I Can Honestly Say I’ve Now Been To Universal’s Worst Theme Park

In case you missed it, my friend Quincy and I recently went on a huge trip around the world! Literally! What was originally supposed to be on 9 days transformed into a 14-day trip that took us completely by surprise.

During our adventures, we stopped by Universal Studios Singapore and, well, I have some big thoughts. Universal Singapore, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry in advance. 

If you didn’t know, there is a Universal Studios theme park in Singapore! When Quincy and I found out we were going to check out Disney’s newest cruise ship, the Disney Adventure, also located in Singapore, we knew we had to check out this theme park at the same time. Two birds, one stone style.

Ahead of the trip, I was studying up on what to expect so we knew what was considered the best and worst of this park. To be honest with you, I didn’t see a ton of glowing reviews online, but once I got there, I understood why. This park is definitely on the smaller side, which isn’t always a bad thing! They have lands like Illumination’s Minion Land, Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi City, Ancient Egypt, The Lost World, and Far Far Away. So yes, there’s a Shrek Land, which is SUPER cool.

The lands were all pretty big and really well themed (Ancient Egypt was the one big exception). We honestly thought this was probably the best Minions Land we’ve ever been in because there was so much detail. So what was the real issue? I had a few; the first was that the park just felt empty.

The lands were nice and spacious, but it also made it apparent how little there was to do. A lot of the attractions were copies of Universal Orlando rides (which is totally fine!), but one of their most exciting original rides was closed. Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey was closed for refurbishment, and I knew that before going in. They also had several other closed attractions like Jurassic Park Rapid Adventures and WaterWorld. WaterWorld is closed indefinitely, which Quincy and I were super bumed about because we love this show in Universal Studios Hollywood.

As we walked through Ancient Egypt, we did giggle at the fact that this land was roughly 10 feet long. It had two attractions and a restaurant, but it was very small compared to the other sections of the park. It also (again) just felt like it had a lot of dead spots around each land. My second issue is that the rides themselves just felt a little lackluster. As I said, one of their (supposedly) best rides was closed, so that didn’t do the park any favors, but what we did ride was just…fine?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Revenge of the Mummy, and Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN vs. CYLON was a very impressive coaster. Those were really the only notable rides throughout the park. They had a lot of familiar fun, but we were just hoping for something a little more exciting. Even if it’s familiar to us, give it a little update! I did get to do Lights, Camera, Action, an attraction that closed in Universal Orlando, and it got a few gasps out of me. It is also more of a show than an attraction, so I’m only half including it in this conversation.

The coolest ride, in my opinion, as an avid American theme park goer, was actually Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase. Before you laugh, don’t worry, I laughed too. The Sesame Street attraction is a great example of what I mean by taking a familiar attraction and making it even better. The ride system felt very similar to E.T. Adventure in Orlando, but with a fresh update, new technology, and a very cute storyline. The ride felt brand new despite opening in 2013. I know it’s silly, but the attraction was truly one of my favorites because of its originality.

Plus, we were super excited to ride Shrek 4D again after it closed in Orlando. We got off the ride, looked at each other, and said, “We know why it closed now.” That’s coming from one of the world’s biggest Shrek fans (Quincy), so you know it was rough.

That being said, I had the best time here! I know you’re probably thinking, “Emma, we just read 700 words of complaints,” and yes, you did. It’s really not a very good theme park, but if you’re with your friends and have very realistic expectations (which we did), you can make it a great time. Quincy got a very tasty Shrek waffle, and I got to try Minion food!

It’s not a very good theme park, that’s true. I wouldn’t really recommend you take a day out of your Singapore trip to try it out if I’m being honest. IF you want to go, do it! Live your dream! You also need to make sure you go in with realistic expectations and a positive attitude. Also, lots of sunscreen, bring LOTS of that.  Either way, have fun! Be sure to keep following AllEars for more Universal news, updates, and more.

Two Universals, Two Very Different Trips: Orlando vs. Singapore

 

Tell me if you would check out this park in the comments!

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