Hollywood and Exit

Finally we reached the exit. But before we left, we stopped for tea at one of the cafe there with a big sign saying HALAL up front. Time for some sandwich. And proper meat!

While we were waiting, the park characters started to file in. Marilyn Monroe. Some Elvira-type character - which turned out to be a man in drag. And finally, KUNG FU PANDA!

We got to meet, or at least, I got to meet Kungfu Panda. Awesome!There were plenty of food hereAnd, the drag queen entered the scene.Of course I got my photos taken - with the panda not Marilyn as the queue was too long. We were also entertained by a Beach Boy type sing-a-long at one of the stage.

More shopsAnd, of course, the Walk of FameMore shopping and chilling. Before we knew it, the boys were already tired. We finally made our way to the taxi stand just before 5. Just enough time to avoid the evening traffic ......

Right outside, there was still time for more photos though. A nice day out indeed.

Madagascar

Madagascar turned out to be a sleeper hit. The stage was huge and from far away you can see the hull of a ship. Similar to the one in the famous movie.

Into the belly .....

They were all excitedLook at the size of that .....Time for a breatherBut Irfan wanted to get on with things ....There were a couple of rides here, and we took the softer - but relatively wetter - option. The ride took us into the belly of the ship using a vessel, complete with splashes and puppet show. The rocking soundtrack on the background of course and before you leave at the other end, your whole family would be singing - "I got to move it, move it!, MOVE IT!"

Catchy indeed. And then we had popcorns and soda before we made our way to Hollywood for more food and gifts ……

Far Far Away

Finally we were there. Far Far Away. The mystical land where Shrek went to live and rule. It was fun. It was tacky. But that was it was supposed to be.

The first area we entered was supposed to be the Wicked Witches Hut. It turned out to be a gift shop. But you could get yourself exclusive stuffs here. And I spent more than SG 150 on gifts and toys. There was a small ferry's wheel which we queued up for. A small one. The kids seemed to enjoy it. You would be treated by the sight of Puss-in-Boots hanging right in the middle of the wheel. A nice touch.

The entrance was unmistakeableInside the Wicked Witch Hut, where the potions were made. A rather nice surprise in every cornerCome here pussy, pussy, pussy .....There was also one of the more popular ride here, The 4D. Unfortunately Puan Anita wasn't really keen on that. So we gave that one a miss. Next door was Shrek's house as well a few other restaurants and shops.

A popular ride this one. The queue was long ....Meanwhile, at the swamp ....I wished that Shrek and Fiona would make an appearance here. But obviously we were too early. Oh well! We could've stayed longer but the pull of Madagascar next door proved too much.

New York

The first area you enter when you get into the Universal Studios is appropriately called Hollywood. We shall leave that for the last entry as that was the exit as well. We decided to take a clockwise turn, and the first stop would be New York.

There were mainly cafes here and cinemas. Cinemas with live and movie shows. Not much in the way of rides, but there were sing-along in the afternoons as well as the main site for the parade. We did not stay until the evening, so missed that.

A long walk, but luckily it was shadedBeware of the pot holesThere were authentic memorabilia here, with diners, true to the American ambiance. You can't help but to wonder if the mob would get you round the next corner. Gift shops aplenty, and it was a nice place to sit down for a coffee and plan for the day.

We decided to breeze through here as the boys were excited about Egypt and the Lost World.

Subway?An authentic-looking yellow cabCinemas at every cornerWhere's next?The next area was the Sci-Fi. The main attraction here was Transformers ride. Unfortunately, Anita was not keen as she is prone to vertigo. That was a shame, as I was really looking forward to this one. It was endorsed by the movie director as well and it was opened to much fanfare last year. If you get to the park, make sure you queue up for this one. I am sure it would be worth it.

Instead, we took the "Accelerator". Mainly we were sat in a cup and flung across the platform. Kid's tolerated that one OK. Next stop …. Egypt!

We Got the Tix

I had a hard time buying the tickets for Universal Studios this morning. I was trying to use the MayBank offer of 15% discount. Unfortunately at the check-out, I was told that since I have yet to register my credit card to my mobile, I couldn't proceed. Not giving up, I called the customer service. Then, I was given the lamest of excuse, I can't register because the system is down.

The sad thing was, according to the lady of the other end of the line, it may be down the whole morning. I was asked to call later. She wasn't very pleased when I asked what to expect when I got registered in terms of the mechanic of the check out later. She just told me to just follow the instruction on the screen and I will then be asked to enter a code which would be sent to my mobile via SMS.

So tried again earlier from work. True enough the system was still down. To register again later, I have to call the customer service again and go through the queue and punch-in menu system. Waste of time.

I ended up using my UOB credit card instead and forfeited the 15% discount. Sigh!