The Lost World Area

This will be a series of ongoing articles about the 7 themed lands and rides in Universal Studios Singapore. Pictures courtesy of Universal Studios Singapore Press Conference.

Jurassic Park trilogy will be brought to life in this unique area of Universal Studios Singapore. Life sized dinosaurs will be authentically recreated in this area. This is the largest theme land in the whole of Universal Studios Singapore, with 5 Unique attractions, 4 of which never seen before in other Universal Studios. This land is highly immersive, with lush vegetation and recreated structures from Steven Spielberg's hit movie.


The 5 attractions in this area are:
-Jurassic Park River Rapids
-Canopy Flyer
-Dino Soarin'
-Waterworld
-Amber Rock Climb

Note: Waterworld is based on the film of the same name, seen at other Universal Studios Parks around the world. It will be covered in another article.

This is the concept art for the entire land:



Jurassic Park River Rapids
Main article here
It is based on the blockbuster movie Jurassic Park by Steven Spielberg. It is a re-imagining of the classic Universal Studios attraction Jurassic Park River adventure, located in the other Universal Studios theme parks around the world. One thing unique about it is that it uses circular rafts rather that boats or log flumes.

Canopy Flyer


This is a version of a Skylift that uses rigid arms and the vehicle is propelled by a mechanism on the track, rather than the original Skylift rides where the whole track moves. It allows the whole family to sit comfortably in the vehicle and have birds' eyes' view of the land while enjoying the breeze.

Dino Soarin'


A theme park classic, a Centrifugal ride, like Dumbo the flying elephant, Astro Orbiter etc. What is different in this ride is that there is a joystick that allows guests to control how high or low the vehicles flies.

Amber Rock Climb


A rock climbing experience for the whole family in a safe environment.

To be continued...

Christmas Wish List

Christmas is coming, so this is my Christmas Wish List for Universal Studios Singapore.

So if Santa is reading, please seriously consider my wishes.

Number 1 No crowds.
Although I hope that Universal Studios Singapore will be popular, huge mobs of crowds will not only spoil the whole experience, but it will also ruin all the fun of Universal Studios Singapore.

Number 2 A Nightly Fireworks/ Lagoon Spectacular.
Like all good theme parks, Universal Studios Singapore should have a lagoon/fireworks show to keep the guests in for the night and to cap off the guests' experience. Given that Universal Studios Singapore already have a lagoon, adding a lagoon show will be easy.

Number 3 A Halloween Party/Event.
The american versions of Universal Studios have it. It is a hard-ticketed event where there will be fun houses, haunted houses, temporary attractions etc that brings Halloween attractions to a whole new level.

Number 4 Constant updates and refurbishments.
As you know, movies are one of the easiest things to get outdated, so I wish that there will be refurbishments and expansions on new movies, and old attractions based on outdated movies will be swapped out.

Number 5 Local passes/ Annual passes.
All the other Universal Studios have local resident passes or annual passes, where there will be a discounted price for people who will come very often. This is very important as in order to keep the locals coming after their first visit. And living in Singapore, I hope there will be a discount for us.


To be continued...

Universal Studios Singapore Ancient Eygpt part 2

This will be a series of ongoing articles about the 7 themed lands and rides in Universal Studios Singapore. Pictures courtesy of Universal Studios Singapore Press Conference.

Revenge of the Mummy ride
This is the main headliner attraction of this land. It is an indoor roller coaster. People from Universal Creative (those who designed this park) calls it a psychological thrill ride, because you are in complete darkness while riding through this roller coaster. This allows you to buy into the story and suspend all disbelieve. Very intense, a whole lot of fun and a lot of screaming on this ride.

The story to this ride is that you are exploring an ancient Mummy tomb when you heard of the tale of Imhotep, and you have to destroy the book of the living before him can get to it. So you jump onto these mine cars and you start exploring, when Imhotep discovers you and he chases you around this tomb, each time escaping him narrowly.

There will be amazing effects such as the fire effect seen in other versions of this ride, shown below.


Another cool effect that is present in other incarnations of the ride is the Scarab beetles effect, where the beetles appear on the walls with help of projectors, as the added special effects of air jets at riders' feet and a spray of water from above create the illusion of the vehicle being overrun by the bugs.

There may even be a backwards section of the ride, where the vehicles move backwards through complete darkness with Imhotep chasing behind you.


