Fun Day with the Kiddo at Star City

 

It has been ages since my last Star City visit.  I have been wanting to go there with my children, but the distance and the traffic is quite unbearable!

 

 

I was glad, this came up as part of my son's school fieldtrip itinerary.

 

 

 

 

However, it was the last stop in our agenda and my kiddo was already tired. As I was visiting with a child we had to stick with the children's ride as some of the major ones are restricted to adult riders.

 

 

But no worries since, there are still so many rides to choose from:

 

1. Kiddie Bumper Cars (please don't mistake with the huge bumper cars ~ my son is a lot taller for his age and he passed the Adult Bumper Car ride, it was a big mistake as the Adult version was much faster and impact a lot harder).
2. Kiddie Ferris Wheel
3. Magic Tea Cups
4. Rodeo (a variety of vehicles that travel around a loop track)
5. Quack-quack (a duck carousel ride)
6. Magic Forest* (a trip around a mystical forest onboard a vintage train)

 

Other kiddie attractions, includes:

1. Little Tykes
2. Ball Pool

Rides for older kids, includes:

1. Happy Swing* (which gave me a bit of a headache)
2. Dragon Express (a roller coaster ride)
3. The Giant Ferris Wheel
4. Red Baron** (a plane ride)
5. Wacky Worm** (a mini - roller coaster)
6. Tele-combat* (a space ship ride)
7. Grand Carousel**

The ones in "*" are the my son's favorites.

 

Other Attractions we visited included:

 

The Peter Pan

 

 

 

 

 

Toy Chest

 

 

 

Admission Fee Php 65.00
Entrance inside Star City only. EXCEPT Mid-way games, coin operated machines, rides, attractions, Snow World, Lazer Blaster, Scream Avenue and Walk on Water.

 

3 Cheers Ticket Php 360.00
Three rides of your choice (Ride restrictions apply), EXCEPT mid-way games, coin operated machines, Snow World, Lazer Blaster, Scream Avenue and Walk on Water. Entrance fee included. (Ride restrictions apply)

 

Ride-All-You-Can (RAYC) Php 420.00
 

With Unlimited access to the following rides:

• KIDDIE RIDES: Quack-Quack, Kiddie Wheel, Little Tykes, Tea Cup, Kiddie Bumper Car, Rodeo, and Ball Pool.
• FAMILY RIDES: Grand Carousel, Happy Swing, Magic Forest Ride, Red Baron, Super TeleCombat, Dragon Express, Wacky Worm and Giant Star Wheel.
• OLDER KID, TEEN AND ADULT RIDES: Bumper boat, Bumper Cars 1 and 2, Jumping Star, Tornado and Blizzard
• EXTREME RIDES: Star Frisbee, Surf Dance, Jungle Splash, Star Flyer and Viking Ship
• ATTRACTIONS: Toy Chest (Coming Soon), Peter Pan, Time Tunnel, Pirate Adventure, Dungeon and Gabi ng Lagim

 

Additional fees required for the following attractions:

• Snow World Php 150.00
  Unlimited same day entrance. (Ride restrictions apply) Entrance fee excluded.
• Star Dome: Heart of the Dragon Php 80.00
  Good for 1 (one) entry. Entrance fee excluded.
• Lazer Blaster Php 100.00
  Good for 1 (one) game only. (Ride restrictions apply) Entrance fee excluded.
• Scream Avenue Php 120.00
  Good for 1 (one) film showing only.(Ride restrictions apply) Entrance fee excluded.

 

VERDICT

• I love that most of the rides are indoor. Given the country's hot and humid, or sometimes rainy weather, air-conditioned indoors is really welcomed. 
• Price on my personal opinion is affordable, considering the number of rides and attractions to choose from. 
• The rides are also located near each other, so you would have covered the entire place without wearing your feet off.   
• There are numerous food outlet around and merchandize aren't that difficult on the budget.
• Rest rooms and common areas are clean. 

 

For a worthwhile bonding experience with the kiddo ~ consider a trip to Star City!

 

 

Please check the Star City webpage for the latest promotion and park schedule updates here:  STAR CITY ~ MORE RIDES, MORE FUN!

