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Universal Studios Hollywood
Rating Details »
Category: Amusement Parks
Neighborhood: Universal City100 Universal City Plz
Universal City, CA 91608
(818) 622-3801
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
210 reviews for Universal Studios Hollywood
If you like movies, like entertainment, and like some decent rides this is the place for you! I read some of the reviews and was shocked when I went to Universal Studios and found out how good it was. We Have Great America in the SF Bay Area, but Universal Studios use of movies and entertainment was AWESOME! When you're sitting so close to the Waterworld Movie show and can feel the heat from the explosions you know it's a good time.
The Simpson ride was awesome. You're on a rollercoaster like box with a screen in front of you. You get squirted with water when Maggie sneezes, it smells like baby powder when she spits you out, and the drop down feeling was awesome. Truly unique.
I went on Halloween night to and got to walk on the sets and have zombies try to scare me. That was cool.
Awesome place! I wish I had more money saved up to get the front of line passes even though the wait times during the day weren't that bad anyways.
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I was surprised at how little there is to do here. There are only 3 attractions that I would call rides: Jurassic Park, The Mummy, and The Simpsons. We saw the Special Effects, Animal Actors, and Waterworld shows. Then there is the Backdraft attraction which is pretty cool. The Shrek movie is cool for little kids I guess, we saw it because we were running out of stuff to do. Wrap it all up with the tram tour and that's about all she wrote. For $60 or whatever a ticket costs I expected more.
We got the front of the line pass which is almost twice the price of the normal ticket. It turns out we didn't really need it. I never saw a line that said it was more than a 15 minute wait. Up until about 1pm the average wait was about 5 minutes. So we rode JP and the Mummy twice. The front of the line pass entitles you to attend some after-shows, which are pretty much BS. They let you pet some dogs at the animal show and show you some fake guns at the Waterworld show. Big deal, but they do kill time.
I was going to give 2 stars but I figure if it was crowded and we had to wait 1/2 hour in each line, maybe we would have barely squeezed everything in. Maybe there is more to do than it seemed on a light crowd day. How do you like that? I changed my own mind by writing this review.
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Oh ya horror night was awesome i think everyone should go down and check it out its cheaper if u go with 10 or more people and i also remember something about a COKE CAN. your get a 15% discount im not sure my friend did all the paying but it was pretty fun, alot of the girls got scared...=) (me too) shhh u didnt see that. lmaoo
TFR
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I got the opportunity to go with friends to Universal Studios through a pass from work. After about a decade of not visiting, it was very fun to go back. The Simpsons Ride was very funny with a lot of highlight clips from past episodes mixed in with clips exclusive to the ride. A Kwik-E Mart store is set just outside of the ride with lots of merchandise with a nice nod to the itchy and Scratchy Land episode by having key chains with the name "Bort" on them.
The Mummy ride had a simpler setup and the indoor, dark-roomed roller coaster reminded me of the old Space Mountain ride at Disneyland, though this ride ends rather quickly.
The Jurassic Park ride needs to be updated.
The studio tour was very nostalgic. It also helped that I saw the newer Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien bit where he took the studio tour and poked fun at certain parts of it.
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This is the first time I have been there. Drove by millions of times headed to Tijuana but never stopped.
The kids loved it especially the curious george waterpark. Are you kidding. Come from hawaii and they like playing in chlorine water. Funny.
Jurassic Park was a hit. Backdraft not so much especially for the amount of time waiting. The Mummy was okay.
Take the tour of the lot. Get to see where they do their filming.Cool.
Eat outside of the park. More choices to pick from.
It was my first time to Universal Studios, and it was really fun!
But sad to say that I don't think that I'll be back a second time.
We got front of line pass, and I was thinking that it would be faster and so we could actually finished seeing everything in a day. But to my surprise, there's really not too much to do beyond half a day and the park is really smaller than what I had imagined.
I enjoyed the studio tour a lot, and all the rides.
