Universal Studios is what it is… its glamorous, fun, but expensive and has big lines. I went when I was a child and when I went back to Los Angeles last year, I had to return. Now I was going back with a pregnant fiancé, so things were different than going as a kid or going as a young couple or single adult.
In this blog, I will tell you about my experience and the things we did, and at the bottom, I have tips to save money and make the best of your trip to Universal Studios.
In LA, we had a rental car (click her for tips on driving a rental car in LA) so we drove around Los Angeles in the morning before we went. We went for breakfast on Sunset Boulevard at The Griddle, we saw the Hollywood sign and then made our way in the late morning to Universal Studios. It was nice having a car, but the only pain was paying for the parking. Parking cost us $60 USD and there was a bit of a walk.
Before you even enter the park you will walk through the Universal Studios CityWalk which is full of cool looking shops and restaurants. You will instantly be amazed at the marvel of it all. As I walked to the park, I was just as amazed as I was when I was a child. Finally, after being tempted to spend money and eat in the restaurants at CityWalk you will enter the park. We were there on a Saturday and paid around $130 USD per person.
It was Christmas time, so Universal Studios was lit up magically. It almost felt surreal walking around the park. There was one section of the park which looked like a blast from the past in New York City. It was decorated with Christmas décor and made you feel like you were walking through New York in the 50’s. You really felt like you were in the movies.
Being with my pregnant fiancé, she couldn’t go on many of the rides I wanted to go on. There was the Harry Potter rollercoaster through Hogwarts, Transformers 3D and the Simpsons rollercoaster. She offered to wait while I went, but the lineups were way too long; there was no way I was going to make her wait an hour plus for each ride while I waited and tried to relive my childhood. A bonus is that in the park, it tells you how long of a wait there is for the rides, so you can assess the situation and determine if it’s worth the wait. You can also download the Universal Studios app and see when the next shows are and the wait times on there.
Since I couldn’t go on the rides, we went to a number of the shows. The WaterWorld show was amazing. I went as a child and again as an adult. Both times I was highly entertained and blown away. There is plenty of action, special effects and stunts as you see fights break out on the water involving machine guns, jet skis and many actors plummeting to their “death” from the intricate set into the water.
We also saw an Animal Show which was interesting to see the tricks the animals could do, and a special effects show. These shows were mediocre but being that we couldn’t go on the rides, they were something to do and get our money’s worth. Then we went on the World-Famous Studio tour which was excellent. On the tour, you will take a ride around the park in a studio bus with Jimmy Fallon narrating. You may even drive through a live movie set. On the tour you will be immersed in the special effects of past movies such as a rainstorm turned into floods, flight wreckages, a subway disaster, Jaws and be immersed in 3D rides such as Fast and the Furious, Godzilla vs Kong and many other wild experiences. It is a highly rated experience and once you take part in the experience there will be no questions as to why this tour receives such praise.
Even though we couldn’t go on the Simpsons ride, we walked through Springfield and it was like a blast from my childhood, watching Simpsons on repeat. It was neat, but I decided to eat there, which was overpriced, and I had to wait forever in line. I also had to get a beer from Moes. It was cool being in Moes, but again the beer was very overpriced and I waited almost an hour in line. If I did it again, I definitely wouldn’t have eaten or got a beer there.
And the ride I wanted to go on the most was the Harry Potter ride. I didn’t go on it, but walking through Hogwarts was amazing. It really felt like you were a fly on the wall in the Harry Potter movies. I drank Hogsmeade which was delicious and wandered through the gift shop where I almost bought overpriced souvenirs. We saw a wand show in the wand store and at night saw a magical Christmas lights show on the walls of Hogwarts.
Speaking of Christmas, probably the best part of the day was strolling through the temporary Whoville and watching the Christmas tree lighting show. It was magical to stroll through Whoville at night and see the characters, the lights and the charming houses. There was a lineup to get a picture with the Grinch which we didn’t do, instead we waited and got a good view of the Christmas tree to watch the show which was amazing.
Some of these shows and rides that I have talked about were temporary, like the animal show and Whoville, but many of them such as Hogwarts, The Simpsons and the World-Famous Studio Tour are permanent fixtures in the park. Regardless, there will be many great shows, rides and sets at Universal Studios such as Super Mario World and Mario Kart which came shortly after our visit.
It was a great, but pricey experience. So finally, here are some tips to make the most of your time and save money if you plan a visit to Universal Studios Hollywood:
- Download the app and strategically plan the shows and rides you want to go on
- Don’t waste time and money on the gimmicks like drinking a beer at Moes or eating at Krusty Burger, etc.
- Come early and plan to stay late so you can get the most out of the park
- We arrived in the late morning and stayed until almost 10 pm and were busy the whole time, without going on all of the rides
- Dress for the weather, from morning to night
- It may be hot in the day and get chilly at night, so be prepared, and check the forecast. We left jackets in the car so we could get them when it got chilly in the evening
- You will do a lot of walking so wear comfortable shoes
- Eat at Universal Studios CityWalk outside the park
- You can leave and re-enter the park and there are plenty of restaurants in the CityWalk which are cheaper and better options than the food in the park, plus you won’t have to wait in long lineups for your food.
- Don’t waste your money on expensive souvenirs that you can buy in Hollywood for half the price
It was a great day at Universal Studios but it was pricey, so budget a bit more than you hope to spend and enjoy the day. It will be a long and tiring day, but it will be magical. I missed out on some of the rides, but I will be back in a few years with my daughter when she can appreciate and marvel at the magnificence of Universal Studios.
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Ilove it.