Treasure Hunters



This a family fun ride, where the whole family can ride the jeep and explore the excavation site, which ties in very well to the theme of this whole area.

Universal Studios Singapore Ancient Eygpt

Imagine walking with Pharaohs. Imagine the grandeur and the splendor of ancient Egypt coming to life once again. Imagine the luxury of an era long gone. Imagine the culture and the complexity of this magnificent civilization brought to life before your very eyes.

Imagine no more.

Meet Universal Studio Singapore's most exotic, and culturally rich land, Ancient Egypt. This land is the home of 2 mega attractions, The Revenge of the Mummy and the Treasure Hunters. This two attractions cater to all ages. Now add this two attraction to a wide array of shops and dining (or should I say feasting) options, spice it up with some authentic theming elements, and you get one of the most picturesque land. This land really brings story telling to a brand new level, where you are in a giant movie set and you are the actors, making memories and having fun.



The story of this theme land is that you are the archeologist who discovered the ancient ruins of an Egyptian civilization, and this land completely does that. That explains why there is the Treasure Hunters ride, which is the jeep that you, the archeologist sits on to excavate the ruins. While is Mummy coaster is the centerpiece of the land, and the entire ruin is built around the tomb of the Mummy.

Hollywood area update

This will be a series of ongoing articles about the 7 themed lands and rides in Universal Studios Singapore. Pictures courtesy of Universal Studios Singapore Press Conference.

The Hollywood area of Universal Studios Singapore will to the entrance to the park, and it will also be the area that sends guests off after a day in the parks. This lively area will be reminiscent of the golden age of Hollywood where movie making is the most glamorous business and Hollywood is literally the crossroads of the world.




The entrance of the theme land will be a lively center of activity place, between the junction of Universal Studios Singapore entrance, the Sentosa LRT station and the festive walk entrance. The entrance plaza is where you can get your pictures taken with the characters in front of the signature Universal Studios globe.



What is so special about this area is that there are shade covers on the street to protect the visitors from the heat and the rain of the Singapore weather. There are also going to be air coolers which is going to blow in cool air to keep the temperature comfortable all year round.


The Hollywood Boulevard will be reflective of the classical 1940's Hollywood. The street here at Universal Studios Singapore will be recreated complete with the art deco buildings. street lamps, parking meters, down to the last detail, just like shooting for a feature film on location.




At night, the Hollywood Boulevard will be illuminated in a whole new light.

Far Far Away

This is a construction picture of Far Far Away's glamorous Romeo Drive which contains the nightspots of the town such as Hook's Knight Club and Donkey live!

What queue is this?

Today, I need your help. I found 2 images from the internet marked as queue areas for Universal Studios Singapore rides, but I could not figure out what attractions' queues are these.

Please leave a comment on what you think these queues are. Any speculations are welcomed. Please leave your comment. Thanks.


Queue 1


Queue 2

Images belongs to respective owners.

Universal Studios Singapore New York street Part 3

Live Entertainment

When Universal Studios Singapore opens next year, one thing that hits you as soon as you enter the park is the live entertainment. There are going to be actors dressed as different characters in all the areas interacting with visitors, signing autographs and entertaining visitors as they walk through the park. This is going to add to the liveliness and the vibrancy of Universal Studios Singapore.

Well, New York street is no exception. There will be live acts, so there will constantly be live entertainment around Universal Studios Singapore.

F&B and Retail

There are going to be no retail shop in this area, however, there will be two excellent dining options here.

KT's Grill
It is going to be a full service restaurant serving authentic New York Grill with a rich woodwork interior reminiscent of a 1940's NY dinner house. Menu includes classic New York grill entrées, sandwiches, soups and salads; along with a fresh oyster bar and Pacific Rim influenced "East meets West" dishes.


Loui's NY Pizza Parlor
A Pizza Parlor selling a wide variety of traditional Italian pizzas as well as some local Singapore favourites including Hawaiian pizza, tandoori chicken pizza, vegetarian pizza and more.

Sci-fi city images

Photos belongs to respective owners

Universal Studios Singapore New York street Part 2

This will be a series of ongoing articles about the 7 themed lands and rides in Universal Studios Singapore. Pictures belongs to respective owners.

Continuing from yesterday...

Attractions
There are 2 attractions in this area: Lights Camera Action hosted by Steven Spielberg and also Stage 28.