 

 

 

Star City Location Map

 

Jurong Bird Park ~ Asia's Largest Bird Paradise

 Singapore has so much to offer children and kids at heart ~ and Jurong Bird Park is one of them

Jurong Bird Park is Asia's largest birds paradise. It is home to almost 5,000 birds across 400 species (yes that many!). 

Here you can find different species of birds fly, swim and roam freely.

The park's major attractions include:

1. Penguin Coast - houses nearly 500 penguins across 5 species.

2. Lory Loft - a 9 storey high enclosure (the structure is so huge, it's hard too tell, you are in a bird cage) that offers close encounters with colorful lories that you can feed.

3. Waterfall Aviary - a 30 meter high man-made waterfalls, the largest walk-in aviary in the world.  We did not see much birds though and this attraction was in need of a little up-keeping.

4. Bird Shows - Jurong Bird Zoo also runs numerous shows:

• High Flyers Show (Pools Amphitheater; shows at 11am and 3pm) - is a showcase of birds' skills. My boys love the low flying birds as they did exhibition flights across the arena.  Very colorful and entertaining. 
• King of the Skies (Hawk Arena; shows at 10am and 4pm) - is a display of hunting birds' skills. It was educational to learn about hawks, falcons, vultures as they parade around.
• Lunch with Parrots (Songbird Terrace; show at 1pm) We gave this one a miss, over Breakfast with the Orangutan at the Singapore Zoo) 

  

5. Birds of Play - is a water playground (yehey)!  Remember to bring trunks and swimwear for your little ones.

 

Located near the water playground is Safari Scoops.  A perfect cool down and last stop at the bird park.


 TIPS:

1. If you intend to do numerous zoo parks suggest you get the park hopper tickets via their website: PARK HOPPER TICKET for discounts.
2. The park is huge.  Get the ticket with tram access.  You can hop on and hop off anytime.  I suggest you do a full ride first to familiarize yourself with the area before touring the park on foot.
3. The park opens at 830am. Come early to get the most out of the park. Any later would probably be too hot to enjoy your tour.
4. Wear comfortable shoes and bring lots of water. Don't forget your umbrella or cap and insect repellant.
5. Jurong is about 30-40 minutes away the city center.  There are various transportation options:

• MRT via the East West Green Line alight at Boon Lay (EW27) then transfer to a connecting bus at the bus interchange, bus no. 194 or 251 OR
• Direct bus via Singapore Attraction Express (SAEx). Check SAEx website for their schedule OR
• Like what we did take a taxi cab.

Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Did you know that Singapore is also known as a Garden City? Amidst high-rise buildings are lush green parks and meticulously landscaped gardens all over the city. 


As part of our 8D/7N Singapore-Malaysia adventure is a visit to Singapore's premier green park, Gardens by the Bay. 

The Gardens by the Bay is a 101 hectares park located in Central Singapore.    It is divided into three uniquely themed world-class gardens: Gardens at Marina South, Gardens at Marina East and Gardens at Marina Center.

The Gardens main attractions are the:

1. Cooled Conservatories (consisting of the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome)
2. Super Trees
3. OCBC Sky Tower
4. Far East Organization Children's Garden

Due to limited time, we were only able visit the twin cooled conservatories: Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.

THE CLOUD FOREST

Via the Cloud Walk: fun and scary walk atop the Cloud Forest Mountain.

 Our favorite Cloud Forest's attractions is this

man-made Waterfalls.

 THE FLOWER DOME

  

  Awesome-awesome sight!

TIPS:

• If I had one regret, it was not having enough time to explore the famous Singapore's Gardens by the Bay.  We tried to cover both conservatories in only three (3) hours.  I recommend that you spend at least a day to get a full appreciation of The Gardens' beauty.
• The conservatories are air-conditioned. You may want to bring a light jacket to wear inside.

Please see also related articles on our Singapore-Malaysia adventure here:  Singapore-Malaysia Itinerary.


For more information regarding Gardens by the Bay attractions please check their website "Gardens by the Bay".

Legoland Hotel ~ Lego fanatics Dream Hotel!

To complete the LEGOLAND Theme Park experience, we have decided to stay over night at the Legoland Hotel.




Legoland Park is located in Malaysia's Southernmost city Johor Bahru, which is an hour away by land travel from Singapore. 