We went on some rides multiple times since we were out of stuff to do. It was nice to see Wisteria Lane of Desperate Housewives, and the Water World show was great. Unfortunately the Terminator set was closed that day, so it was the only thing I didn't get to see.
Universal Studios was definately fun and I learnt a lot from the visit and truly enjoyed myself. But for the same price, I would go back to Disney again before I'm back here. It was definitely worth coming here at least once!
Make sure you buy your tickets anywhere away from this park geared for adults ($69).
We got 5-days-in-one-year passes from Costco (saved a lot) and also one-day passes from my office ticket discount broker (saved $13 each!).
Parking is $12 and is not organized like Disneyland. It's worth parking if you can cram a lot of people in your car or you live far from a Red Line Metro station.
Since Hollywood is synonymous with LA (for tourists, at least), this park does a great job showing movie lovers the glamorous side of Hollywood. The rides in general are probably better at other parks.
The Simpsons ride: It's a ride that uses the Simpsons, parodies Disneyland, uses Star Tours mechanics, and Soarin' Over California technology. What I love is that you don't notice the wait, because The Simpsons is on flat screens everywhere in line. You are entertained even in the holding cells before you get on the ride.
The Studio Tour: It's a good break for the legs and the guide was entertaining.
The Animal Actors were great, especially if you love animals.
The other shows like WaterWorld or T2 in 3D or Shrek in 4D were entertaining but I'm not easily amused so it takes a great deal for me to rave about it. I could really do without the moving chairs and the water splashes and puffs of air while sitting in an amphitheater, but since the systems are already installed, i guess they gotta make it worth it.
We brought our own food and water, which saved a lot of money for 4 people.
Overall, it was a fun time (until someone got carsick and yelled at me on the way home)
#12 of Nacho Week - Success!
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Haven't been here in forever, but had the chance this past weekend. It was pretty amazing. I think it really is better for adults than kids, so I liked it a lot. However, kids can still have fun here, especially because of the rides.
For rides, I highly recommend Revenge of the Mummy! It was awesome and much more fun than I expected. Jurassic Park was also very good. The Simpsons ride is also a very good one. Very innovative for a ride that doesn't really move.
The world famous Studio Tour is worth going, just because, well, it's the Studio Tour. A lot of it is pretty corny, but still good. It was featured on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on the first episode, and that makes it worth seeing in my book.
Also checked out Shrek 4D and T2 3D. Great shows.
I think the thing that I like best about Universal Studios is the staff. Everytime we finished up one of the rides, the staff greeted us with a round of applause. It's the little things like that that make this place special. That, plus the glitz and glamour that is Hollywood.
Tip: don't get preferred parking, just get regular parking.
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Universal Studios is a cool theme park but I suggest its really for teenagers and above. The City Walk is also a plus for Universal Studios that is a must walk thru and check out some shops and souvenirs spots.
The MUST RIDES are the Simpsons Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, and Jurassic Park! If you don't you are definitely missing out! Atleast ride the simpsons ride it's worth the wait.
The House of Horrors is a cool walk thru if you want to get scared! The best custome was Chucky lol that custome is sooo dope!
If it's going to be your first time I suggest the Studio Tour ride atleast just once. Peace Yelp Heads!
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This review is for HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS HOLLYWOOD 2009!
My husband and I went to Halloween Horror Nights last night. Arrive early! Park opens at 7pm (actually opened around 6:45pm). We got there at 5pm to start waiting in line. It pays to get their early. They line you up on in the inside of the park and then all these Saw Pig characters come out with chainsaws...the fog starts...the fire starts. They yell "go" and you have to run past all the actors. It is a fantastic way to start the night.
Do the Michael Myers House first...awesome! The line got 60 minutes long by around 10pm. Next I highly recommend the Terror Tram. Awesome. Then do the Saw Maze...very creepy! Next do My Bloody Valentine. And then the Chucky Maze too (aka House of Horrors).
