Anyone Been To Universal Studios Singapore?

[banglay]

Hi All .

Has anyone been to Universal Studios Singapore? I would like some feed back re:- best places to stay......transport too/from the airport to the theme park ... where to get discounted ticket etc. any info will be appreciated

Cheers

[ace]

It's on Sentosa, there is a metro all the way to the nternational airport, but the budget (tiger) terminal requires a taxi. Casino next door if that's your thing it is mine.

As for hotels can't help singapore is over priced and generally cruddy re hotels imo.

[Scott]

Moved to General forum for greater visibility.

[theblether]

Yes I was there in August.......you can get a city saver ticket that let's you visit various attractions at a discounted price. I flew in with Airasia and when I presented my flight ticket to the ticket office I got a very substantial discount, though I can't remember exactly how much it was to be honest.

The theme park is ok, no more than that, anyone who has been to the theme parks in the US would be disappointed, although there are some highpoint attractions such as The Mummy, to my recollection I went through the park in about three hours, again in the parks in the US that would never happen. It would take you a whole day to traverse Universal Studios Orlando, and you would happily go back.

On the other hand, it's a good start for Singapore, it may develop into something more. I would suggest you also visit the Singapore Flyer, and try to get on that after night falls, that is quite spectacular and well worth the money, apparently if you have a mastercard and you pre-book you get a discount of about 20%?? Have a look at the Singapore Flyer website for special offers.

On a Friday and a Sunday you have the horse racing at the Singapore Turf Club, it's at the far side of the island but the MRT is quick and efficient. Entry is quite cheap, and tourists must use the gold lounge. The good news is that the gold lounge is excellent, air conditioned, and the food and drink are cheap by Singapore standards. A great night out.

I tend to stay in an area called Geylang, it's the red light / Chinese immigrant area. I agree that the hotels in Singapore are vastly over-priced so I use one called the Amrise, which is cheap, clean and efficient, although the rooms are tiny ( and I mean tiny ). However I take the attitude that it's only a clean bed and shower I'm after as there is plenty to see in Singapore to keep you out all day. There is an excellent street cafe vibe going on in Geylang, mainly Chinese food, and the beer is fairly priced by Singapore standards, expect to pay about $5.50 ( Singapore dollars ) for a large Carlsberg, I think that's a fair price compared to most developed cities.

Be careful Downtown though, around Raffles and City Hall area they know how to charge, so keep an eye on your spending. There are is an excellent park called Fort Canning about 5 minutes walk from City Hall MRT with an area called the Battle Box that tells the story of the Fall of Singapore, and the park is lovely. Singapore Art Museum is worth a visit, particularly after 6.00pm on a Friday as it is free admission. The National Museum of Singapore is superb, allocate at least three hours to visit it, and more if you can, when you see it you will know why.

Going back to Sentosa Island, there is plenty to do there, and I believe there is a decent beach however I didn't get a chance to visit it. Tourists also get free access to the giant casino at Sentosa so if you like a flutter carry on......it's well worth a look

By the way, don't get the airport taxi....walk downstairs and get on the MRT, that will get you into the city within 15 minutes and it is cheap, most tourists stay around the Orchard Street area, and Little India and Chinatown are nearby.......though I prefer the rough and ready real Chinatown in Geylang.

You can easily spend 7 days in Singapore, especially if you are a history buff and want to visit Changi Prison and the Old Ford Factory.....enjoy your trip!!

Edited February 4, 2012 by theblether

[banglay]

Yes I was there in August.......you can get a city saver ticket that let's you visit various attractions at a discounted price. I flew in with Airasia and when I presented my flight ticket to the ticket office I got a very substantial discount, though I can't remember exactly how much it was to be honest.

The theme park is ok, no more than that, anyone who has been to the theme parks in the US would be disappointed, although there are some highpoint attractions such as The Mummy, to my recollection I went through the park in about three hours, again in the parks in the US that would never happen. It would take you a whole day to traverse Universal Studios Orlando, and you would happily go back.

On the other hand, it's a good start for Singapore, it may develop into something more. I would suggest you also visit the Singapore Flyer, and try to get on that after night falls, that is quite spectacular and well worth the money, apparently if you have a mastercard and you pre-book you get a discount of about 20%?? Have a look at the Singapore Flyer website for special offers.

On a Friday and a Sunday you have the horse racing at the Singapore Turf Club, it's at the far side of the island but the MRT is quick and efficient. Entry is quite cheap, and tourists must use the gold lounge. The good news is that the gold lounge is excellent, air conditioned, and the food and drink are cheap by Singapore standards. A great night out.

