RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
Nice to see you here Kim
An Asian Disney and Universal Adventure - Trip Report COMPLETED 6/23
- Thread starter RachelleBeaney
- Start date
Nice to see you here Kim
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
Day 2 - Part 6 - An Enchanted Blue Hour
So as we continued into Far Far Away we decided there was no better place to wait out blue hour and the crowds.
We were really waiting a while, hoping people would clear out and they kept streaming through!
Finally the sun had really set and we bean to see the blue sky we had been waiting for
It was around about this point we actually saw security blocking passage to the back of the park and hearding people towards Madagscar and the entrance! That was an exciting moment for us, we've never stayed so late in park that security was hearding us out before (it was the dream)!
We were going to get all the shots we wanted though!
I think this next one is one of my favourites!
We managed to get these shots of the Universal statue just before security roped the area off!
And we finally headed out.
And so ended our first day at a theme park on the trip. You'll probably have realised, I was surprisingly impressed by Universal Studios Singapore. Knowing it was Universal's smallest park I went in not expecting to be impressed, or at least as impressed as I was, yet I found it much better put together than any other Universal Studios park I've been too, much more detailed and a lot of fun! If you are ever in Singapore it's definitely worth visiting.
Continued in Next Post....
So as we continued into Far Far Away we decided there was no better place to wait out blue hour and the crowds.
We were really waiting a while, hoping people would clear out and they kept streaming through!
Finally the sun had really set and we bean to see the blue sky we had been waiting for
It was around about this point we actually saw security blocking passage to the back of the park and hearding people towards Madagscar and the entrance! That was an exciting moment for us, we've never stayed so late in park that security was hearding us out before (it was the dream)!
We were going to get all the shots we wanted though!
I think this next one is one of my favourites!
We managed to get these shots of the Universal statue just before security roped the area off!
And we finally headed out.
And so ended our first day at a theme park on the trip. You'll probably have realised, I was surprisingly impressed by Universal Studios Singapore. Knowing it was Universal's smallest park I went in not expecting to be impressed, or at least as impressed as I was, yet I found it much better put together than any other Universal Studios park I've been too, much more detailed and a lot of fun! If you are ever in Singapore it's definitely worth visiting.
Continued in Next Post....
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RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
Day 2 - Part 6 - Cranes in Love, Night at Sentosa
So after we left Universal it was almost 8pm and time for the Crane Dance show, held on the Sentosa Waterfront (looking back over to mainland Singapore). We really didn't have much of an idea what this show was about, but it looked fun and we'd decided to go see it. There was a viewing area in front of the huge floating stage set up on the water, with raised up steps you could sit on, so we picked a place at the back where our camera and tripod wouldn't get in people's way and waited for the show. It was so unfortunately hot and humid (still, even after the sun went down) and there was NO breeze coming off the water to provide any relief!
Before the show started Sentosa provided a brief explanation of the show. It was created to honour an old Asian legend, about two mechanical birds who meet and fall in love, and their love makes them real! Sort of like Pinnochio but with birds, and metal not wood. It seems like a weird premise for a show, but it was actually beautiful! The best thing about it was how much emotion I actually felt, watch these incredible and huge 10 story mechanical cranes birds court, fall in love, and then seeing them become real (or the LCD screens). It was actually really moving, and also incredibly impressive. It was amazing how they made these mechanic structures seem to feel and emote towards each other. Here are a few pictures...
After the show we were starving, but we had no idea what there was to eat on Sentosa, so we spent a good deal of time wandering until we finally found a Chili's, and went in and had ribs. The most amazing ribs I've ever had (no I've never eaten at a Chili's before, we don't have them in Australia). Needless to say we were tired, hot and a little grumpy by the time we found Chili's, so the ribs cheered us a great deal. We also had loaded fries with cheese, bacon and spring onion which were INCREDIBLE! Is it just me or is Chili's amazing? Anyone in the states like the chain? Anyway, we left extremely happy.
The issue after dinner was that we wanted to stay for another night show on the island, Lake of Dreams, but it wasn't showing until 11pm. We had decided to wander and take some night shots, and some pictures of the entrance to Universal while we waited hoping it would drag out the time until the start of the show.
This Candy store was one of my favourite things on Sentosa! It was so adorable!
