2014 Family Day in Sunway Lagoon: Walking the Memory Lane in Pink

We had started off the new year with a great start. In a rare decision that I have made, I had joined the headquarters's Family Day for 2014. I usually didn't join their Family Day event even though I'm already in this organization for 6 years. In the past, I'm not quite eager to join their events with some excuses to Genting Highland Resort (the schedule was too campy - we were required to sleep in the bus before the event), Universal Studio Singapore (the fee to join was too high since we were also required to get a room in JB - at our own place), and the Legoland (they went on the opening day - it was hectic as hell).

But this year, the place that they want to organize the event is the Sunway Lagoon - quite the 'normal' place to go. Since they also provide the accommodation the night before the day, I asked Lia whether she interested in going to the event (she had been bugging me with the HQ event ever since I told her about it). She OK-ed it & we're one of the family in the party of 5 buses from Pasir Gudang to Puchong. In fact we're the branch with the largest party that joined the Family Day.

Haikal & Hakim

After a 6 hours bus travel (we stopped for several times), we slept at a hotel near the HQ. It was a budget hotel but I'm not complaining. We will only for a night & the room was more than accommodating for our family.

 

Haziq mengantuk sebab bangun awal pagi

Rombongan dari Pasir Gudang

 

The next morning, all of the families departed from the hotel to the main office in Puchong. We had been distributed with some breakfast, the food coupons for lunch inside Sunway & the event T-shirt with the most lovable color ever - Pink! I'm not sure why, bit it seems someone in HQ really loves this color as there had been some pink colored theme events in the past. I'm just not sure I could stomach wear this shirt in public ever again.

Eating breakfast together

The pink attack

Arriving at the main office, there were the other participants from the other branches. There were also some instances that somebody greets me - must be someone I had met during the company training sessions. But it seems that my memory fails me. I need a significantly long time to place them (even though I finally gets it).

The process of distributing all the kits to the families does takes some time. By the time we arrived at Sunway, it was already 10.30am. It was still not many people in Sunway Lagoon at that time. Other than our family day, there were also another 2 family day event on that day. But the place was not as packed as I had expected which was great.

I will only wear this shirt on this day, I promise!!!

As I expected, entering the Waterpark was a disaster when the pink army invaded.

We had taken our time to place all of our bags at the Zulu Walk. We took the large locker that doesn't have any restriction on the usage times that cost RM30. There were also the other option; RM5 for a one-time usage locker & the RM15 for a small locker with no restriction usage. But I don't want to trouble myself to bring the bags everywhere, hence the choice.

Browsing the map

At the Zulu Walk

Sunway had implemented something new with their purchasing system. They allowed for guests to use the e-money system. The guests will 'put' some money in their account & the balance will be deducted by scanning the barcode on the wrist tag. I had encountered this system when we had went to Bukit Gambang early 2013. I love this feature. This way I don't have to worry about carrying cash everywhere. Even though there are the e-money system, unlike Bukit Gambang, Sunway still allow for cash transaction. Haziq & myself had changed into our swimming clothes by then. After Lia changed into hers, we jumped into the Surf Beach. 

Haziq was enjoying the wave

There are some new attractions in Sunway - the Extreme Park, the Wildlife Park & the Scream Park compared to my last visit in 2007. From the beach, we could see some of the Extreme Park attraction - the bungee jumping, the flying fox & the gravity game. Most of the games in Extreme Park need additional fee, but the flying fox is free - so I gave it a try.

The flying fox drop area

Bungy Jump - do it if you dare (plus you need to pay to jump)

I didn't even told Lia where I went. She was quite surprise when she heard her name been shouted when I descended to the beach. But be warned though. You need to climb 5 flights of stairs to play this game. I was floored by the time I reach to the top. But the exhilarating feeling was great and I got to be honest - if the attendant didn't push me, I might hesitate a bit with the height. Might explain why some of the guests that had geared up for the bungee jumping suddenly have a change of heart.

After a while, we change the location to the Wave Beach. It was exactly the same as the Surf Beach except for that it was smaller & catered for kids. Since Haziq really loves splashing in waves, most of the time we just splashing in the water with him.

We stopped for a short dip in the pool called Lake Kariba. The water was cold. Brrrr.

Waterfall beside the Wave Pool

Giggling seeing the Giant Tipping Bucket across the Wave Pool.

By then it was already 12.30pm & our tummy start to grumble. Lia & Haziq went & changed their clothes into the dry ones. Due to some confusion, I didn't changed into dry clothes since I thought Lia was only changing Haziq's. Ah well, most of the guests still didn't change into their dry clothes as well.

