In our quest to visit every amusement park in Asia ( btw: we are not even 1/4 there, watch out Shanghai Disney, see you in 2016!), we obviously had to check out Universal Studios in Singapore. We had already visited Singapore a few times with the boys but this time we thought both of them were old enough to enjoy it and we were no longer so sleep deprived that we might accidentally leave a child eternally riding the merry-go-round.

When I visited Singapore with my dad and Evan we barely set foot in Sentosa Island but I knew we needed to come back and explore even further. To be completely honest, I was so excited when my mom came to visit that I had to plan an extremely hectic schedule that included two amusement parks in two different countries (with very different climates)  just a few days apart. I know that that is the norm when visiting Disney World (more on that later) but we had never done it with the kiddos and we weren’t sure how it would go. Of course, my boys were troopers (they have to, with a mom like me) and we had a fun fun time at the Studios and a few days later in Hong Kong Disney.

The day we visited Universal Studios we rode the MRT to Vivocity mall and hopped on the Sentosa Express. You all know the boys are obsessed with trains so the commute to Sentosa itself was a treat for them. Getting tickets wasn’t too bad as most of the booths were open and within a few minutes we went in. First impression was that it looked like a smaller version of Universal Studios in Orlando (will tell you about our visit later) but flaunting a bit of Asian flare. Kung Fu panda greeted us at the entrance and super friendly staff led us to the stroller rental facility. We knew at least one of them would end up in our arms if we had only one stroller so we did what lazy parents do, rent a stroller.

Although we had already taken Evan to Dream World in Bangkok and they had both been to Disney Paris a few years back this was the first time Josh was really into it and was even more excited than me. The boys were so awesome, they were super patient waiting in line and had a great time just taking everything in.

Our first stop was in Madagascar where we really enjoyed riding the Madagascar Crate Adventure. This boat ride was awesome, Josh loved looking at all the characters and the music.

We then arrived in  “Far Far Away” where Evan was brave enough to ride on a kid-roller coaster for the first time. It went so fast and he was thrilled, both in a good and a bad way.

The only negative aspect of visiting with tiny ones is that not all the rides are open to them due to height restrictions and while we could take Evan on some rides, Josh wasn’t allowed in all of them which resulted in a few shed tears that were later magically fixed by a walk with abuela to the Ben and Jerry’s nearby.

Despite the sporadic restrictions there were lots of rides both boys could go on and when we found a ride that they both loved and wasn’t too busy we made an effort to let them ride over and over again. A prime example of this was the Dino-Soarin’ ride in the Lost World section which we went on too many times to even remember.

 

Of course the Lost World was the boys’ favorite park, Evan being obsessed with dinosaurs and all. I think we spent at least an hour just looking at the decor and enjoying the atmosphere. While we still in the Lost World everyone’s tummy started growling like a T-Rex and we headed to the Discovery Food Court where we all had a bite to eat. To be completely honest, I was hoping to find some amazing hawker style food but it was just ok. Not my favorite, but enough to get the kids from eating each other and me from attacking Ben and Jerry’s (again).

As we approached Ancient Egypt the heat and humidity started to get us but we kept on going. We rode a short boogie ride called Treasure Hunters which the boys loved. As soon as Josh crashed for a nap in his stroller and Evan was appropriately bribed with ice cream the hubby and I went to the Mummy ride (yay for traveling with Abuela!). My goodness, that ride is one of the best ones I’ve ever ridden in my life. It had all the components that make a perfect ride: speed, unexpected surprises, outstanding special effects and of course a bit of a scare.

 

As we made our way back to entrance we were lucky enough to arrive just in time for a B-Boy show. I wish I had gotten pictures of Evan daring them to a dance-off. It was hilarious. As soon as that show was over everyone started getting ready to leave but we were pleasantly surprised to find that the Sesame Street Show was about to start. We got some awesome spots on the street and waited for the show to begin. Evan really enjoyed the show but Josh was just so impressed to see the characters right there. It was so cute to see him so excited.

As we were about to head out, we found another ride that was good for both boys: the Sesame Street Spaghetti Chase. I think this was their favorite ride of the day. We rode it like 5 times. I was happy to enjoy a bit of shade and AC in this indoor roller coaster and the boys just kept wanting to go back.

Our day at Universal Studios Singapore was lots of fun and we would love to visit again when the boys are older and able to enjoy all of the rides. The park is definitely smaller than its Orlando counterpart and this made it more manageable to visit with young kids. Overall a fantastic visit and a place definitely worth visiting if you are ever in Singapore.

Tips

1. If you are not staying in Sentosa, the MRT is the best way to go. You can ride a taxi to Vivo City (which we did on our way back to the hotel) but the lines for taxis are super long. Besides, kids love riding on “trains” so there’s that.
2. Remember Singapore is hot and humid, you really need to keep hydrated. They have water fountains everywhere, bring a refillable bottle and drink the day away.
3. Renting a stroller is not too expensive and worth it when you know little legs might give in halfway through the visit. There aren’t many places with shade where you can sit down and rest and from what we saw the restaurants are always super busy so if you can bring a rolling seat with a canopy you can make sure the kids get some rest.
4. If it isn’t too busy and you are done with all of the rides don’t feel bad for leaving the park early, there are so many things to do in Sentosa that you will not be bored. You can visit one of the many great restaurants, shops and entertainment venues.
5. If there’s a ride the kids like a lot, try riding it as many times as possible. We didn’t ride in too many different ones but we rode so many times that the boys felt like they had hit the jackpot of amusement parks.
6. The restaurants have varied menus that include Asian and Western fare. The restaurants always seemed to be busy so if you are willing to do an early or late lunch give that a try to avoid long lines and the awkward “are you done with your table?” stares.
7. The most important thing of all is that you remember that you are traveling with kids and that you need to be flexible and open to anything. If staying in a particular play area is making them happy, stay there, you will be glad they burned their energy there and didn’t meltdown during the Transformers show.