Universal Studios Singapore
Universal Studios Singapore is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It features 28 rides, shows, and attractions in seven themed zones. It was a key component of Genting's bid for the right to build Singapore's second integrated resort. On 8 December 2006, the Singapore government announced that the consortium had won the bid. Construction of the theme park and the rest of the resort started on 19 April 2007. It is the second Universal Studios theme park to open in Asia, and the first in Southeast Asia. The official plans for the park were unveiled to the public when Universal Studios Singapore released a park map to the public on 20 October 2009. Universal Studios Singapore attracted more than 2 million visitors in the 9 months from its opening.
The park has been marketed by Universal Parks & Resorts as a "one-of-its-kind theme park in Asia" and promised that the park would be the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia for the next 30 years.
History
Park history
The construction of Resorts World Sentosa and Universal Studios Singapore began on 19 April 2008. After almost two years of construction, the park opened on 18 March 2010.Universal Studios Singapore was opened for "sneak peek week" in view of the Chinese New Year Celebrations, from 5 pm to 9 pm every night between 14 and 21 February 2010. Though visitors had to pay SGD$10 to enter the park even-though rides were not operating, tickets for the week were sold out in 2 days. On 5 March 2010, it was announced that the park will open its doors at 8:28 am on 18 March 2010, for a soft-opening phase. From 13 March 2010, the team members of Resorts World Sentosa and their families had a chance to visit the park before the public has a chance to do so. The park had its soft opening period from 18 March 2010 to 26 October 2010.
The official grand opening of the park was held on 28 May 2011, along with the "grand opening gala" being held on 27 May 2011 evening. It had Asian personalities Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Zhao Wei, and former American Idol judge Paula Abdul making an appearance at the gala event, along with some 1,600 guests.
On 21 October 2011, Universal Studios Singapore began their Halloween Horror Nights events.
On 3 April 2019, Genting Group announced the expansion of Universal Studios Singapore with two new themed areas, Minion Park and Super Nintendo World, with the former replacing Madagascar.
Timeline
Park layout
Universal Studios Singapore is in size, occupying the easternmost part of the Resorts World Sentosa. There are a total of 24 attractions, of which 18 are original or specially adapted for the park. The park consists of seven themed zones surrounding a lagoon. Each zone is mostly based on movies and/or television, featuring their own attractions, meet and greet locations, over 30 restaurants and food carts, and 20 retail stores and carts located around the park.| Themed Zone | Notes |
| Hollywood | Themed after the real Hollywood Boulevard of the 1970s. Framed by "dynamic" architecture, palm trees and a replica of the Hollywood 'Walk of Fame'. |
| New York | Themed after post-modern New York City. Features replicas of New York landmarks. The area is enhanced by neon lights and flanked by street facades. |
| Sci-Fi City | Themed after what cities and metropolis "may look like in the future", according to popular science fiction franchises. |
| Ancient Egypt | Themed after the Egyptian architecture and artifacts found during the "Golden Age of Egyptian Exploration in the 1930s". |
| The Lost World | Themed after two franchises, Jurassic Park and Waterworld, which each have separate areas within the zone. |
| Far Far Away | Themed after The Kingdom of Far Far Away featured in DreamWorks Animation's Shrek. |
| Madagascar | Themed after DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar. The zone features a displaced cargo ship and river. |
Hollywood
Hollywood is the main entrance area of the park. Its only attraction, a broadway-style theatre, is accompanied by several restaurants and a variety of shopping locations. The zone is filled with Hollywood-inspired architecture and palm trees, including a replica of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Attractions & Entertainment
- Sesame Street Show - Elmo's TV Time
- Lake Hollywood Spectacular
- Turntables
- Hollywood China Arcade
- Hollywood Walk of Fame (including Woody and Winnie Woodpecker, Gru and the Minions from Despicable Me, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Beetlejuice, Frankenstein's Monster, Betty Boop, Po the Panda and Tigress from Kung Fu Panda, Hiccup and Astrid from How to Train Your Dragon, Poppy and Branch from Trolls
