COME early 2010, the muchanticipated S$6.59 billion (RM16 billion) tropical island attraction, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore, will officially open its gates to visitors all set to become one of Asia’s defining
family holiday destinations.

 

During a sneak preview of its final stages of construction recently, Resorts World Sentosa announced to the Press that 60 to 70 per cent of all its facilities within its 121 acre area would be operational by the first quarter of next year.

With its mammoth operation of casino-hotels, theme park and oceanarium, as well as other food and retail businesses, the resort expects 12 to 13 million visitors in the first year.

 

This would create 45,000 jobs directly and indirectly. Leading attraction in the integrated resort will be the first Universal Studios theme park in Southeast Asia, where 20 rides will be up-and-running during the resort’s soft launch (see accompanying story on Universal Studios Singapore rides).

 

When fully completed, it would boast 24 movie-themed rides and attractions, out of which 18 are exclusively designed to be premiered in Singapore.

Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg was brought in as creative consultant to help design the park’s seven themed areas, including Ancient Egypt, The Lost World, Sci-Fi City, Far Far Away and Madagascar.

Among the most highly anticipated for thrill-seekers and sci-fi fans would the Battlestar Galactica-themed rollercoaster ride the world’s tallest “duelling coaster” featuring two roller coasters set to “battle” each other.

In a Press conference, Universal Studios Singapore assured that the rides would always be refreshing. Universal Parks & Resorts director of sales and marketing, Douglas Trueblood said, “New attractions
would be added every three to five years.”

Resorts World Sentosa assistant director of communications Robin Goh said for the soft launch, four out of the six hotels, including the ultraluxurious Maxims Tower, Michael Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and Festive Hotel (Festive Walk), would be open.

“The casino would also be fully operational then. As well as various food and beverage and retail outlets along Festive Walk,” said Goh, adding that another two hotels, including a destination spa would be ready shortly after.

Goh also said the Marine Life Park, Maritime Xperiential Museum and other attractions, including the gigantic robot crane dance would be launched progressively.

Genting Group chairman Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay had said: “Resorts World Sentosa is my vision for a trail-blazing tourism product with universal appeal. Genting and its partners together will fulfill this visionary
collection of ideas that will shift the paradigm of tourism in the region.”

Construction work on the resort started in 2007 after Genting International won the bid to build the resort in
2006.

Genting International is the overseas investment arm of Malaysia’s Genting Group, which operates resorts in different parts of the world.

Pimped-up thrill rides

 

IMAGINE yourself strapped into an alien spacecraft battling humans in a dogfight in space at break-neck speed; being chased by hungry dinosaurs ready to snap at you as you float along the rapids of a "lost world" forest; or emerging from dark catacombs to find yourself face-to-face with the undead Imhotep and his legion of mummies ready to kill you and your family.

While these are common scenes in blockbusters, get set to immerse yourself in the simulation of such wild adventures when Universal Studios Singapore launches its 24 moviethemed rides and attractions
all designed with the creative aide of filmmaker Steven Spielberg to let you "ride the movies".

With constructions at their final stages, reporter TEOH EL SEN took a sneak-peek tour and the following is what he thinks would best describe how some of these US$1 billion attractions would look and feel when they are ready.

 

AREA: FAR FAR AWAY CASTLE

 

● DONKEY LIVE

Features Shrek’s fairy tale sidekick in his all-new interactive live show where guests sing along and even talk with an animated Donkey in an intimate theater setting.

● MAGIC POTION SPIN

A miniature ferris wheel for children found inside one of the park’s eateries. It drives a clinking, clanking potion assembly line that circles the room, bottling magical elixirs from a giant wooden vat.

● SHREK 4-D ADVENTURE

Immerses guests who don the OgreVision glasses to see, hear and actually feel the action right from the seat.

● ENCHANTED AIRWAYS

Lets children climb aboard Donkey’s beloved dragon for a slow roller-coaster “flight” overlooking the land of Far Far Away.

AREA: MADAGASCAR

● KING JULIEN’S BEACH- PARTY-GO-ROUND

Be part of King Julien’s party carousel with crazy lemurs and pesky foosas and as you go up and down and round and round in a mary-goround ride.