We had our lunch at the BurgerKing. For me, Sunway still have an antiquated strategy with the price of the foods in their place. For the last two years, I had been to some theme & water park - USS, Legoland, Bukit Gambang & all of them have something in common; the price of the foods are affordable. It seems that Sunway still stuck with its 20 years old food price strategy when the it was still the premier attraction in Malaysia because the money that I had to forked out was twice the normal price outside. Luckily we got the food coupons earlier & I only have to add RM1.75 of my own money.

By this time, Haziq was already exhausted from all the splashing that he had enjoyed. While we're eating, he had his afternoon nap time - so Lia & myself had a peaceful lunch. After the exhilarating morning, it was nice to have some small chit chat watching other people with your spouse.

Haziq was still asleep when we finished our lunch. I decided to go to the 5D Waterplex attraction since he was still asleep. Plus, it seems to me that the queue was shorter than before. The attraction basically is a 3D experience that add some water squirts at you during the show. Compared to the other 3D experience that I had, this show was disappointing. The 3D effect was almost none & most of the time I was left shivering because of the cold since there was a fan blowing at you inside the hall. Even the 3D effect in Legoland was better than this. Skip this, you will not regret it.

By the time I went outside the 5D hall shivering, Haziq was already awake. It seems I took a little too much time with the attraction. It was time to go to the dry park.

We went to the Apache Pots & the Wagon Wheel. These 2 attraction were the games that we felt appropriate for Haziq's level. After that, while I went for my prayer - Haziq played at the Merry-go-round & the playground.

At the Apache Pots

Haziq needs to be hugged in the Wheel Wagon - sort of a ferris wheel

The main entrance from top

The first time that I went to the Sunway Lagoon was back in 1997. Back then it was the most sought after attraction in Malaysia. We got swayed when we saw a add billboard of Sunway with the promotional RM10 ticket plastered all over it. It turns out that price was for kids. For adults, it was RM15 - it was the small letters below the add. I still keep the ticket stubs.

We're from a boarding school in Seremban so we bunked at Syamsul brother's home somewhere in KL. It was only the three of us - me, Syamsul & Zul. For that whole day, we just went to the dry park because as Syamsul put it:

"Kat rumah pun boleh main air."

The three amigos

If the water park is the highlight of the Sunway Lagoon, the dry park was the pale shadow of its glory days. Most of its best attraction in the Wild Wild West & the World of Adventure had been closed. Way back then in 1997, the Wild Wild West section was still new & it was bustling with people. Right now it had been literally transformed into a ghost town.

A literal...

ghost cowboy....

...town.

1997 - Everything looked alive & kicking.

2014 - It doesn't looked so great now.

Actually I'm quite perplexed that 2 of the Amusement Park best rides had been closed - the Butch Cassidy Trail & the Lost City of Gold. It seems that the management of Sunway don't see that their dry park in their future planning, as most of the new attractions parked in the water park. I think that is why they had combined the fee for all of the parks into one instead of separating it into water park & dry park previously.

Sorry, we're close forever.

We rode the Grand Canyon River Rapids. Not surprisingly we don't even have to line up. Previously, I need to line up for about 45 minutes to get a chance. Even the attendant looked bored. I had bring my camera during the ride (which should be forbidden) & the guy in the last end looked like he needs some supplement because of the boredom.

No one in line for the River Rapids.

Haziq was fidgety....

fidgetier.....

...throughout the River Rapids.

Boredom creeps in for these poor guys.

1997 - After the River Rapids. I had to change my clothes because of the ride.

2014 - No need to change clothes. I'm already wet!

Surprisingly, Haziq did love a ride in the dry park. We rode the Vultures several times. In the last three times that rode it, we didn't even step down from the ride. Haziq love the fact that the machine will raise up from the ground & go around and around. But I did felt sick in the end.

Round 1....

Round 2 and Round 3 and Round 4 

Late in the evening, it had started raining so the dry park rides had to close. We took some opportunity to walk at the Wildlife Park. It basically a park where they put some animals as attraction. There are some parrots, rabbits... But I was quite disappointed that this park is like a half ass job done. Some of the animals was not even in their cage.

Even though we had stopped playing at 4.30pm - mostly because the bus will depart at 5.00pm & it was actually raining in the evening, we still didn't manage to play most of the new attraction & the some of the places that we want to go.

We didn't get a chance to play in any of the water slides due to Haziq was together with us. Not to mentioned that we also missed out on the Vuvuzela slide.

We also missed out on the Scream Park. This is actually a haunted house theme attraction. One of its biggest attraction is the World War Z Live show. You will enter a labyrinth while some zombie actors will chase you. Of course since we were bringing Haziq with us, we need to pass on this. I did took a photo with one of the zombies though.

We also missed walking the Pedestrian Suspension Bridge. And Lia missed trying out the Flying Fox. But, at the end of the day we were all very exhausted from playing all day long. And missing from the other rides did made us wish that we could come back here sometime soon.

Hopefully.