Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood experience consists of a few different elements and I feel that grading them separately would better show you what it’s all about.
Rides 2,5/5: As far as the advertised rides go, it was a bit of a letdown. It’s rather entertainment for kids as the majority was based on a 4D simulator. After two rides it just wasn’t fun anymore. We tried The Simpsons Ride and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem first, not very exiting but still interesting and funny. Then we decided to go straight for the Revenge of the Mummy on the other side of the park, as we heard it was really good. It was better, at least a bit scary, but still not what I’d thought it would be. For the last ride we chose Fast & Furious — Supercharged: Expectation as the queue to Transformers and Jurassic Park was quite enormous (even with a special pass) and we were a bit tired from a constant sun. It was nice, something a bit different, lots of special effects.
Studio tour ⁵⁄₅: It was definitely the best part of the experience. They’d put us in a small trams and driven up to the hills where we were making frequent stops to see movie stages, prop room, and sets of neighborhoods from famous TV shows and movies. The guide was very knowledgable and told us a lot of stories from Friends, Pretty Little Liars and Gilmore Girls. All of which I watch or watched at one point. We also got to see some pretty cool sets from Jaws, King Kong, War of the Worlds and Psycho. At that last set there was even a guy with the knife that performed a scene from the movie! He was scary as hell! I learned a lot of «behind the scenes» facts and tricks. It was absolutely great!
Shows ⁴⁄₅: We decided to see Waterworld show first and it was pretty cool. They used a lot of special effects and it was nice to see all this explosions and fires not on the screen but for real :). Then we went for less entertaining but very interesting Special Effects Show, where we learned how the magic of the green screens works.
Infrastructure ⁴⁄₅: The whole «city» was nicely planned. A lot of small stages and mini-​performances, people dressed as characters from movies, sweet booth, some restaurants. All in all, everything that a family may want on a trip with kids.

Such an awesome theme park.
We walked up and casually, Mario Lopez is filming Extra by the Universal globe. No big deal.
INSIDE the actual park was a ton of fun too. My sister loved Super Silly Fun Land and all the little minions and wanted to do everything in there like 10 times.
My favorite ride without question was the Mummy ride — I’m not really one for 3D rides because it’s the same stuff over and over, but the Mummy Ride was actually somewhat of a coaster.
The Studio Tour was awesome. Our guide was like cute older lady and she was great at her job. It was really cool to get to go «behind the scenes» and see how everything happens! It was an hour tour but whizzed by because of how cool and fun it was. Get this, though: My stepdad lost his phone on this tour. No idea how or where. We told guest services and they sent somebody out on the path that the hour long tour goes and they FOUND IT. Above and beyond, for sure!
The shows they put on are really cool too — we went to the Shrek 4D showing which was really cool and hilarious if you’re 10 and younger, the Animal Actors show, and the WaterWorld show. The Animal Actors was awesome. I love animals and this whole entire show is just focused on the Hollywood animal actors! You even get to go meet and pet them at the end!
The reason I’m deducting one star is because I’m super butthurt that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter wasn’t open. I have a Harry Potter tattoo, that’s how serious I am about it. I’m still sad. You could see they have most of it built but the gates were closed… So sad. They also had the Jurassic Park ride closed which was also a huge bummer.

I love universal and am a big fan, but we went yesterday and have to say there is too much construction going on. At the end of the day everyone was trying to squeeze out of a little walkway. Took a little while to exit the park.
Also have to comment on the fact that it seemed like they were running out of everything. I ate at the restaurant near Jurassic Park and they did not have any ranch to go with the chicken strips, for as much as the food cost I should’ve had ranch with my chicken strips. Then I went to buy the bucket of popcorn that you can get refills on by the mummy ride and they were out of the buckets and suggested I buy a $ 20 minion bucket instead, was really looking forward to the popcorn because I had been smelling it most of the morning, but not for $ 20. no thank you.

