RWS Fans’ Day Out 2015

Dolphins, Transformers and a dream suite up in the trees – Check out some moments from Resorts World Sentosa’s 2015 Fans’ Day Out here!

With many attractions and events happening all-year round, Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) has grown into destination resort with a large fan-following. Occasionally, the resort’s marketing team hosts a meetup known as the Fans’ Day Out where they bring fans around its attractions, often with some unusual experiences.

I was lucky to have attended this fans’ day out – although I’m sure I’m more than just a fan… today. The whole twenty-odd lot of us visited all three major attractions in the park, along with some special experiences.

We started with lunch at Tangerine, which is now headed by a new chef – Ian Kittichai. Since early 2015, Tangerine has been serving an all-new menu that is light and nutritious to complement the programmes as ESPA. While I’ll still miss the Sous Vide Salmon from the old menu, the new menu still keeps to the original spirit of this spa cafe.

Smoked Tomato Soup.

Asian-style Sea Bass and Salsa.

We cut across Adventure Cove Waterpark, skipping all the fun water rides, and went to Dolphin Island. The highlight here is of course, the cute Unnamed Dolphin Calf.

Our walk around Marine Life Park continued into S.E.A. Aquarium, through the handy side entrance (why couldn’t this used all the time? It’s so convenient!).

Sabrina, our tour guide at the S.E.A. Aquarium, showed us around with an in-depth walkthrough. We also went to some back-of-house areas – such as the top of the Open Ocean Habitat (the biggest panel) and the Coral Garden (the colourful tower near the front).

Manta Ray feeding as seen from above the Open Ocean habitat.

If you’re interested, some back-of-house areas can be visited as part of the S.E.A. Aquarium VIP Tour.

The day around RWS continued into Universal Studios Singapore for a flight aboard the new Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey attraction. Alas, the weather was not ideal, so we had a change of plans and went to some back-of-house areas in Transformers – such as the 3D Glasses wash room and ride’s control room.

Everyone was amazed at the array of CCTVs in the ride (and apparently, most people still do not realise this ride takes place in a two-storey building). I was far more intrigued by the charts and diagrams on the walls, documenting dispatch cycles/times and the laundry list of show elements. FYI, I’m someone who reads research papers on attraction design, ride technology and theme park management. 😉

The last stop for the day: The Tembusu suite at the Treetop Lofts. A home away from home, in perhaps the resort’s most tranquil spot.

It’s a beautiful one-bedroom suite. Pity it was raining, otherwise some photos of the balconies would be nice.

And it’s a wrap for this Fans’ Day Out. What a journey – we’ve been to Universal Studios Singapore, S.E.A. Aquarium, Adventure Cove Waterpark and Dolphin Island. Until next time!

It was great to meet everyone – fellow fans and the team that made all the meetups happen!

My first trip to Universal Studios Singapore was back in March 2010. Looking back, this resort has changed so much. In 2010, many parts of RWS were still under construction. Many things were not available and the key attraction – Universal Studios Singapore was still being tweaked. Then there were things that came and went, such as the resort’s original productions in its theatre. Now there are major seasonal events – and some that have made others jealous. The resort has come a long way… and its future should be exciting.

One aspect that still needs improvements: guest correspondences. Even if you can’t make everyone happy, you ought to at least try. A week ago, I sent in a feedback/enquiry to four channels and no one has even bothered to acknowledge the issue, let alone offer a resolution. I can wait, but I wonder how a typical guest would feel to be left hanging in silence. Edit: The feedback team have informed me that they are still investigating and would keep me updated.

Over the years of writing updates on RWS attractions, I’ve had many opportunities to meet and chat with the people behind the magic – the ones who have put their heart and soul into the resort. Some have been with RWS for 3-5 years and their passion has endured over the years. Many of them would go the distance just to make the guests’ day memorable. A few of them told me that they love to read my blog – even though all I did was to be there to see things happening, like a regular guest. But instead of just being there, I was documenting the environment – and it captured elements of their work. Perhaps some day we could be colleagues. 😉

Anyway, you might want to know what’s coming up next.