Universal Studios Singapore opening day

Universal Studios Singapore opened yesterday at 8.28 am with a auspicious Chinese lion dance ceremony. Guests have been arriving since 6 in the morning in a bid to be the first to enter the park.

I wasn't there yesterday, as the opening day tickets sold out as fast as it was released. Industry insiders estimated that only approximately 3000 over tickets were sold for the opening day, therefore making it so hard to get.

This small guest number was for a number of reasons. One of the most important reasons was to facilitate guest and crowd control on the attractions. The ride operators are new in their positions and hence it will be disastrous if a huge mob of guests turned up, leaving the new park operators with little idea of how to handle them.

This small guest number also created some interesting situations. The queues for the attractions were incredibly short. I remember seeing one photograph which says: Revenge of the Mummy coaster wait time - 5 mins. This allowed the guests to experience all the attractions within a short 8.28am - 6pm day.

Yesterday was full of surprises. One of them was the weather. It was sunny when the park opened, but within a few hours, it started to rain, then stop occasionally, then started raining again. This cycle continued for the entire day until the park closed. The deluge helped to lower the temperature, making theme park going in a tropical country more bearable. The rain did not cause many inconveniences as half of the attractions were indoor ones, and the streets also had shade and rain covers to protect the guests.

Another surprise was the extended opening hours. After the park officially "closed", certain portions of Hollywood and New York were open and there was a spectacular fireworks display in the central lagoon, to cap the day off.

Looking into the future, Genting CEO announced that there will be a major attraction rolled out every year, for the next 3 years, with the 2011 attraction being the TRANSFORMERS ride. Phrase 2 of RWS will also commence, which includes an oceanarium, a maritime museum, a water park and 2 more hotels.

Universal Studios Singapore will remain in the soft opening period until further notice. 18 of the 19 built attractions are open (Madagascar ride opens in mid 2010). Attractions may open or closed without notice in this soft opening period.

Breaking News

Universal Studios Singapore will finally open for a soft opening period starting from 18 March.

Ticket sales will be available both on site as well as on line from March 10 9am.
Note: Certain attractions may not be opened during the soft opening period.

Annual Pass is divided into two types of passes: Superstar Pass and fun pass.

Fun Pass

Enjoy unlimited admission for 312 days (Most weekdays and weekends)
> Universal Studios Singapore lanyard with 2 pins.
> S$25 Resorts World Sentosa gift voucher.
> 5% discount off selected F&B outlets at Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Sentosa.
> 5% discount off selected retail outlets at Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Store and Resorts World Gift Shop.
> Receive our monthly E-bulletin on the latest happenings in Resorts World Sentosa and Universal Studios Singapore.
> 10% early bird discount for Universal Studios Singapore events.
> Sneak previews of new rides and attractions.
> Entitled to a maximum of FIVE Universal Studios Singapore day passes at 10% discount for your accompanying guests during your birthday month.

Superstar Pass

Enjoy unlimited admission with no black-out dates for 365 days
> Universal Studios Singapore lanyard with 4 pins
> S$100 Resorts World Sentosa gift voucher
> 5% discount off selected F&B outlets at Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Sentosa
> 5% discount off selected retail outlets at Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Store and Resorts World Gift Shop
> Receive our monthly E-bulletin on the latest happenings in Resorts World Sentosa and Universal Studios Singapore
> 10% early bird discount for Universal Studios Singapore events
> Sneak previews of new rides and attractions
> Entitled to a maximum of FIVE Universal Studios Singapore day passes at 10% discount for your accompanying guests during your birthday month
> One complimentary pass to Halloween Horror Nights™
> 30% off the rack rate of the Resorts World Sentosa VIP Tour
> Enjoy unlimited climbs at the Amber Rock Climb™ which is an attraction in The Lost World™
> Enjoy complimentary Universal Express access to all the attractions in Universal Studios Singapore
> Reservation made for a Deluxe Room in Festive Hotel™ and Hotel Michael™ will enjoy a complimentary upgrade to the Deluxe Family Room and the Club Deluxe Room respectively
Benefits
Each Annual Passholder may enjoy different benefits from time to time throughout the year
To enjoy the benefits, simply present your Annual Pass and personal identification at the time of redemption

Ticket price structure are as follows:

Ticket Type		Adult		Child		Senior
One Day Weekday Pass		66		48		32
One Day Weekend Pass		72		52		36
Two Day Pass		118		88		58
Annual Pass- Fun Pass		318		238		188
Annual Pass- Superstar Pass		1,098		828		738