Universal Studios was always one of my favorite amusement parks as a child. I have fond memories of riding the tram, being wowed by all of the movie props/​locations, and experiencing so many great attractions that heavily relied on expert craftsmanship, beautiful animatronics, and good olé fashion «movie magic» to wow their guests.
Making myself sound like an old man, things have changed — and I’m not really sure they’ve changed for the better.
My first visit to Universal was in 1991. My last visit at Universal was in 1996, reluctantly returning almost 20 years later in order to see how the park has evolved. And while I fully realize that many of the attractions I loved as a kid, such as ET Adventure, Back to the Future, and the mechanical King Kong, might no longer be technologically ground-​breaking, I do feel that he park has been stripped of many things that once made it so magical.
In short, Universal Studios has gotten lazy with their attractions, relying strictly on novelty 3D motion simulators that are, for lack of a better term, just flat out lame! After experiencing Shrek 4D, Transformers, and Despicable Me, I quickly realized that this park has become very dependent on cheap gimmickry that probably requires very little maintenance beyond running a digital film projector and operating a few sprinklers on the side.
The Simpson’s ride, in particular, was very painful to experience. Remembering my countless experiences riding Back to the Future as a child, it’s like revisiting the house you grew up in, only to find the entire place remodeled, redecorated, and stripped of its original charm to where only the structure itself remains.
Keeping this in mind, there are still some attractions that serve as reminders of what Universal used to be. The Mummy is a fairly decent dark-​ride, Jurassic Park suddenly has new relevance after the release of the new film, and it’s nice to see that the Studio Tour hasn’t lost its appeal over the years.
3D tram attractions such as Fast and the Furious and King Kong just made me cringe. If I wanted to watch special effects being projected onto a big screen, I would have just stayed at home.
Thankfully, the much beloved Animal Actors show is still as delightfully fun as I remember it being. And who would have thought that Waterworld, a film that has long since been forgotten, would still manage to live on through a pretty decent stunt show?
My girlfriend and I bought VIP Passes. Unlike some amusement parks, that discourage the term «front of the line» pass, that’s basically what these guarantee. Because of this extra investment, we were able to knock out the entire park by 4 o’clock in the afternoon, seeing basically every show and riding every attraction at least once. It’s definitely something worth taking advantage of if you don’t want to wait in line all day.
Overall, I’m glad I returned 20 years later to see how the park has evolved. But I can’t help but feel that Universal Studios lacks a lot of the magic that once made it so special. Or maybe I’ve just grown up.
I’ll definitely return, but probably not for another 20 years.

I hadn’t been to Universal Studios since I was 11. I remember liking it but thinking that it was boring compared to Six Flags or Disneyland. My husband and I were planning a trip to Los Angeles for New Year’s eve weekend, and when he learned that Universal now had Simpsons land, he insisted that we go. I was a little hesitant based on my previous experience but I’m so glad we decided to go!
First, if it’s in your budget, get the front of line pass! It saved us a good 6 – 8 hours. There is still some potential for waiting since other people also have the pass, but the longest we waited was 10 minutes for the Simpsons ride, and the regular line was about 75 minutes. The Studio Tour had a 90 minute wait, and we walked right up and got on.
Although Universal has a smaller ride selection than some of its counterparts, the rides they did have were all awesome! The only ride still standing from when I was a kid is Jurassic Park, so it was neat to see all the new rides. Even the Studio Tour, which I found kind of boring as a kid, is now super interesting as they have three rides within the tour. My husband and I both agree that our favorite ride was Transformers, so do that first! We went there as our first ride of the day, and even the regular line only had a 10 minute wait.
The only ride I wasn’t too keen on was Shrek. If you have kids, I think they would like it, but if we had waited 45 minutes, I would have been extremely disappointed.
By far, our favorite part of the park was Simpsons land. Sure, there’s only one ride, albeit a fun one. But having watched the show almost since inception, it was so awesome to get to go to shop at the Kwik-​E-​Mart, have a Lard Boy donut, eat a Krusty Burger, and have a Duff at Moe’s and the Duff Beer Garden. I also think they did a good job keeping food/​drink prices reasonable. Our burgers were $ 9 and came with coleslaw and fries. The beers were $ 11, but they were 20 oz, and for an extra buck, you get a souvenir glass. The food, more importantly, was also tasty.
My only real dislike about Universal was it still feels small. We got there after 10, and were done by 3. Granted we had the front of line tickets, but even just walking around the park, it feels small. However, you can see the tops of the buildings in the not yet opened Harry Potter land, and it looks like it’s going to be awesome! I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan, but I think it looks like fun! I’d probably head back in a year or so to check it out.