Lights Camera Action is a behind the scene movie making experience. Guest are able to come in to see a real soundstage, where you will be introduced to what movie making is all about. Then, you will walk onto a "hot set", a set where filming is taking place. Right before your eyes, you are going to see explosions, water effects, you are going to see rain, you are going to feel the wind, seeing New York city being hit by a major hurricane.



I am now going to bring you through the whole experience starting from the entrance. You will enter this attraction through a facade recreating a pier facing the Universal Studios Singapore lagoon. As you enter the building, you will be led into the queue/preshow area. The preshow area looks like this:



There are filming equipments all spread around the soundstage, creating the feeling that a production is taking place. There will be 3 huge projection screens in front. The projection comes on when the show begins. The host introduces you to this attraction before showing you a short movie clip. Here is a preview of how the film looks like:











From there, the guest then proceed into the main soundstage to watch the experience unfold before their eyes. For the main show, I do not have much information, and even if I have, I am also not going to spoil the experience for you by telling you how it is like.

Stage 28 is a actual, working soundstage/production centre. Universal Studios Singapore will be partnering with people from all around the world to bring their movies and television commercial production right here to Universal Studios Singapore.




This is going to be one of the best soundstage in the whole of Asia. This venue is also capable to holding big events, like parties, company staff trainings, ceremonies etc.

Live Shows
There will be many live shows in the New York area.

To be continued...

Universal Studios Singapore New York street

This will be a series of ongoing articles about the 7 themed lands and rides in Universal Studios Singapore. Pictures belongs to respective owners.

Introduction


The New York Area-home to Universal Studios Singapore's film making attractions. It will recreate the look and feel of the Big Apple, complete with shopping and dining options as well as live performances by characters on the streets.

Themeing


Just like the Hollywood area, New York streets is also going to have a shade cover to make sure that the temperature is ideal all day long, and to provide shade and shelter. Cool air will be blown into this area so as to ensure that it would be comfortable in this area.

New York Street represents the NY of 1940s. The facades will be very authentic. There are also many small individual environments like alleys, streets and corners for people to explore. It will also serve as great photo opportunities for the family.

Here is one question for you to think about: since this area is the home to Universal Studios Singapore's film making attractions, do you think that New York street area is meant to represent a backlot set of a studio where filming is going on, or is it supposed to be representing the real New York street?



Hole in the Street

A visitor to USS Singapore in the first few weeks or months of operation will notice that instead of buildings on two sides of New York street, there are only buildings on one side of the street, while there are some pretty heavy construction going on the other side of the street. No, this isn't any plan to build skyscrapers in this New York street or anything like that, in fact, the finished product would not even add to the New York area.


This is construction of Transformers ride which will open in 2011 in Sci-fi city. However, the show building extends into New York street, so the facades of the buildings in New York Street is literally build against the show building of the Transformers ride.

So would this whole in the street spoil the theming and the atmosphere of this area? Yes, definitely. Would this be worth it? Yes, definitely, as we will be getting a new ride based on Transformers.

Attractions
There are 2 attractions in this area: Lights Camera Action hosted by Steven Spielberg and also Stage 28.

To be continued

All images belongs to respective owners.

Jurassic park river rapids map

This is the layout for Jurassic Park River Rapids. Image belongs to respective owners.

Top 7 most Anticipated attractions at Universal Studios Singapore

Number 7 - Donkey live!
This attraction is highly anticipated by me as the technology involved in it is cool. It will feature never seem before technology where the visitors will be able to interact real time with a movie quality, instantly generated Donkey from Shrek. Donkey will sing and dance, and it is guaranteed to be an instant hit with families.

Number 6 -Lights! Cameras! Action!
Hosted by Steven Spielberg, guests can 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. It is just so cool and it will give movie lovers a glimpse into the world of movie making.

Number 5 - Revenge of the Mummy
This ride is a milestone in Universal Studios' line of attractions. Since its inception in Florida. This ride is based on the Mummy franchise of movies. It is an amazing mix of story telling and thrill ride in an indoor roller coaster. What is even more exciting is that each time Universal Studios built this ride, they will change some part of it to add some surprise to it. What is more exciting is that there is an entire them land based on the Egyptian theme.


Number 4 - Jurassic Park River Adventure
This attraction is fun, highly themed and wet! It will be a family friendly ride where families will go on it together to create unique memories. The ride system and ride vehicle is also unique and it has never been used before in Universal Studios theme parks around the world.