We went back and did Michael Myers, Terror Tram, My Bloody Valentine, and Chucky all again.
GO EARLY! I cannot say this enough. It will get very busy the longer you wait to go. This event is awesome and a great way to start the haunting season!
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Get a season pass you will want to go back. The lines were no longer than 5 minutes for everything when we went last Monday. The Simpson ride is a must.
Got this place checked off on my list! Next is Disneyland! Tram ride was great but I am bummed that I didn't get to see Wisteria Lane!!! Oh how I wanted to see where Teri Hatcher as "Susan" in Desperate Housewives lived :(. Lots of rides that involved droplets of water and puffs of air. Would definitely recommend the All You Can Eat Pass! The 3 of us shared 2 passes and we ate every chance we got - way more than enough food for all of us.
HOUSE OF HORROR. Oh my. I was horrified. I still have nightmares.
Universal Studios will never be Disneyland. Universal Studios will never be Disneyland. Universal Studios will never be Disneyland.
Keep repeating that until you accept it. Then and only then can you fully appreciate the Universal Studios experience. It's definitely overpriced, a little bland, and way too crowded in the summer, but it's by no means bad. It's actually quite fun. Don't miss the studio tour and the Simpsons ride! OMG! That ride is a blast.
Been here tons of times as a kid and recently returned with some college friends.
my thoughts:
- you can cover the park in about 6 hours on a weekday when lines are only 10 to 20 minutes
- you will get unpleasantly soaked on jurassic park (who REALLY can say they like wet socks?)
-tons of foreigners and less obnoxious teenagers makes this place more enjoyable
- The tram ride, mummy ride, simpsons ride, and water world show are a must see!
-the food is reasonably priced for an amusement park ($5 unlimited popcorn, $3 churros, $3 pretzels)
I noticed they had this celebrity VIP pass thing which seemed kind of pointless because you may get to see one or two extra things (like the inside of a stage) but nothing more.
White-trash-with-cash get on rides, max out all-you-can-eat, and generally let their offspring misbehave. Shameful but fun.
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I love this place but it's not really an amusement park you go to twice because you enjoyed it so much the first time.
It's a magical experience one time because its full of surprises and laughs. It's like hearing the same joke... wont be as funny the second time around =P
anyway... i did go again to take my cousin around who has never been there. lol.
thumbs up to this place. thumbs down to a season pass
The park is fun to go to, the backlot tour is good it gives you a behind the scenes look on how the movies and tv shows are made. The rides are not your typical roller coasters, but they are fun. The best rides are The SImpsons, Jurrasic Park, and The Mummy. We went on a Saturday and there was not a lot of people there. If it is not busy you can cover everything in the park in 6-8 hours.
I LOOOOVE Universal Studios!
I come here at LEAST once a year!
The overall experience is awesome!
I don't like the fact that they took down the
Pina Colada Stand=/
They were yummy=)
But hey, at least they have other mixed drinks and
beer for the more mature crowd=)
Oh, one thing though...
PEOPLE....if you're gonna drink, do it moderately!
Don't come here to get shitfaced!
I was in line for The Mummy ride, and a group of "kids"
were behind us acting stupid and they were WASTED!
Every time they would laugh or talk, you could smell the
heavy alcohol coming from their mouth!
YUCK!
One girl even puked a bit!
That was disgusting!
Other than that, I always have a great experience here!
Though, I got jipped=/ lol!
I bought an $11 Corona upstairs near the Simpson's Ride,
then I go downstairs near The Mummy, and they had the
Corona's for $9!
It's all good though because, when you're on vacation and
are having a good time, you don't care how much
you pay for shit=p
I haven't been here since Jurassic Park: The Ride was brand spankin' new. I have been itching to go back here for a long time, seeing that I really love watching movies. I always sit back and say "Hey that's the street from "The 'Burbs," or "Hey, that's the same damned street they always drive by in the tram when you go past the Clock Tower!"
