Hear ye, hear ye! 13 fans of Resorts World Sentosa and their partners got a special something from the fairy godmother on 23 July. They were whisked away on an exclusive tour of our attractions, with peeks of what goes on behind the scenes.
But no grand story start on an empty stomach – not in our tale at least. Hence our story began in Fratelli, the new restaurant helmed by 3 Michelin-starred Cerea brothers from Italy.
Lunch at Fratelli
Since these fans were picked from an Instagram beat-each-other-up we held earlier, they spend an inordinate amount of time taking photos. Occupational hazard.
On the menu was
- Insalata Caprese: Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese salad, vine-ripen tomatoes and fresh basil leaves
- Linguine alle Vongole e Bottarga: Linguine pasta served with white clams, cured Grey Mullet roe ‘Bottarga’ in white wine sace (shown here) or
- Gnocchetti Di Patate Alla Piemonteses: Homemade potatoes ‘Gnochetti’ served in garlic butter emulsion and parmigiano reggiano cheese foam
- Tiramisu: A deconstructed tiramisu
Hundreds of photos and a three-course meal later, we were ready to start on the next part of the six-hour adventure.
Diving deep into S.E.A.A.
Next stop, under the S.E.A. (Aquarium). We split into two groups, with our own guides, and headed separately into S.E.A. Aquarium and Dolphin Island. We followed the group that headed into the aquarium first. 
For the S.E.A. Aquarium tour, we learnt:
- How to differentiate between fish and marine mammals: A fish’s tail swings from left to right while a marine animal’s tail swings up and down to help propel it to the surface for air.
- How the moray eel has two jaws to help push food in
- How rare blue lobsters are: one in two million
At Open Ocean Habitat, the group learnt how to differentiate the three manta rays at the Aquarium: one has spots on its belly, the other a black belly and the last a heart-shaped pattern on its belly.
A special look at manta feeding
One of the highlights was viewing the manta feeding session at the top of Open Ocean Habitat. No photos were allowed so here’s a blow-by-blow recap of the feeding. Two aquarists fed the mantas at the same time with one in charge of two of the younger mantas. The aquarist used a long pole with a water scooper tied to the end to transfer food. He scooped the manta feed and brought the scooper into the water. The mantas were intelligent enough to position their mouth in the direction of the scooper. As the manta swam nearer, the aquarist tipped the scooper and trailed it away and out of the water. The food would flow right into the mouth of the manta. Besides mantas, other opportunistic fish were around to take advantage of the leftover manta feed. There were also visits to the back-of-house of the Aquarium where the fans saw coral and sea jelly breeding.
A photo posted by Tong Ming (@mypillowsofterthanyours) on
A dolphin encounter at Dolphin Island
After trekking in S.E.A. Aquarium, we were a bit tired as we shuffled to Dolphin Island. When the enthusiastic dolphin trainer asked how we were, we murmured back a hello.
The first stop at Dolphin Island was the lab which acts as the dolphins’ private hospital. No queuing at hospitals for these marine animals as they have all the equipment they need.
We headed to the rather fishy-smelling food preparation room where food for 100,000 marine animals is prepared. Everyone was glad for gulps of fresh air after exiting the food prep room.
We perked up even more when they reached the edge of the largest lagoon at Dolphin Island. On the floor were blue mats for us to lie on to get as close as possible to the dolphins.
Here, the dolphin trainers explained the different parts of the dolphin’s anatomy. We learned a lot about these animals and even got to touch the dolphin’s slippery skin.
After the end of the tour, we gathered for another group photo. We realised that coordinating jump shots with around 30 people isn’t that easy.
A big splash at Universal Studios Singapore Soak Out
After the S.E.A. Aquarium and Dolphin Island tour ended, there was still time to explore Universal Studios Singapore before the Soak Out Water Party at 5.30pm. We broke into smaller groups and rushed to the different rides.
At the start of the water party, we gathered back, some in clothes ready for the Water Party. The party was loud and energetic with the host cheering with the crowd.
Those with water guns had the most fun as they found targets. They weren’t spared too and got drenched from others. 
Soak out ! #rwsfansdayout #uss
A photo posted by Elaine. (@hockkyfoosh) on
Fans Day Out ended after the Water Party with us collecting goodies bag with mementos from the event.
If you’d like to join the next edition of RWS Fans Day Out, keep a look out for news on our social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.
See you next time! And may the fairy bless you too.