Universal Studios Hollywood looks small, however, there’s sooo much to see, do, eat and buy.
Harry Potter Land doesn’t open until April 7^th 2016. Jurassic Park was closed for remodeling, however, we ate at the Jurassic Café. Family fun… We’re not even done because lines are long… And the amusement park closes like right this minute.
Well, Extra with Mario Lopez films now. He’s hiding from me… Somewhere around here. And City Walk’s open to at least 2am.

I had a great time here. I would do a one day pass and you are all good. It really takes one day to walk through the whole things and do all the rides and some shows. I suggest don’t expect too much on the rides as most of them are 3D rides.
You must do the studio tour. I waited 1 hour and a half but its totally worth it. The Jurassic park ride is another one you must do. The others you can skip. Well I had a great time checking out the whole universal studio like Spring field and Jurrasic park and the minion homes etc. They have pretty good shows like Waterworks.
I highly recommend coming here. One day admission is about $ 100 but its totally worth it. I really enjoyed this place.

I’ve been to just about all of the theme parks in California, but for some reason hadn’t been to Universal Studios Hollywood. My girlfriend really wanted to go, so we decided to fit it into our vacation.
Tickets are a good price. We ended up with $ 95 season passes through Costco that have some weird blackout dates, but that should allow us to go two or three times within the next year.
The day we went was really rainy. We decided we would still go and buy some ponchos there. Universal does a really good job of taking care of you during a rainy day. Ponchos are only $ 5. They could be a little longer in the back, but they worked well enough and kept us dry. They also give out free hot chocolate. Between a cheap poncho and free hot chocolate the rain wasn’t an issue at all.
As it was a rainy Tuesday, the crowds were nonexistent. The only attraction we waited more than 10 minutes for was the Shrek 4D theater. Everything else was pretty much a walk on.
If you go on a crowded day, here are the rides I would say you should go on:
Simpsons
Transformers
Studio Tour
Mummy
Rides you can miss:
Shrek
Despicable Me
The rides are interesting. Most of them aren’t really roller coasters in the traditional sense. That being said, they were all really well done. For example, on the Simpsons ride I had to keep looking off to the side of the screen and floor to verify that we weren’t actually moving. The effects and things they use to convince you that you are really moving are amazing. Falls on the video screen felt like falls on the rides. Same with acceleration and everything else.
Overall it was a good trip and I’m looking forward to visiting later this year to see the Harry Potter stuff. We could see the village and Hogwarts and it all looked pretty amazing.

I used to work at Universal Studios ten years ago, so keep in mind, my review may be a little biased. As a spectator and a casual theme park visitor, my experiences here have been a bit different. I’ll just give a breakdown of every attraction that I’ve been through. Keep in mind that you will experience heavy volume wait periods, so plan your trip accordingly! That being said, here we go:
Despicable Me/​Transformers/​The Simpsons — The rides are all pretty similar, you put on the 3D glasses and go for a bumpy ride. Transformers is probably the best of the bunch because it really throws you around and everyone loves getting whiplash.
Jurassic Park Ride — I keep coming back to this ride because I love the plunge! So basically, there’s an 85 foot drop where you go splashing into the ravine. Before the final plunge, the ride automatically takes your photo. The quality of the photo usually comes out really bad, so I never opt for it.
Shrek 4D — Really fun and wasn’t expecting it at all! The 4D effects are astonishing.
Studio Tour — I guess everybody has to do this, but only if you’ve never done it before. A tour guide takes you through the film sets of classics like Back to the Future and War of the Worlds. The King Kong 3D ride on the tour billed as «The Largest 3D Experience in The World» was disappointing. It has won several visual effects awards, but the technology of our time surpasses anything compared to back then.
Waterworld — It’s a fun show, but just like Sea World, don’t sit near the front unless you wanna get soaked!
Revenge of the Mummy — Really exciting ride. If you’re scared of roller coasters, I think you’ll enjoy this one because it is just the right amount of thrills.
The last time I was here, they were still constructing the Harry Potter and Fast and Furious attractions, so that’s why they were left out of my review. Perhaps I’ll go back again and update it when the time is right. All in all, kids will definitely have fun seeing all of the craziness going on around here. Like I said, I’ve worked on set around here, so I’ve had completely different experiences (some good, some bad). Universal has been a popular attraction for quite some time, and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down any time soon!
Theme parks will always be fun no matter what age you are, and Universal Studios Hollywood is no exception.