THE TRAVEL

We went here via a private taxi "SGMYtaxi", I booked on-line.  SGMY is efficient and travel is convenient and hassle free.

Note: You need not pay anything right away. Payment is made in cash after reaching your destination.


The owner Mr. KY is very easy to talk to and very generous, if I may add.  Our ride was upgraded from a Toyota Innova to a Toyota Alphard.

THE HOTEL

The Legoland Hotel is located right next the Legoland Park and WaterPark. With a two days combo park and waterpark tickets, hotel guests can leave and enter both parks anytime for two consecutive days, so you are assured you get the most out your vacation.

The moment we entered the hotel confines, I immediately felt the
excitement from my boys eyes.  My youngest rushed to the lobby and started digging in a pool of Lego blocks to start building!


The hotel's lobby alone was enough reason to visit the hotel. 

The boys were pleasantly surprised to find Lego mascots and toy models.  The discotheque elevator was also a welcomed surprise.


The fun doesn't end there.  We have been upgraded to an Adventure Themed Premium Room.  The room is huge, with a separate sleeping area (which my youngest called the "double-decker couch") for the kiddos.

The room has 2 televisions, 1 in the adult room and another at the kid's sleeping area - so there is no fighting over the television remote.

All rooms invite kids and kids at heart to a Treasure Hunt.  My boys gamely took the challenge and immediately started with their treasure hunt.

Other plus:

• Each room also contains a Lego bucket to busy the kids.
• Aside from the basic amenities,  kids get to have their own bathroom sink.
• Splendid View of the LEGOLAND Park 

 

 

• Room packages also comes with a buffet breakfast for 4 at The Brick.

VERDICT 
(Warning:  My boys are Lego fans, my review can be a bit favorable).

My boys love LEGOLAND Malaysia.  They had so much fun at the Legoland Park and my youngest won't leave the Water Park.

That being said I think there are still room for improvements, especially on the following areas:

• Food - they serve mostly Malaysian and Indian food, which were quite spicy to for our liking. If the hotel food was a miss, you may try Medini Mall  located right next to Legoland Hotel. There are a number of Western Restaurants at Medini - we were able to try Secret Recipe.
• Check-in is at 4pm, while Check-out is at 11am. Early check-in is highly appreciated. 

Staying at the Legoland Hotel (LH) is more costly than staying at nearby hotels, but we find it more convenient staying at LH.

• LH is just a few hops away the Theme park and the Water park.
• The 2 days combo ticket is  exclusive to hotel guests.
• Guests can enter the park 30minutes earlier than other patrons.

And the experience staying in a Lego themed hotel, is really priceless.

For Legoland Hotel bookings and inquiries, please visit their webpage: LEGOLAND MALAYSIA

Legoland Malaysia (A Dream come true for Lego Fans)

Legoland Malaysia is a dream come true for Lego lovers and fanatics. The park is located in Johor Bahru, Malaysia's southern most city.  It is actually closer to Singapore than Kuala Lumpur, hence the suggested point of entry is via Singapore. 


The Park is divided in 6 major zones. These are (counter-clockwise): 

1. Lego City is where you can find most of the kiddie rides and attractions.  

• Lego Rescue Academy*. The boys love this family firemen role-play competion with other families.  My boys did all the work, as I cheer them on.  Of course, we WON!!!

 

• Lego City Airport. My son piloted a plane while I co-pilot.

  

• Boating School*.  The boats were quite difficult to navigate.  My eldest was very good at it, while my husband and youngest struggled a bit...

My serious boat captain.

• The Driving School* was one of my boys' favorite attractions.  My youngest was quite proud to drive his first Lego car and get his own Lego driver's license after (He wore it the entire duration of our Singapore-Malaysia vacation. Yup, even in USS - check out his USS picture with his Papa here).  

• Junior Driving School for toddlers (pass).

• The Shipyard is a playground for younger children (pass).

• The LEGOLAND Express* is a mini train that goes around the park.  It is a good and easy way to tour the park, while resting your tired feet.

2. Land of Adventure takes you to:

• Lost Kingdom Adventure* is a ride to an Egyptian-themed landscape on board a jungle vehicle, while armed with laser blaster.  Your goal: to shoot enemy mummies and tomb creatures.