I had a check list to go through when I went here last week. I needed to see the Terminator 2: 3D movie experience, and the Simpsons Ride.
I was disappointed they no longer had the Miami Vice stunt show, or even the Wild West Stunt Show. They still have the classic Animal Actors of Hollywood thingy, and Waterworld is still there. It's amazing that they still have the Backdraft fire show, the video that plays back for the introduction of this attraction is really grainy and old, and Ron Howard still has most of his hair. The hanging Jaws shark is still there to take pictures with.
I would have to agree that this place would better serve adults than children.
The Tram ride is always a good one. They take you on a tour of the Universal Studios backlot, and from what I remember correctly, The Spinning Tunnel will never leave. They still have the collapsing bridge, but it seemed under maintenance the time we went through. New York Street is under construction still, due to the fires last year. King Kong is gone, again because of the fire. The subway disaster is still there. Gone is Battlestar Galactica. They still have a set of War of the Worlds that the tram drives through, which is pretty amazing. The now not-as-amazing drive through the parting waters is still there and kinda updated with a scale model of the boat from the newer King Kong movie. Bates Motel is still there, as is the Psycho house, and Jaws. The cabin from the Great Outdoors is passed by but not mentioned. They added a really dumb Fast and the Furious dancing car stunt robotic arm thingy, which was really really unnecessary. And the famous street from the 'Burbs, and sometimes Heroes, but now mostly Desperate Housewives Wisteria Lane is part of the tour. They were filming while we drove by, so we didn't get to see all of that street.
The Terminator 2:3D movie is obviously dated, as the introduction and the building looks like the future as seen by the eyes of someone from 1992. But the movie and "stunt" show are amazing. The plot of the movie and the acting by the stuntpeople is bad, but the 3D part is amazing and still stands the test of time, especially when the srceen expands.
The Simpsons Ride was good. It used to be the Institute of Future Technology and housed the Back to the Future ride, but that movie is so old, not many kids would know who the heck Marty McFly is. They do poke fun at the history of the ride, though, with the professor from the Simpsons going back in time in a video played while waiting in line, explaining how the ride changed from the Institute of Future Technology to the Simpsons Ride. You hafta see it.
The Jurassic Park ride is still pretty cool, but it is way cooler on the first time you ride it. The Shrek 4D movie is good and has moving seats and stuff to screw with your mind. The Mummy ride is alright. It's just a forward/backward roller coaster with animatronics in the beginning and you just ride a coaster in the dark for a minute.
We paid $25 a head for 2 people, for our party of 3, and got the All You Can Eat Pass. We got our money;s worth on the first meal from the pasta place. The bill would have been $52, so the rest of the meals for the day were more than enough and we found ourselves forcing ourselves to eat food to get more than the $50 we spent.
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UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!! WOOHOO!!!
You're crazy if you don't have fun here! The only thing that makes me upset about this place is the fact that they're always updating the park with new attractions. You would think that's good, right? Actually, I don't think it is. They took out their classic E.T. ride and their cool Mummy walk-through. Also, sometimes the tours seem to change and the tour guide seems to skip something (I don't know if it's on purpose or not).
I really like this place though. Even if I'm too poor to be going INTO Universal Studios, we always go down the University City Walk which is also really fun. It's like a mini downtown that has everything!
It was really expensive. $60 a day? Give me a break. Granted, I have a season pass now with a lot of black out dates, but they need to have a cheaper pass.
This feels a lot smaller than the one in Orlando. I don't know what it is, bu the park seemed really tiny.
The studio tour was cool, as always. I really enjoyed seeing the War of the Worlds neighborhood, and my fiancee enjoyed the drive through the Desperate Housewives set.
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Universal Studios is expensive, packed, and hot. It also lacks the magic of Disneyland and the quaintness of Knott's Berry Farm. That said, the Tram Ride is pretty cool because you cover a lot of ground on the Studio back lot. Even if you're a movie buff, you must have patience to visit here. Especially in summer.