Whoever comes to Universal as an adult
1) has no life
2) has money to waste
3) has children
4) tourist who thinks America is amazing
I fall into category #1
$ 95 per ticket. You can save lots of money if you buy the year pass but you can’t go on certain lack out days.
I suggest to not come around the holiday season or weekends because you’ll find yourself stuck in a line of children in the hot sun (in summer which will make me extremely cranky).
Okay so coming to Universal you should definitely game plan! Take a map. First plan out where you will eat. Do not walk around the amusement park going wherever you want. Strategize. Stop by each ride/​stop in an orderly fashion. If you plan on dining at one of the restaurants try to time it with when you plan on going to that area. Bring lots of cash. Comfy shoes. It does get expensive here. Expect to pay around $ 200 per person with food/​souvineers.
You can buy a plastic bottle cup for $ 15 of a minion with unlimited refills.
My favorite ride was the Jurassic park one. There’s also one area for children and has a water park. Bring extra clothes if your mini mes expect to get soaked. There’s also a small designated smoking area right there (thank me later).
PS. I saw Amber Rose here

Come just as the park opens so you don’t have to worry about parking. I recommend doing all of the special exhibits and rides first, then shows later on during the day since there are set times for those and they can accommodate a lot of people.
My most recent trip was for Grinchmas and it was spectacular. I saw the Grinch around 10am and there were only 6 families in front of us. There are Whos everywhere and everyone plays their part making it a magical experience. By 2PM the park starts crowding with people and by 6PM, we are all sardines everywhere we go.
I paid $ 135 for the day + 2016 (Wizarding World opens April 2016 so well worth it). There are a lot of blackout dates but as long as you have a weekday free, May, Sept, Oct, and Nov are your friends.
This is place is no Six Flags so don’t come expecting roller coasters.

We made our way through Universal Citywalk which is reminiscent to Downtown Disney. Universal Studios is divided into two– upper lot and lower lot. To get to the lower lot there were multiple escalators. The theme park was decorated for the holidays– Grinchmas style. Instead of Santa, children can meet The Grinch. There was a 60 foot tree and caroling from the Who-​ville Singers. I came here many years ago and I don’t remember a lot. I do remember the WaterWorld show, especially the heat on my face. The heat felt nice because it was a cold day. Springfield is new. Besides the ride, there’s Krusty Burger, Luigi’s Pizza, Moe’s Tavern, Duff’s Brewery, Lard Lad Donuts, etc. The food is overpriced of course.
Theme parks are not my thing because I don’t like to go on rides. I was too scared to go on Revenge of the Mummy and Jurassic Park. While I was waiting for my friends, I saw a bunch of little kids lining up for the rides, which made me wonder if they can do it why can’t I. I went with my friends the second time around. The 84 foot drop on Jurassic Park wasn’t much of anything, but I still held on as if my life depended on it. I was even partially afraid on The Simpsons Ride, if it gives you any indication of how chicken I am. If I had to pick a favorite, I would say Shrek. Watch out for the spiders! A lot of the rides were 3D and gave me motion sickness. It seems as if many of the rides also utilized water and heat effects.
The Studio Tour was a 60 minute tram ride that took us to the back-​lot. The tour is the signature ride at the theme park and is also offered in Spanish and Mandarin. References were made to movies I’ve never heard of, so part of the ride was a bit of a snooze. The tour featured several attractions: King Kong: 360 3-​D, Jurassic Park, Flash Flood, Earthquake: The Big One, movie sets including Whoville from How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Fast & Furious: Supercharged, etc.
One day is more than enough to see/​ride all the attractions. The wait times weren’t bad overall. The only reason I would consider coming back is for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I love Harry Potter, but I’m not one to buy a wand for $ 30 or don a robe. I’ll shell out for some Butterbeer though!

