAN is slightly less thrilling as you ride in a sit-down cart through a loop-less track. You’ll still reach high speeds though and its definitely not for the faint hearted. CYLON takes the thrills to a whole new level though. Here you’re suspended from the car in a hanging seat and blast through five inversions. Do both, but do HUMAN first. CYLON will blow your mind after it.

Note that this is one of the rides where you’ll need to deposit your belongings in a nearby locker before riding. The queue can get long, even with Express Pass, so hit this one early (I’d probably rope drop this ride).

2. Transformers: The Ride 3D

Another one of my favourite rides in the park is found in Sci-Fi city, although the Transformers ride can be found in pretty much every Universal park around the world. One thing that I didn’t know though is that Universal Studios Singapore actually had the first version of this ride globally. For those that haven’t experienced the ride anywhere else, the idea here is that you board your Autobot vehicle and are whisked away into a series of clashes between good and evil, with characters such as Optimus Prime and Bumblebee assisting you on your mission to protect the AllSpark (which gives life to all Transformers). Its a thrilling and very immersive screen based thrill simulator that is definitely a must do when you visit.

Again, hit this one early on in the day, preferably right after Battlestar Galactica.

3. Accelerator

The last ride that you can experience in this land is the Accelerator. Its definitely the least adventurous of the three, but it might be fun for those that aren’t into the big thrills found in this zone. Its basically a spinning cup and saucers type ride very similar to the Storm Force Accelatron that you can find at Islands of Adventure in Florida. Skip this one if you’re pressed for time, but it might be something to do when lines get longer elsewhere.

Ancient Egypt

From the future, to ancient times. This next land is based around the oldest civilisation of the world, the Ancient Egyptian dynasty. The theming here is great, with shrines and tombs serving as decor around the area and statues making you feel as though you’ve been sent off to another time. The centrepiece of this land is the main Revenge of the Mummy attraction building, but there’s also a smaller ride aimed towards younger or less adventurous travellers. You can also get a feed here the Oasis Spice Cafe, which more or less serves Indian dishes. At certain times of day, you can also meet the Egyptian Royalty in this part of the park (and they tower over you on their stilts).

1. Revenge of the Mummy

Its another beloved Universal thrill ride that is found all over the world, and another of my favourites. Inside the impressive Egyptian Tomb (making it the best themed facade of this ride that I’ve seen), you’ll board a mine car to explore the tomb of the late Imhotep from the 1999 Brendan Fraser film. You’re soon cursed by the wretched Mummy and sent careening at 45 miles per hour through the dark all while experiencing fire bursts and other special effects throughout the tomb. Of the three versions of this ride that I’ve experienced, I’d rank this above Hollywood, but its not quite as impressive as the Orlando version. Its a lot of fun as you travel forwards and backwards, up and down and all over the place. Head here after you’ve hit up the main attractions in Sci-Fi City.

2. Treasure Hunters

Treasure Hunters is another ride that is unique to Singapore, but its basically a way for less adventurous explorers (or those that don’t meet the Revenge of the Mummy’s height requirement) to take a trip into Ancient Egypt. Its really not worth a long wait, but if you decide to ride it, you’ll board a rail guided jeep and wind past animatronic animals and excavation site scenery. The immersion doesn’t last as you can see the rest of the park along much of the track. This one might be more enjoyable for those travelling with young children. I was ready to get off about halfway through.

The Lost World

In this land you travel back even further in time into the age of dinosaurs. That means you’re off to Jurassic Park, although the Waterworld show is also tucked away in this section for some reason. The highlight in this zone is a river rapid spin on the usual Jurassic Park ride (on which you’re guaranteed to get soaked). There’s also a family friendly rollercoaster and a spinning kids ride. Other than the main attractions, you can take a shot at the Amber Rock Climb by harnessing up and exploring a recreation of a dinosaur dig site or meet some newly hatched dinosaurs and/or the ferocious velociraptors. Dinosaur lovers will enjoy their time in this section of the park.

