Folks, last year I was lucky enough to visit Universal Studios Singapore for a second time. I had a brief stopover in Singapore transiting from the Philippines to Langkawi in Malaysia, and my love of Theme Parks knows no bounds so I had to use my single full day to check out what Singapore has to offer in this category of tourist attraction.

Singapore is a very clean and efficient place, it probably comes as no surprise to anyone to hear. Getting around by public transport is very doable, although sometimes it doesn’t hurt to take a taxi or two. For Universal Studios, which is located on Sentosa Island – a sort of ‘resort island’ in a way I guess, I took the packed monorail which has a stop right by the theme park.

I arrived not that long after they opened, at around 11am I think it was, already having prebooked my ticket and fast pass (Universal Express is what they call it today I think it was differently titled last year). RIGHT NOW – it’s summer in Singapore and things are a bit cheaper as summer brings the rain, but you can enter for $62 Singapore. That’s around $72AUD or $47USD, which represents great value but if it pours rain, which it actually did in November last year, well, you can’t do much at all because it gets seriously strong and most if not all outside attractions will close until things clear up. For an extra $50 Singapore Dollars or around $40USD you can get the Express Pass, which I found useful. In the non-rainy season it is around $83SD or $63USD for entrance, all up I spent just over $130SD. So price wise it’s not super cheap (Tokyo Disneyland is around $80AUD or $50USD for entry!) but then it’s not on the expensive end of the scale either.

It’s a big but certainly not massive theme park, bigger than the ones on Australia’s Gold Coast but smaller than Tokyo Disneyland (which I believe is not a patch on Florida’s Disneyworld). You need a full day – and their opening hours look to have been extended now open 10am to 8pm instead of 6pm – to really appreciate it and explore it properly. The Express Pass is going to save you time and that means you will be able to ride more attractions.

Universal Studios, like Disney, bases its attractions on its franchises of note. Jurassic Park, Back to the Future (indeed Steven Spielberg makes a cameo appearance on video in the park), Transformers, Battlestar Galactica and perhaps less popular but still visually impressive, you have Waterworld. Then there is Shrek, Bugs Bunny and other toony creations.

Here’s a quick summation of the rides I went on and the attractions I checked out :

Light’s Camera Action – Steven Spielberg presents this attraction where they take you out on a sound stage and throw a bunch of special effects onto it as you watch a little port get hit by a hurricane. It’s impressive and clever, this was the first thing I did/saw and it’s pretty cool.

After that one, I headed into my favourite part of the park to ‘SciFi City’ where you might meet a transformer or a cylon. I took Transformers – The Ride which is a 4D experience where you get jolted around in a buggy (for want of a better word) wearing 3D glasses and occasionally getting sprayed helping out the Transformers save the world or city. These aren’t my favourite type of rides, but it was okay and worth checking out. I leave feeling jolted around (as I was) but not really experiencing any thrills. And there’s always a vague story that accompanies the ride, which I completely missed.

Battlestar Galactica Rides Cylon & Human – these two separate rides were the biggest thrill rides operating when I was there. They are both roller coasters and they go pretty fast and are both excellent rides. Cylon is definitely the more hardcore of the two taking you upside down through loops and the like, but Human is awesome fun as well. The highlight of my day I would have to say. Nearby the Accelerator is a spinning ride that didn’t appeal to me at all, but if you like spinning around, maybe you’d like this one!

Ancient Egypt was the next zone I passed through. The Treasure Hunters ride look slow and not for me, and sadly Revenge of the Mummy was not in operation as I think that looked pretty cool. So I was soon in ‘The Lost World’ which is Jurassic Park inspired.

The Canopy Flyer is a nice little ride, gentle and not a thrill ride but gives you some nice views. It was around this time that the rain teemed down and I lost forty five minutes waiting in line, but then they let us on in the rain anyway. The Jurassic Parks Rapid Adventure takes you on a big raft with nine other people as you float around and watch animatronic dinosaurs doing their thing. Until things go wrong and you get a few minor thrills and a couple of drops. I feel like it had the potential to be a great ride but at the end of the day, it was a bit disappointing.

I moved on to Far Far Away land giving Puss In Boots’ Giant Journey a go. That was another ride with a view, not a thrill ride, but kinda cool. I also did the Shrek 4D show – a theatre based attraction where you get squirted with water and then they blow air on you. Meh. I could take it or leave it. Enchanted Airways was my last ride for the day and it’s a low-key roller coaster that’s actually quite fun.

To finish the day I went back to The Lost World and checked out the Waterworld show, which is definitely better than the Kevin Coster movie. It’s not to be missed with loads of stunts and you can get sprayed too if you choose a seat close to the action – which is great on a hot and steamy day. It’s a high quality stunt show, one of the highlights of the park.

Foodwise, I tried a hot dog for lunch and then a snack at the end of the day in a diner in the Hollywood section. The food was okay and over priced as you’d expect. If you want more of an Asian/Indian meal near The Lost World they have a huge food hall with some different offerings.

All in all, I enjoyed the day at Universal Studios and would give the crown of ‘best ride’ to the Battlestar Galactica Cylon ride. I wouldn’t have it as one of the very best theme parks I’ve been too, if you are into crazy roller coasters you will love the Battlestar rides, but be left wanting more. For example the theme parks on Queensland’s Gold Coast have more thrilling rides both Dreamworld and Movie World. But the wait times are much better in Singapore.

If you love theme parks and you’re in Singapore you are going to want to go. USS also has the obligatory opportunities to pose with Universal characters like transformers and Bugs Bunny, loads of eating options, parades and not shortage of shops for souvenirs. If you want a mark out of ten, I would give it a solid 7.5/10.

Thanks for reading today, take care wherever you are in the world, and… May the Journey Never End!