Theme parks have become a haven for enthusiasts who want to experience something unique. Universal Studios is unlike its competitors because the environment as well as the shows are one of a kind! It is the best thing to happen to San Fernando Valley.
Given that the property itself is small compared to other theme parks, the trick is to make the most out of what they’ve got. During your visit, you’ll have opportunities to get on a few rides, interact with characters, get a behind the scenes look at the movie industry, and watch some interactive special effect shows.
Throughout the year, there is a change in scenery as they prepare for Halloween Horror Nights and Grinchmas for the holidays. Their employees have a vivid imagination and with a touch of Hollywood magic, this park takes on a life of its own. Whether you appreciate gore and fear or bright Christmas decorations complete with fake snow, you’ll have many reasons to visit Universal throughout the year.
Three of their rides, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Transformers, and The Simpson Ride are simulated and some require you to wear 3D glasses. The special effect are over the top and you really do feel as if you’re a part of the animated short. The other 2 rides are a bit different. Revenge of the Mummy is a super short indoor, dark roller coaster that travels at high speeds. Jurassic park follows the theme of the blockbuster movie and just when you think it’s safe, you’ll take the plunge and get wet!
The main draw to the park is The Studio Tour! This is where you gain a wealth of knowledge about movie production and special effects. You’ll have opportunities to see how movie magic brings scenes to life. At times, there are active productions taking place in what’s called a «Hot Set». This means that nothing is to be moved as one slight change could impact the continuity of the scene. You might get a little wet when Jaws lunges out of the water or during an «unexpected rain storm». However I think it’s a bit worse when Norman Bates runs toward the tram wielding a fake knife because he gets a little too close for comfort. There are also a couple of indoor simulated attractions on the tour that leave a lasting impression. Fast and Furious is a bit cheesy and doesn’t do the industry any justice. But King Kong is a bit scary as it seems so real! The tram shakes at the right times and you honestly feel as if King Kong is wreaking havoc everywhere!
Once you’ve had your fill of rides and behind the scenes tours, you have the option of checking out Universal’s shows. The Waterworld Show seems to be most popular among guests. The special effects are over the top as you’ll get wet, feel the heat, and see see so many things come to life in a big way! Animal Actors and The Special Effects Shows put a lot of things into perspective. So many talented individuals can do a lot with that green screen!
Finally, a visit to your local amusement park isn’t complete without interacting with characters! SpongeBob, Scooby Doo, Woody Woodpecker, Curious George, and many more of your childhood favorites roam around near the entrance. In general, characters aren’t allowed to speak or make any kind of noises but I think the rules are a bit relaxed at Universal Studios. SpongeBob demonstrates his signature laugh at times and don’t be surprised if you hear people laughing uncontrollably in their costumes. Minions are definitely short and they like to amuse you while you pose for photos. What’s great about your photo with the characters is that you never know what will happen or what the finished product will look like. Winnie Woodpecker (Woody’s girlfriend) sat on my boyfriend’s lap at one point and could hardly control her laughter. So as you can tell, it’s pretty spontaneous!
I love what Universal has to offer and that they made good use of such a small amount of space. On some levels, one could argue that Universal was not built to handle heavy crowd levels. The pathways through the main entrance become very narrow as you work your way toward Simpsons Land. However, Universal is a small park that is very promising! Simply take a look at Hogwarts Castle that’s eagerly awaiting the arrival of fans on April 7, 2016! It’s coming and this will be HUGE for Universal. Fast pass machines have already been installed to ease the frustration of long wait times.
Universal is awesome and yet you know more good things are coming your way. They listen to the public and will respond to your concerns. Their annual passes have changed and most weekends are blocked out in 2016 so you have difficult choices ahead. Either way, a single day’s visit to the park will suffice as you can get a lot done in under 5 hours. Universal is great for people who want to experience the magic without spending the whole day on your feet. I highly recommend a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood for a different kind a theme park experience!