If you’re hungry, you can also visit the Discovery Food Court inside the classic Jurassic Park visitor’s centre for some Singaporean favourites.

1. Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure

The headline attraction of the Lost World is where you come to get soaked. If you’re familiar with the Jurassic Park attractions found in most Universal parks around the world, you might be surprised to find that this one is a river rapids ride rather than your traditional boat ride with a huge drop. The actual story is pretty much the same though – you board for a tour through Jurassic Park’s dinosaur exhibits, but things go wrong and you end up in the park’s hydroelectric power supply with carnivores on the loose. The ride climax sees you taken up in an elevator and careening down a (considerably smaller due to the ride vehicle) drop to escape the jaws of a waiting Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Personally I think the ride works better in its more well known format, but this is still a lot of fun and a good opportunity to get splashed in the hot Singapore sun. This is another popular attraction where waits will build up later in the day as it gets hotter. Try to do it early in the morning after Sci-Fi and Egypt.

2. Canopy Flyer

This family friendly rollercoaster has you suspended as you dangle from the track in back to back seats. While its not overly thrilling (or long for that matter), it does give you nice views of the Lost World land to the score of the Jurassic Park soundtrack. Its another one of those attractions that serves as a solid diversion when other rides are too busy.

3. Dino-Soarin’

This was one of only two rides I didn’t go on when I visited the Universal Studios Singapore. I don’t think I was missing out on much as its basically just your traditional children’s spinner ride that goes up and down, with a pteranodon serving as each ride vehicle. Kids will enjoy it, but this ride doesn’t have anything else going for it.

4. Waterworld

This 20 minute live action show is another import from the Hollywood Universal park and is the same explosive and soaking experience that you can see there. Drawing its roots from the 1995 flick of the same name, the show is performed on a water covered set littered with platoons and elevated walkways from which numerous water stunts and action sequences are performed to make up for the relatively basic plot. Sit close to the front in the marked splash zone if you want to get wet (soaked) during the performance to cool off. The theatre housing this show is huge, making it a great choice to head to during the early afternoon when queues peak elsewhere. Check your times guide to see when the show is scheduled throughout the day and plan accordingly.

Far, Far Away

This land is another part of Universal Studios Singapore with excellent theming. Based off the Dreamworks franchise Shrek, here you’ll find key locations from the movies recreated such as the beautiful Far, Far Away Castle and Shrek’s classic swamp house. As you might expect, this land is themed towards families with younger children, although it does contain two relatively tame rollercoasters to experience. The castle houses a 4D show (I’ll admit I was underwhelmed that it was all that was inside), while there’s also a digital puppet show hosted by Donkey that plays at certain times throughout the day. There’s also the Magic Spin mini-ferris wheel for children found inside the Fairy Godmother’s Potion Shop in addition to the primary attractions here.

Of course, you can also meet all your favourite Shrek characters including Fiona, Puss in Boots, Pinocchio and the loveable ogre himself when visiting this part of the park.

1. Shrek 4-D Adventure

The interior of the beautiful Far, Far Away castle holds the theatre for the same 4-D Shrek movie that you can see at Universal Studios in Orlando (and previously Hollywood). Its worth a watch if you have time, but I wouldn’t worry if you have limited time. Some of the effects are quite outdated, given the film that plays actually dates back to 2003. The show is set after the events of the original Shrek movie and revolve around the spirit of Lord Faquaad (the villain who met his demise at the hands of the dragon in the first film) coming back from the dead to cause chaos for Shrek and friends.

While I was disappointed that the castle was being used for such an outdated attraction (considering the park opened 7 years after the 3D film was released), its decent enough as an excuse to get out of the heat if you haven’t seen it yet.

