Staycation – check out

The kids were woken up at 830am because my grand plan was to enter Universal Studios on time. We checked out in the morning too.

We had breakfast at Krispy Kreme which was unfortunately a poor experience. They had no chocolate supply for beverage so that meant we could not order any hot chocolate or the likes of mocha. They also did not sell bottled milk. We made through 4 doughnuts and were in the queue by 940am. 

What I did not anticipate was the return of the haze, the brutally hot weather and worn out kids. I had to force Z to take the Transformer ride and X was pretty much too tired to want to take any rides. They made taking Treasure Hunter ride sound like a chore.

I took the Cyclone alone while the boys waited. Jurassic Park was opened and even the all-time favorite Dino-Soaring could barely make them smile.

Tired Z  
More tired folks

  

I grabbed Z to go on Canopy Flyer, and he was really unimpressed. 😏 

At least they posed for photos – this was part of the Halloween exhibits  
More scary exhibits

 
Z went for Madagascar ride while I took X to the carousel.

  
We mustered the strength to catch the 1145am Elmo show before the haze, heat and fatigue got the better of us.

  
Posing with Dracu-minion display   
 
Hence, this marked the end of our staycation. 
On hindsight, we should have opted for the family room. Both Mr H and I could not sleep well with 2 boys moving and talking till late night. 

I was so glad that we had booked triple rooms for our next trip.

Staycation – Day 2

I had purchased discounted tickets to Adventure Cove from the company’s welfare committee. Z had been requesting for this for a few months!

At the entrance 
Hopping into Adventure River – we had kept our belongings in the small locker which cost $10 for the whole day.  

The kids’ favorite was the tidal wave pool. We spent such a long time there that I felt like I was swaying even when I was out of the pool.    

The babies’ section
  

Mr H and Z took this, then Z accompanied me
The Riptide Rocket was the other ride that Z could take. It was fun but the queue was long!  

Funny boys   
Waiting to support his brother  

Catching his breath    

First snorkeling experience – but he didn’t complete the entire round as he had problems with the saltwater seeping in

Dessert for tea – we redeemed the overpriced ice cream with RWS invites $ 
It was 530pm before we could drag the kids out of Adventure Cove. We bathed and headed for the beach for dinner.

On the way  

By scooter    

Through the Merlion Walk
  

Posing for the camera  

How optical illusion evened them out

Staking the claim that we were on Sentosa island    

We had not realized how tired X was, till he fell asleep at dinner.
  

Flame restaurant which served a pretty good flat iron steak
Sea view,  local style   

We continued to hang out at Coffee Bean and even caught some fireworks from the Wings of Time show.

Chillax time for us    

We also went to “people-watch” at iFly.

We took the monorail back to hotel and even caught this water fountain/light show.  
That concluded the end of a very long day. 

Staycation at Hotel Michael, RWS

This was X’s first staycation and Z’s second to boot. We rarely arranged for staycations but we were very blessed to have received this staycation from a friend. The kids were psyched.

Despite a late check in at 5pm, we hit the Hard Rock Hotel pool. We had attended a birthday party in the morning and watched Harry Potter part 4 and half of part 5. I was impressed that the boys’ energies held up. 

 At the lobby
At the Hard Rock Hotel Pool  
 
Hotel Michael was the furthest from the pool so we actually drove over. We could have walked but driving made logistics easier to manage for us. 

At Coca Steamboat  
The spread  
 
Finishing up 

   
More play

  

Swinging his light sabre 

Lunar at the SEAA

As annual pass holders of the RWS SEA Aquarium, we registered for this event called “Lunar in the SEAA”. The entry to this event was covered under the annual pass, which otherwise cost $28 for 8-10pm on the night of Mid Autumn Festival.

We had a lot of fun and were really impressed with what was offered during the event. On hindsight, it was a good thing we signed up for this because it was so hazy that Sunday night. It was air conditioned (no haze and not hot), spacious and really comfortable to hang out with the kids (no whines and cries).

Though we had been really tired from outlet shopping at IMM, I was glad we dragged ourselves down.

