Universal Studios, Los Angeles

You know the dance with this place - theme park / studio tour.

Was expecting a little more from both.

Firstly, Universal Studios only has 2 decent rides - The Revenge of the Mummy, a slow ghost train with animatronics, turning into a pitch black roller coaster, with operators that clap and whoop like demented sea-lions with the arrival and departure of every kart, and Jurassic Park, which is your typical log-flume style ride but with unfortunately only ONE proper drop. All the other rides are BOBBINS - inc the much celebrated Back To The Future which would be even an embarrassment to most UK theme parks. As for the shows - Terminator is fairly good, Shrek is a similar style but for kids. The best is by far Waterworld which has some awesome effects - including a full size plane being thrown over the set towards the audience. Whoops, I've just ruined it.

The second part is the famous (but predictable) studio tour.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Most of Universal's attractions are shows, so check the daily show schedule first. We saw Waterworlds last performance and it was a sell-out. Try to arrive at the theatre at least 15 mins before the show time listed in the handout.

Sit on the left (drivers side) of the tour bus for better views.

Do the lower lot first. Most people start at the Upper Lot and you can see them go "downstairs" massively in the afternoon. The lower lot typically opens an hour or so after the park, so use that first hour to visit the most popular of the upper attractions.

To avoid the crowds, try not to visit on weekends, school vacations, and Japanese holidays.

If you're willing to pay extra money to save the hassle of standing in line, the park offers a "Front of Line" pass, as well as VIP passes (private tours). You can also purchase and print your tickets online. Although the park wasn't that busy, we had the front of line passes and it meant we got on The Mummy about 12 times. Buy normal tickets on-line, and then if the park is busy, buy the FOL separately at their in-park ticket booth.

4 more images

We spend a full day at Universal Studios. The ticket gives you access to all the attractions so it’s worth to take advantage of it as it is very expensive ($69 general admission). You may want to try the Front of Line Pass ($99), with this you get priority access to all rides and attractions, something very usefell considering the long lines some popular rides have(it’s not so nice to wait 45-60 minutes for a 5 minute ride, isnt it?)

If you like theme parks you like this one too but here you wont find many rides, it’s more about the movies. The first thing we did was the Studio Tour, it was kind of boring in some parts but interesting in some others, the little train takes you through the back lot of the studio, if you are lucky you may pass from a movie filming. We saw the wreackege from War Of the Worlds, explosive special effects, and other demonstrations such of an earthquake, rain and flood, maniacs (pic 4) and car crashes (pic 5). We passed by the area where the Jaw had filmed etc Dont forget to sit on the left side of the bus, it has better views ;)

The rides and the other attractions are spread over two levels (upper Lot and lower Lot) so if you dont have a lot of time you may want to check the schedule first, for exable the Water World runs only at 13.30 and 16.00. We checked the program and started to try...

The Revenge of the Mummy ride, is a great roller coaster, it goes very fast inside the dark, but it only lasts a little (1,5 minute, some other say this is good though), we even enjoyed the Simpsons ride, actually we were at the same spot all the time but the 3D movie was great! Take a funny face at the end they will take a pic of you. Now that I say this I have to admit that we spent an extra fortune for some silly photos of us like this :) For free you can have some photos with some charactes like the Simpsons, Shrek/Fiona/Donkey(pic 2), SpongeBob etc Check the program for timetables though

The park is full of restaurants and souvenir shops (expensive as usual) full in kitchy decoration but we were in LA and didnt have much problem with that :) Of course the small kids were really excited, some Rides arent for them but they will enjoy the show of Universal’s Animal Actors(pic 3), trained dogs, birds and cats will surprise them for sure.

The Special Effect Stages had some funny presentations and we got surprised of some simple but hard to imagine techniques, while at Backdraft we saw some extra fire special effects. We got bored with Shrek 4D show, T2 was better and we had fun with Jurassic Park ride (pic 1). For Waterworld be there early to grab a good seat and avoid the wet spots :)

The park is open daily 10.00-18.00

Universal Studios Hollywood (USH) is the nearest theme park to the City of Los Angeles. You can easily get there via MTA Red Line subway trains.

USH is not only a theme park; it is also a working studio where movies and television shows are produced. The Studio Tour gives you a glimpse of some movie-making magic. For example, you'll see a typical cowboy movie set where some doors are scaled smaller to make the average-sized stars look bigger.

The theme park is relatively smaller than most theme parks. Its attractions can be described as eclectic. There's a stunt show (Waterworld). There's also a 3D show (Terminator 2) and a 4D show (Shrek). Jurassic Park The Ride is still popular. There's a new ride called Revenge of the Mummy. Back To The Future The Ride is still going strong.

