Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park is finally opening on Feb 8. Is it worth $60?

Were you one of the lucky few people who managed to snag tickets for the Singapore-Malaysia Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL)?

If the answer is yes, you may want to take this golden opportunity to check out the spanking new Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park, which is slated to open next Tuesday (Feb 8). 

For the uninitiated, the space was previously occupied by Genting Outdoor Theme Park, which was closed in September 2013 for the much-anticipated revamp.

However, the theme park's reopening was been delayed multiple times due to the pandemic, according to international tourism platform Blooloop.

Not to mention the legal issues between 20th Century Fox and developer Genting Malaysia Berhad, which resulted in Genting only managing to license "certain Fox intellectual properties". 

Nevertheless, we guess it's better late than never. Here's a first look at what's in store for visitors. 

Spanning a total of 26 acres, Genting SkyWorlds will house nine movie and adventure-themed zones, with 26 different rides and attractions. For some context, Universal Studios Singapore (USS) spans about 49 acres and has 28 rides and attractions. 

Visitors can look forward to zones such as Eagle Mountain, which features the world's first dual-powered roller coaster bike ride.

There's also Andromeda Base, which has a thrilling space battle simulation called Alpha Fighter Pilots as well as a terror tower called Terraform Tower Challenge. 

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CXneDQrDkS-/[/embed]

If you enjoyed the movie Ice Age, there's an entire zone dedicated to it too, with attractions including a rollercoaster called Acorn Adventure and a motion-filled ride called Sid's Rock 'N' Slide. 

Tickets for the theme park will cost RM189 (S$60) for adults and RM161 for kids. Interested parties can book their tickets on Genting SkyWorld's website or mobile app from Feb 4, 10am onwards.  

From Feb 8 to March 31, there will be a 20 per cent discount to celebrate the park's soft opening. 

So, is it worth the money? Here's what we've gathered from content creator Ivor Xian Z, who managed to obtain early access during the park's trial period. 

@ivor_xianz Came for the rides, stayed for the fries ?#gentingoutdoorthemepark #gentinghighlands #genting #ivorgoing ♬ Already Best Friends - sagittarius kween

A Universal Studios knock-off? 

In her TikTok, which has since garnered over 890,000 views, Ivor showed a few areas of the SkyWorlds that she felt looked comparable to USS. 

Unfortunately, the similarities end there. According to Ivor, "the rest of the themes are rather tacky". 

To prove her point, the next few clips show other parts of the park, including the Blue Sky Carousel ride. 

Not the best place for foodies

If you're hoping to find good eats at Genting SkyWorlds, you'd better temper your expectations.

Ivor shared that the food is "typical theme park food" and is "very expensive and basic". She shared that her set of fries and Coca-Cola cost a whopping RM35. 

So, is it worth a visit? 

Unfortunately, netizens don't seem to be too impressed by what they've seen of the theme park so far. 

Some agreed with Ivor on the tacky decor.

Others had gripes about the steep price points.  

And there were those who'd rather have the old park instead.

On the other hand, there were also a few defending the park and its prices.

At the end of the day, we guess the only way to know if the Genting SkyWorlds is worth the hype is to check it out for yourself. 

melissateo@asiaone.com