Riding Battlestar Galactica: CYLON for the very first time!

Brothers and sisters, let me begin by saying that I have never taken any upside down ride before. So, this post can be quite useful for those of you taking upside down roller coasters for the first time. For the rest of you, I will cover in detail the experience of Battlestar Galactica: Cylon, possibly the most intense ride at USS (some people, including at least one RWS staff tell me Human is scarier).

USS Halloween Horror Nights 2015 Decorations is UP!

Hi guys, I stopped by again at USS a couple of days back, and guess what I saw? New York City is being transformed into a giant contaminated city with dead birds. Of course, RWS is never shy about the fact that all these are in preparation for Halloween Horror Nights 2015, one of the largest Halloween Events in Singapore!

5 Closed Attractions that True Singaporeans Will Miss

Singapore’s 50th birthday is just over a month away. In these 50 years, Singapore has changed so much, building towering skyscrapers and world class attractions. Many older ones are thus left in the dust or demolished. Personally, there are some attractions that will forever remain in my heart, even though they are today just the footnote of history. In fact, this post one of the most emotional I have written for Second Drop Attractions, and any true-blue Singaporean will understand why.

Images of Singapore is one of many nostalgic attractions that have been replaced. In it's place now are Images of Singapore Live and Madame Tussauds

Bungee Jump is Coming to Singapore!

I am not kidding you. From the end of 2015, a new attraction AJ Hackett will open near Underwater World, Sentosa. This towering attraction will feature several fear-of-heights attractions like Bungee Jumping and Giant Swing. This will certainly be great news if you are an adrenaline junkie short of cash, for you no longer have to spend $2000 and travel to New Zealand to experience this.

Top 5 New Attractions in Singapore 2015

2015 is a significant year in Singapore's history. It is Singapore's 50th Birthday! With over 15 million visitors a year (Source: STB) and tourist receipts worth over $23.5billion, tourism and attractions is definetely an important part of Singapore economy. This year, there will be several new attractions. But before we begin, let us have a look at some attractions that opened in 2014:

• June 2014: Trick Eye Museum
• September 2014: The Dance for the Magic Beans, USS
• October 2014: Madame Tussauds Singapore
• December 2014: Images of Singapore Live

The 2015 Lineup of new attractions is relatively balanced with new offerings for families, academics and nature lovers alike. Here is the list of the top 5. All concept art images courtesy of the respective attractions and The Straits Times.

5) 3 New Roller Coasters, USS

Well, 2 of them are not exactly new. There has been much speculation about the return date of Battlestar Galactica Roller Coaster but RWS promised that it will be early this year. As part of the attraction review, there are some significant changes to the ride experience such as new trim brakes at strategic locations, a faster launch (maybe due to lighter trains) and most significantly, new seating configuration for the trains.

Now, both Cylon and Human are being tested though they are tested one side at a time

The third Roller Coaster is definetely new. Puss in Boots and the Giant Journey is a suspended swinging coaster that has been under construction since June last year. The landscaping looks not bad now that the construction is done and lets keep our fingers crossed that it will live up to the Universal brand.

Construction of Puss in Boots and the Giant Journey is complete as of 4 Jan 2014

4) National Gallery Singapore

Nested at the former Supreme Court building, this 64000 square meter complex will focus on Southeast Asian Art from the 19th century to the present day. National Gallery Singapore actually is one of major national highlights in 2015, alongside the SG50 series of community events and South East Asian Games. It is aimed to strengthen Singapore’s role as a regional and inter­na­tional hub for visual arts.

National Gallery exterior concept art.

Concept art for the interior shows a much more modern design than existing museums like the Asian Civilisations Museum.

This museum sports a modern interior.

3) Costa Sands Resort, Downtown East

This iconic chalet in the heartlands of Singapore is popular among young locals, particularly students. It is the site of many class, interest group and company outings and is part of the Downtown East lifestyle center which includes extensive dining and shopping options as well as a water park.

Since 2012, construction was underway for a new Costa Sands Resort that will feature more rooms and more extensive recreational facilities. This will also free up new land for an expansion of Wild Wild Wet water park. However, the resort seems to be very hotel like, with mid-rise accomodation blocks. This means barbequing just outside the hotel room, a favourite pasttime for this resort, will be lost.