And then it was back over to the Universal Entrance. One of the strange things about the Universal entrance was how it basically just sat in Festive Walk, almost coming out of nowhere!
Needless to say there was no one around the entrance at this point (the park had been close for well over a few hours) except for one poor stray kitty, who eventually slunk back into the park. We could also see people inside the park, obviously cleaning and repairing for the evening.
Continued in Next Post...
So after we left Universal it was almost 8pm and time for the Crane Dance show, held on the Sentosa Waterfront (looking back over to mainland Singapore). We really didn't have much of an idea what this show was about, but it looked fun and we'd decided to go see it. There was a viewing area in front of the huge floating stage set up on the water, with raised up steps you could sit on, so we picked a place at the back where our camera and tripod wouldn't get in people's way and waited for the show. It was so unfortunately hot and humid (still, even after the sun went down) and there was NO breeze coming off the water to provide any relief!
Before the show started Sentosa provided a brief explanation of the show. It was created to honour an old Asian legend, about two mechanical birds who meet and fall in love, and their love makes them real! Sort of like Pinnochio but with birds, and metal not wood. It seems like a weird premise for a show, but it was actually beautiful! The best thing about it was how much emotion I actually felt, watch these incredible and huge 10 story mechanical cranes birds court, fall in love, and then seeing them become real (or the LCD screens). It was actually really moving, and also incredibly impressive. It was amazing how they made these mechanic structures seem to feel and emote towards each other. Here are a few pictures...
After the show we were starving, but we had no idea what there was to eat on Sentosa, so we spent a good deal of time wandering until we finally found a Chili's, and went in and had ribs. The most amazing ribs I've ever had (no I've never eaten at a Chili's before, we don't have them in Australia). Needless to say we were tired, hot and a little grumpy by the time we found Chili's, so the ribs cheered us a great deal. We also had loaded fries with cheese, bacon and spring onion which were INCREDIBLE! Is it just me or is Chili's amazing? Anyone in the states like the chain? Anyway, we left extremely happy.
The issue after dinner was that we wanted to stay for another night show on the island, Lake of Dreams, but it wasn't showing until 11pm. We had decided to wander and take some night shots, and some pictures of the entrance to Universal while we waited hoping it would drag out the time until the start of the show.
This Candy store was one of my favourite things on Sentosa! It was so adorable!
And then it was back over to the Universal Entrance. One of the strange things about the Universal entrance was how it basically just sat in Festive Walk, almost coming out of nowhere!
Needless to say there was no one around the entrance at this point (the park had been close for well over a few hours) except for one poor stray kitty, who eventually slunk back into the park. We could also see people inside the park, obviously cleaning and repairing for the evening.
Continued in Next Post...
Last edited:
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
Day 2 - Part 8 - Lake of Disappointment
By the time we had finished all the night photos we wanted it was still only 10pm. We decided to grab a seat on the view area near the Lake of Dreams stage and just wait it out.
The lake itself was beautiful, the colours would subtly change every few minutes and we sat waiting for what we assumed would be some kind of mini version of World of Colour (it was described as a lights, laser, fire, fountains show after all). You can probably tell from the title of this chapter that's not what we experienced!
After an hour of waiting what we got was a very disappointing show with a few fountains, which barely moved, lights which were not that impressive and not much else. The first thing that disappointed us was we had no clue that the show had started. The music for the show was very quiet (in all fairness this part of Festive Walk was surrounded by hotels so it probably had to be), and the show started without much fan fare by simply changing the colour of the lagoon for a few minutes.
The fountains did get going eventually, what little there were.
There were a few cool moments, like this one, with the fire.
And then it was over. I think the show was supposed to be themed around an earth, water, wind, fire type schtick but it didn't really translate because the fountains didn't do a good job of telling the story, and the music was so quiet it couldn't create a mood or atmosphere either. The fountains themselves too had potential, but the thing that bothered me is that they were lit by one light from underneath so they were always one solid colour, and the colour didn't always translate through the whole fountain!