They no longer are offering the buy a day get a year free tickets for 2016. Annual pass are a significant jump from previous prices. For the cheapest annual pass, you’re looking at all weekends blocked off from March onward.
And, they put RFID chips on their soda cups. As if raising admission prices were not enough, you now cannot get refills for free on your overpriced beverages.
Well, that ends my visits to Universal.

It was actually way better than I expected. Ironically, the rides that I was ecstatic to try were the ones that let me down and the ones I didn’t even want to go on were my favorite. This is why they say looks can be deceiving. In this case I blame the commercials.
The main reason I came to universal was because of the new fast and furious ride. I saw it over and over again on t.v. until I finally decided to buy my ticket. I was so excited and that was the first ride I had in mind. I also wanted to try the transformer one.
First thing, parking is more expensive in the morning. I usually come to city walk at night and I think it is maybe half the price. In the morning it goes up because they know you are here for universal studios not for city walk. It was a long line to park. Good thing I always like to come early.
We passed through city walk and everything was closed. We finally went to the main entrance. We didn’t have to make too much line since we had bought our tickets online. We went straight to the line were they check your bags. Correction: were they hardly look inside your bag. It is more like a peak inside.
We went in and the park was just opening. There was a sign with all the rides and their wait time. All of them said no wait. We ended up going to the nearest one which was the Simpsons ride. Before I get to the ride let me just say don’t head to that one. If there is no line I recommend you head to transformers or the mummy.
The Simpsons Ride™: Loved it. It was actually the ride I did not want to go on, but my sister insisted. Results, it was my favorite. The line was not bad at all. I went on three times. The ride actually lasted for awhile. It felt so real too. The third time I noticed the other little cars on the side and it felt less real. Suggestion, don’t look to your left or right.
Fast & Furious — Supercharged: Expectation, I thought it was going to be in a little car like the Simpson ride. It was actually in the bus with about 100 other people. You have to go through a tour, but i guess it beats waiting in line for so long. It was more of a show than a ride. It didn’t last too long, but it was nice. I just expected too much from it.
King Kong 360 3-​D: This one was part of the bus tour too with the fast & furious. It was okay. Enjoyable, but very short. It did feel real, but like I said it is on a bus.
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem: This was another one I didn’t want to go on. I love minions, but more on the movie. I thought it was going to be borrowing since there was so many little kids including my little brother. It has a very nice attraction during the long line you have to make. When it finally opened up, it was like a movie theater, but with those metal seat belts. I had no idea how that was going to work. Let me just tell you. I loved it. It was so much fun and it did last a little longer. There was so much action for a little kids attraction.
Transformers™: The Ride-​3D: This one took a little longer than an hour… IN A LINE! Yes, the line was unbearable. It made me want to give up on the ride. We kept going and going and going. Existing and entering about 20 rooms. It felt like we were getting closer and BAM it was another room. I did love the ride. It was so fun and felt sooo real. The line just made it seem like it wasn’t worth it. If it wasn’t for the line maybe this would of been my favorite.
Revenge of the Mummy℠ — The Ride: Scared the crap out of me. This one was amazing. The only problem was the long line too. The only good thing was that some employees were giving out free front of the line passes if you answered some questions from the movie. I don’t want to give out to much info, but just get prepared to feel little bugs under your feet. Also, make your the mummy doesn’t get you.
Jurassic Park® — The Ride: I liked this one too. Honestly, watch out for your head. I noticed a big dinosaur came out and thought that one was the big one that had to scare me. Boy, was I wrong. When it was time to go downhill a GIANT one came out. I thought it was actually going to bite my head off. Loved the thrill.
I’ll be back to try the rest of them. Make sure you bring enough money to buy food and drinks. Everything is triple the prize of what you would normally pay. Another shocking fact. They sell beer! Yes, beer. Just make sure you have $ 12 to buy ONE can.

