We are KidZanians! (Part 1)

(Daddy says Kai!)

That's 'Hi!' in KidZania by the way. So yes, we were finally at KidZania KL for the main highlight of our road trip northwards. Although my boys would argue that it was the ONLY highlight of the trip.

In any case, if you are planning to head to KidZania with your kids, it is highly advisable to purchase your tickets online way before you arrive. Because on the day that we were there, the tickets were already sold out!

Ash & Ayd were devastated when they saw the 'SOLD OUT' sign. I decided to let them panic a little before I told them that the kind people at KidZania had already reserved tickets for us. Heh.

The ticketing counter was done up like an airport check-in counter, and we were issued tickets in the form of Boarding Passes!

Each monkie was also issued with thier own KidZania Passports, otherwise known as maps, and we were ready to take flight.

Oh, one final thing. And this is the important bit.

EVERY child and adult has to wear an electronic tag on their wrist, which can only be removed by a device - something like those security tabs in clothing stores.

This tag serves to be a security measure, where the child's tag is linked to his/her parent's tag. And both must be present for both tags to be removed at the same time. So it's good to know that nobody else can remove the child from KidZania's premises without the presence of the parent.

Logistics aside, it was time to zoom in onto the action! And my, the place is HUGE!

Spread over 2 levels, KidZania is a real-life kid-sized city where kids can choose from nearly 90 career-based activities from 60 establishments, earn money (kidZos), pay for goods and services, and even manage an ATM card - just like we adults do in real life!

So if kids are looking are rides or arcade games, then erm... I'm afraid they will be sorely disappointed.

Instead, there were a mind-boggling array of role-playing professions to choose from and the first one that Ash & Ayd picked was to be a Surgeon at the Hospital.

I was really impressed with the entire set-up of KidZania. Everything was very detailed, right down to the decor and equipment used. And if you are wondering how the entire concept works, this is how it is done in KidZania.

At every establishment, there will be a sign like the one in the above photo. The signs show information with regard to the job scope, as well as the recommended age group and duration of the activity. It also shows the payout of the job, and in the case of the Surgeon, the payout is 10 kidZos.

Not too bad a salary for 20 minutes of work I reckon. Especially since the surgeons were busy posing for photos while their poor patient was waiting on the operating table.

Do note that parents are NOT allowed inside the job establishment areas. So with some time to kill while the boys go about earning their dough, I took the chance to roam the compound.

And in the process, I sussed out some of the jobs that were in higher demand. Like being a pilot.

Evidently, I believe it is almost every kid's dream to fly an aeroplane which translated to the long queue at the Pilot Training Facility. Expect to wait for at least one hour at this Training Facility.

Another HOT crowd-puller with the kids was the Firefighter profession.

The queue spilled over to the other side of the walkway and even then, it continued snaking around the rope barriers. I reckon 2 hours of waiting will be an optimistic estimate.

And why is it that wildly popular?

Yup, getting to ride on the Fire Engine is part of the reason. The kids actually get the chance to answer an emergency call, scramble onto the Fire Engine, and make their way across the KidZania city to put out a blazing fire at a Hotel.

No wonder so many people queue. And in case you are wondering... NO, parents are not allowed to queue in place of their kids.

But the one place that children are forbidden is the Plaza Premium Lounge. This adult-only retreat provides parents with a place to get away to chill their kids are slogging away. Oh, and did I mention it comes with free WIFI too? Do obtain the password from the Information Counter on Level 1 though.

But just as I was about to sink into the comfy sofa, the 20 minutes was up and the boys had completed their first job of the day, along with their first-ever paycheck!

I think it pleased them greatly to know that they had earned the kidZos through their own means. And as Ash put it, it was no easy task. They had to cut open the dummy patient's torso to operate on him and midway through the operation, his heart stopped beating! And they had to use a defibrillator to revive him.

The way he put it, it all sounded very exciting! No wonder they were so eager to look for next job posting.

And it came in the form of becoming a Tour Agent, where they had to design a Travel Brochure to showcase a country of their choice.

So I had yet another 20 minutes of time to kill... and so I wandered around somemore.

In KidZania, it isn't all about earning money. Kids will also be able to spend their kidZos on goods and services, like attending courses or workshops. There are magic lessons, cooking classes, sushi-making lessons and many more for the kids to choose to pay for and learn.

And if shopping is more their kind of thing, there is an Departmental Store for them to blow their kidZos on!

Real cash isn't accepted here; only kidZos. Which is a good thing, because then the boys can't pester me to buy toys for them from this store.

For older kids who are above 1.3m, they can even go for their driving test to obtain a Driving License.

Not only must they pass the driving test, they must first pass an eye test and purchase vehicle insurance too! How real can one get? Haha.

Soon it was time to head back to pick the boys up from work. And this time, they wanted to choose their own career paths. Ayd wanted to be a journalist, but the minimum age was 8 years old. And so, he decided to start from the bottom and work his way up - by becoming a Newspaper Delivery Vendor!

I may be biased, but this has got to be the cutest Newspaper Delivery Boy I have ever seen.

The kids were put into groups of 3 and tasked to deliver newspapers to 3 other places within KidZania. So armed with a map, they had to navigate and locate the 3 places to complete their job.

And every time they made a delivery, Ayd had to ask the person to sign to acknowledge receipt of the newspaper.

Once all 3 newspapers were delivered, it was KA-CHING time!

As for Ash, he chose to be a Dentist which offered a payout of 12 kidZos - an even higher payout than the 10 kidZos he received as a Surgeon. Hmmm... I wonder if it is reflective of the real world?

Anyway, what was important Ash thoroughly enjoyed being a Dentist as well. Maybe because he jabbed the patient's mouth with a drill-like instrument.

I'm kidding. But what Ale really wanted to jab her own mouth with was FRIES.

Because all of us were utterly famished as lunch time approached. There are no short of meal options within KidZania, ranging from fast food to finger food to rice and noodles. And we just had to fill our rumbling tummies before the boys embarked on their job hunt once more.

To be continued...

In the meantime, head on to our Cheekiemonkies Facebook page album for more KidZania photos HERE.

Useful Information

Location: 
Curve NX (18 Jalan PJU 7/5, Mutiara Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya) Click HERE to view MAP.

Operating Hours: 
Mondays to Fridays - 10am to 5pm
Saturdays, Sundays, Malaysian Public & School Holidays - 10am to 3pm (1st Session) & 4pm to 9pm (2nd Session)

Pricing:
Baby (0-1 years): FREE | Toddler (2-3 years): RM 35.00
Kid (4-17 years & Malaysian): RM 55.00 | Kid ( 4-17 years & International): RM 75.00
Adult (18 - 59 years & Malaysian): RM 35.00 | Adult (18-59 years & International): RM 50.00
Senior (above 60 years): RM 30.00
CLICK HERE to buy tickets online.

For more information, please visit http://www.kidzania.com.my/ or http://www.facebook.com/KidZaniaKualaLumpur.