In all fairness to Sentosa, if this is something we just happened upon and sat down to watch for 15 minutes, we probably would have thought it was cute and a nice diversion. The problem was, at a 11pm at night the only people who were still hanging around were people waiting for this show (and there wasn't many of us) and the only people who would likely happen upon it were hotel guests staying on the island. I thought Sentosa could really take some tips from Disney here to make this show what it could be, and then put it on earlier at night where more people would see it, and where the sound could be turned up because it was early enough the hotels wouldn't be a problem. Anyway, the show, and our waiting for it, had turned into a huge disappointment hence the "Lake of Disappointment" title. It's what we renamed the show after realising we could have been in bed an hour earlier if we'd know it hadn't been worth waiting for!! Oh well, we said good night to the Lake of Disappointment, and Sentosa and headed off to the monorail station! The fountains continued their post show as we left, and no one was bothering to stick around for it (I think most people were disappointed by the production).
And that was the end of our second day, while a little disappointed the day as a whole had been completely fabulous, we'd loved it. Luckily, we had planned a sleep in for the next day so we could catch up on some much needed rest.
Continued in Next Post...
By the time we had finished all the night photos we wanted it was still only 10pm. We decided to grab a seat on the view area near the Lake of Dreams stage and just wait it out.
The lake itself was beautiful, the colours would subtly change every few minutes and we sat waiting for what we assumed would be some kind of mini version of World of Colour (it was described as a lights, laser, fire, fountains show after all). You can probably tell from the title of this chapter that's not what we experienced!
After an hour of waiting what we got was a very disappointing show with a few fountains, which barely moved, lights which were not that impressive and not much else. The first thing that disappointed us was we had no clue that the show had started. The music for the show was very quiet (in all fairness this part of Festive Walk was surrounded by hotels so it probably had to be), and the show started without much fan fare by simply changing the colour of the lagoon for a few minutes.
The fountains did get going eventually, what little there were.
There were a few cool moments, like this one, with the fire.
And then it was over. I think the show was supposed to be themed around an earth, water, wind, fire type schtick but it didn't really translate because the fountains didn't do a good job of telling the story, and the music was so quiet it couldn't create a mood or atmosphere either. The fountains themselves too had potential, but the thing that bothered me is that they were lit by one light from underneath so they were always one solid colour, and the colour didn't always translate through the whole fountain!
In all fairness to Sentosa, if this is something we just happened upon and sat down to watch for 15 minutes, we probably would have thought it was cute and a nice diversion. The problem was, at a 11pm at night the only people who were still hanging around were people waiting for this show (and there wasn't many of us) and the only people who would likely happen upon it were hotel guests staying on the island. I thought Sentosa could really take some tips from Disney here to make this show what it could be, and then put it on earlier at night where more people would see it, and where the sound could be turned up because it was early enough the hotels wouldn't be a problem. Anyway, the show, and our waiting for it, had turned into a huge disappointment hence the "Lake of Disappointment" title. It's what we renamed the show after realising we could have been in bed an hour earlier if we'd know it hadn't been worth waiting for!! Oh well, we said good night to the Lake of Disappointment, and Sentosa and headed off to the monorail station! The fountains continued their post show as we left, and no one was bothering to stick around for it (I think most people were disappointed by the production).
And that was the end of our second day, while a little disappointed the day as a whole had been completely fabulous, we'd loved it. Luckily, we had planned a sleep in for the next day so we could catch up on some much needed rest.
Continued in Next Post...
Last edited:
MickeysBelle
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2015
Thanks for sharing your trip.
The photos are amazing.
The photos are amazing.
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you like the photos
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
That's so exciting for you Karilynn! Is this your first time at the Asian parks?? You will have an incredible time I'm sure, they are wonderful
Malia78
Flotsam and Jetsam
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2012
I have been to Tokyo Disneyland for one day while visiting a friend--my preference was Disney Sea but outvoted 
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
I have been to Tokyo Disneyland for one day while visiting a friend--my preference was Disney Sea but outvoted
Well if you haven't been to Disney Sea yet you are for a treat!! What's your itinerary if you don't mind me asking? I love hearing about other people's Disney plans!
Malia78
Flotsam and Jetsam
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2012
I am traveling on the special DIS adventure by Disney which was tweaked to focus on the China parks (11 nights). We will be staying in Disney property resorts will is very cool-- that planning I don't need to focus on besides my in park plans. The Tokyo pre stay will be on my own. Arriving on Tues (hopefully in time to catch DL bus) and flying from Haneda to Hong Kong Sat morning. Very early flight so will probably have to pay for a cab. The Tokyo details are what I am thinking about now. Nervous about securing rooms...
