Genting Highlands with kids: a planning guide from Singapore

You can do Genting Highlands with kids as a short trip from Singapore: fly to Kuala Lumpur and go up by bus or car, or take a coach from a pick-up point near home. The rides go by height, not age, and a child under 90cm gets into Genting SkyWorlds and onto the Awana SkyWay cable car free. Your Singapore passports skip Malaysia's digital arrival card, but a helper on another passport needs one.

How to plan Genting Highlands with kids, step by step

1. Pick dates that miss a Tuesday: Genting SkyWorlds opens 10am to 6pm and closes on Tuesdays, except on Malaysian public holidays and school holidays, its pre-arrival page says.
2. Choose your route, either a flight to Kuala Lumpur and Resorts World Genting's express bus, or a coach from Singapore with one of its appointed bus agents. Driving needs a Vehicle Entry Permit, which our Johor Bahru day trip guide covers.
3. Check every passport, your baby's included, since MFA says Malaysia wants a Singapore passport to be valid for more than 6 months when you enter.
4. Skip the MDAC if everyone holds a Singapore passport, as MFA says you're exempt. A helper, or a parent on another passport, must submit it on Malaysia's MDAC site before you arrive.
5. Measure your child and match the rides to the height table below. SkyWorlds lets children under 90cm in free and charges the child rate from 90cm to 110cm.
6. Buy SkyWorlds tickets online at least a day ahead, because its RM168 online rate for a non-Malaysian standard ticket only applies then. At the gate it's RM198.
7. Pack for cool, wet weather: SkyWorlds puts the temperature at about 22 degrees C in the day and about 12 degrees C at night. It suggests a light jacket, a rain jacket, long pants and closed-toe shoes.
8. Plan your baby's feeds around the park rules, as SkyWorlds allows no outside food or drinks. Ask its Guest Services hotline (+603-61059829) about milk and baby food before your visit.
9. Submit the SG Arrival Card within 3 days before you fly home. If you come back by road through Woodlands or Tuas, ICA exempts Singapore residents, which it says covers citizens, PRs and Long-Term Pass holders.

Which rides fit your child's height

Most rides set a minimum height, and many set a range where your child must ride with a companion. At SkyWorlds, that companion must be aged 16 or above, and the limits are shown at each ride entrance. This table lists what opens up at each height, from SkyWorlds' height list and the Skytropolis ride list.

Bigger rides, such as Rivet Town Roller and Acorn Adventure, need 122cm. If you're pregnant, both parks say you can't go on any ride, so bring someone aged 16 or above to ride with your child.

Skytropolis has no child price. A non-Malaysian day pass starts from RM90 online, and a single family ride costs RM16 with Pay-per-Ride, which may suit a toddler who fits only a few rides.

SkyWorlds' outdoor rides can close in heavy rain. If it rains for an hour or more without a break on a day the park activates its Rainy Day Guarantee, you get a free return ticket valid for 12 months. You need the SkyWorlds app with notifications on to claim it.

How to get to Genting from Singapore

• By coach: Resorts World Genting lists appointed bus agents with daily services from pick-up points such as Ang Mo Kio, Jurong East, Tampines and Woodlands. The drop-off is Genting Sentral Bus Terminal. Ask the agent about child fares and whether a baby needs a seat.
• By air: fly to KLIA, then take Resorts World Genting's express bus at RM35 for an adult and RM25 for a child. Its limousine from KLIA takes about two hours. Book it ahead, and see our flying with a baby guide for the airline and Changi rules.
• Through KL: the KLIA Express takes 28 minutes to KL Sentral, where the Genting Express Bus costs RM10, or RM7 for a child. Adding city days? See our Kuala Lumpur family guide.
• By car: sort the Vehicle Entry Permit first. SkyWorlds suggests parking at Genting Highlands Premium Outlets and taking the cable car up.

The Awana SkyWay runs 7am to 11pm and takes about 10 minutes from Sky Sentral at mid-hill to the peak. Standard gondolas take strollers and wheelchairs, while glass-floor gondolas take baby strollers only. Each rider may bring one cabin-size bag, children under 90cm ride free, and a standard one-way ticket is RM11.

Going with grandparents? SkyWorlds sells a senior ticket from age 60, and our guide to travelling with grandparents and kids covers the rest.

