Universal Studios Singapore: preview

Showing posts with label preview. Show all posts

Thursday, March 4, 2010

universal studios singapore photo of the day

Part of the picture of the day series

Jurassic Park

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Review of my visit to Resorts World Sentosa

Continuing from previous post

Walking down Hollywood Boulevard, the buildings at the two sides will open up to this vast expanse of space which is the central lagoon. This is not a huge lagoon by any means, but at least they had managed to squeeze in a lagoon in this small piece of land.

I did notice some pyrotechnic equipment in the middle of the lagoon, and this made me wonder if there will be a lagoon show at night. I think it will be an excellent idea and it will encourage people to stay in the park for a longer time. This will benefit both the guest and Universal Studios Singapore and the guests will stay longer and spend more in the park, so it will be pretty easy to recover the amount spent on the lagoon show.

At this wide vista, we were able to look at all the lands, and this offers an excellent photo opportunity. The ancient Egypt land looms majestically at the other end of the lagoon. On the right, Mel's drive in sits handsomely by the waterfront, complete from neon signs and vintage cars. The Pantages theater sits directly opposite Mel's Drive In and it is a faithful recreation of the original in Hollywood, just much smaller and sandwiched between the brown derby and a retail shop. Inside, it contains one of Universal Studios Singapore's best show, the Monster Rock, aka Monstrocity. More on that in a later article. If you were to look closely at the windows of the Pantages theater, you will see some names on it, names of people involved in the creation of either the show or Universal Studios Singapore as a whole, acting as an end credit of some sort. Check that out next time. It is pretty cool.

The entire Hollywood area is filled with details. I could only imagine how much fun they had putting these little details and fun bits into the land. For example, there are authentic 1940s red fire hydrants, rusty street signs, and even a pedestrian crossing.

To be continued...

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Review of my visit to Resorts World Sentosa

At just 20 hectares, Universal Studios Singapore is the smallest of Universal's theme parks (less than half the size of either of the Universal Orlando theme parks, and even smaller that Disney's California Adventure), but it is loaded with 20 attractions in this compact park. It is made up of 7 distinct lands, each with a theme related to movies.

Universal Studios Singapore is part of the new Resorts World Sentosa development on Sentosa Island, south of the main Singapore Island. Despite its island location, Universal Studios Singapore might be the most easily accessible theme park I've ever visited. I took Singapore's MRT to the Harbourfront station, from where I took a short S$3 monorail ride into the heart of Resorts World Sentosa.

To get into the park, you would have to walk under the Universal Studios Singapore archway, and I tell you, that archway is grand. It is the most unique of all of the Universal Studios archways. It is a rather neat to actually see the monorail pass above your head , above the entry turnstiles. Once inside the park, you will walk below a replica of the Hollywood sign. The Hollywood main street, looks a bit like the Hollywood section of Universal Studios Florida, except covered with a huge, translucent canopy, to keep tropical rainstorms at bay. And it is short. Very short, but very immersive, probably one of the more immersive lands.

When I first walk down the Hollywood boulevard, it was like drinking from a water hose. The sights, the sounds, and yes, even the smells hit you the moment you walk into the park. Once you pass under the Hollywood sign, it is like entering a whole new world. The area music is playing, which is very evocative of the golden age of Hollywood. The smell of the popcorn car on the boulevard also hits you. There are even meet and greet characters such as Kung Fu Panda, Woody etc. By the time I got over this sensory overload, I started to run up and down the street, trying to take in all of it.

At the sides of the street, there were authentically recreated facades that captures some of the iconic buildings of the LA area. That includes the five and dime shop, the dark room, and even the brown derby. One the side walks, there were also names on them, recreating the walk of fame.

At the end of the Hollywood "zone" lies the park's lagoon, from which you can see each of the other park zones surrounding it. I noticed what looked to me like pyrotechnic equipment mounted in the lagoon, so does it mean that there will be any fireworks show when it officially opens? We will wait and see.

Wait for more articles regarding Universal Studios Singapore preview.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

universal studios singapore photo of the day

From now on, I will introduce a new type of post called the photo of the day. That is, I will post a photo per day about Universal Studios Singapore or Resorts World Sentosa. I will try to post as consistently as possible, so expect to have a little piece of USS magic everyday on your computer. To start, I will post 2 photos. Keep waiting for tomorrow's post!