Universal Studios and Disneyland are arguably the world’s two most famous theme park brands based on film and TV IPs. Unlike Disneyland, which has numerous locations, there are currently only four operating Universal Studios parks globally: two in the United States, one in Osaka, Japan, and another in Singapore. The Beijing location appears to be under construction and will likely be packed once it opens.
Universal Studios Singapore can be considered the smallest Universal Studios park in the world. Its area is less than half the size of the Osaka park, let alone comparable to the two American parks. Rumor has it that the Beijing park will be even larger than the Orlando location, making it the largest Universal Studios park in the world…
Universal Studios Singapore is located on Sentosa, Singapore’s famous resort island, and serves as the first stop upon entering the island. It features approximately 24 attractions, 18 of which were designed specifically for Singapore and are unique globally. These include a dueling roller coaster standing 42.5 meters tall, inspired by the sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica, as well as various other attractions such as the WaterWorld theater, which boasts 3,500 seats—the highest seating capacity of its kind worldwide.
Unlike Shanghai Disneyland, which is open for over 12 hours daily, Universal Studios Singapore operates for only 9 hours, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. However, since there aren’t too many attractions and crowds were light during my visit, most rides required no waiting at all. Many attractions also have dedicated single-rider lines. The longest wait I experienced was just half an hour. Surprisingly, despite spending 3 hours visiting the S.E.A. Aquarium and sheltering from rain within those 9 hours, I still managed to experience every single attraction.
Like Disney, they offer Express Passes, available for purchase at the entrance and in shops inside the park. If you notice long lines on the day of your visit, buying one is definitely worth it. One downside compared to Disney is the lack of a mobile app; it’s nearly impossible to check wait times for attractions elsewhere in the park. However, the park isn’t very large, so walking around to check is manageable.
Try to arrive at the entrance before 9:50 AM. It seems they start letting people in around 9:50. Although it feels quite crowded at first, visitors disperse quickly once inside. I didn’t do any planning beforehand, so upon entering, I felt completely clueless. I looked around and decided to walk counterclockwise, starting with Sesame Street, where there wasn’t a single person… Only after leaving did I realize everyone had rushed straight to Transformers.
By the way, tickets are more expensive if purchased on-site. I recommend buying them directly on Taobao. They are e-tickets, so no printing is required. Some vendors issue tickets almost instantly—you receive an email immediately after payment containing a PDF file. Simply scan the barcode at the turnstile to enter. If you leave the park mid-day, they’ll stamp your hand with an invisible ink stamp, allowing re-entry on the same day using both the barcode and the stamp.
The entire park is divided into seven themed zones. Counterclockwise, they are Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi City, Ancient Egypt, Lost World, Far Far Away, and Madagascar. Each themed zone is relatively compact, and attractions mainly consist of roller coasters and water rides, making it much more thrilling than Disneyland… Let me now describe each themed zone one by one.
HollywoodThis section is essentially the entrance boulevard, featuring primarily themed shops and live performances.
New York, home to the toddler-friendly Sesame Street.
Sci-Fi City, the highlight of this area is Transformers: The Ride – A 3D Battle, which is quite similar to Pirates of the Caribbean at Shanghai Disneyland but involves wearing 3D glasses. You sit in a large vehicle and experience various sensations like acceleration, weightlessness, and water sprays while being ‘rescued’ by Transformers. It’s far more intense than Pirates of the Caribbean…
I thought the previous ride was already thrilling, but unexpectedly, Battlestar Galactica turned out to be even more intense. As the world’s tallest dueling roller coaster, it features two tracks—one red and one gray. The red track represents the Human team and is relatively mild, without any inversions. The gray track represents the Cylon team, featuring suspended seating and two 360-degree rotations. Having done no research, I saw shorter lines for the gray side and jumped right on… After surviving this, every subsequent roller coaster felt like a piece of cake…
These attractions provide complimentary locker storage for 45 minutes. You basically need to store everything you’re carrying. Lockers open via fingerprint scanning, which is very convenient.
Ancient Egyptzone features two main attractions. One is Treasure Hunters, a kid-friendly jeep track ride. Since it started raining when I visited, this attraction served perfectly as a rain shelter. The other is Revenge of the Mummy, an unexpected indoor roller coaster… Truly caught off guard, totally unprepared…
Lost WorldThis section doesn’t open until 11:00 AM, so don’t head over too early. It’s essentially Jurassic Park-themed, with dinosaurs visible everywhere. There’s also a roller coaster-style attraction called Canopy Flyer here.
There’s also Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, a river rapids ride where you float along in a circular raft accommodating up to nine people… Because there’s a risk of getting wet, disposable ponchos are available for purchase at the entrance. Additionally, there are no free lockers—only paid locker services are provided. In reality, though, splashing rarely gets you soaked; holding your bag on your lap poses virtually no risk of getting wet. However, constant splashing inevitably wets your shoes, something even a poncho can’t prevent, making ponchos pretty much a rip-off. Also, the entire ride spins continuously, which might make you feel slightly dizzy… If you’re prone to motion sickness, definitely avoid this ride—once you’re on, there’s no getting off…
Another major highlight is the WaterWorld show. According to the schedule, there are two performances daily: one at 1:30 PM and another at 4:30 PM. At 1:00 PM, I queued up to enter, but ten minutes into the show, heavy rain suddenly approached, forcing a temporary cancellation. Panicked, I quickly exited the park and took refuge in the S.E.A. Aquarium… At 4:00 PM, I lined up again, only to encounter yet another downpour. Fortunately, this time it rained while we were still queuing under a covered area. We entered the theater only after the rain stopped. Theater seating comes in multiple colors: blue seats guarantee you’ll get thoroughly soaked, green seats mean partial soaking, and red seats are completely safe. If you prefer staying dry, opt for red seats, ideally near the center of the theater for the best viewing experience. The performance combines stunts, sound and lighting effects, fireworks, explosions, and more—it’s absolutely spectacular, far surpassing Disney’s equivalent shows, albeit somewhat environmentally unfriendly…
Far Far Away, Dragon Flyers Academy is another small roller coaster marketed as specially designed for children, roughly themed around a goose searching for eggs…
Then there’s Shrek 4-D Adventure, essentially a short 4D movie. The seats aren’t particularly comfortable and may not suit young children. It feels rather content-light, created purely to showcase 4D cinematic effects—overall, this attraction is mediocre.
This zone also includes Puss In Boots’ Giant Journey, another roller coaster-type attraction.
Madagascar: Overall, this area caters more toward younger children. Attractions include King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round, a boat ride accommodating many passengers per vessel—not thrilling at all and with zero risk of getting wet—as well as a carousel and Penguin Ice Blenders.
Coincidentally, finishing the very last attraction aligned perfectly with closing time—I couldn’t have timed it better! No regrets whatsoever. Given limited operating hours and Singapore’s frequent sudden downpours, experiencing all attractions during low-crowd periods is entirely feasible. If you can’t manage everything, here are some highly recommended attractions: Transformers, Battlestar Galactica, Revenge of the Mummy, WaterWorld, Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, Puss In Boots’ Giant Journey, and Madagascar. Among all attractions, roughly seven are roller-coaster-style rides. Adopting a ‘get-it-over-with’ mindset, I suggest following my lead: tackle the scariest one first~~~ Everything else afterward becomes easy-peasy~~~
Additionally, although dining options within the park are somewhat pricey, quality remains decent—unlike Disney, where prices are high AND food tastes terrible…
Photos taken with SONY A5100 + 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, post-processed in Lightroom.
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