I love Universal Studios....it sure beats Disneyland...We had a great deal, buy 1 ticket and get 1 ticket free online special . That was great!!! Universal Studios takes care if its customers by providing shade during shows ,the mist fans that keep you fresh and their great employees ( they are too funny).. Disneyland does not have any mist fans, you need to purchase the little water bottle fan ..dumb if u ask me.. The haunted house was very scary, I only went in once.. I was too afraid to enter again.My son loved the Curious George area, he was soaked.. Jurassic park ride was great ,Mummy ride was a little scary because it was in the dark and indoors.. 3D terminator show (Our Governor show)..lol..was awesome, two thumbs up for that...We will return next year that's 4 sure..
Had out of the blue plans to go to Universal last week. I had very little time to decide where I wanted to purchase the tickets. I ended up buying from Costco, which was $55 for 5 visits in 2009. While I don't know if I'll end up going all 5 times, I had a good time.
First of all, this ain't Disneyland, and it ain't summer. Also, it was on a Tuesday. We didn't have to deal with large crowds, or wait in long lines. That in itself was already a huge plus. It was the most perfect day to be there actually. Sunny and nice mild temperatures. :)
We did the haunted house, the special effects show, backdraft, and the tram ride. I still like the tram tour cuz they drive us around for 45 mins. Hehe
Shrek was funny!! It was my first time seeing it. It was also my first time on the mummy ride, and the Simpson's ride. I love the Kwik-E-Mart in Krustyland! I spent so much time in there looking at everything. I finally ended up picking out a Duff beer baseball cap for my brother.
If you buy tickets from Costco, they give you a coupon for 10 or 20% off the all you can eat pass at Univoisal. It comes out to about $17 and totally worth it if you're going to eat there. No, it isn't gourmet food, but it's what you'd expect at an amusement park. We got chili cheese fries, pizza, chicken strips with more fries, a giant oatmeal cookie, jalapeno poppers, apple pie, and more. Drinks are not included, but I brought bottled water.
I didn't spend as much as I thought I would overall, and had a really pleasant visit. I don't care if it's touristy!
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Universal Studios is more of a tourist spot. Great for those who are interested in movie magic, want to see backlots and sets, special effects, etc. It is also a place that local So Californians will go once in a long while.
There are a lot of newer attractions, still a bunch of the older ones, and makes for a full day of fun.
One suggestion I can make is get the "front of the line pass" on those days you know it is going to be crowded. This saves a lot of time standing in line. (This is not Disney ... not so much of a show before your ride)
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Ah nostalgia. I haven't been here in ages. I remember back then coming here as an afterthought. Usually we came to this place the next day after disneyland on our usual family LA trip. I grew up and stopped hanging out with my family due to work, school and better trips with friends. It has now come full circle and now i'm the one taking people out and showing them around.
Universal studios has a lot more shows and rides now compared to when it first opened. With no line and moderate crowds, we managed to do almost everything before the park closed at 7pm. I would hate come here during a busy summer weekend and wait 2hrs in line for the rides. What happened to back to the future!!!!?? That was my favorite ride. It is now the simpsons ride. It is the same concept, its just remodeled. I liked back to the future better. E.T is now the mummy ride. Two different things, E.T was a slow moving 'watch the stuff' ride. Mummy is similar to indiana jones in disneyland.
If you like to take pictures and watch stuff, this is your theme park. If you want to ride and get that adrenaline pumping, six flags or maybe disneyland is better suited.
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This was my fourth trip to Universal Studios Hollywood and I was excited to bring my boyfriend there for the first time and see what things had changed. I was glad to see that the Back to the Future ride was converted to the Simpsons ride without losing the cache of the ride. Classics like the tram ride, Backdraft, Shrek 4D and the Mummy ride were really enjoyable and we also checked out the animal show and Terminator 2: 3D show. It was my first time at Terminator and it was good even considering two more movies have come out since then. My boyfriend absolutely loved it and it would have been a perfect day if we had more time to check out everything, but it's no surprise that the park is always busy. The price is quite high ($67 USD general admission) considering that Six Flags is less and there are more thrills to see there.
