We love Universal parks so when we visited Singapore, we had to visit Universal Studios! We learnt a lot in the time we were at the park so here are our Universal Studios Singapore tips.
When to visit Universal Studios Singapore
As with most theme parks around the world, visiting on a weekday is better than a weekend and avoiding school holidays is even better.
However, do not worry if you can only visit on the weekends. Arrive early and you will still be able to ride your favourites, Singapore Universal is a small and less crowded park in general, with wait times rarely exceeding an hour on busy days.
Plus, the Hollywood Dreams Parade and Lake Hollywood Spectacular fireworks show are usually held on the weekends.
Check for the Singapore school holiday dates but it is also worth checking the dates of Chinese holidays such as Chinese New Year and Golden Week – Singapore is a popular vacation destination for many in Asia. It is worth noting that Singapore has two major holiday periods; the month of June and late November to the end of December.
Avoiding June – September and December – March is also worth doing if you are planning a trip to Singapore, as these are the rainy seasons.
Universal Studios Singapore tickets
Book your tickets online
Not only are there promotions found online but avoiding the queues and getting into the park as soon as you arrive is by far, the best option. Singapore is hot, so the longer you spend in queues, the hotter and more uncomfortable you are going to feel.
You can also find discounted tickets on Voyagin and Klook.
Understand the Universal Express passes
Firstly, these are worth buying if you are visiting on a weekend or weekday, it saves you time and gets you into your favourite rides quickly.
However, at Universal Studios Singapore, there are two types of passes.
Standard Universal express starts at S$30 and can be used only once for each ride and attraction
Universal Express Unlimited starts at S$50 can be used multiple times on each ride.
These passes can be bought online or at locations around the park, however, they can sell out so it is worth booking online or on arrival, before you enter the park if you are visiting during the school holidays. Plus, the prices above are start prices, they can rise higher if the demand increases so generally, it is just best to purchase online.
Tips for visiting the Universal Studios Singapore Park
Dress appropriately
Singapore is hot but it may also rain. Wear light breathable clothes but pack a poncho or light rain jacket to avoid getting soaked. I always remember to bring an extra layer for those queues indoors when you are standing in the air con and it gets a little too chilly.
Arrive early and stay late
As always, the earlier you arrive, the quicker you have to jump on your favourite ride. It is also worth staying late, especially if you are not able to arrive for opening. The park tends to get quieter in the late afternoon, especially on weekends when there isn’t a firework show or parade to wait for.
I would even suggest that you arrive before the parks open – a queue begins to build around 9 am but the park doesn’t open until 10 am. We found arriving at 9.30 am on a weekday was a good time to avoid getting too hot but also get into the park and beeline for our favourite ride
Save the shopping
As we recommend with most theme parks, save your shopping until the very end. There is a large store near the entrance/exit with lots of different souvenirs so avoid shopping after each ride; you have to carry those items around for the rest of the day and it takes up time after every ride.
Figure out the layout
Singapore’s Universal Studio feels small and is a manageable park to see in a day, however, it is worth looking at the map before your trip. As you enter, you will walk into Hollywood; a boulevard of Hollywood stars, clusters of shops and cafes.
Once you exit the boulevard, you will find yourself entering a large circular pavement that moves you from zone to zone. Generally, I would suggest that if you are travelling with younger children, the Madagascar and Shrek attractions to the left are more child-friendly, whereas the Lost World and Mummy ride to the right is for older children and adults.
Choose your rides before you arrive
As we recommend for most theme parks, it is worth looking at the point of view ride videos or reviews online to choose your top ‘must-do’ rides. This means you can head straight to them and ride those first and avoids any disappointment at the end of your time at Universal.
For calmer rides, try out King Julien’s Beach Party-go-round, Madagascar’s Crate Adventure and Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase or for those braver riders, check out the Battlestar rides, Revenge of the Mummy and the Transformers 3D ride.
Take note of the most popular rides
Some rides are more popular than others whilst some rides don’t have a Universal Express queue. It is worth noting which rides these are:
Popular: Treasure hunters, Transformers The Ride.
No express queue: Treasure hunters, Canopy Flyer
Bring a reusable bottle
There are water fountains all over the park so make sure you bring a reusable bottle to stay dehydrated and save money.
Bring a personal fan
Singapore can be hot and humid but some rides have outdoor queues. Bring a personal fan to cool you down.
Plan your day in advance
It isn’t just about planning the rides you want to take but also the attractions you want to see, if you want to go to any of the meet and greets and where you want to eat. As you enter the park, you will see programme sheets to help you plan your day with up-to-date showtimes.
Where to eat at Universal Studios Singapore
There are lots of restaurants to choose from at Universal Studios Singapore. It is worth looking at the type of food available in each, especially if you are visiting with fussy eaters
Restaurants at Universal Studios Singapore:
- Sesame Street Character breakfast – a tasty breakfast buffet with the Sesame Street Characters! Buffet costs S$50 per adult and S$35 per child.
- KT’s Grill – I am biased but I personally think this is the best place to eat, especially if you are travelling without children. This is an Irish pub with an American grill twist and really good food.
- Mel’s Drive-In – Following its American counterparts, Universal Studios have included Mel’s Drive-in here too. We have visited the original Mel’s in LA and the milkshakes at Universal Singapore are almost as good! It has a real diner theme to it too.
- Oasis Spice Café – For Indian dishes, try this spicy restaurant. Make sure you ask for less or more spice and stick to the butter chicken if you don’t have a high spice tolerance.
- Louis NY Pizza Parlor – For New York styled pizza, head to this pizza parlor. It has reasonable prices and offers lots of topping options.
- Starbot Café – This is a quick-service restaurant with Asian dishes. You can get pork noodles, sweet and sour chicken, chicken wings and other tasty treats here.
- Stardots – Once you have finished eating at Starbot Café, head over to Stardots for their yoghurt soft serve ice cream.
- Discovery Food Court – A more understated place to eat but we really liked having the lobster curry noodles here. You can get Singaporean food at really good prices and you won’t be disappointed by the taste.
- Fossil Fuels – Choose from a variety of hot dogs with different flavours from around Singapore and Asia
- Fairy Godmother’s Juice Bar – For fresh juice drinks, this is the place to go.
- Friar’s – A good place to go with the family, this place offers pizza, burgers and ice cream at budget-friendly prices.
- Goldilocks – If you love chicken, this place is for you.
- Marty’s Casa Del Wild Food Court – This restaurant offers Asian inspired curries such as Penang, Massaman and green curry.
- Gloria’s Snack Shake – A dessert bar with churros and local dish Bingsu.
Getting to Universal Studios Singapore
The studios are in Sentosa, an island 15 minutes from downtown Singapore. The easiest way to get to the studios is via taxi. You can use Grab (Asia’s version of Uber) and be dropped off in the resort car park. The journey will cost you around S$14 – S$19 depending on traffic.
If you are staying in Sentosa, you can walk to the studios via Sentosa Boardwalk which connects to the VivoCity Shopping Mall.
There is also a train stop on the island; take the MRT to HarbourFront Station and then the Sentosa Express Monorail and exit at the Waterfront Station. Lastly, you can also catch a public bus service 123 from around the city and exit at bus stop 14519, Resorts World Sentosa Singapore.
Getting home
Although ordering a Grab is the easiest option, it can take a while for one to arrive when ordering late afternoon. See how busy the queue is for the normal blue taxis and decide which wait is shortest.
Love it?
If you LOVED Universal Studios and live locally (or not far from Singapore), you are in luck! You can buy a Season or Annual pass to save money and come back all year round. The season pass offers 6 months of visits and is a better price than the 2-day ticket.
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