Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa is one of Singapore’s top attractions. With thrilling rides, entertaining shows and thematic dining, it is a fun day out for both young and old. Here are our top tips for visiting Universal Studios Singapore and getting the most from your day there.
Getting the Most Out of Universal Studios Singapore: Top Tips & Tricks
1. Orientate Yourself to Universal Studios Singapore’s Layout
In Universal Studio Singapore is around the size of 25 football fields. It doesn’t seem that large but it is packed full of attractions. You can view and download the park map online and orientate yourself to Universal Studios Singapore’s layout with our tips below.
For us, we think of Universal Studios Singapore as a donut on a stick. Yes, a donut on a stick.
The “stick” is where you enter the park. Called Hollywood, this zone is a tribute to Universal Studio’s Hollywood’s lineage, complete with golden Hollywood stars embedded into the pavement. Hollywood is where you will find retail shops and park services.
Year-end Holiday Camps: Discover Fun and Exciting Camps for Kids; Book Early
Dec Fun: Get the Best Ideas for the School Holidays
Once you are past the “stick”, the “donut” is a loop where the themed lands or zones are laid out. The hole of the donut is Hollywood Lake which you can’t pass through. You have to head left or right to get to the different park zones.
The first themed zone immediately to the left of the “stick” used to be Madagascar. This zone has now been closed as it is being transformed into the new Minions Land attraction. This is due to open in 2025!
Due to the construction, visitors can only turn right to head to the rest of Universal Studios Singapore. Hence, to get to the rest of the park – head to New York Zone to continue your journey.
2. New Shows & Features
From now till 1 January 2025, you can experience the Wicked themed festivities. From meet-and-greets with the Wizard, citizens of the Emerald City or even Elphaba and Glinda if you’re lucky, there will be face-painting, exclusive merch and photo spots as the New York zone transforms into the Emerald City.
Watch the The DreamWorks Animation Holiday Spectacular projected on the Castle of Far Far Away. It will showcase a variety of beloved characters including DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek, Trolls, the Madagascar crew, and Kung Fu Panda’s Po in a never-before-seen medley of light and music.
Apart from the holiday specials, you can also catch a brand new show at New York featuring the Trolls. Trolls Hug Time Jubilee is all about the search for the perfect singing sensation to headline the biggest hug-fest of the year.
3. What’s Closed and What to Expect
As of 2024, there are quite a few changes going on at Universal Studios Singapore.
As mentioned, the biggest change is that the Madagascar themed zone has been closed as it is being transformed into Minion Land. So that’s one “land” down for the time being. This also happens to include the Shrek treehouse photo spot, which was in the former Madagascar zone.
King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round carousel is also not operating.
4. Choose Your Rides Beforehand
You may want to decide beforehand which are your must-do rides at Universal Studios Singapore. This lets you head over directly to the rides on your “hit-list” and cover them first. This is a better strategy than trying to take every ride you come across in the park sequentially – which can end up draining your energy and time.
For those with young kids, you can refer to Little Day Out’s feature on visiting Universal Studios Singapore with toddlers as a guide.
For thrill-seekers, the big three rollercoasters at Universal Studios Singapore are Human, Cylon, and Revenge of the Mummy.
Human and Cylon are 14-storey high outdoor roller coasters. Based on the TV series Battlestar Galactica, they launch at the same time and “duel” it out with each other. Revenge of the Mummy is an indoor roller coaster based on The Mummy franchise.
We personally have a “thrill-o-meter” of Universal Studio’s rides – from the most thrilling to the most sedate. In that order, they are:
Battlestar Galactica: CYLON
Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN
Revenge of the Mummy
TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle
Canopy Flyer
Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure
Enchanted Airways
Puss In Boots’ Giant Journey
Accelerator
Dino-Soarin’
Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase
King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round
Treasure Hunters
Of course, this list is subjective and may differ depending on age and disposition. For example, many young kids find Treasure Hunters extremely fun and enjoyable. Everyone sees the world through different eyes.
Thrill seekers will probably want to make sure they cover the top half of the list and save the bottom half for any time they have left-over. The less adventurous may choose to start from Revenge of the Mummy or TRANSFORMERS downwards.
5. Visit On A Weekday and on Evenings
Universal Studios Singapore gets really busy on weekends. Queue times can extend up to sixty minutes or longer.
The best way to avoid the crowds is to visit the park on a weekday. On weekdays and extended evenings, queues are shorter and there will be less need to jostle with others as you move around the park.
The great news is for December 2024, Universal Studios Singapore will close later at 8 pm or 9 pm depending on the dates of visit. From 16 December 2024, the park will close at 9 pm! Visitors who stay till the park’s closing can get treated to the fireworks show at 9 pm too.
Even better still yet, visit on a weekday that is not during the Singapore school holidays. School holidays are the park’s peak periods and it can fill up really quickly. So, if you are planning to visit during the Singapore school holidays, be mentally prepared for crowds.