● MADAGASCAR: A CRATE ADVENTURE

Ride in a large crate and join four heroes — Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria — on a river boat adventure with state-of-the-art animated figures, digital projection, and various effects in a 10 minute ride where you will meet a digital King Julien dancing for you at the end.

AREA: HOLLYWOOD

● PANTAGES HOLLYWOOD THEATRE

This attraction is simply a 1,500-seat indoor theatre fully equipped to host major Broadway musicals where guests can watch the infamous Universal Monsters in “MonstroCity”— a rock-n-roll style revue.

AREA: NEW YORK

● LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! HOSTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG

An empty soundstage will turn into the setting of a major hurricane about to hit New York City. Visitors can expect to be treated with explosions and winds from various special effects while Spielberg explains the art behind movie-making magic.

● STAGE 28

Unravel secrets of film production as visitors get behind the scenes and see real film production in a fully-outfitted sound stage showcasing some of Universal’s feature films and props.

AREA: ANCIENT EGYPT

 

● REVENGE OF THE MUMMY

 

A high-speed psychologica thrill ride through sharp turns and fast reverse as it pits guests against fireballs, scarab beetles and robotic warrior mummies of Imhotep all in total darkness.

● TREASURE HUNTERS

Guests get to drive in a real vintage motor car and venture out on an expedition in sandy ancient Egypt going through an abandoned excavation site.

AREA: THE LOST WORLD

● JURASSIC PARK RAPIDS ADVENTURE

Guests will sit in a nine-passenger circular raft and be tossed on waterways within the Jurassic compound where prehistoric creatures all in full animatronics will attempt to eat them at every turn.

● DINO SOARIN’

A circular children’s ride where children can sit in and pilot pre-historic birds to “soar up” in the sky or “plunge down into the shadows”.

● AMBER ROCK CLIMB

A rock climbing experience with the backdrop of a dinosaur remains excavation site where “a treasure awaits” those who reach the top.

● CANOPY FLYER

Get tucked safely under the wings of a flying Pteranodon for a prehistoric bird’s eye view as the coaster gently glides over the lush foliage and trees of Jurassic Park.

● WATERWORLD

Based on the blockbuster film Waterworld, enjoy the award-winning performance by stuntmen to show various death-defying stunts, explosions and many more in a live water show at a set stadium where guests can expect to get wet.

AREA: SCI-FI CITY

 

● BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (Human or Cylon)

 

This looks to be among the most extreme rides at the theme park as the world’s tallest pair of duelling rollercoasters at 42.5 metres tall. Guests can choose either the “Human” side or the alien “Cylon” side to be seated or suspended in their own "spaceship" while going at a top-speed of 95km/h in this 87-second ride on a 1km track.

The ride will propel thrill-seekers on several inversions, a zero-g roll, a Cobra roll, corkscrews, vertical loops and severalnear collisions mere inches apart from the other side.

● ACCELERATOR

A whirling twirling attraction that will test your “inter-gallactica” stamina as you spin madly in a power pod that allows you to control the spinning speed.

● TRANSFORMERS

Only debuting in 2011, little is revealed aboutthis ride but expect to see stunning robotics and  “mega special effects”, including 3D High Definition media.

Marine magic

SWIM with dolphins and handfeed fearsome tiger sharks in an enclosed cage! While Universal Studios is already set to be an exciting attraction, the Marine Life Park would certainly not lose out when it is unveiled in progressive stages after next year's soft launch.

It will be the largest oceanarium in the world with 20 million gallons of water and an extensive collection as many as 700,000 aquatic animals, including bat-rays, sharks, eels in this 8-hectare attraction home.

With a 6.6 million gallon lagoon, visitors can also get up close and personal with whale sharks world's largest fish through one of the world's largest panoramic viewing panels.

Also, the Maritime Xperiential Museum (where experiential learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience) will engage museum-goers to the story of the shipping Silt Route in an unconventional, yet familiar, teaching language sight, sound and immersion.

The museum is dedicated to celebrating Asia's maritime heritage with a 360-degree multimedia theatre where guests board a shipwrecked Arabiabound vessel near Singapore 1,100 years ago.

In that presentation, the boat goes under the deck rolls, pitches, turns and eventually sinks when visitors emerge from the theatre up close with a shipwreck surrounded by deep ocean life.