Ok, perhaps this is the first time we stayed back in Town over X-mas & NY period. Thanks to the mandatory shutdown of my company, I've no choice but to take a forcible holiday. I still hate this "forced holiday" which is a terrible idea from some western folks sitting in their offices.
Anyway, this holiday period gave us a challenge to keep the kids occupied. So this is what we did. Felt it's good to share with my friends and for my own future reff . Especially with my 5 year old & 2 year old kids, we are not able to go to many so called "family places" which are typically for young kids or kids older than 6 years. So I'll share the details and most importantly some of the experiences/lessons learned, and some tips. You can find the good stuff from their web sites anyway :)
Day-1: Visit to Singapore Zoo.
The crowd was amazing, and we tried to beat the crowd by going early. Buying online tickets helped a lot as we avoided standing in queue. Also the tickets comes with a validity of a month so you don't have to plan it perfectly. Just buy and you can visit whenever the weather is good and you've the mood to spend four-five hours showing yourself to animals :)
It's a great place for kids & toddlers. Avoid going on a hot day and even on a cloudy day bring plenty of water. Let me repeat.. Plenty of water.. for kids and yourself. You may not able to buy water at dispensers, as they tend to run out very fast and most of the dispensers only accept coins. Also the rates are exorbitant at $3/bottle. These Dasani bottle can be bought at 40-50c at NTUC or super markets.
Second, pack some food. May be some rolls or some snacks. You can eat at the Zoo, by paying double the price but the horrible part is waiting period and crowd. With young kids this is not going to be a good idea to sit at the table or wait for the table as there is a mad rush to food between 12 noon to 2 PM. Also the quality of food is mediocre.
Now about the Zoo - Follow a path and try to avoid going to the 'middle areas' i.e. primate kingdom, komodo dragon etc. Elephants, Tiger, Giraffe, Horse, Kangaroo & Monkeys are great hits.Then keep the "kids play area" for the last. One idea is once you finish the rest of Zoo, go to Kids area then take the Boat and let the wind makes you feel fresh.
Lastly bring an umbrella or poncho. This is assuming you are going on a cloudy day and it tends to drizzle or pour all of a sudden.
Overall 5 hours at Zoo; Using public transport and there is a direct bus to Ang Mo Kio Interchange which is quite fast.
Day-2: S.E.A Aquarium/Resort World Sentosa
Most important thing here is "crowd'. Avoid weekends, public holidays as this place tends to be a huge headache. Horrible crowd management worsens the situation and camera flashes irritates not only the fish but rest of the masses.
Buy the tickets online and you can save few min to hours waiting at the queue. But my recommendation is to do it on the same day and not to buy the express ticket. We did the mistake of buying Express tickets by paying 15 per person but the "express queue" is not even opened as there are too few people. Also the express card allows to enter the place a little bit early but that's where it ends. But one can buy the pass even when you are inside if there is huge crowd. IMHO, not worth.
Then, the place is horribly crowded and you should try to make your own way with young kids. Be careful as the lighting is dim, and watch out for 'stroller warriors' pushing their way, while trying to take photographs.
Dolphins are not visible that easily as the priority is given to the guests who pay to spend time with them out side. So tough luck..
Coming to the journey plan/trip - Easy way is to take public transport and reach Harbour Frong; Then take the board walk to stroll for 10-15 min to reach the place. I found this is much more easier than taking the mono-rail; Or taxi will bring you right at the casino basement.
Try to be earlier as the crowd tends to be very little and you can have some good experience. You may not buy any food there as the food offered in side the aquarium is horrible with 3x-4x the price.
Once again - Bring water.. Lots of water as there are no stalls selling water and no taps to fill up. I hate to see public places not offering water to the guests in Singapore. You can buy water from Cold Storage @ Harbour Frong/Vivo City.
Total time spent - 3 hours at aquarium; Public transport to Harbour Front MRT. Then you have Circle line, North East line.
Day-3: SingKids PlaySystem
I have seen one SingKids at Changi but never visited the town versions. So finally we made a trip almost after ~ two years of its opening at United Square. It's wonderful place for toddlers and the best part to visit this place is we managed to create some good occupation for our kids during a heavy rainy period. December in Singapore is pretty predictable in terms that it's going to rain almost every day :)
Nice place but I'd suggest to buy membership (16 visits @ SGD 198) which is shareable. Means you can share this with your friends and doesn't have to be for your own. So this puts the price at each trip ~ 13 vs a regular trip of SGD 18. I am sure you will do visit few times. The big hit(s) with my kids are,
Crowd is average but one minor challenge for us is to pass time roaming outside. They only allow one adult at a time so we have no choice to walk around till the kids are tired.
Secondly, watch out your kids and they may hit to something (it's a safe place but we need to be cautious) or hit some other kids or get hit by some excited kids.
Day-4: Gardens by the Bay
This is the most recent and there is lot of buzz about the Far East organization Children Playground too. So we thought this could be a great place to go with kids to show them the gardens and let them spend some time at the play ground. But I am disappointed with the FEO Playground. It's not for toddlers but for kids older than 6 years. They do have some for toddlers, but not really need a trip to visit the place.
Rest of the trip is a hit with my kids loving the gardens, and especially the Flower Dome.
Tips - Again, bring lots and lots of water and keep an umbrella.