Concept model showing new Costa Sands Downtown East (right) and Wild Wild Wet Expansion (left)

2) Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve expansion

Most people will not view Singapore as a nature lover's paradise, but there are still pockets of outdoors left to explore. Among them is Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve, a wildlife reserve that showcases the tropical mangrove habitat. This 202 hectare park got a makeover in December 2014 which includes new boardwalks, observation platforms and an upgraded visitor's center.

Concept art by CPG Architects.

Actual photo of new viewing gallery taken by The Straits Times

As with all of Singapore's wildlife attractions, the structures are made of natural materials whenever possible and is designed to blend well with the environment. Unfortunately, few tour groups if any offer tours to this beautiful attraction, so getting there will be quite a challenge.

1) Kidzania Singapore

There has been a recent shift towards more family friendly attractions in Singapore, from the massive Sesame Street expansion in USS to the opening of Port of Lost Wonder at Sentosa in 2013. Now, Singapore is going 1 step further with the opening of Kidzania in April 2015. This iconic family edutainment center will allow kids to role play as adults and live and work like in a real city.

In fact, Kidzania is only 1 part of a larger family entertainment center which will include some dining and retail outlets and possibly other indoor family oriented attractions. This is a good addition as it gives kids an insight into careers at an early age allowing them to consider and work towards their desired futures. After all, playing is the most effective form of learning.

Currently, the nearest Kidzania is at Kuala Lumpur Malaysia and it is well received by locals and Singaporeans alike.

Conclusion

This list is not meant to be exhaustive. There are many other new attractions such as the new Cable Car in Sentosa, and possibly many others that are still not announced yet (after all, Trick Eye Museum was only announced in March 2014, 3 months before opening). Let's keep watch and hope that more exciting new attractions await us in 2015 and beyond.

Images of Singapore LIVE Trip Report

In 2014, the classic attraction Images of Singapore was revamped into Images of Singapore Live. This development takes place concurrently with the opening of the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, and features more live actors and digital media presentations. I must admit, though, that the new version lost a lot of its old charm. May you be the judge of whether the new Images of Singapore Live is better than the old one.

9 Most Family Friendly Attractions in Singapore

When most people think of a holiday to Singapore, they think of food, shopping and maybe some culture and heritage. But today, we are going to focus our attention of family-friendly attractions. You may think it is as simple as adding a children's playground or kid-friendly shows, but I can assure that there is much more than that. Let's explore the 9 premier family friendly attractions in Singapore. You may even be surprised at some of the attractions that make the list!

Cheapest Holiday in Sentosa: SGD20 for 1 entlre day!

Sentosa is an expensive destination. With typical meals starting at $8 and whole day attraction passes at $69.90, a 1 day family vacation to Sentosa can easily cost $300. However, here is a little secret: There are actually many value attractions in Sentosa that can easily last you a full day. In this article, I shall show you the little secrets to visit Sentosa for just $20. And yes, that includes food.

Sentosa Update November 2014

If you have a look at this map, there is A LOT going on! Indeed, I was quite surprised at the number of changes Sentosa Island has undergone (or will be undergoing) in the past few months. Of course last week I just covered the new Madame Tussauds Wax museum that recently opened. This week, let's look at what else the rest of the island has to offer.

Madame Tussauds Singapore Trip Report

Madame Tussauds Singapore is the latest incarnation of the world renown series of wax museums that showcase famous and influential people from around the world. This version promises to be the most interactive of them all with new interactive touch-screen information panels, live action games and, for the first time in Madame Tussauds history, a boat ride called Spirit of Singapore. It is situated on the first floor of the Images of Singapore building and features about 60 wax figures in 7 galleries.

Madame Tussauds Singapore is filled with over 60 wax figures

Madame Tussauds is coming to Singapore

Fancy having your photos taken with Jackie Chan, Barrack Obama or Michael Jackson? From 25th October onward, you do not have to queue for hours at autograph sessions or fly to some far-flung country. The reason: MADAME TUSSAUD'S Wax Museum will be opening in Singapore!

KidZania Singapore Construction Update

There is significant progress in the construction of the new Family Entertainment Center in Palawan Beach, Sentosa. One of the signature attractions there will be the world renown kids learning and entertainment center KidZania.