- Mel's Drive-In®
- Starbucks
- Universal Studios Store
- Silver Screen
- Minion Mart
- The Dark Room
- The Brown Derby - A Sesame Street Shop
- That's a Wrap
New York City
| Name | Type | Notes | Status |
| Lights! Camera! Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg | Show | A show that features special effects that mimic a major hurricane | Operating |
| Loui's NY Pizza Parlor | F&B Outlet | A pizza parlor that sells modern and traditional Italian pizzas as well as other local dishes. | Open |
| KT's Grill | F&B Outlet | A full-service restaurant that specializes in New York grill cuisine and self-proclaimed "East meets West" dishes. | Open |
| Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase | Steel Suspended Dark Ride | A suspended dark ride themed to the Sesame Street franchise. | Open |
| Big Bird's Emporium | Retail Outlet | Store selling Sesame Street-themed merchandise. | Open |
Entertainment
- Rhythm Truck
Sci-Fi City
| Name | Type | Notes | Status |
| Accelerator | Teacups | A whirling twirling ride that spins guests around. A similar ride, Storm Force Accelatron, is found in Universal's Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort. | Operating |
| Steel Dueling Seated Roller Coaster | A sit-down roller coaster that was designed for a tamer experience than its counterpart, with no inversions. The trains are modeled after the Colonial Mark II Viper used by the Human faction as seen in the Battlestar Galactica series. | Operating | |
| Steel Dueling Inverted Roller Coaster | An inverted roller coaster that was designed for a more thrilling experience than its counterpart, with inversions. The trains are modeled after the Cylon Heavy Raider used by the Cylon faction as seen in the Battlestar Galactica series. | Operating | |
| 4-D Dark Ride Motion Simulator | A dark ride that uses the same ride-vehicle technology as The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. It has giant wrap-around screens that sport photo-realistic 3D-HD video imagery, along with additional 4-D effects that further enhances the ride experience. This attraction first premiered in Singapore on December 2011, and later at Universal Studios Hollywood and Orlando. | Operating | |
| Galactica PX | Retail Outlet | A retail store selling photos of the Battlestar Galactica ride. It formerly sold other sci-fi merchandise. | Open |
| Transformers Supply Vault | Retail Outlet | A retail outlet selling a variety of Transformers and Transformers: The Ride merchandise. | Open |
| Starbot Cafe: Human Refueling Center | F&B Outlet | A food and beverage outlet selling a variety of items, including ice cream. | Open |
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt is based on the historical adaptation of Ancient Egypt during the 1930s Golden Age of Egyptian Exploration. It features obelisks and pyramids which are typical of Ancient Egypt. Also featured are Pharaohs' tombs which were supposedly commonly discovered during that era. This zone relies on the depictions made in the popular film franchise, The Mummy, starring Brendan Fraser.| Name | Type | Notes | Status |
| Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride | Enclosed Steel Roller Coaster Dark Ride | A combination dark ride and roller coaster that is built within an indoor space. This ride was inspired and developed from The Mummy film from 1999. | Operating |
| Treasure Hunters | Mini-Car Ride | A leisure car ride that drives around an abandoned Egyptian excavation site. The ride vehicles are modeled after the look of vintage jeeps. | Operating |
| Carter's Curiosities | Retail Outlet | A retail outlet selling souvenirs and replicas of Egyptian treasures. | Open |
| Oasis Spice Café | F&B Outlet | An Egyptian-themed cafeteria serving specialties from various north African and Middle-Eastern cultures. | Open |
The Lost World
The Lost World contains many traditional attractions present in most Universal Studios parks around the world and is divided into two sub-areas: Jurassic Park and Waterworld. Jurassic Park, based on the popular film franchise by Steven Spielberg and novels by Michael Crichton, features the newly redesigned Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure which is based on the water rides in other Universal Studios parks. Waterworld, based on the film Waterworld starring Kevin Costner, features a live show performance at an amphitheater.| Name | Type | Notes | Status |
| Canopy Flyer | Mini Steel Suspended Roller Coaster | A suspended 4-seater family roller coaster. | Operating |
| Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure | River Rapids Raft System | A river rapids ride that features a white water raft system where riders on circular rafts are sent down a rapid with animatronic dinosaurs. | Operating |
| Live Show/Performance | A live-action performance that involves stunts and pyrotechnics, surrounding by and using a large pool of water. | Showing | |
| Amber Rock Climb | Rock Climb/Skill Challenge | A rock-climbing attraction that is themed after a dinosaur dig site. The attraction can only accommodate guests between and. | Operating |
| Dino-Soarin' | Fly Around Ride | A children's ride that spins around, with riders being able to control the vertical height of their carriage during the ride duration. | Operating |
| Jurassic Outfitters | Retail Outlet | A retail store that sells official Jurassic Park merchandise. | Open |
| The Dino-Store | Retail Outlet | A retail store that sells Jurassic Park and other dinosaur-related merchandise. | Open |
| Fossil Fuels | F&B Outlet | A food stand that sells a light snacks and frozen beverages. | Open |
| Discovery Food Court | F&B Outlet | A food court that is themed after the Discovery Centre building featured in the original Jurassic Park movie. | Open |
Far Far Away
Far Far Away is inspired by DreamWorks Animation's Shrek franchise. The zone consists of many locations from the film series, with a landmark in the form of "Far Far Away Castle". Character appearances include: Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Princess Fiona, Pinocchio and Prince Charming.| Name | Type | Notes | Status |
| Shrek 4-D Adventure | 3-D Show with Added Effects | A 3-D stereoscopic show with physical effects. | Showing |
| Donkey Live | Live Show/Performance | An interactive live show using digital puppetry technology, which features Donkey entertaining and engaging guests. | Showing |
| Enchanted Airways | Steel Junior Roller Coaster | A junior roller coaster through the zone, with trains modeled after Dragon from the world of Shrek. | Operating |
| Puss in Boots' Giant Journey | Steel Suspended Family Roller Coaster | A roller coaster themed to the Puss in Boots spin-off film. | Operating |
| Magic Potion Spin | Kiddy Ferris Wheel | A miniature Ferris wheel for children themed to a part of a potion assembly line. The ride is located within the Fairy Godmother's Potion Shop. | Operating |
| Fairy Godmother's Potion Shop | Retail Outlet | A retail outlet with memorabilia, drinks and gifts from the Shrek franchise. | Open |
| Fairy Godmother's Juice Bar | F&B Outlet | A drink store that sells juices themed to look like magical concoctions. | Open |
| Goldilocks | F&B Outlet | A food outlet that sells fried chicken, fish and chips, chicken sandwiches, mash potatoes with gravy, coleslaw, and French fries. | Open |
| Friar's | F&B Outlet | A food stand that sells hot and cold sandwich wraps with potato chips. | Open |
Madagascar
Madagascar is inspired by the DreamWorks Animation franchise of the same name. The zone features a tropical jungle theming as well as two rides. Character appearances include: Alex, Gloria, King Julien, Skipper, Kowalski, Private and Rico. On December 2019, RWS announced that Madagascar would be replaced by 2 new sections, Minion Park and Super Nintendo World.| Name | Type | Notes | Status |
| Water Boat Ride | A river boat ride with animatronics, digital projection and surround sound, housed within the hull of a displaced cargo ship. This attraction features the voices of actors heard in the movies such as Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith throughout the ride. | Operating | |
| King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round | Carousel | A merry-go-round ride that is themed and decorated with all the characters of Madagascar. | Operating |
| Penguin Mercantile | Retail Outlet | A retail outlet located at the exit of 'Madagascar: A Crate Adventure' that sells plush hats, key fobs, T-shirts and other merchandise inspired by the Madagascar franchise, as well as on-ride photos for 'Madagascar: A Crate Adventure'. | Open |
| Marty's Casa Del Wild Food Court | F&B Outlet | A café based on the first movie. The restaurant is hosted by Marty the Zebra and serves a variety of South East Asian specialties such as Nasi Padang, Pad Thai, Chicken Rice, Thai Green Chicken Curry, Tom Yum Soup and Asian Rotisserie Chicken. | Open |
| Gloria's Snack Shack | F&B Outlet | A food store hosted by Gloria, which offers some Japanese-inspired quick bites such as yakitori, rice bowls and drinks. | Open |