KidZania Manila Invasion: For First Timers

My children have been asking for a trip to KIDZANIA since it opened in Manila a few months back. 

We finally gave it a go and bought tickets online via TicketWorld.  The boys were just so thrilled.

MamaSpeaks, welcomes you  to KidZania!

What is KidZania?

KidZania is an indoor role play city where kids can be anybody they want to be. It is it's own nation, where kids actually rule! And my boys are ready for some action.

Our timing was perfect. There were fewer crowd than KidZania's normal full house.   Waiting time was under 10 minutes (well except for the blockbuster Fire Station) ~ Lucky us. 

My 7 year old finished 11 activities (excluding lunch break, bus tour, opening an account and getting a passport) in his 9am-4pm shift. Not bad at all!

First stop ~ the Bank

At entry, the kids were handed KidZanian checks worth 50 kidZos.  Kids (yes parents wait outside, as for all of the other activities) must cash-in their check in the bank. 

  They can then open a bank account, to get an ATM card.  It is real fast and easy.  

Next Stop ~ Immigration

Before role playing, the boys applied for KidZanian passport. Applying for a passport requires parental consent and costs P250. I pre-applied the kids on-line, so the Immigration officer needed simply to retrieve their application from the database.

A passport gives your children a citiZen  status.  CitiZens get special benefits such as discounts and higher pay.  

Naturalized CitiZens for instance gets:

• 5 kidZos discount on redemption items at the Department Store
• 5% discount on National Store and Photography and
• earns extra 2 kidZos per activity

A passport is a good investment, especially if you plan of coming back for more of KidZania.

Third Stop ~ City Tour Bus

A ride on board the tour bus cost 1 kidZo each. Taking the tour bus before doing any activity was a good call, as it gave us a good vista of the town for easier navigation afterwards.

 Parents wanting a break, would appreciate the Parents' Lounge located at the Mezzanine level. Here adults can charge their gadgets, or have coffee.

The boys had a blast playing make believe.  Here are pictures from from the activities they did.

As a radio talent at the DZMM/MOR Radio Station 

As a baker at the Goldilocks Bakeshop 

As construction workers

 Developing treats at the Oishi Creative Hub

 Flying a plane as a Pilot at the Cebu Pacific Hub

 As a patrol police officer at the KidZania Police Department (KZPD)

There are dozens of activities kids can try, a shift is not enough to finish them all. 

Here are the other activities we would come back for:

As a dentist  ~ just look at the make believe child seated on the dental chair. She looks life like.

As a fireman at the Fire Station ~ would definitely do this on our next visit.

As a court observer in the court house

Things to remember when visiting KidZania:

1. Activities may either earn your kids kidZos or cost them. Work activities earns, while activities that teaches cost kidZos.

 Use the map you receive upon entry as guide to check if the activity earns or costs kidZos.

2. Check the census plaques (like the one below), which are helpful guides to learning about the town's different activities. It contains information on age requirement, length of activity, number of visitors who may join the activity and whether the activity will earn or require spending of kidZos. 

Note: CitiZens pay 2 kidZos less or earns 2 kidZos more than published rates.

3. A visit to the KidZania website will  help you choose activities pre-hand.  Prioritize your child's personal interests, but try to encourage him on other activities outside these interests as well.

4. Get your tickets online to avoid disappointments.  You don't want to go there learning there are no more tickets left. When getting your tickets via TicketWorld you would notice that there is a ticket availability indicator (green means light crowd, while red means full house) ~ if you are not particular on the date, I suggest you delay your trip to a less crowded day.

5. Bring your camera and take lots of pictures.  Have fun and enjoy an educational bonding day with your kids.

6.  Most of the activities are for children ages 4-14 years old, however, I noticed that my older child (age 12) was not so keen on joining most of the activities. I think he has already outgrown role playing. It was however, perfect for my 7 year old, who was all over town.

Thumbs Up for KidZania Manila ~ Perfect place for Kids is a perfect place to dream and play!

We had a wonderful day at KidZania ~ we would surely be back for more.

 KidZania Manila is located  at the Park Triangle, North 11th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Tel No: +632 711-KidZ

For inquiries check KidZania's media pages:

facebook: www.facebook.com/KidZaniaManilaKid

instagram: @KidZaniaManila

twitter: @KidZaniaManila

A Day at DreamPlay City of Dreams Manila

 City of Dreams Manila recently opened the door to it's latest attraction "DreamPlay". 

