oh{FISH}iee: [TRAVEL] 5 Reasons to visit Universal Studios Singapore During Christmas

I have always had this dream of visiting gigantic theme parks since young. In my wishlist, I have Everland in Korea, Hong Kong Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan, and Disney Sea in Japan.

Now, I guess I just started with a baby step by making my first visit to Universal Studios Singapore. Yes, it is my first time here although I have once made a wish to enter USS during my vacation in Resorts World Sentosa when I was 16.

For the past 5 years, I have been wanting to spend my Christmas in Singapore but I used to be tied up with final exams and assignments during university days for each year end. Last year, finally, I was in a company which granted all the employees a 10-day break from Christmas till New Year; hence I spent my entire holiday here in Singapore. And my 25 December 2016, the perfect Christmas Day at USS, the happiest place in Singapore!

On Christmas, USS operated from 10am till 10pm, but the queue at the entrance was already super long when I arrived at 9.30am. The ticket sold at the counter costs SGD 76, but I managed to buy it on Klook at only SGD 61. And skipped the queue at the ticketing counter too :D

This 50-acre park is considered super huge to me, please forgive me because I am a kid who first enter an international theme park! With 7 different movie-themed zones offering 24 rides and attractions -- Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi City, Ancient Egypt, The Lost World, Far Far Away and Madagascar -- plus festive special attractions, I feel that spending 12 hours here is not enough!

Got a map once we entered this dreamland, and now.....let me tell you why

I'd prefer visiting here during Christmas than any other time around the year!

1. Festive Vibes

The decors were so beautiful during Christmas! I saw the latest decorations for Chinese New Year, where every nook and corner was adorned with red lanterns; but nothing was comparable to the Christmas vibes. So lively, energetic and perfectly fitted into the holiday mood!

2. Universal Journey

Specially for this holiday season, USS introduced Universal Journey, a walkthrough attraction where I was truly amazed by the stunning galaxy of 824,961 lights here. This world's largest indoor light bulb display has made USS the proud holder of Guinness World Records.

And you can now visit it until 12 February 2017 (Extended time!) if you have not. Perhaps an early Valentine's celebration here would make the lovebirds' special day more memorable?

3. Christmas Candy House

Last year's limited-time attraction was a candy house where the cute pixies were there to pose with you and Santa Claus would greet you at certain hours. It was something additional to what you could normally experience in USS, which I personally enjoyed as it made my Christmas an unforgettable one.

Hopefully there are more special attractions for Christmas this year!

4. Special Performances / Stage Show (Christmas Edition!)

I was not sure if USS had this stage performance during usual days, but certainly the Christmas stage show was more entertaining as it incorporated several characters whom we were all very familiar with. So happy to see cute Minions in Christmas hat, Sesame Street stars, gingerbread man and few more on stage!

.....and more performances at selected hours during Christmas period.

The map guide had included every detail in it, so don't worry that you would miss it!

5. Lake Hollywood Spectacular Fireworks

The usual firework shows usually fall only on Saturdays, but they increase the frequency during last year end. Doesn't this perfect your Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year Eve?

*****

The rest of USS is worth exploring any day you wish, especially the New York, Hollywood, Madagascar, Sci-Fi and Far Far Away zones. As interesting rides come one after another, I wish the queue is shorter and I can have longer time spent here!

P/S: If you are a fan of Sesame Street like me, don't forget to catch their Street Show at New York zone ya!

Also in New York zone, don't miss the ever popular Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase ride!

(Be warned, the queue was 30 minutes long. Could be longer during peak hours)

If I recall correctly, the "Lights, Camera, Action!™ Hosted by Steven Spielberg" attraction is a must-visit too!! Be blown away as an empty sound stage becomes the setting for a major hurricane about to hit New York City - right before your very eyes.

Hollywood Zone where you can meet the Minions...

Dining establishments are aplenty, but the food is served at premium prices and you probably just can't avoid the queue because almost every restaurant was packed, and it became worse when it rained heavily on the day I visited.

Mel's Drive-In has luxurious vintage car displayed outside the outlet.

So we had our lunch at Mel's Drive-In®, a classic 1950’s drive-in diner serving all-American favourites like our famous rocket sauce burgers, with a side of fries and soft drinks, as well as thick milkshakes.

Unfortunately, our chicken burger, sloppy meat sausage and onion rings were below expectation.

The taste was quite horrible I'd say, and I just didn't want to finish this...

So Santa treated me Starbucks instead. I didn't know that Starbucks Singapore serves Hojicha Frappe

on its menu, and it certainly tasted awesome for a die-hard fan of Hojicha like me.

After lunch, we went to Madagascar, where the safari adventure began.

Luckily we made it for the last session of Madagascar Boogie street entertainment show of the day, where Alex, Marty, Gloria, King Julien were dancing in style in front of us, led by King Julien.

I like to move it move it, we like to move it move it~~

After the dance, we quickly queued for photography session with the characters. I was a happy kid when I managed to take a picture with my favourite Alex!! Sorry Gloria, perhaps next time another photo with you, kay?

And I wouldn't miss a chance to ride on King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round carousel especially on Alex's back!

Madagascar: A Crate Adventure river boat ride was also recommended for true Madagascar fans! :D

My heart melted at the merchandise store!! I regretted for not bringing Alex and Snowball home :(

Sci-fi City, every guy's favourite once they see Transformers and the futuristic world!

I wanted to try the Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN vs. CYLON™ super thrilling roller coaster,

but the heavy rain didn't permit me to. Be warned, it's not for the faint hearted.

Another recommended ride was TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle,

one of the most thrilling hyper-realistic 3D ride, right in the middle of all the action battles.

At Ancient Egypt, there was nothing much except for the Revenge of the Mummy™ indoor roller coaster under total darkness. Well, we could skip this zone if we were running out of time to try other rides.

Far Far Away - It's every girl's dream to be here!

Last but not least, before USS closed, we had one quick hour visiting the Far Far Away zone, enjoying the kid-friendly attractions such as Puss In Boots’ Giant Journey roller coaster, Shrek 4D Adventure, Donkey Live Show, Magic Potion Spin ferris wheel and Enchanted Airways junior roller coaster.

Be it day or night, the beautiful castle was just as mesmerizing!

Donkey Live Show was really entertaining because it was my first time seeing a talking donkey :P

The only downside to visit USS during festive seasons was probably the crowd.

Despite of the huge crowd in USS, overall it was an unforgettable Christmas experience that fulfilled part of my dream. Throughout my week in Singapore, USS was where I had my best memories. It felt really great to be a kid, putting away all the unhappiness and just enjoying myself at this happy land!