• Beetle Bounce (pass)

• Dino Island* is a river raft jump ride similar to Enchanted Kingdom's Jungle Log Jump (pass)

• Pharaoh's Revenge is a play gym for small children (pass) 

3. Imagination is a place for Lego fans creative minds. Here guests can bring their imaginings to life. 

• Kid Power Tower you pull yourself up to get a vista of the park (tiring - pass).

• Observation Tower is actually an observation deck, that gives you a 360 degrees view of the park.

• Lego Studio** is a LEGOLAND's theatre showing Lego movies with 4D features.  If you have time suggest you watch all the movies.  Click here for the latest schedule - Lego Studio Shows.

• Duplo Play Town is an interactive playground for small children (pass)

• Duplo Express is a mini train for much smaller children (pass).

4. Lego Kindgoms is a legend and myths themed zone. 

• Forestmen's Hideout is a play gym for school age children (pass). 

• Dragon Apprentice* is mini roller coaster ride for school age children.

Courtesy of LEGOLAND Malaysia webpage.

• Royal Joust is a medieval contest on a Lego horse.  Boys particularly loved riding the Lego horses all dressed up in medieval outfit. 

• Merlin Challenge is a high speed carousel (pass).

• The Dragon is Dragon Apprentice's mommy.  It is a huge roller coaster for thrill seekers. None of my boys wanted to ride with me after the Dragon Apprentice experience (pass). 

5. Lego Technic has action packed rides and exciting workshops for older children.  

• Technic Twister you spin the wheel to control your ride (pass)

• AQUAZONE is a wave surf type of ride, where viewers can water bomb riders (pass - not cool, unless you want to get wet)

• Project X* is an 18 meters high crazy ride. I so wanted to ride this one, but you know about the Dragon Apprentice experience already, so I would no longer elaborate (pass).

• Lego Star Wars Miniland* is the latest of Legoland's attractions.   The park has recreated various scenes from the Star Wars  movie.  On display are about 2000+ well known Star Wars models  and iconic scenes.

6. Mini Land* is the center piece of  the LEGOLAND theme park.  We were awestruck to learn it took LEGOLAND Master Builders three years and 30 Million Lego Bricks to recreate some of Asia's best known landmarks. 

We so Love LEGOLAND where everything is Awesome!

Please check LEGOLAND Malaysia website on how to get there, pricing and latest promotions -
LEGOLAND MALAYSIA WEBSITE.

Must see attractions and rides are in "*", meanwhile we did not ride attractions labelled "pass".

Feel free to ask me questions about LEGOLAND Malaysia, I would be happy to help.

SINGAPORE DAY 7 (UNIVERSAL STUDIO SINGAPORE)

Day 7 is an entire day at the Universal Studio Singapore (USS).

We came on a busy holiday, so half of our time was spent lining up for queues. We have not much choice really as our entire vacation coincided with the Christmas Holiday. The crowd lightened up though, at about 6pm.  

As it was Christmas, the theme park time was extended to upto 930pm, so that was an additional 3 hours rides' time (Note that most of the shows last performances were at 7pm).

Our USS Itinerary:

• 930am - Breakfast at Slappy Cakes. Quite expensive, food wasn't that great either.  The boys did enjoy making their own hotcakes though. 

• 10am - USS
• Lights, Camera, Action (hosted by Steven Spielberg) was just awesome. You get to see a studio transform into a backdrop to a major hurricane in NYC.   

• Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase bring you to a space adventure with the Sesame Street gang in search for the missing spaghetti.  This one is for kids and I suggest you skip unless riding with children. 

 

 

 

• Transformers The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle is a must, must try!  If the queue is long, do not hesitate to get a Universal Express pass.  Lining up can sometimes take forever and you wouldn't want to waste precious time.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 1pm Lunch at Goldilocks, Far Far Away.  Prices inside the park is triple compared to costs outside (Note: You can leave the park and request for (same day) re-admission, by presenting your USS tickets and hand stamped).   

• Revenge of the Mummy* is an indoor roller coaster thrill ride, not for the faint of heart.  You would be asked to deposit bags and loose belongings.  You would know why, once you begin the ride. 