Number 3 - Madagascar: A crate adventure
This attraction is family friendly, it is based on a hit movie, and the second installment of this franchise has just been released, so there is renewed interest for the whole franchise. It has great potential to be the attraction with the longest queue and also with the biggest merchandise potential. The ride is a combination of mulit media materials and physical settings, which makes it a unique attraction.

Number 2 - Battlestar Galactica Cyclone
This coaster is simply cool. Here are some figures to prove my point

• It will be the tallest dueling coaster in the world; tipping at 42.5m (140ft).
• The coaster will be launched from their stations at high speed instead of the traditional chain lift.
  
• Each coaster feature either several inversions, a zero-g roll, a Cobra roll, corkscrews, vertical loops and near collisions mere inches apart.
  
• Part of the ride will take place over a lagoon.

The Cylons Coaster will travel on a space craft that will perform more intense manoeuvres such as one inverted loop, one cobra roll and one helix spiral. The Cylon coaster will also plunge into a 5-metre deep pit filled with artificial fog to give thrill seekers the sensation of a near miss with the ground. Also, imagine viewing the skyline of Singapore when on the highest point of the coaster, before dipping into darkness. The views on this coaster will be spectacular.

Number 1 - Transformers: The ride
Universal has not released a lot of details, but it will be a dark ride (ride-through attraction) with 3-D, high-definition projected images, 4-D sensory and special effects, and large-scale animatronic characters. This ride based on such a hit movie and empo=loying such cutting edge technology earns itself a spot on the Top 7 most Anticipated attractions.

Jurassic Park River Rapids

Update! Click here for the article on the Lost World Land in Universal Studios Singapore.

Link to Jurassic Park River Rapids ride layout

Latest! Ride storyline out!

Jurassic Park River Rapids is located in the Lost World area,at the back of the park. It is based on the blockbuster movie Jurassic Park by Steven Spielberg.

It is a re-imagining of the classic Universal Studios attraction Jurassic Park River adventure, located in the other Universal Studios theme parks around the world.

Ride Storyline

You will enter the ride through the queue building, where you will be told that you will take the boat down river, seeing some dinosaurs along the way and then you will exit your boat and then go up close and feed the dinosaurs.

The ride will start in a seemingly calm area of Jurassic park. As it goes deeper into the river, visitors will spot different dinosaurs grazing in the grass. This part of the ride is a leisurely cruise through the Jurassic Park. Soon, the rapid reached the dock to disembark.

At that moment, it is where things go wrong. There is suddenly a flesh flood in the dock and your vehicle is unable to unload the visitors. The electric fences have broken down and the boat is washed under the fence further, deeper into the wild and un-manicured area of the Jurassic Park.

Just then, you will spot some T rex eating the remains of another dinosaur. Then, you will spot dinosaurs hiding behind the wild bushes. The leaves and brunches will rustle and cries of the dinosaurs will be heard. The cries will be louder and seem to come from bigger dinosaurs.

Without you noticing it, you have entered the T-rex territory. This part of the ride will be a wild journey through rushing waters and the thick foliage of the Jurassic Park river. There will be many close shaves with the T rex. You will encounter a beautiful waterfall, before being sucked into the intake vale of the river. Suddenly, your vehicle will be thrust into total darkness. You will hear the sound of the T rex sneaking up on you, and one point, the T rex will pop out in the middle of the river. Just then, your vehicle stops in the middle of the river, and you will hear the cranking of motors. Your vehicle is being lifted vertically out of the water. And as you look above, the T rex is jumping from the top of the motor lift. Just before he eats you, your vehicle drops down and splashes back into the daylight.

It has been a close shave with the T rex. Your vehicle will float back to the loading/ unloading area and you will disembark from your vehicle. You have survived Jurassic Park Singapore!


This is the rough storyline of Jurassic Park River Rapids, although some of the details may vary from the final version. I particularity like the false unloading area as it adds an element of surprise to the ride and differentiates it from the other incarnations of the ride around the world. I also like the ride vehicle, which is a circular white-water raftish thing. As it is circular, the vehicle will spin while gushing through the rivers, adding a thrill element to it.

This is also a good way it get wet and acts as an escape to the tropical heat of Singapore. I believe that this will be one of the mot popular attractions of Universal Studios Singapore.

Universal Studios Singapore Hollywood area

This will be a series of ongoing articles about the 7 themed lands and rides in Universal Studios Singapore. Pictures belongs to respective owners.

Continuing from the previous post...

