Prudential Marina Bay Carnival 2018 / 2019 Review - Should you go? - TheWackyDuo.com - Singapore Wacky Digital Underground Outpost

Prudential Marina Bay Carnival 2018 / 2019 Review - Should you go?



Prudential Marina Bay Carnival is back.


Jumper Jumper

This year, the carnival is on a smaller scale centralized at one location - Bayfront Event Space. Since we had so much fun last year, we decided to pay it a visit.

The official website stated that there are 40 thrilling and family-friendly rides. In reality, we counted only about half of that when we were there.  There are new rides such as Jumper Jumper and Wave Swinger. There are also fan favourites, such as the popular Star flyer and Mach 5.


Starflyer
The popular carnival games are back as well. In honesty, we like rides but we love carnival games more. That was probably what attracted us to head to the Prudential Marina Bay Carnival. Would this year carnival be as good or better than last year?


Why you should go 

New Rides


New rides such as Wave Swinger promises more thrill to rides. Add Starflyer, Mach 5, Freak out and Jumper Jumper into the list, and you would have a couple of 5-star rides for thrill-seekers.

One-Stop Entertainment

If you are looking for a one-stop-shop for thrills, fun and food, there is everything under one roof at the Prudential Marina Bay Carnival.  It would make a great stop for dates or a chill session with mates.

Why you should not go 

Expensive for families, especially the rides

Rides are not exactly cheap with prices starting from $6 to $14 for one ride. If you are heading there with a family of 4 taking 10 rides, it could easily cost you $240 upwards. Taking all the rides could easily cost $500 for the family. Compare that to a day out at Universal Studios Singapore where rides are unlimited, the Prudential Marina Bay Carnival seems a tad overprice.

Maybe Prudential can consider an unlimited pass for families.

More difficult to win, even for a small prize
Shuffle Board
Some of the games have increased the odds of winning. Games such as the Shuffleboard increase the minimum for a win, thus making it difficult. Games that are dependent on luck such as Hook a bag and Odd Numbers should be avoided as the odds of winning are very low. During the period when we were there, we did not even see a single win from these stations.
Hook a Bag
A small prize is really small

Skill-based games stand a higher chance of getting a prize. However, to get those jumbo prizes, it does require tons of luck. For some station, if you want to win the  Jumbo prizes that are so proudly displayed, you would need to win the big prize twice to get it. The small prize this year was a really tiny toy usually measuring not more than 10 cm. Considering the difficulty of even getting a small win, it is disappointing. Even the medium prizes were 'downsize' to the equivalent of small prizes of yesteryear.

We were in the US for similar carnival games. Not only was it easier to win, but the prizes were also way more attractive compared to the ones at Prudential Marina Bay Carnival. However, the games at Marina Bay were mostly recycled from last year. So if you need tips on how to win, check out our list of top 5 games to play and 5 games to avoid.


Bottomline
If you are new to Prudential Marina Bay Carnival, it would be good to head down to soak in the atmosphere. Best time to go would be in the evening where it would be cooler to walk in the open space venue. If you are there for the rides, expect Uncle Ringo style of rides there.

If you are a season arcade/carnival game player, there are better options to go to such as the nearby Cow Play Cow Moo at Suntec City. For the same amount spend, you probably would have a better time with better prizes at the end of the day.

The organizers should rethink their 'strategy'. Consider making the games fairer in terms of 'rewards'.  Sure, it is a profit organization but this model of low rewards for guests and high returns for organizers does not bode well for repeated visitors. Given that this is not a weekend Pasar Malam, it should not be in the same league as one. This was the vibe we got from the carnival.

Regardless, Singapore is a rather small place with a limited option to play, so it would be hard to resist a visit.

The Marina Bay Carnival runs from 22 Dec to 24 March at Marina Bay Event Space.



No comments

Powered by Blogger.