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I am terrified of all things scary. So it probably wasn't the BEST idea to go to Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights. I told myself it was about time to suck it up and stand up to Freddie.
Pulling into the parking lot, I was already anxious for what was about to ensue. I insisted that my friends allow me to walk in the middle of them so I wouldn't be the target of a surprise attack by some monsters or zombies. Before entering the park itself, I could already hear the girls screaming non-stop. My heart was pounding!!
A friend works at the park and was able to get us access into any attractions, mazes, and rides without more than a 5 minute wait. I can say that the night would have been less enjoyable otherwise. In the Nightmare on Elm Street maze, I knew to expect a Freddie in every corner trying to scare me. Surprisingly, if I was able to keep my cool, they all left me alone. My friend had it worse, because she ended up being the one that EVERY monster and goon was after. Whew, for me!
I was very excited for the Backlot Tour where we got off and walked instead of riding on the tram itself. It wasn't what I expected, not nearly as scary, but, it was fun.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre maze wreaked, I think that's what dead bodies probably smell like? Not sure if you like creepy dolls, but The Strangers maze was mixed in with some Chucky stuff. It was only awkward because the doll faces would walk up to you with knives and simply stare at you while they tilted their heads.
By the end of the night, I was talking to the monsters and sharing my churro with them! I survived Halloween Horror Nights and now can say I've experienced one of these things. I might consider returning, but, I'd rather be a monster instead of an unassuming human.
Two words: the tram, a 1hr tour on the tram going trough some real nice towns and houses builded for big hollywood hits, and showing some interesting techniques.
Very good pirates show as well, and then the whole amusement park, lots of fun.
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BEWARE IF YOU DONT EAT MEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I mean, come on! this is LA, you're either a vegetarian or you're jewish!!?
Everything is fast food burgers and fries. Lots of meat.
Let this be said only once: ICEBERG LETTUCE SALAD IS NOT FOOD!!!!!!!!
If you need an option though, there is sushi inside of Panda express, the kind you get packaged in a grocery store. You'll just have to eat some fried rice on the side or some other carb side dish...
I'm going to write a complaint letter about this.
(I put three stars on there only because the Simpson's ride made up for my food disappointment and anger)
When the hell did Universal Studios become so frickin expensive??? I went last week and could not believe the gate price is $67! Of course no one should pay that since Costco, AAA and other offer discounts, but still.
Anyway, as for the park itself...it's got a couple of really good attractions, a fair amount of pretty good and a few lame-o ones.
By far the best attraction is the Simpson's ride. It replaced the Back to the Future ride. It's a crazy-ass ride and a lot of fun. It has the longest line in the park so I would suggest going there first and then since it's right next door to the entrance to the Studio Tour, hitting that next. If you're a BTTF fan, know that the set was destroyed in the last fire :( They were rebuilding the NY sets which were also destroyed by the fire, so the tram ride completely skips that part of the studio. But there are still some cool things to see like Desperate Housewives, Grinch sets, War of the World set, Bates Motel, etc.
The Mummy is next best ride. I had higher hopes for the theming, but still not a bad ride. Basically the bastard child of DL's Space Mountain and Indiana Jones.
Also worth catching is the Shrek 4-D movie. Pretty funny and the special effects are very good.
Waterworld was surprisingly entertaining. And that Mariner guy was HAWT!
Everything else is just so-so.
I think had I payed closer to $40 I would liked it more. At the current price it just doesn't deliver enough. However if you bothered to read this entire review, you probably don't care about the price. Have fun!
FUNNNNN!!!