I tend to stay in an area called Geylang, it's the red light / Chinese immigrant area. I agree that the hotels in Singapore are vastly over-priced so I use one called the Amrise, which is cheap, clean and efficient, although the rooms are tiny ( and I mean tiny ). However I take the attitude that it's only a clean bed and shower I'm after as there is plenty to see in Singapore to keep you out all day. There is an excellent street cafe vibe going on in Geylang, mainly Chinese food, and the beer is fairly priced by Singapore standards, expect to pay about $5.50 ( Singapore dollars ) for a large Carlsberg, I think that's a fair price compared to most developed cities.

Be careful Downtown though, around Raffles and City Hall area they know how to charge, so keep an eye on your spending. There are is an excellent park called Fort Canning about 5 minutes walk from City Hall MRT with an area called the Battle Box that tells the story of the Fall of Singapore, and the park is lovely. Singapore Art Museum is worth a visit, particularly after 6.00pm on a Friday as it is free admission. The National Museum of Singapore is superb, allocate at least three hours to visit it, and more if you can, when you see it you will know why.

Going back to Sentosa Island, there is plenty to do there, and I believe there is a decent beach however I didn't get a chance to visit it. Tourists also get free access to the giant casino at Sentosa so if you like a flutter carry on......it's well worth a look

By the way, don't get the airport taxi....walk downstairs and get on the MRT, that will get you into the city within 15 minutes and it is cheap, most tourists stay around the Orchard Street area, and Little India and Chinatown are nearby.......though I prefer the rough and ready real Chinatown in Geylang.

You can easily spend 7 days in Singapore, especially if you are a history buff and want to visit Changi Prison and the Old Ford Factory.....enjoy your trip!!

Thank you very much for your comprehensive reply.cheers

[PattayaParent]

Great info theblether, thanks.

A couple more questions.

Where ro get the CitySaver tickets from?

Did you present the Air Asia flight tickets at the entrance to the Univesal Studios for the discount?

Is there any MRT saver ticket for travel per day or per few days?

Thanks

[theblether]

Great info theblether, thanks. A couple more questions. Where ro get the CitySaver tickets from? Did you present the Air Asia flight tickets at the entrance to the Univesal Studios for the discount? Is there any MRT saver ticket for travel per day or per few days? Thanks

My pleasure..... As soon as you arrive at Changi Airport go to the tourist information desk, they will offer you the Citysaver ticket. It's well worth it. As for the Airasia ticket, show it when you are buying your entrance ticket at Universal Studios, they will credit you immediately. Yes there are weekly travel tickets available. When you go downstairs to the MRT at Changi Airport there is a MRT office there, they will sort out the weekly ticket for you. From memory the day ticket was $8.00 Singapore Dollars, and that gave you access to the MRT all day, I didn't use the weekly ticket so I don't know the price. Incidentally, if you buy a one way ticket on the MRT you get a green card ( ticket ), within the price of that card there is a $1.00 refundable deposit, so if you use that method just go to the cash machine when you finish your journey and get your refund.

From memory the one way fare from Changi Airport to City Hall was about $4.00 SGD, and that included the $1 deposit. I bought the day ticket on the first day and I went all around the network just so I could familiarise myself with the Island. I jumped off at a couple of points that were of interest to me, it's an excellent way to burn a couple of idle hours.

Edited February 5, 2012 by theblether

[AZBill]

Been there twice. Was there the weekend it first opened and it was awful because some of the better rides were not open. Went a year later and it was better. But I agree with theblether. If you are used to US parks you will indeed be dissappointed. Its similar to Hong Kong Disney as compared to its US counterpart. Nice rollercoaster and the Mummy is good but the park is very small. We stayed at the Festive Hotel at the park. Nice place if you have kids and within walking distance of everything. If you want to go on the cheap then staying on Sentosa is not the way to go. Food is incredibly expensive and not particularly good. We paid over $100 US for a lunch for my wife and I and her two young siblings at the Hard Rock Cafe that would have cost under $50 in the US. We did enjoy staying on Sentosa and visiting other attractions there. The sky cable car is very cool but again a bit expensive. I think you can have a good time there if you have younger kids but its certainly not a great entertainment value IMHO.

[Squigy]

I would not waste my time on this speck in the ocean! Way overpriced with arrogant attitude all around.

[PattayaParent]

Thanks again theblether.

If it's like HK Disney it will be OK as we managed to do all the rides there 3 times in 1 day so it was worth the money.

Disney Tokyo is a lot larger and we didn't manage it all in 1 day.