That's all for now folks. I think I am going to spend another 15 days in Singapore over Chinese New Year and got to plan few more trips. Will update then.
Anyway, this holiday period gave us a challenge to keep the kids occupied. So this is what we did. Felt it's good to share with my friends and for my own future reff . Especially with my 5 year old & 2 year old kids, we are not able to go to many so called "family places" which are typically for young kids or kids older than 6 years. So I'll share the details and most importantly some of the experiences/lessons learned, and some tips. You can find the good stuff from their web sites anyway :)
Day-1: Visit to Singapore Zoo.
The crowd was amazing, and we tried to beat the crowd by going early. Buying online tickets helped a lot as we avoided standing in queue. Also the tickets comes with a validity of a month so you don't have to plan it perfectly. Just buy and you can visit whenever the weather is good and you've the mood to spend four-five hours showing yourself to animals :)
It's a great place for kids & toddlers. Avoid going on a hot day and even on a cloudy day bring plenty of water. Let me repeat.. Plenty of water.. for kids and yourself. You may not able to buy water at dispensers, as they tend to run out very fast and most of the dispensers only accept coins. Also the rates are exorbitant at $3/bottle. These Dasani bottle can be bought at 40-50c at NTUC or super markets.
Second, pack some food. May be some rolls or some snacks. You can eat at the Zoo, by paying double the price but the horrible part is waiting period and crowd. With young kids this is not going to be a good idea to sit at the table or wait for the table as there is a mad rush to food between 12 noon to 2 PM. Also the quality of food is mediocre.
Now about the Zoo - Follow a path and try to avoid going to the 'middle areas' i.e. primate kingdom, komodo dragon etc. Elephants, Tiger, Giraffe, Horse, Kangaroo & Monkeys are great hits.Then keep the "kids play area" for the last. One idea is once you finish the rest of Zoo, go to Kids area then take the Boat and let the wind makes you feel fresh.
Lastly bring an umbrella or poncho. This is assuming you are going on a cloudy day and it tends to drizzle or pour all of a sudden.
Overall 5 hours at Zoo; Using public transport and there is a direct bus to Ang Mo Kio Interchange which is quite fast.
Day-2: S.E.A Aquarium/Resort World Sentosa
Most important thing here is "crowd'. Avoid weekends, public holidays as this place tends to be a huge headache. Horrible crowd management worsens the situation and camera flashes irritates not only the fish but rest of the masses.
Buy the tickets online and you can save few min to hours waiting at the queue. But my recommendation is to do it on the same day and not to buy the express ticket. We did the mistake of buying Express tickets by paying 15 per person but the "express queue" is not even opened as there are too few people. Also the express card allows to enter the place a little bit early but that's where it ends. But one can buy the pass even when you are inside if there is huge crowd. IMHO, not worth.
Then, the place is horribly crowded and you should try to make your own way with young kids. Be careful as the lighting is dim, and watch out for 'stroller warriors' pushing their way, while trying to take photographs.
Dolphins are not visible that easily as the priority is given to the guests who pay to spend time with them out side. So tough luck..
Coming to the journey plan/trip - Easy way is to take public transport and reach Harbour Frong; Then take the board walk to stroll for 10-15 min to reach the place. I found this is much more easier than taking the mono-rail; Or taxi will bring you right at the casino basement.
Try to be earlier as the crowd tends to be very little and you can have some good experience. You may not buy any food there as the food offered in side the aquarium is horrible with 3x-4x the price.
Once again - Bring water.. Lots of water as there are no stalls selling water and no taps to fill up. I hate to see public places not offering water to the guests in Singapore. You can buy water from Cold Storage @ Harbour Frong/Vivo City.
Total time spent - 3 hours at aquarium; Public transport to Harbour Front MRT. Then you have Circle line, North East line.
Day-3: SingKids PlaySystem
I have seen one SingKids at Changi but never visited the town versions. So finally we made a trip almost after ~ two years of its opening at United Square. It's wonderful place for toddlers and the best part to visit this place is we managed to create some good occupation for our kids during a heavy rainy period. December in Singapore is pretty predictable in terms that it's going to rain almost every day :)
Nice place but I'd suggest to buy membership (16 visits @ SGD 198) which is shareable. Means you can share this with your friends and doesn't have to be for your own. So this puts the price at each trip ~ 13 vs a regular trip of SGD 18. I am sure you will do visit few times. The big hit(s) with my kids are,
- Ball pit
- Slide with flowing water inside (not wet one but transparent one with water flow)
Crowd is average but one minor challenge for us is to pass time roaming outside. They only allow one adult at a time so we have no choice to walk around till the kids are tired.
Secondly, watch out your kids and they may hit to something (it's a safe place but we need to be cautious) or hit some other kids or get hit by some excited kids.
Day-4: Gardens by the Bay
This is the most recent and there is lot of buzz about the Far East organization Children Playground too. So we thought this could be a great place to go with kids to show them the gardens and let them spend some time at the play ground. But I am disappointed with the FEO Playground. It's not for toddlers but for kids older than 6 years. They do have some for toddlers, but not really need a trip to visit the place.
Rest of the trip is a hit with my kids loving the gardens, and especially the Flower Dome.
Tips - Again, bring lots and lots of water and keep an umbrella.
That's all for now folks. I think I am going to spend another 15 days in Singapore over Chinese New Year and got to plan few more trips. Will update then.
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