WAKE UP EARLY TO TRY TO
GET THE FRONT OF THE LINE
PASSES!! It helps u get good seats at shows
and go straight onto rides without waiting
in super loong lines. HAHA went on the Mummy
10 times! And Jurassic park 7 times!
Van Helsing is hella creepy! I Screamed hella loud
in it!
And the Oscar goes to....well, not Universal Studios. It's gonna need more than 4 stars to get the coveted prize. At times, it even acts like 3 - 3.5 stars.
My first visit to the so-called "entertainment capital of the world" was nearly 20 years ago. Now, 2 decades later, I return to find that it is still very much the same place it used to be. A lot of drama. A lot of show. A lot of dough required to witness it all. Oh, and if you purchased tickets online make sure to bring your credit card / ID. They write it down in teeny tiny print, but you will not stand a chance getting in unless you get verified on the spot.
Our first spot was the House of Horrors, which had grown men and women screaming and sweating. It'll get your blood pumping. Horror movie characters will re-enact your worst nightmare and jump out at you from the deepest, darkest places. Next was Waterworld. Though at times it was super cheesy, it was captivating. Our cast had actors from Twilight, CSI, etc. This show also began our journey through Univ. Studios' favorite 2 things: FIRE and WATER. You can hardly get through a ride or a show without these two elements present. After the third attraction, it started getting a bit old.
Next was Shrek in 4-D. Have you ever seen "Honey I Shrunk the Audience?" at Disney? This is the exact same thing with the same tricks...except much cooler because it's in 4-D.
From there, we went on the Studio Tour. A lot of the sets were the exact same from 20 years ago. Kind of nice to re-live those memories. Jaws seemed a lot scarier back then though. Lots of water splattering along the way. Also amazing to see how bland those towns (western, european, etc) looks in real life and compare it to their transformation in the movies. Nothing was filming the day I went, but we did catch a stunt practice.
We then headed to the lower level and found the shortest line (Backdraft). More fire. A lot more fire. Not really a must-see. I liked that the guy running the lines tried to be entertaining even when telling us to walk in a single file line and that "every seat is a good seat." Unlike many of the amusement parks, the people working here actually seem to care a bit.
Finally, there was the Simpson's ride! The line here was exceptionally long (40 - 50 mins), but it was worth not only the wait but also every complaint I've had about this park. This is the ride that earns the 4 star yelp rating. TVs showing snippets of the Simpson's keep you entertained in line so the hour wait feels shorter. The ride is unlike anything I've ever seen/rode before. You're stunned from the get go both visually and by the unique approach of this ride. Do not miss this one...even if you have to come back the next day.
Overall, Univ. Studios lacks the fantastical magic that will have you lost in another world. It's also not the most children friendly. I saw a lot of crying children that day (especially at the House of Horrors). But despite all its flaws, it does occasionally shine through and those small beams of light help make the visit worthwhile (once every 2 decades).
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At the age of 28 this was my first time going to Universal Studios, and I had a blast! So this is my guide if you want to go here and make the most out of your money and time.
-1st off, take the Metro Red Line and get off at Universal City, $1.25 one way ticket. That saves you parking. Then you take the tram up the hill for Free!
-2nd, use a AAA card to get a discount on your admission ticket, that cuts it down like $10 each ticket
-3rd, if planning your trip try to go early March or when the kids are in school, there are absolutely no lines this time of the year.
-4th, food they have a program right now, all you can eat for $19.99
So with all those four things I got to jump into every ride and show with ease. No wait, just walk right on. My favorite things were the studio tour and the Simpson's Ride. Everything else was great too, but those were my favs. Very happy I got to go here before I turned 30.
WASTE OF MONEY!!!!
Yeah, just go to disneyland.. more rides, more fun, more everything!
I almost had a heart attack during my 1st ride on the jurassic park ride, omg! And the mummy ride too... crazy! Oh, the just opened the simpsons ride thing... it looked so tempting cuz of the structure and size and the long lines, but guess what? IT SUCKED!!!! it was only a motion stimulate, whatever u call it. Basically u sit in a car, then sit back and watch a HUGE BIG SCREEN and pretend like ure actually in it... wow.
