Madame Tussauds

Took my visiting parents and our kids here today and were pleasantly surprised by how interactive it is! Yes, there are the wax statues– which are very lifelike– but many also include some sort of props that make taking pictures with the statues more fun and interesting than just standing next to them. Our kids had a blast and there was a very good variety of celebrities from different countries and cultures. One thing, though– my daughters were very disappointed that the Taylor Swift statue has been removed, as they were really looking forward to having their photos taken with her and she is pictured in all of the advertisements for the museum. I would recommend taking guests there again, or visiting it yourself if you haven’t done so.

I have been to Madame Tussauds in New York and London, and can’t help but compare the overall experience here to those larger and more impressive attractions. Sadly, It doesn’t seem to compare on many levels.
The greatest disappointment was the small one of a kind Boat Ride that (IMHO) is a poorly conceived waste of space. Themed as a celebration of Singapore, the overall presentation is amazingly lackluster, deserted and sad. After watching the YouTube video which shows a computer generated ride thru, we were underwhelmed when the actual ride was only a fraction as good. The official video adds magical visual effects that oversells the experience so much that it should be removed from YouTube. In reality, it’s a 5 minute ride through a collage of Singapore themed scenery that has been chopped up and jammed into a small matchbox size space. There are zero magical effects and the reality is dull, flat and lifeless. The Boat moved so sluggishly that if we’d gone any slower, we would have started floating backwards.
Boats return to the Loading dock and guests unload in the same spot where they got on — So there’s no sense of a journey or using the ride to transport guests to another world. You alight from the boat bewildered at the lackluster experience. After exiting the boat ride and entering the Wax Museum, you maneuver through a maze of themed rooms with sensible groupings of predictable figures: Political, Sports, Hollywood, Bollywood, Local, Pop Stars, etc. Some are more life-​like than others. You’ll be surprised at some of the celebrity’s heights: Taylor Swift (tall) and Tom Cruise (short) were fun to see.
Tips: When taking photos, position your camera precisely so the celebrity is looking directly into the camera lens. This makes a big difference in getting a «believable» and life-​like shot. Also, online tickets are cheaper than if you buy them at the door. (And watch that boat ride video while you’re at their website)
The Good: Hmmmm (I’m thinking) If you’re a narcissist and love photos of yourself + you love celebrities — This place is for you. Put on your best dress, slather on the makeup, don your highest heels, grab your boyfriend (+ his camera + his wallet), and strut on over to Sentosa.
The Bad: The admission price is a poor value. We were finished in half an hour. The boat ride is underwhelming in every sense (they should revisit it and revise the creative intent). Predictable selection of figures. Overall size and scope of the attraction is small and looks built on a budget.
The Verdict: By definition — a Tourist Trap! Another overpriced, under delivering (ie. boring) attraction on Sentosa. If you’re looking for an exciting day on Sentosa — leave your high heels at home and head to Universal Studios or some of Sentosa’s other attractions (skytower, luge, indoor skydiving, zip line, the beach etc) are all (IMHO) better and more memorable experiences.

For the first time in Singapore, Madame Tussauds! I was quite impressed that they’d actually brought in all the major superstars. Even more impressed when I saw all my favourite Bollywood stars like Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan and etc. I do feel the absence of the other waxed ones like those of Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor. But heck! I guess it’s fair enough. The latter is not as famous as the ones there. *sniggers*
Quite reasonably, they had all the waxed figures of Singapore’s own celebrities like Gurmit Singh, Zoe Tay, Fandi Ahmad and etc. They also had some other Asian celebrities who I unfortunately failed to recognise (any of them as a matter of fact).
I have to point out though that the navigation of the place could have been better. Once you reached E.T., the alien, majority of the people there thought that that was the end of the exhibition. So we all retraced back our steps to the entrance to leave, only to be told that the exit is at the other end where Brad & Angelina are.
«What? Brad and Angelina? We didn’t see those! You mean there are more?!»
There was a hidden pathway where many more major Hollywood superstars stood. So well, for those of you who have not gone there yet, remember E.T. is not there to tell you to go, «Home!»