6. Book Your Tickets Online
It is now easier than ever to get your tickets to Universal Studio Singapore by buying them online. There are often have online promotions that can help save a little bit of money too, especially for those with either a Mastercard or Maybank card.
You can book Universal Studios Singapore tickets here.
7. Get the Universal Express For Busy Days (Such as Weekends and School Holidays)
The Universal Express is Universal Studios Singapore’s “fast pass” system. It is an add-on you have to purchase in addition to the Park’s entrance ticket.
Universal Express holders at Universal Studios Singapore get to take a different, shorter queue from the regular standby queues. This lets you skip the long waiting times and head to the front of the queue.
Most rides at Universal Studios Singapore have Universal Express queues. Two notable exceptions are the Treasure Hunters and Canopy Flyer rides.
With the Universal Express, you save the time and energy spent queuing for the attractions. This obviously comes with a price. More on that next.
8. Two Types of Universal Express Passes
There are two types of Universal Express passes.
The standard Universal Express can be used only once at each attraction/ride. The Universal Express Unlimited can be used over and over again to skip the queues at the attractions.
The Universal Express can be purchased online or at selected locations around Universal Studios Singapore.
If you intend to get the Universal Express, we recommend BUYING IT BEFORE ENTERING THE PARK. This can be done online at the same time when you are purchasing your tickets.
9. Download the Universal Studios Singapore App
Get the USS app for the latest updates on show timings, meet-and-greet timings, as well as wait times for each attraction. It also has a map that you can use to navigate to each of the zones.
You can download the app from Apple Store or Google Play Store.
10. Arrive Early to Beat the Crowd
Get to Universal Studio Singapore’s gates before opening time will let you have first dibs on your choice of rides before the queues pile up.
11. First Ride Suggestions and Using Shortcuts
Here are our suggestions for deciding which rides to tackle first.
For those with young kids: Treasure Hunters.
This ride is popular with young kids and the queue can get extremely long. Furthermore, there is no Universal Express queue for Treasure Hunters. So even if you have doled out the extra money, you will still have to join the queue.
Assuming you have arrived early, we suggest taking this ride first before the queue gets stupendously long.
For older riders: Canopy Flyer or TRANSFORMERS.
We know Canopy Flyer and TRANSFORMERS may seem like strange suggestions as a first ride. Most would head straight to Cylon, Human, or Revenge of the Mummy. There is nothing wrong with that and if you are itching to get your adrenaline-pumping, go for it.
For those who have a Universal Express, we suggest Canopy Flyer as it does not have a Universal Express lane. This means that there can be a long queue for what is the shortest ride in the park at only 53 seconds long. Therefore, if you are early, do Canopy Flyer first. After that, you can make use of your Universal Express at the other rides.
If you don’t have a Universal Express, we’d suggest starting with TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle and progressing from there. Queues at TRANSFORMERS can get very long too. It is definitely worth the wait, but if you don’t need to queue so long, why not save the time?
To get to these rides, there is a “shortcut” you can take.
After arriving at Universal Studios Singapore, most people will go right and end up spending time at New York. In fact, many people will see the ride Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase in New York and tend to line up there as it is the first ride they see.
It is possible to bypass these zones to get to the themed lands on the far side of the lake. This lets you access the rides such as Revenge of the Mummy, Human, Cylon, TRANSFORMERS and, for young kids, Treasure Hunters, while everyone is still making their way through New York.
To take the shortcut, just head down the path in-between Mel’s Drive-In and the lake, make your way past the wharf and you will arrive at Sci-Fi City, right in front of TRANSFORMERS and the Battlestar Galactica roller coasters.
If you want to get to Ancient Egypt zone, there is a bridge that goes under the Battlestar Galactica roller coaster and takes you to Ancient Egypt.
12. Photo Taking Spot for Treasure Hunters
If you want to take a nice photo of your friends or family who are riding on Treasure Hunters, a good phototaking spot is located close to the lake, behind the entrance of Treasure Hunters.
Look for the obelisk. Head there and wait for them to come by for the photo op.
13. Meet and Greets
Much of the fun of a day out at Universal Studios Singapore is the chance to meet various characters.
Some of the most fun meet and greets are with the Transformers (who can sometimes make funny and snarky comments) and with Blue the velociraptor. You can check in the park for timing details.
14. Two “Hidden” Attractions
There are two attractions at Universal Studios Singapore that many often overlook.
Within the Fairy Godmother’s Potion Shop in the Far Far Away zone, there is a tiny Ferris wheel ride, Fairy Godmother Magic Potion Spin, which is suitable for really young kids. You can get to the ride by entering the Potion Shop from the main shop front, or you will also wind up at the Potion Shop after watching the Shrek 4D show.
