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Universal Studios theme park gets thumbs-up

Posted on 19 Mar 2010 | Comments Off

Phase 1 of RWS opening now complete; more attractions still to come

ACTRESSES dressed as Hollywood icons such as Marilyn Monroe and prancing lion dancers were in attendance at Sentosa yesterday when the Universal Studios theme park greeted its first visitors at precisely 8.28am. The park is the last of the attractions at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) to accept visitors under Phase 1 of its opening.

Universal Studios’ 18 attractions include the Battlestar Galactica roller coaster, several movie-themed thrill rides, and shows like Waterworld, which is based on the movie of the same title.

Most of the visitors in the early morning crowd of about 200 yesterday were Singaporeans with children in tow.

Lawyer Zee Liew, 39, who was with his wife and two sons aged eight and six, said the family had checked into the resort’s Festive Hotel on Wednesday for a school holiday ’staycation’.

His elder son, Wei Jin, gave the theme park a big thumbs-up and said the Jurassic Park ride was his favourite.

For newlyweds Raymond Ling and Liew Soo Eng, the star attraction was the Battlestar Galactica.

Mr Ling, 27, a sales manager, and Ms Liew, 23, a teacher, made a beeline for the ride and loved it.

Mr Ling said: ‘The goal was to come here first and experience the most terrifying rides. We’ll definitely be taking it as many times as we can.’

The 20ha park, Universal Studios’ fourth after those in Orlando, Hollywood and Osaka, completes RWS’ first phase line-up of the casino, four hotels and a retail and dining strip.

Still to come are a maritime museum, two more hotels, a marine life park, water theme park and luxury spa. No timeframe has been given for them.

No major glitches were reported yesterday, in contrast to the casino’s opening on Feb 14, when there were complaints of overcrowding, lack of sanitation facilities and long entry queues, among other things.

Park-goers yesterday said there were fewer people than expected, and that they did not have to stand in line for long.

This could have been due to the limited number of tickets sold.

RWS spokesman Robin Goh declined to say how many tickets were sold, but said that they numbered ‘in the thousands’.

He said limits were placed to avoid ‘over-stressing the system’.

Genting Group chairman Lim Kok Thay told reporters yesterday that RWS’ performance so far has ‘exceeded our own expectations’.

Both RWS and the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort – which will begin its phased opening on April 27 – are expected to boost visitor arrivals to Singapore.

In addition, they are expected to create about 60,000 jobs for Singaporeans and add $5.4 billion to the economy by 2015.

Judging by the reaction from tourists, the theme park is working its magic.

Australian Kirsteen Knevitt declared that Universal Studios Singapore is better than the theme parks back home.

She said: ‘Everything is beautiful, and the rides are really, really good.’

Indonesian businessman Edwin Purwohandianto, 44, said: ‘This is one of the more spectacular places in Singapore. I think many people from Asian countries will want to come.

‘Before this, the only attraction was Orchard Road.’

Source : Straits Times – 19 Mar 2010

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Posted in General, Sentosa Property

Tagged Resorts World Sentosa, Universal Studios, Universal Studios Singapore

Catch the buzz, fine-tune the theme park pricing

Posted on 20 Nov 2009 | Comments Off

It is just a matter of months now until the grand opening of the Universal Studios theme park in Singapore, but that excitement was tempered somewhat when the much-awaited ticket prices were finally made public on Wednesday.

Those who had been hoping for something more affordable would certainly have been baulking at the admission costs, because an outing to the famous attraction – South-east Asia’s first and only Universal Studios – will not come cheap.

A one-day weekend pass will cost $72 for adults, $52 for children and $36 for senior citizens. Visiting on weekdays will be slightly easier on the wallet – $66, $48 and $32 respectively.

Let’s do the math: A typical family of, say, two adults and three children planning an outing to the theme park on a Saturday will have to fork out $300 in ticket charges alone. Driving into Sentosa will cost an extra $12 ($2 per person and $2 for the car), and at least another $3 in car park fees on the island. Factor in some exorbitantly priced meals, snacks and a souvenir or two and a day’s outing could easily come up to well over $400.

Staying at one of the Sentosa integrated resort’s (IR) hotels is also going to set one back a fair sum. The rates for three hotels have since been made public – deluxe rooms at the Festive Hotel start at $400 a night, it’s $450 to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel and $500 at Hotel Michael.

My initial worry is that many Singaporeans, particularly from the lower-income groups, will probably never get the chance to visit and enjoy the theme park, even if there are some subsidies thrown in.

If Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) wants to realistically achieve its target of seeing up to 30,000 visitors at Universal Studios each day, there are no two ways about it: attracting the locals is their best hope.

Getting them to visit – and multiple times, at that – is key for any attraction if investment costs are to be recouped. The tourist segment is crucial, too, but most foreigners would likely visit the theme park just once and then choose to see other attractions on subsequent visits.

Singapore’s ticket prices are cheaper than Universal’s two other attractions in Orlando, Florida in the United States, and in Osaka, Japan, which cost US$79 (S$109) and 5,800 yen (S$90) respectively for a full-day pass.

Over at Disneyland in Hong Kong, an adult ticket goes for HK$350 (S$63), while Disneyland in Paris charges 52 euros (S$107).

But interestingly, Universal in Florida charges residents there much lower ticket prices – US$55 for an adult full-day pass if one buys the tickets online. RWS, however, has kept mum so far about whether there would be a similar incentive for entice more Singaporeans to visit.

A spokesman was, however, quoted in reports yesterday that there would be tie-ups with RWS’ local partners to offer Singaporeans attractive packages and rates, particularly for off-peak periods.

It would be wise to hook locals from the start by offering family package discounts, or allow children under 12 to enter for free, or perhaps giving ticket-holders vouchers that can be exchanged for drinks, snacks or a souvenir – anything that will make the experience as memorable and positive as possible.

Leaving a lasting first impression would go a long way to making sure that locals will want to return again. After all, as the RWS spokesperson was quoted as saying, the Sentosa IR where the theme park is housed is ‘a place for every Singaporean’ and it is in the interest of the IR to ‘reach out to everyone, not forgetting grandmas and grandpas’.

The buzz surrounding Universal Studios Sentosa has been amplifying over the past few months. I know of many friends who are chomping at the bit to try the world’s tallest duelling rollercoaster or step inside the world’s first Far Far Away Castle from the Shrek movies.

If RWS plays its cards right from the get-go, it could be decisive in ensuring that the theme park remains a hit with Singaporeans and not go the way of forgotten and now-defunct attractions such as Tang Dynasty City in Jurong and the Fantasy Island water theme park in Sentosa.

Source : Business Times – 20 Nov 2009