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
That's really cool - don't stress too much about rooms at Tokyo Disney, coveted rooms will book out quick but just treat it like a hard to get WDW Restaurant reservation and be on their website 6 months out at 9am Tokyo time and you should be fine (there 6 months is the 1st October can be booked on 1st April, 2nd October on 2nd April etc) ... the Adventures by Disney things sounds awesome - I hope you write a report on that one ..if you want notes on how I tackled planning for Tokyo you can check out my pre-trip report (link in 1st post) - it goes into detail about the Tokyo Disney hotel bookings - good luck
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
Thank you, I so grateful how much people seem to be enjoying them! We love taking them!
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
Day 3 - Part 1 - Up in the Rain Forest Clouds
We took a much needed rest the morning of our third day in Singapore. We watched TV shows, enjoyed the air conditioning, ordered room service and were generally slobby! It was great. At about 3pm we headed out from Vivo City's Bayside Station into Singapore City. Our destination, Gardens by the Bay.
When we arrived it was as hot and humid as ever, and it was about a 30 minute walk from the train station to the main part of the gardens. We got to see some stunning views of classic Singapore sites like the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Super Tree Grove at Gardens by the Bay as we walked.
We had decided to head towards the Greenhouses or Domes (as they are called) first, because we figured they'd be cooler, and we wanted to come back in the evening to see the Super Trees.
We started with the Cloud Dome. This dome is basically a man made 35m tall rain forest mountain, covered with waterfalls. The plant life is mostly from species found in tropical highlands 2000m above sea level, hence the name "Cloud Dome". The dome is HUGE! It apparently has the same volume as 60 Olympic sized swimming pools, is about 0.8 Hectares in size (around 1.5 football fields in length) and it made up of 2577 glass panels of all different shapes and sizes.
We loved the Cloud Dome. First of all, it was so beautifully cool inside! Secondly, the mountain and waterfalls, plant life and artworks were so peaceful and beautiful. The whole thing felt like a man made rain forest! The pictures will tell the story better than I can.
First of all we found orchids. My mum, who loves the Singapore Botanic Gardens, was absolutely devastated we weren't going to go, because we'd miss all the orchids. So I sent her a picture of me with orchids to let her know it was ok, we found some at Gardens by the Bay!
There were some beautiful carvings, in both the Cloud Dome and the Flower Dome.
This sculpture was absolutely stunning! It was so vibrant!
There was that came down the rain forest mountain. Looking up at this from this angle it looked like the top of Australia!
There was even a Lego garden!
This small lake was beautiful, it was right up the top of the mountain. The water was so still it was like a mirror, or glass and the reflections of the plant life were beautiful!
We found more orchids! I think orchids might be my favourite flower, they are so pretty!
The views out the window were also stunning, we could see much of Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. The window pictures aren't great, because of the reflections, but this gives you an idea.
The Marina Bay Sands is hiding behind the waterfall here.
The Flyer and the city from behind the garden "gates".
The walk down didn't take too long, but we took it slowly, it was so beautiful.
The waterfalls offered beautiful ambience to the whole area.
Continued in Next Post...
We took a much needed rest the morning of our third day in Singapore. We watched TV shows, enjoyed the air conditioning, ordered room service and were generally slobby! It was great. At about 3pm we headed out from Vivo City's Bayside Station into Singapore City. Our destination, Gardens by the Bay.
When we arrived it was as hot and humid as ever, and it was about a 30 minute walk from the train station to the main part of the gardens. We got to see some stunning views of classic Singapore sites like the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Super Tree Grove at Gardens by the Bay as we walked.
We had decided to head towards the Greenhouses or Domes (as they are called) first, because we figured they'd be cooler, and we wanted to come back in the evening to see the Super Trees.
We started with the Cloud Dome. This dome is basically a man made 35m tall rain forest mountain, covered with waterfalls. The plant life is mostly from species found in tropical highlands 2000m above sea level, hence the name "Cloud Dome". The dome is HUGE! It apparently has the same volume as 60 Olympic sized swimming pools, is about 0.8 Hectares in size (around 1.5 football fields in length) and it made up of 2577 glass panels of all different shapes and sizes.
We loved the Cloud Dome. First of all, it was so beautifully cool inside! Secondly, the mountain and waterfalls, plant life and artworks were so peaceful and beautiful. The whole thing felt like a man made rain forest! The pictures will tell the story better than I can.