At The Lost World, there is a rock-climbing attraction towards the rear of the land. This was still closed when we visited but there are indications that it may be reopening soon. Amber Rock Climb has three levels, Easy, Medium and Difficult. You admire the fossils embedded into the rock face on the way up too (assuming you aren’t too busy struggling to stay on the wall).
15. Where to Dine At Universal Studios Singapore
Universal Studios Singapore has various dining options.
Our favourite is the Discovery Food Court in The Lost World zone.
Another less-well-known dining spot in the Park is KT’s Grill at the New York area. It is a bit more pricey and usually has a full menu. Interesting fact – KT’s Grill is named after the Genting Group chairman, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay.
For halal food at Universal Studios Singapore, head to Mel’s Drive-In at the Hollywood zone and Goldilocks Fried Chicken at Far Far Away.
Finally, here’s a pro-tip. If you don’t feel like eating at any of the themed restaurants around Universal Studios Singapore, you can head to Hollywood and look for the Celebrity Cafe & Bakery.
Inside, you will find Starbucks and a selection of bagels, pitas and other light food.
16. Ponchos For Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure
Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure is a fun water ride that takes you to the heart of dino country. But be warned you are bound to get wet. If you are planning to ride it, you can bring along your own ponchos to use on the ride.
There are also drying pods outside the rides if you didn’t wear a poncho and find yourself soaked. The use of the drying pods is chargeable.
You will also get wet at Lights, Camera, Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg if you are at the first row.
17. Lockers For Battlestar Galactica and Revenge of the Mummy
Loose items are not allowed on the Battlestar Galactica rollercoasters and Revenge of the Mummy. Lockers are available next to these rides to stow away your bags and other loose items before embarking on the rides. These lockers are free for use for a limited time.
18. Photo Spots You Might Miss
There are plenty of photo spots all over Universal Studios Singapore. Popular ones include the Transfomers at Sci-Fi Land.
However, there are two that you may miss out on. The first may be more appealing to young kids. It is that of a baby dinosaur hatching out of an egg at the rear of The Lost World.
The second photo spot that you may miss is that of Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon. The statue can be found inside the Fairy Godmother’s Potion Shop.
19. Spot Details at Enchanted Airways
Enchanted Airways is Universal Studios Singapore’s kiddy roller coaster. Hop on board with Dragon and swoosh around the rails. While doing so, see if you can spot the three pigs handymen “hard” at work, the Big Bad Wolf in Grandma’s clothing and Puss in Boots.
20. Spot details at New York
Too often, people walk through the streets of the New York zone without appreciating the details found there. Don’t be one of those people. While passing through the New York zone, be sure to peer through the shopfront windows. There are a lot of interesting details to take note of and the displays add to the flavour of the themed zone.
If you notice, there are local-sounding names on the shop windows. These names belong to the people who helped to build Universal Studios Singapore.
Universal Studio Singapore’s New York Public Library façade is also the only one in all the Universal Studios themed parks around the world built in 3D. The other parks only have a 2D version of the library. You can walk up the stairs and duck behind the columns for a peek-a-boo pick. The library doors can’t be opened though. We tried.
The wharf area at New York is also perfect for insta-worthy photos.
21. Dress for the Heat
Singapore is hot and humid. Waiting in the outdoor lines at Universal Studios Singapore gets hot and humid. We’d suggest dressing comfortably for the weather. We’ve seen people in jeans and even dresses at Universal Studio Singapore. We’d personally recommend shorts and t-shirts instead. Unless you’re an influencer – then please go ahead and wear your long-flowing dress.
Also, if possible, bring along a fan. Preferably a battery-operated one to help you keep cool while queuing up. Seriously. You can thank us later.
22. Amenities Found at Universal Studios Singapore
The main Guest Services area is to the left the entrance to Universal Studios Singapore.
On the right, you can rent strollers and wheelchairs at the Beverly Hill Garage, put away luggage for the day in storage lockers, and find the first aid corner.
There are also toilets located next to the stroller rental area.
At the Baby Centre, there are two nursing cubicles along with a microwave, water dispenser and even dispensers for extra diapers in case of an emergency. The Baby Centre is located to the left after entering the park. There are also diaper changing stations in the toilets around the parks.
For Muslim visitors, there is a prayer room inside Universal Studios Singapore. It is located next to the Battlestar Galactica lockers. The prayer rooms are past the lockers in a standalone building. The rooms are air-conditioned and there are separate rooms for men and women.
Hope You Enjoyed Our Top Tips for Visiting Universal Studios Singapore
There you go. These are our top tips for having a great time on a day out at Universal Studios Singapore. We hope you have a wonderful day there and hopefully, by relying on our tips, you won’t look like the person in the picture above at the end of the day.
Book tickets for Universal Studios Singapore here.
This story contains affiliate links. This means we earn a small fee if you purchase something through a link from our website. There is no additional cost to you and goes towards supporting Little Day Out’s efforts to deliver the best news and reporting for families.