DreamPlay is an interactive play concept, where kids and adults alike can play, create and learn with their favorite DreamWork's characters.

(image taken from Wikia.com)

 

Let me help you in planning your family day out, by sharing with you tips from our own experience, visiting DreamPlay.

 

1.  Get your tickets at an SM cinema ticket outlet.  We got ours at SM Aura before heading to the theme park. It proved to be a wise decision as the line queue outside the park is quite long.  I must have saved 30+ minutes waiting time.

 

You can buy tickets via SM cinema online, but these would need to be exchanged for the actual tickets in an SM cinema outlet.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Weekend/Holiday ticket rate is more expensive.

If possible go on a weekday and save money on your tickets.  I am assuming it is also less crowded on a weekday, so you can get the most out of your money.

(please read through above the themepark's general policies)

 

3. You ask, how many hours does one need to visit DreamPlay? 

Well, the answer depends on the following:
a. the age of your children
b. what activities you want to do
c. volume of guests/visitors inside the park


It is a relatively small park and very easy to navigate, especially if for older kids.  I got my family, two (2) hours adult and children's tickets.  I figured, I can easily get a top-up/upgrade (should we decide to extend).  The extension hours though is a tad more expensive, but only by a few pesos.


4. There is separate queuing for guests with pre-bought tickets.  We were asked to enter the back door via the DreamPlay souvenir shop entrance. Look for the guest services.

Entrance was a breeze and only took us 5 minutes tops.

 

At the guest services, I was asked to sign a parental consent form for my kids.  I only used one form for my 2 boys.

 

The attendant got our names and assigned us each an RFID wrist band.  

 

 

 

5. What's inside DreamPlay? The park has six (6) mini-zones.

 

a. Kung Fu Panda's  Wall of Destiny and Furious Academy

 

 

 

 

 

 

My youngest is too small to try the Wall of Destiny and opted for the Furious Academy. The concept is much like a Wii game were participants are asked to follow the actions of the characters.

 

 

 

 

b. Shrek's Swamp Stomp. Younger children would love to play around Shrek's swamp home.  They also may register for free for a cooking class at Gingy's Kitchen. 

 

Cooking looked fun and kids looked adorable in their chef's costume, unfortunately Gingy's filled up early and the next available time slot is at 8:30pm.

 

 

 

 

c.  How To Train your Dragon. My boys made their own dragons and had the chance to make them fly. 

 

d. Madagascar's Whatever Floats Your Boat, guests make their own boats and test-floats them. 

 

  

 

The Afro Circus is a play area for smaller children.

 

e. Dinotrux. You can build and pilot your own reptools in this zone.

f. DreamWorks - Dream Studio, Dream Tales Library and  Dream Theatre

Learn to create your own animation.

Watch a 5 minutes 4D movie.

 

 

Spend hours inside the Dream Tales Library, where occasional story telling and puppet shows are held.

7. Hungry? There are food outlets inside DreamPlay, but quite expensive.  Good, we had heavy lunch before heading to DreamPlay, so we were still too full for merienda. We did get the kids fries and drinks before leaving, which left a 300+ dent in papa's wallet.

(P140 bottomless cup and P90 for the fries)

Note, eating also consumes your DreamPlay time.  I suggest having a hearty meal elsewhere, before heading to DreamPlay.

6. Remember to check your time, excess time is rounded to an

extra hour, even for a fraction of time exceeded.


VERDICT

• There are ample free indoor parking.  You only need to take an elevator and exit to the upper ground floor to get to the park, really convenient.
• Unlike most theme parks, DreamPlay does not issue park maps. We were actually lost for a good 10-15 minutes wondering what to do and where to go.  I recommend you research first on the activities they offer, to plan your visit well.
• DreamPlay is relatively small and is designed for kids 6-13 years old.  Activities for toddler guests is quite limited.
• Souvenir items were as expected expensive.  They were pretty cute though... but, yeah still pricey!

 

I am not sure my kids will be begging to come back anytime soon. It was a good experience, but my kids have been to better parks before, so it was a hard comparison, with the size and limited activities a bit of a let down. 

DreamPlay is located at the City of Dreams

Asean Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard, Entertainment City, Parañaque Manila

 

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