Monday, December 2, 2013

Ocean Dreams @ S.E.A Aquarium

I have heard about sleepovers like friends sleeping over at each other’s place to study or for fun. But sleepover at an aquarium? This was something new and almost unbelievable at first. But dream became reality when we were invited by Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) to experience the unique sleepover ‘Ocean Dreams’ at S.E.A Aquarium, the world’s largest aquarium.

As the last guests leave the aquarium, the adventure starts for all Ocean Dreamers!

The girls were all hyped up for the event. Jayne even did some hip hop style poses for me. Cute!

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After the hassle-free registration, we were led into the Aquarium from the staff lift and into the Multi-Purpose Hall for our sleepover briefing. There were already a few other families waiting. The entire feeling really brought me back to the days when we were younger and attending church family camps. Goodie bags were given to all participants with water and some basic information inside. The goodie bags also served as our temp bag when we move around for the Aquarium tour, to keep our valuables as we will be leaving our night bags in the hall.

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There is a Camp Leader and several Team Leaders to lead the entire group which is about 40 over of us. Simple slides presentation of what to expect for the 2 days’ events.

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Programme highlights
- Set off on an exhilarating maritime learning voyage and be part of a crew experiencing peril on the high seas, in the multi-media extravaganza of Typhoon Theatre
- A 90-minute guided tour through S.E.A Aquarium packed with fascinating information about the many wonders of our blue planet
- Discover more about sharks, dolphins, coral reefs and other marine animals and how you can do your part to help conserve and protect marine habitats
- Get an exclusive back-of-house view of a manta ray feeding session

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First stop was a tour along the Maritime Silk Route.

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Our Team Leader is a Uni student working part-time with S.E.A Aquarium. She is very knowledgeable and explains well, even the kids have no problem understanding and were able to engage in her Q&As.

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Forfeit for the kids when they answered the questions wrongly. Can you see that Jayne was more interested in taking photos than completing the task?

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Moving forward nearer to the Typhoon Theatre, we will pass by this huge wooden ship, it is a real ship that took sail from Oman and took 5 months to reach our shores, a rare and special gift to us. It is called a Dhow.

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Personally I really like these olden equipment, there is a certain feel of history and a story to be told behind.

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Time for the Typhoon Theatre experience. We watched a prelude show before entering the theatre, but sorry, no photography allowed inside.

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Second part of Day 1, was a 90-minute tour around SEAA. This is the best tour you can have in SEAA because you won’t have the crowd with you. We had a private tour!

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First animal that caught our attention was the Sea Dragon, I particularly like the way it “danced” in the waters.'

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Everyone had a chance to touch the starfish, sea cucumber, and even a baby shark at the interactive touch pool.

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Next up in the guided tour, we came to the place I like most, the Sea Jellies.

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It’s not just about walking round and looking at the fishes, there were times when our guide will stop and explain certain ocean habitat behaviours to us, this is when the kids were encouraged to ask as many questions as possible, to understand more for themselves.

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Other oceanic animals or fishes we see along the way.

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Shark Habitat was definitely one of the highlights. Everyone went ‘wow’ at the short tunnel tour. Looking at all the different species of sharks and learning how to distinguish the gender of the sharks.

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After the tour round SEAA, we finally reached back to the MPH to collect our personal bags and head over to the Open Ocean Habitat Area to prepare for our sleepover.

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Sleeping bags were laid out, everyone has a sleeping bag and a blanket.

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And this is us enjoying our complimentary night snacks before our bed time.

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Lights out at 10.30pm. For some of us may be a bit early, but the girls slept immediately after along day of fun and activities. Kless and I stayed up slightly longer, checking our social media messages and just enjoying some quietness in front of the gigantic Ocean Habitat.

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The night view was spectacular! I think it’s every penny worth to enjoy such a view once in your life.

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This is time lapse recording which compressed a 5-minute long shooting into just 30 secs of view. A different view of both the night and the day of the Ocean Habitat.

Day 2 started with a simple morning snack of muffins and milo.

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After that, we were guided to see the Dolphins!

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A few final videos for you to enjoy. Manta Ray & Zebra Shark.

The last part of the Ocean Dreams was a visit to the back-of-house where we witnessed how the staff fed those giant manta rays we saw yesterday night. The manta ray you see in the video above can grow up to 8m wide and eats about 20kg of food per day. No photography allowed in this segment. Join the tour to experience it.

Breakfast served in the Bay Restaurant in Adventure Cove Waterpark and finally it’s time to say good bye. If you wish to stay and visit the Adventure Cove Waterpark, you will have a chance to purchase the tickets for a discounted price. Just let the Camp Leader knows before you leave.

Thank you RWS and SEA Aquarium for the wonderful experience!

Price (Non-members)
Adult (13-59 years old) – $158 / Child (6-12 years old) or Senior (60 years old & above) – $138
Family Package (2 Adults + 2 Children) – $548
Price (Members*)
Adult (13-59 years old) – $138 / Child (6-12 years old) or Senior (60 years old & above) – $118
Family Package (2 Adults + 2 Children) – $468
*Applicable to S.E.A Aquarium and Adventure Cove Waterpark Annual Pass holders as well as RWS Invites members. RWS Invites members will enjoy 3% rebate on the purchases.
Prices includes: Admission to S.E.A Aquarium within the stipulated hours of the programme, dinner, evening snack, morning snack, breakfast and GST. Sleeping bags will be provided to all participants.
Participants can purchase discounted tickets to Adventure Cove Waterpark if they wish to continue their visit in the park after the Ocean Dreams programme.

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