Strollers, meals and hotels

SkyWorlds allows strollers up to 92cm by 132cm. It rents single strollers for RM35 and doubles for RM50 at Guest Services in Studio Plaza, and every washroom in the park has a diaper-changing table. At Skytropolis, you can rent a stroller at the Customer Service counter on SkyAvenue Level 1.

SkyWorlds is cashless inside, so carry a card. For hawker-style meals, the resort's family guide points to Malaysian Food Street, with Hainanese chicken rice and ice kacang among the dishes.

Resorts World Genting runs several hotels, and its family guide describes three. Genting SkyWorlds Hotel is beside the theme park and has Quads and Sixers rooms, so a family can share one room. Resorts World Awana is at mid-hill, 3,100 feet up, with a free hourly shuttle for guests to the Premium Outlets, next to the cable car station. First World Hotel is near SkyAvenue, within walking distance of both theme parks. Guests of Resorts World Genting and Resorts World Awana hotels can enter SkyWorlds from 9:30am, before the public.

Staying warm and well up the hill

The cable car climbs to 1,725 metres above sea level, and SkyWorlds says the weather up there is often chilly. Dress your child in layers you can take off in the malls and the indoor park. Our baby travel packing list and medicine and first aid kit checklist cover the rest.

If your child gets carsick on the road up, the NHS suggests distracting them with talk or songs. Looking at a fixed point ahead helps, and so does fresh air from an open window. A pharmacist can recommend a remedy for your child. From the mid-hill station, the cable car does the rest of the climb.

If your child catches a cold, HealthHub says one who stays active and eats and plays as usual will get better in a few days, and that oral cough and cold medicines are generally not given to babies under one. For vaccines, KKH suggests seeing a doctor 4 to 6 weeks before you leave; our travel vaccinations guide explains how.

When to get help

In Malaysia, call 999 for an ambulance or the police, MFA's Malaysia page says. Inside SkyWorlds, ask any Team Member, as the park has first aid.

• See a doctor if a cold comes with a fever of 38.0 degrees C or more, trouble breathing, wheezing, a very poor appetite or a tired look. HealthHub lists these as signs a cold may be turning into a lung infection.
• Go to an emergency department if your child has bluish lips or is gasping for air, HealthHub says.
• KKH counts fever or illness in a baby under 3 months as an emergency. Our fever checker helps you decide where to go.
• KKH also lists seizures, loss of consciousness, a head injury and a fall from a height as reasons to go to a Children's Emergency.
• For consular help, call the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur on +60 321 616 277 (duty phone +60 166 610 400), or MFA's duty office on 6379 8800. eRegister your trip with MFA before you leave.
• Before you agree to a medical transfer home, call your travel policy's assistance line, because MFA says the cost falls on you or your insurer.

Back in Singapore, see your GP or polyclinic for a minor illness. Go to the Children's Emergency at KKH or NUH for anything serious, and call 995 in an emergency. If your child has a fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, a rash or jaundice after the trip, KKH's Children's Travel Clinic sees them at Clinic M.

Frequently asked questions

Is Genting OK with a toddler?

Yes, if you plan around height. Skytropolis has rides from 72cm and 80cm, and SkyWorlds has two rides from 80cm that a toddler takes with a companion aged 16 or above. A toddler under 90cm gets into SkyWorlds and onto the cable car free.

What is the SkyWorlds theme park height rule for kids?

Every ride sets its own limit, from 80cm for Blue Sky Carousel and Bigweld's Zeppelins to 122cm or more for the bigger rides. For tickets, under 90cm is free, 90cm to 110cm is a child, and above 110cm pays the standard rate.

Can you take a stroller on the Genting cable car with kids?

Yes. The Awana SkyWay's standard gondolas take strollers, and its glass-floor gondolas take baby strollers only. Tell a Team Member before you board. Children under 90cm ride free.

How to get to Genting from Singapore with a baby?

Book a coach with one of Resorts World Genting's appointed agents, fly to KLIA and take its express bus or limousine, or drive with a Vehicle Entry Permit. The limousine from KLIA takes about two hours.

Do Singaporeans need the MDAC for Genting?

No. MFA says Singapore passport holders are exempt at all entry points. Anyone in your group on another passport, such as a helper, must submit it before you arrive.

What should I pack for a Genting Highlands family trip?

SkyWorlds suggests long- and short-sleeved T-shirts, a light sweater or jacket, a light rain jacket, long pants and closed-toe shoes. Add your baby's usual feeding and sleep kit, and check our packing list.