When I discovered that Singapore’s Kidzania was closed I was pretty bummed as I had wanted to allow my kids to experience different professions.

When I read the news that it was opening again, I was thrilled. Their opening 50% offer got me extremely excited. They listed via CNA that the prices for tickets would be from $41.

When I booked, in my excitement, I had totally forgotten that they had promoted it as $41 before discount via CNA. Also, because dates during the school holidays had already been sold out so I was afraid non holiday dates would sell out quickly too.

I suppose you can guess where this is going. I totally cop to it that it is MY FAULT for not realising the scam before booking the tickets and I’m not gunning for a refund. BUT, I think that other people who have not booked and are thinking of booking should realise that the savings you get is NOT 50%.

Here’s the truth.

This is what is listed on Kidzania’s website. I’ve included a timestamp on the bottom of the screen grab as well.

So, regular prices on the main page are are as follows:

2-3 years old – $29
4-17 years old – $60
18 and above – $37

If you were to go to Kidzania based on their website prices advertised on the main page, a family of 2 adults and 2 children (4-17 years old) should be able to go for $194.

And here are the prices that have been jacked up for the “50% promotion” for dates until May 31:

2-3 years old – $58 (slashed to $52.20)
4-17 years old – $120 (slashed to $108)
18 and above – $73 (slashed to $65.70)

So actually, based on these “promo prices” a family of 2 adults and 2 children (4-17 years old) is going for $189.33. So the actual discount you get is NOT 50% but only $4.67 which is only 2.4% off.

Here are the regular prices are on the booking page for dates AFTER May 31:

2-3 years old – $58 (slashed to $45.24)
4-17 years old – $120 (slashed to $93.6)
18 and above – $73 (slashed to $56.94)

So in future, a family of 2 adults and 2 children (4-17 years old) is going to have to pay $328.18 to visit Kidzania. That’s savings of $138.85 against the $189.33 I’m paying now, which is a 42% discount.

If you decide to go on a weekday in August, here are the prices listed:

2-3 years old – $58 (slashed to $29)
4-17 years old – $120 (slashed to $60)
18 and above – $73 (slashed to $36.50)

So a family of 2 adults and 2 children (4-17 years old) goes to Kidzania in August for $210.37. That’s savings of $21.04 against the $189.33 I’m paying now and only a 10% discount.

Now if the varying prices are confusing you, it’s because Kidzania practices dynamic prices. Something hotels do but this is the first time I’ve noticed an attraction do it in Singapore.

S0 if you miss out on this 50% promotion, don’t sweat it. It’s really only a 10% discount you’re missing out on. AND if you book for the school holiday dates well in advance now, prices are still $210.37 and even for NYE.

I started off very upset with Kidzania’s false advertising. (I’m sure you can tell from my use of words above.) Then after I dug a little deeper and calmed down a bit, I realised that there are savings still. But I still think that it’s wrong that they claim that this a 50% off promotion because it clearly is not. While the promo code works and does give you 50% off the current rates, if you look at the larger picture, your true savings is not that great.

Sure, demand is high hence the increase in price due to dynamic pricing. But Kidzania created that demand by falsely advertising a 50% discount.

Disappointed. I can only do my best to ensure my kids enjoy their day out at Kidzania to the fullest. Because if prices continue to be as high as $328 for 2 adults and 2 children, that will be the first and last time we bring them there.