The major attraction you will find in this area is the Monstrocity show. It is unique to Universal Studios Singapore. It is housed in the replica of the Pantages Theater of LA, USA.


It is a live show, featuring 7 singers and dancers produced locally. This is an original show never seen before in any Universal Studios park.



It features the Universal classic monsters: Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, and some new character such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. (For your information, they are one character ie. Dr Jekyll by day, Mr Hyde by night.)

It is a live rock and roll musical on stage in a 1500 seat theatre capable of handling major Broadway shows.

Dinning and Retail

Here's a list of some of the dining you may find in the Hollywood area:

Hollywood	Universal Studios Store	Retail	The flagship store of the entire park, it offers a wide variety of themed collectibles, toys and apparel from all 7 zones. It will be really interesting to shop here as all the merchandise are all sold here at once
Hollywood	Superstar Candies	Retail	A candy store which focuses on selling sweets to visitors such as candy floss and homemade fudge.
Hollywood	Silver Screen Collectibles	Retail	A retail outlet offering celebrity photos and posters, collectibles, books, as well as Betty Boop™ themed souvenirs and apparel. A very good tie-in to the area and enhances the theme of the area.
Hollywood	Star Characters	Retail	A retail outlet selling exclusive merchandise of DreamWorks Animation characters like Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, Marty the Zebra and Melman the Giraffe and don't forget those crazy penguins. May not be the best location. I think it will fit better in the Madagascar land.
Hollywood	The Brown Derby	Retail	At Hollywood's famed hat-shaped landmark, guests can shop for headwear of all types including visors, character and novelty hats and wigs, Universal Studios® logo caps and other stylish lids. However, the real Brown Derby in LA is a food and beverage restaurant rather than a shop selling merchandise, so it would be interesting to see how Universal will pull the whole thing together.
Hollywood	That's a Wrap	Retail	A retail outlet by the theme park exit and pick up apparel, toys, novelty hats and other last minute souvenirs. Good idea to earn a few more bucks from visitors at the end of the day. However, the problem that may arise is that visitors, after spending a whole day at the park may not have the interest and the energy to visit another shop and buy something.
Hollywood	Mel's Drive-In	Food and Beverage	From the hit movie American Graffiti, this '50s drive-in serves up burgers and cokes the old-fashioned way and features golden oldies on the jukebox and delicious Burgers, Fries, Chicken Sandwiches, Chicken Fingers, Onion Rings, Root Bear Floats and Frosty Milk Shakes.Nice building to add to the Hollywood atmosphere. I also think that the waterfront location of the restaurant is perfect and adds to the romantic ambiance of the restaurant.
Hollywood	Hollywood China Bistro	Food and Beverage	Guests and feast on traditional Cantonese cuisine with a modern twist in an art deco Chinese restaurant setting straight out of a Hollywood movie set. This will cater to the taste buds of the mainly Asian crowd at the Universal Studios Singapore. However, the question is: Will Asians want to eat another Asian cuisine in an American park, or will they want a more American food option?
Hollywood	Celebrity Café and Bakery	Food and Beverage	Guests can dine with stars over freshly-made sandwiches, puff pastry pies and classic desserts.

Adapted from Wikipedia

There are also street appearances in the Hollywood area. Here is my few favorite characters from the entire list of street characters in Universal Studios Singapore.

• Frankenstein's Monster - One of the most famous movie characters in history, the creature is a sensitive, emotional being, which is depicted as mute. The creature discovers feelings through childlike interactions. The Monster is a symbol of a lumbering brute, with arms outstretched. This will add to the overall theming of the Mostrocity show.

• Marilyn Monroe - The subtle, sexy American icon. Ties in very well with the golden age of Hollywood theme of the Hollywood area.

• Charlie Chaplin The Oscar winning Silent Screen icon during The Tramp period of his career. Ties in very well with the golden age of Hollywood theme of the Hollywood area.

• BeetleJuice - The “ghost with the most” possesses minds, bodies and souls - making him the ultimate puppet master. This obnoxious and slightly perverted "bio-exorcist” revels in his grotesque appearance. The character's history is a mystery; his age and even how he came to die remain unknown. Also fits in well with the Mostrocity show.

• Betty Boop - With her sex symbol appeal, combined with girl-like persona, this vibrant young woman (with a childlike voice) has more heart than brains. It is a cartoon character that adds to the quirkiness of this area.

Adapted from Wikipedia

Watch out for new articles on the other lands.