After your tour of Universal Studios Hollywood, explore Universal CityWalk which is just outside the park. It has many shops and restaurants. It also has many movie theatres. They say that the place really rocks at night.

Situated on the real Universal lot, was once a studio tour that has grown into a sizable theme park that will absorb an entire day. The hour-long Backlot Tram Tour is still the heart of the matter. Tours take in such classic movie sites as the Bates Motel, plus a few silly-but-fun staged "disasters," including a not-so-secret one starring Jaws the shark. This is an actual working studio, so you could see filming in action. The rest of the fun is tied to more typical theme park–type rides and attractions, albeit with a movie slant. Come midweek if you can, preferably not in summer, to avoid long lines.

This really is a great show!
This is a high paced live show that uses jet skis, explosions, a seaplane crash, stunt work and just about anything else you can think of to keep you entertained.
Be on the lookout when choosing a seat though because there are "wet" and "dry" zones and choosing what best suits you can be a good idea
The cast is really impressive and they are introduced at the end of the show.

This ride is nothing short of excellent! There are several dinosaurs on display that attempt to scare you at odd times that are realistic. You do however get very wet during the course of this ride and I would recommend that tou take a poncho with you. The ride starts off as a pleasent boat trip before everything goes drastically wrong and the ride becomes fun. A great experience with a drop at the end that is exhilarating to say the least.

Everyone must go to Universal studios in LA. It's much better than the one at universal studios in Florida. With rides like Jurrasic Park, Back to the future and terminator you won't be bored! I also reccomend the universal studios film tour which is a tour on a train around where movies such as Scorpion King and the tv programme 'Providence' are filmed. Everyone should try this because it's the experience of a lifetime!!

4 more images

If you are holidaying in LA, then a trip to Universal Studios for the day is a must.

We took the advice of doing the lower lot first. Most people start at the upper lot and work their way down in the afternoon. The lower lot opens an hour after the upper, so use this time to visit the most popular of the upper attractions. We used that time to go on the studio tour so we didn’t miss out on it later on. The narrated tram tour takes you through the studio's active back-lot, and demonstrations of special effects such as an earthquake, Jaws, King Kong, a flash flood, car crashes, and takes you through famous movie sets and TV shows from Universal movies. Sit on the left hand side of the tram for the best views.

As for the rides, The Revenge of the Mummy was the best by far. It’s a slow ghost train that turns into a flat-out roller coaster ride in the dark. The Jurassic Park ride was okay too. It’s your typical flume type ride with one big drop at the end. All the other rides were pretty lame. I suppose this theme park is not about the rides, it’s more about the shows. The Waterworld show was really good, it used explosions, jet skis, boats, a plane crash, and stunt people galore to keep you more than entertained. Make sure you get in early to get a good seat because there are wet and dry zones. You might end up soaking wet if you’re late, unless that’s what you want. The T2 show was cool too.

If you also intend on visiting SeaWorld or the SD Zoo in San Diego as we did, you should definitely buy the Southern California City Pass. It entitles you to a 3-Day Disneyland ticket, and 1-day tickets to Universal Studios, SeaWorld and a choice of SD Zoo or SD Zoo's Wild Animal Park. You can purchase this ticket from any of the parks. It's a great saving!

4 more images

Going to Universal Studios has always been fun for me when I was younger, so I decided to bring the twins when they were just less than a year old – LOL! I’m not sure if they appreciated it, but my wife and I sure did! Hehehe…

Of course I love the classics like the set of Jaws, and going on that train ride…and seeing the set of Back to the Future and the TV show Desperate Housewives.....But now, the place always thrills by adding new technology to its rides and shows. Now, they have the Revenge of the Mummy thrill coaster and the Jurassic Park 80-foot raft plunge! And then a Shrek and Donkey on an ogre-the-top adventure in Shrek-4-D.

And don’t forget the Universal City Walk – LA’s best shops, all-new cinemas and restaurants…

The tickets may be restrictive to some – so look around for magazine clippings or even deals on their internet site. But, if you do want the thrill of Hollywood when in L.A., you really just have to visit this place! It’s Awesome! I have to bring the twins back there again – soon!

To be short: When you are in LA, you must visit one of the Studios. Universal is great.

Great rides and great shows!

When you get there I would suggest to take the tour on the filmsets first before you visit the shows and rides (e.g. Waterworld, western, Backdraft, The Mummy, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, etc.).