Welcome signage 

  

Lanterns for all of us

Creepy in the dark – perfect place to use lanterns     

All of us

For once, the aquarium was so peaceful that we took such a gorgeous family photo. Awesome lighting!  
Kids exploring the darkes corner with their lanterns   

Riddle     

There were 10 riddles and this was our mock HQ for solving riddles     

There were storytelling sessions of how the message was passed in the moon cakes – so this was the “emperor”  
This was “Chang-Er”  
  

There was a live orchestra and it was really serene watching the fishes “swim” with the music 
The “tea” area setup by SEAA. They used ancient looking tables and chairs to create an Oriental mood.  

Free flow of Mooncakes, buns,  tea and Diet Coke     

Toasting to MAF 2015
 

We only got 3/10 for the riddles but the organizers were nice enough to give us the prize of SEAA water bottles as well as SEAA stuffed toy key chains for completing the survey forms.

It was a fun and fruitful night. Definitely worth renewing the annual pass for more of such events!

USSS – Universal Studios Singapore (Sunday)

For a consecutive Sunday, we went to USS.

We had started the park in a clockwise direction from Far Far Away land the week earlier, so we started the park in an anti-clockwise direction this time round.

X was less upset with Z and Mr H sprinting away for the Transformer ride which still warranted a 10 minutes’ wait so early in the morning.

Checking out the vintage cars which he thought he could sit in, oops Baby!   
Taking the Accelerator Ride  

The riders’ screams beckoned so I waited for Mr H to takeover toddler-sitting so that I could go on Cyclone (read: first of many single riders to come)   

Treasure Hunting seriously
  

Jurassic Park opened at 11am and I never knew why till today. There was a funny introduction.  

Z and Mr H went on the Rapids Adventure while X and I took this 3 times!
  

Meet and Greet   
  

We took the Crate Adventure ride and X was less fearful of the ride than before. That was a definite improvement.

We caught the 1215pm Sesame Street show. The boys loved the show and we were happy making them happy. The gift of giving joy and lighting the kids’ faces up were undeniably priceless. X clapped and wriggled along.

By the time it ended, it was time for lunch and we popped over to Fish & Co. The boys were accustomed to short visits to USS. The serving size at Fish & Co was huge. It also offered the kids a good view of the Admiral Zheng He’s video.

After lunch, we went to SEA Aquarium.

Z asked to take photos along the way in   

  

We had wanted to check out the Typhoon Theatre which featured a 12-minute long video. Unfortunately, X fell asleep after all that excitement in the morning. 

A slow and leisure walk through the aquarium   

Z joked that these fishes were out on excursion while Mr H joked that it was little wonder Joseph Schooling swam so fast cos of “schooling”. 😏
  

Z picked up his complimentary ice cream from the Seaside Shack, right next to the Dolphins. That would make him want to visit the aquarium regularly! He was so pleased with it except for the brain freeze.  

There was a mini exhibit on Sea Monsters. This was the Megaloden which was 30 times bigger than the great white shark!
  

At this juncture, X woke up from his nap. He had 5 minutes to look at the fishes before we went to Toast Box. I was shocked at the prices at Toast Box RWS. It was so expensive compared to the usual Toast Box. One cup of Teh was $2.50 instead of the usual $1.60.

We had to leave at 330pm to send Z to his swimming class. X launched into massive cries when he realized we were headed for the carpark. He cried and cried. It was a sure sign that he did not want to leave.

He was inconsolable and cried,”Fish fish… I want see fish.”

I asked if he was fine that Mr H and Z would leave while I brought him to the aquarium. He usually would protest against the idea of splitting up but he was for the idea today.

Definitely a sign that he was growing up and knew what he wanted very clearly.

X, back at the aquarium and enjoyed himself very much   

Colorful fishes which set him on many “woahs”

We swung back to USS to catch the 5pm Crusiers’ performance and the 515pm Sesame Streeet show (again)    

The pro who was still as excited about the “Elmo” show 
  

He was so pro that he proactively hugged Bert, Grover, Elmo and Cookie Monster. Even a toddler knew which character was the main star of the show.

On our way out, X spotted the mascot and took a picture 

So far USS Sundays were a great hit with the boys.