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I had never been to California before last year and my wife suggested we go here for the day. We got to experience L.A. rush hour first hand leaving our hotel in Hermosa, we took the carpool lanes on the 110 and wound up getting lost in downtown L.A. fun fun fun! Getting back on the 10 and then jumping on the Hollywood freeway, I got to see the Hollywood sign for the first time, which was pretty cool.
Paid for the close parking, I think it was $20 bucks, got our tickets and away we went. We saw some of the shows (Special Effects, the Animal show, Backdraft) and they were all pretty cool. We LOVED the Jursassic Park ride. That drop, man I almost soiled myself. We went on it like 3 times in a row. We also loved the Simpsons ride, that was a lot of fun.
We did the tour as well, which was nice because it was no walking!
I love Southern California and can't wait to go back in May. We're going back to Universal and then will hit Pinks before heading to Vegas!
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Universal is a good place. Don't get me wrong. What it has to offer is fun, there's just... not a bunch of it.
Most of the park is themed restaurants and souvenir stores, with the to-be-expected theme park prices. Scattered throughout are plenty of photo opportunities--various parts of the park itself can be and have been used as movie backgrounds, and are therefore well-crafted, interesting scenes. Additionally, there are cool movie artifacts around--a trophy "Jaws" shark, the ocean landing pod used in Apollo XIII, and others. For those interested, there are costumed types wandering the park for, y'know, that sort of thing.
As far as the actual attractions, though, there's no possible way to spend an entire day in the park unless you're there on a day with long wait times. The rides are all quite brief, and there's not really much reason for repeating any ride on a single day.
Jurassic Park, for example, would be an incredible ride were it not for extremely disappointing animatronics. The dinosaurs LOOK good, but you can find more sophisticated, realistic motion on "It's a Small World". Witness also the JP land cruiser that falls from a wall and nearly crashes onto your boat, then resets back up the wall while the boat is still passing.
The Mummy roller-coaster is excellent in concept and execution, it's just about thirty seconds long. The Simpsons Ride is quite well-done, but even if you aren't inclined to motion sickness, it's a little headachey. The Backlot Tour is worth every second, and probably the best feature of the park.
But in the end, on an off-day with short lines you've got about three or four hours' worth of activity, and that's if you stretch the most out of everything.
Universal is a nice, fun little place. But for an admission price comparable to other, much larger and more activity-packed parks, it's a place you really don't need to bother with more than every five or so years.
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As a Southern California native I can honestly and objectively say that Universal Studios Hollywood has gone downhill in a major way. It's sad.
The rides can't compete with places like Disneyland and Magic Mountain. The tour of the movie lot, which used to be the highlight of the theme park, seems old and outdated. The park feels like a dilapidated junk yard, dirty and sticky with every move you make. I wanted to have a large baby wipe with me at all times! Plus, its gotten really expensive for this not so memorable experience.
Overall, there are much better places to take those out of town guests. In fact, if you want to give them a little Universal flare, take them to City Walk for dinner and a movie. Same idea without the extra cost.
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I went to Universal Studios on 4th of July weekend, and it was my first time going. Besides the ridiculous 67 dollar admission price (WTF?), the overpriced souvenirs and the wait times for the rides, I overall had a good time.
So I went this past weekend and it was really scary. Zombiefest or fright fest or whatever it was there. It was really scary and people were jumping out from in between the dividers and stuff to freak me out. What i didn't like was that the chainsaw guys were really loud and they put the things up to your ear and it hurt my ear.
I had a great time with my friends. Two of my friends dressed up as cows and tried to get into every single picture. We almost had one picture without them but they managed to have a blur of them running in.
The best part was the Simpson's ride. I have a really good friend and he loves the Simpsons and he totaly would have loved going to this.
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