“It’d be good if they


have some charity-based organisations which


teach children that life isn’t just about doing things for money”


A fl ight simulator allows children to assume the roles of pilots for the day


OPENING HOURS


you arrive. Ideally, guests would receive a briefi ng on how to get the most out of their visit because it’s quite disorientating when they fi rst enter. After my visit I found out that there’s a job centre where you can fi nd out which roles suit you best. It would have been helpful to have been directed to this when we’d fi rst arrived. Waiting times for each role play activity and show times on the doors of each establishment are confusing. My daughter had set her heart on being in a magic show or theatre performance only to be told it wasn’t on again for another four hours.


Too many of the experiences were out of bounds to my four-year-old. The fashion boutique had no one in it, the cooking school had already started, she was too young to be a tv presenter or a journalist and too short to have a go on the climbing wall. As a result, I spent a large amount of time explaining to her why she couldn’t try the experiences she’d initially picked out from the map, despite the fact it indicated that all experiences are open to children age four and above. Eventually we found some roles she was eligible for. In the beauty salon, she was paired up with another little girl and shown how to apply make up and nail varnish, which she loved. In the nursery at the hospital, the Zupervisors worked one-to- one with her to help her wash a baby, put its nappy on and pat it to sleep. The design of the hospital and the


overall design and theming of KidZania is nothing short of gorgeous. The burning hotel that the fi refi ghters put out is so realistic that my daughter was convinced it was actually on fi re. A special mention goes to the staff


who trained my daughter to be a fl ight supervisor for AirAsia. Housed in an actual aeroplane fuselage, the Zupervisors – dressed as fl ight attendants – were delightful as they showed her how to serve airline food to the passengers and run through the safety routine. Despite the fact it was quiet on the day


we visited, there was still an energy to the place and all the children I saw looked excited and happy to be there. I overheard one child tell his friend that


Scaling a wall is child’s play AM 2 2012 ©cybertrek 2012


he wants to join the police force when he grows up because “at KidZania the police


Operating hours are from 10am – 5pm and you can stay as long as you like.


At weekends however, you have to choose between the 10am to 3pm session or 4pm – 9pm.


WHAT’S THE SCORE? Experience


Value for money


(if you and your child are prepared to spend the whole day there so you get to experience a decent number of occupations) Staff


Cleanliness Toilets


Overall experience


7 9


9


10 10


8


get to wave a big red light stick!”. The brochure for KidZania asks children


to “get ready for a better world”. In my opinion, KidZania needs to be a bit more altruistic to achieve that. I would like to see an effort to encourage kids to eat healthy food and recycle rubbish. It would also be good if they perhaps have some charity- based organisations which teach children that life in an adult world isn’t just about doing things for money. However, these criticisms are aimed


at the concept rather than the operators. Themed Attractions has, in the main, done a very good job with its fi rst attraction and has demonstrated that it will be a great asset to the Asian attractions industry. ●


Read Attractions Management online attractionsmanagement.com/digital 59


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