Universal Studios opening on March 18

Visitors get $15 voucher during early phase to offset any inconveniences

DINOSAURS, green ogres and a talking donkey are getting set for March 18, when Singapore's Universal Studios theme park throws open its doors to the public at 8.28am.

Tickets for the park's debut will go on sale from next Wednesday, starting at 9am.

Although all 19 attractions and shows - including the world's tallest duelling roller coaster and rides inspired by the Jurassic Park and Shrek movies - will be up and running, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) said it may stop and close certain attractions at any time to make adjustments during the initial opening phase.

To make up for such inconveniences, RWS will give visitors $15 in retail and food and beverage vouchers.

It is unclear how long this preview phase will last, but resort spokesman Robin Goh said the park will take as long as required to fine-tune the attractions to its satisfaction.

Such previews are not uncommon. In 1999, Universal Studios Florida held a two-month soft opening to give management time to work out teething problems as park-goers tried out the rides.

The Singapore park, the second Universal Studios in Asia after Japan, is prepared to handle the crowds.

RWS is limiting the number of tickets on sale for this period to prevent a repeat of the problems that ensued when the casino opened during Chinese New Year.

At the time, visitors complained about such things as the limited number of toilets, lack of 24-hour dining facilities and confusion over suitable attire for the gaming floor.

Mr Goh said: 'Unlike the casino opening where there was no way of pre-empting the number of visitors, for Universal Studios Singapore, we will know exactly how many visitors to expect for the day from our ticket sales.'

RWS would not say exactly how many tickets will be on sale.

The long-awaited announcement made yesterday concluded RWS' Phase One launch, which kicked off with four hotels opening on Jan 20, the retail strip on Jan 31 and casino on Feb 14.

Another two hotels with 500 rooms, an oceanarium, a maritime experiential museum, and a water theme park and spa will open in Phase Two.

Mr Goh said work has commenced but there is no date yet for this opening.

RWS is one of two casino-resorts awarded in 2006.

Its competitor, Marina Bay Sands, announced last week that it will open its first phase on April 27, followed by a grand opening on June 23.

With the theme park's opening given the green light, travel agents can now begin selling travel packages.

CTC Holidays spokesman Alicia Seah said: 'This is the date we have all been waiting for.'

Now that the date is out, all travel agents need to do is to follow up on the hundreds of enquiries made and confirm bookings.

City DMC general manager Wendy Leong said she has many customers who are putting off their visit to Singapore until they know the theme park's opening date.

Tickets for the theme park have to be purchased in advance - either online, through phone bookings or from the Universal Studios box office on Sentosa.

Prices start from $66 for a one-day weekday pass for an adult. The same pass for a child aged 12 and below will cost $48.

Source: Straits Times, 6 Mar 2010