First of all we found orchids. My mum, who loves the Singapore Botanic Gardens, was absolutely devastated we weren't going to go, because we'd miss all the orchids. So I sent her a picture of me with orchids to let her know it was ok, we found some at Gardens by the Bay!
There were some beautiful carvings, in both the Cloud Dome and the Flower Dome.
This sculpture was absolutely stunning! It was so vibrant!
There was that came down the rain forest mountain. Looking up at this from this angle it looked like the top of Australia!
There was even a Lego garden!
This small lake was beautiful, it was right up the top of the mountain. The water was so still it was like a mirror, or glass and the reflections of the plant life were beautiful!
We found more orchids! I think orchids might be my favourite flower, they are so pretty!
The views out the window were also stunning, we could see much of Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. The window pictures aren't great, because of the reflections, but this gives you an idea.
The Marina Bay Sands is hiding behind the waterfall here.
The Flyer and the city from behind the garden "gates".
The walk down didn't take too long, but we took it slowly, it was so beautiful.
The waterfalls offered beautiful ambience to the whole area.
Continued in Next Post...
Last edited:
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
Day 3 - Part 2 - Winter Flowers
We moved on over to the Flower Dome next. The Flower Dome is bigger than the Cloud Dome, with the volume of 75 Olympic sized swimming pools and is 1.2 Hectares (2.2 football fields) in size. The area has sections with plants from many different geological regions around the world, including the UK, Mediterranean and Australia. It also appears to be decorated seasonally, and when we went it was still set up for winter, and Christmas. There were poinsettias everywhere, which was not so bad as I love poinsettias. Still we weren't as impressed by the Flower Dome as the Cloud Dome, the sections were well put together, there were some stunning carvings but it was not quite as beautiful or peaceful as the Cloud Dome. In addition there weren't as many flowers in it as I expected. Plenty of plants and vegetation, but not as many flowers.
Poinsettias! I never knew there were so many colours and varieties!
When we were done with the Gardens by the Bay Domes we decided to head into the city to another Chili's for more ribs (yes I really loved those ribs). We had tickets for the Singapore Flyer as well, and had decided we wanted to get there about 7 so we could be up on the Flyer for sunset, and the start of blue hour. We didn't have a lot of time so we rushed to Chili's to eat...the food was amazing as it was the previous night, but did we make it to the Singapore Flyer in time for sunset....you'll find out soon
Continued in Next Post....
We moved on over to the Flower Dome next. The Flower Dome is bigger than the Cloud Dome, with the volume of 75 Olympic sized swimming pools and is 1.2 Hectares (2.2 football fields) in size. The area has sections with plants from many different geological regions around the world, including the UK, Mediterranean and Australia. It also appears to be decorated seasonally, and when we went it was still set up for winter, and Christmas. There were poinsettias everywhere, which was not so bad as I love poinsettias. Still we weren't as impressed by the Flower Dome as the Cloud Dome, the sections were well put together, there were some stunning carvings but it was not quite as beautiful or peaceful as the Cloud Dome. In addition there weren't as many flowers in it as I expected. Plenty of plants and vegetation, but not as many flowers.
Poinsettias! I never knew there were so many colours and varieties!
When we were done with the Gardens by the Bay Domes we decided to head into the city to another Chili's for more ribs (yes I really loved those ribs). We had tickets for the Singapore Flyer as well, and had decided we wanted to get there about 7 so we could be up on the Flyer for sunset, and the start of blue hour. We didn't have a lot of time so we rushed to Chili's to eat...the food was amazing as it was the previous night, but did we make it to the Singapore Flyer in time for sunset....you'll find out soon
Continued in Next Post....
Last edited:
Jenny Sanders
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2007
Following along...I think this is the TR I most look forward to viewing, I mean reading...STUNNING pictures.
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
That's a really lovely compliment - I'm glad you are enjoying (and reading) the report - promise there will be lots of Disney coming up!
Jenny Sanders
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2007
I am literally in awe of your photos. They are very impressive. And, what a wonderful trip to be able to take. I'm looking forward to what's to come...
RachelleBeaney
PrincessShelle
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
Thank you yes my husband is so talented - I'm so grateful I get to have such a wonderful photographer along for my trips! It was an incredible trip, we had so much fun! I'll keep posting, it's just getting started and there's lots more excitement to come!
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