 

• Treasure Hunters takes you into a dessert jeep ride in an abandoned Egyptian excavation site.  

• WaterWorld* show is one of our USS highlights.  The boys were awed by the breathtaking stunts and awesome explosions.  Note:  Don't seat on the blue colored seats less you want to get soaked. 

• Dino-Soarin. My boy won't leave the Lost World without a piloting his own dinosaur.  It is a ride we have here in Manila and I must say a 30 minute waiting was an absolute waste of time, but how can I say no to my dinosaur flyer kiddo?

• Shrek 4D* takes you up close to Fiona and Shrek's fairytale adventure.  Must try as well, very entertaining. 

• Enchanted Airways* is a roller coaster ride.  I initially thought it was a mini-roller coaster for kids, but was wrong.  It has the scary loops of full roller coaster and was ultra fast.  I was a bit scared for the kiddos and my husband (who hates roller coasters). 

• Madagascar: A Crate Adventure is a funny and amusing trip to Madagascar on a river boat.     

• King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round is a carousel ride.  

Rides we missed, because the boys were already too tired:

• Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure* a river rapid ride similar to Enchanted Kingdom's Jungle Log Jump
• Canopy Flyer* an upside down roller coaster ride
• Magic Potion Spin a ferris wheel for children
• Donkey Live an interactive live show hosted by Shrek's sidekick Donkey.

Note: The attractions with "*" must not to be missed.

Check out the rest of our Singapore-Malaysia escapade here:

Day 1 - Singapore City
Day 2 and 3 - LEGOLAND Malaysia
Day 4 - Jurong Bird Park and Science Center
Day 5 - Singapore Zoo (with breakfast with the Orangutans)
Day 6 - Sentosa Island
Day 7 - Universal Studio Singapore 
Day 8 - SEA Aquarium and Vivo City

SINGAPORE DAY 4 (Jurong Bird Park and Science Center with side trip to the Transformers Exhibit)

Singapore has numerous zoo parks that vies for the title best zoo in Asia, if not of the world.  Their zoos mimic the animals original environment, that somehow creates an impression of freedom.  I was glad we had this in our itinerary. 

• 730am - Breakfast at the Carousel Restaurant, Royal Plaza on Scotts.
• 830am - Left for Jurong Bird Park via taxi (SGD30)
• 9am - Arrive at the Jurong Bird Park. 

• 12nn - Lunch at Birds at Play, Jurong Bird Park. Food was surprisingly very good and tasty. 
• 130pm - Left the zoo via a limousine taxi (SGD20). This was more expensive, but realized after that the difference was merely SGD3-4. It was very nice and the ride was so smooth.
• 2pm - Arrived at the Science Center. It is just a short distance away Jurong Bird Park. 

The Science Center is huge complex that houses numerous exhibits.  My boys love museums and if we have more time, we could easily spend an entire day touring this center.

• 430pm - Transferred to the Transformers' Exhibit. We just had to see the biggest touring Bumble Bee and Optimus Prime models.
• 6pm - Left the Science Center
• 630pm - Back to base to freshen up, before dinner
• 8pm - Hainanese Delight at Far East Plaza along Scotts Road (across Royal Plaza Hotel).  Delicious Hainanese chicken and very affordable as well.  Our entire meal costs less than SGD20.

Day 4 is Tiring.

More attraction packed days ahead!


Check out the rest of our Singapore-Malaysia escapade here:

Day 1 - Singapore City
Day 2 and 3 - LEGOLAND Malaysia
Day 4 - Jurong Bird Park and Science Center
Day 5 - Singapore Zoo (with breakfast with the Orangutans)
Day 6 - Sentosa Island
Day 7 - Universal Studio Singapore 
Day 8 - SEA Aquarium and Vivo City


 

Science is Alive - Science in the Park

 

 

Just across the Mind Museum entrance is an outdoor science at work experience. It features an artfully designed playground themed after nature's elements: sunlight, water, wind and greenery. 

 

 

 

The park is divided into play pockets, with the Water pocket as the park's main attraction.

 

We could have easily spent an entire afternoon - having fun making gigantic bubbles! 

 

Get ready to be WET!!!



 

Visit the Mind Museum and jump start your kids' love for Science!