2. Enchanted Airways

Luckily we have some unique attractions in Far, Far Away as well, such as this family friendly rollercoaster. With carts modelled after the Dragon character from the franchise, the idea here is that the residents of the kingdom have created an air transport system through dragon travel, and you’re taking a flight on board. Venturing through Shrek’s swamp and other themed forest areas, your journey sees cameos from various characters from the movies such as Gingy and Pinocchio. As mentioned, this is a family coaster and is probably the best choice for those with young children to try out with kids to see how they handle rollercoasters. You won’t get any crazy thrills (it only gets to around 28 miles per hour) and its a pretty short ride, but its fun nonetheless and you’ll enjoy some nice views of the park as you whizz about.

3. Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey

This one was strange! The second family friendly rollercoaster in Far, Far Away is based on the spin-off Puss in Boots movie and sees you boarding a basket like ride vehicle suspended from a track. The vehicle doesn’t reach great speeds (personally I’d say its tamer than Enchanted Airways despite the strange vehicle). Instead the vehicle makes its way past a number of scenes which had something to do with a goose and a golden egg. If you’ve seen the movie, it will probably make more sense to you.

One thing I did like about this ride was the theming of the queue area and boarding station. Consistent with the idea that you’ve been shrunk down to the size of Puss and his animal friends, you’ll make your way through a kitchen area with oversized cooking utensils and ingredients making up the area.

Madagascar

Before you get back to Hollywood, the last land counterclockwise around Universal Studios Singapore is based on the Dreamworks film Madagascar. There’s rumours that this section of the park is about to undergo renovations in the near future, so I’m glad I managed to see it before that happened, even though its not a film that I can recall much about. Aside from all those singing lemurs of course. As you’d expect from the franchise, its another family friendly land, but this one includes a gentle boat ride and a carousel. You’ll also find your favourite Madagascar characters hanging around and boogying here.

Madagascar was also the land in which I had lunch during my visit to the park. Marty’s Casa Del Wild serves up delicious curries and other delicacies from all over South East Asia and has plenty of seating out of the sun. I can’t really compare it to any other dining options in the park as I didn’t go to them, but this was above average considering its a theme park food court.

1. Madagascar: A Crate Adventure

Madagascar also features a ride thats exclusive to Universal Studios Singapore as the land’s headline attraction. A Crate Adventure is a gentle river ride through an indoor animatronic reenactment of the plot of the movie. Your boat will follow along with Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman as they explore the island of Madagascar and coming across King Julien (who really likes to move it!). Overall its a good refresher of the film if you’d forgotten what it was about like I had before my visit. I think this was probably my favourite of the ‘family friendly’ land rides, so I’d say its worth checking out. Do it later in the day after doing all the big hitter attractions though.

2. King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round

The last ride on the list is the other attraction that I didn’t experience during my visit to Universal Studios Singapore. Its basically just a carousel with jungle characters from the Madagascar film rather than traditional horses. Fun for families with young children, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for this one.

Making the most of your visit

I’ve touched on how best to tour the park above, but here’s a bit of a recap. First and foremost, I don’t think Universal Studios Singapore is a theme park that requires a comprehensive touring strategy. I say that having visited at a very busy time of year (late December). While the park definitely was packed by early afternoon with lines of around an hour at many attractions, I was still able to ride pretty much everything by around 3pm. Considering the park opens relatively late at 10am, that’s not bad at all. There just isn’t THAT many attractions at the park after you’ve tackled the headliners.

To summarise my recommended plan of attack, I’d aim to arrive at the park at least 30 minutes before the listed opening time and have your ticket pre-purchased online. Upon being admitted to the park, head to Sci-Fi City and do the Battlestar rollercoasters and Transformers. From there, embark on a counter-clockwise tour of the park’s major attractions, heading to Revenge of the Mummy, Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure and Canopy Flyer next. Head through to Far, Far Away and knock off Enchanted Airways and Puss in Boots, and from there you can work your way through Madagascar and anything else you’ve missed. The only real variable here is how badly you want to do Sesame Street as the lines there will probably have picked up significantly by that point so you’ll probably have a wait there.

Well, that’s my guide to Universal Studios Singapore. If you’ve been, let me know what rides and attractions you enjoyed at this park. Or if you’ve got any questions, please let me know. Happy travelling.