We are a family of 4. I have a child in primary school and a toddler just over 14 months during the trip. We went for this short excursion during the Melaka public holiday long weekend in April.
We initially drove from Melaka and then stayed at the Hotel Sentral in JB where our bus was scheduled to pick us up the next day.
I wrote about the hotel here.
And these are the ticket prices I mentioned before in a similar blog post.
I packed my bag light but with enough supplies to keep the kids happy. Some of the things in my tote include;
- Small thermos for hot water to prepare Ninie’s milk
- Few empty bottles for us to drink and istinjak. There are loads of water coolers all over the place. InsyaAllah, dehydration would be the less of your worries
- But mind you, the sun can be really hot. So bring along a mini fan or hat to cover your face
- Apply sunscreen religiously
- Lots of wipes.
- Snacks for babies. Although they did not perform a bag check on us at the entrance, we thought we’d be safe and not smuggle in too much outside food. Furthermore, there are halal-certified eateries inside the theme park.
- Comfortable footwear
- Bubble play toy. Bought those mini ones at Eco Store. 4 for RM2.10. It was a bargain.
On the day itself, we had breakfast at 7am in the hotel restaurant. I also made sure our son relieved himself as many times as he could before we got on the bus. We departed by 0815 am at our stop. To be honest, the trip from JB to USS itself is less than an hour BUT what kept us waiting were the pit stops at both Immigration offices. Malaysians getting out of Malaysia is easy, it’s getting into Singapore that begs a longer queue. Thankfully, our bus for that day was not full. So the wait took less than 30 minutes at each stop. We were able to arrive at the USS by 10am ish.
There were numerous tips online on how you wish to make use of your time there. But with kids, everything can be unpredictable. There is no order. You just venture in and pray for the best. Most of the rides have height requirements for children and Ee is at an age where it is possible to get on almost all of them.
Can babies enjoy USS?
Absolutely, even though they lack the memory of it. Ninie was able to enjoy the Shrek 4D cinema. In fact, we entered the premises twice. More for the cool, air-conditioned surroundings. Even then, Ninie had fun experiencing the jerky movements of the chair and ‘special effects’ which complemented the short movie.
She could have also enjoyed the merry-go-round but she was fast asleep then. So only Ee and I went on the ride.
In the New York section, there is a mini behind-the-scenes ( BTS ) cinema that Ninie could enter too. This place basically shows how, for example, a natural disaster is emulated and designed for a movie. I thought the scene presented to us LIVE was so realistic. Storm, fire, ship.. everything!
Lunchtime at Oasis Spice Cafe
This is one of the food premises certified as halal in USS. It is located just in front of The Mummy Ride. Although the interior is Egypt-looking – it serves biryani and the biryani reminds me of the one I had when I was a student in Manchester, UK. It was that delicious. I could actually cry because I really miss this biryani recipe. Unlike the ones we have in Malaysia. Price kena tutup mata though.
This particular site is fantastic as it lists other Halal eateries you can try too in USS.
Here is my attempt using the Remove Unwanted Content of Photo app. Yes, the name is that long. As you can see, there are a few irregularities in the picture above.
This photo is taken during my long queue for The Revenge of The Mummy ride in the Ancient Egypt section. The waiting line was long but the wait was fun nonetheless because the design of the area was awesome. I really did feel like I was in a lost tomb and that The Mummy could attack this mummy anytime. The ride did make me feel a tad nauseous, especially after my biryani.
Prayer Room
It’s a small building located between Ancient Egypt and the SciFi City. Just behind the locker area. There is a partition for men and women. Of course, visitors must be considerate of each other as each space could accommodate about 3-4 people only at one time. They provide prayer garments, mats and ablution facilities there. Telekung dia warna warni and it is a very clean space.
Scheduled Shows
We managed to enjoy the Sesame Street Anniversary Show. Unfortunately, my kids do not recognize these characters since local animations have a stronger fan base in Malaysia. We have Boboiboy, Upin Ipin and Didi & Friends to name a few. If you’re not Malaysian, you should consider checking them out. Especially the 1st Boboiboy movie and the recent Upin Ipin Siamang movie.
In the Hollywood area, there was a wonderful singing stage show. They sang from melodies coming out from the jukebox. I was in awe to see those very Hollywood sorts of old-school cafes you see in the movies with the neon lights and big high-up in-the-sky signboards. Those diners la where people get pancakes and coffee. Or a quick lunch.
We departed from the USS at about 1730H ( I think). It has been a while. We had dinner from the food trucks near the hotel. The trip left us feeling elated and rejuvenated in a way. I have never had so much fun in a theme park. Would really want to go again. Time for another piggy bank.
Minci Moss 