For Thanksgiving, we were spoiled by my sister and her husband for the VIP experience at Universal Studios. I highly recommend it — it may cost more than a regular ticket but it makes a world of difference! I’m not really big on scary rides (I can’t stand big dips or being inverted), but I am a big movie buff and like 3D/​4D simulators. Here’s a recap of our near perfect day as a VIP:
BREAKFAST: Our tour runs 10:45am to 5pm. You get access to a private breakfast buffet with seriously good pastries, fruit, and brioche sandwiches. Free goodies like sunscreen, water, and ponchos. We met Natalie our friendly tour guide here.
STUDIO TOUR: The best part — you get a smaller tram and actually get to make frequent stops to see movie stages, prop room, and those fake neighborhoods from famous TV and movies. You get the free shows in the tram from Fast and Furious, Psycho, Jaws, King Kong, along with cool events simulating flash floods and a scary earthquake under a BART station! You even get to use bathrooms in one of the Desperate Housewive’s home!
RIDES: As a VIP you get a special line for all major rides that skips the main line, saving oodles of time. I went to the following (no spoilers but I will give hints):
* Simpsons Virtual Ride: Hilarious as expected and is extremely well done — pretty darn scary simulating a real roller coaster.
* Minions: Cute and funny. 3d effects cool and no where near as scary as Simpsons.
* Transformers: The 3d effects are like from the movie and you do ride in a car that moves along a track. Not scary at all, but fun if you like the movies.
* Mummy Revenge: Oh boy — this is a real roller coaster that is indoors. I’ll just say there are no big dips and no inversions (my two constraints). However EVERYTHING else is fair game! I enjoyed myself here and made it out alive, though dazed and confused. Do not eat a heavy meal before this ride.
LUNCH: VIPs get a gourmet buffet lunch featuring Alaskan King Crab, Filet Mignon, Lobster Risotto, and of course, Thanksgiving Turkey with stuffing. Pretty good food for a theme park. Desserts like pumpkin pie tarts and Nutella crepes superb.
SHOWS: We saw Animal Actors which was delightful — lots of dogs, cats, rodents, birds, etc. doing fun stuff around the stage. Also Waterworld — sort of like a 20-​minute action movie with lots of splashing, pyrotechnics, and more splashing.
PARKING: VIPs get valet parking — we had access to their Frankenstein lot.
We would not have been able to have such a smooth theme park experience without the VIP pass — I think its essential for cutting down stress since wait times go from 20 – 40 minutes PER ride to virtually 0 – 5 minutes. Our tour guide Natalie stayed with us the whole day and she was great!

I have always loved Universal Studios, especially because of the Studio Tours! The Studio Tours is my favorite and I can never get tired of it. They have added so many new things like King Kong 3D and Fast and the Furious 3D which are both amazing with all their effects! The tour is usually about 2 hours long depending if they have to cut down on some lots due to filming or maintenance but I recommend it each time for anyone who hasn’t been! You get to see real life sets that have been used in big movies!
Universal Studios is not as big as Disneyland and you can get through everything in one day. They have a few rides but a lot of them are 3D rides like The Minions, The Simpsons, and Transformers. My favorite «rollercoaster» ride is The Mummy. The lines can be long but fear not, they have FREE WIFI! YES FREE WIFI… so while you wait in line you can waste your battery and go on social networks!
If you’ve been to Universal Studios Florida and have seen their Harry Potter section, they’re building one in this location as well! Not sure exactly sure what they’ll have yet, but it looks huge! Probably not as big as the one is Florida, but it’ll do for all the Harry Potter fans. They also have Halloween Nights with mazes and such, like Great America’s Halloween Haunt if you’ve ever been.
This is definitely great for little kids as well as big kids/​adults.

This place was a hell of a lot more fun than I expected it to be!!!
Sunday, November 1^st, 2015 Operating hours; 8a-​6p. Boyfriend and I arrived around 8:35am. Didn’t leave the park till 5:30p and we had a jam-​packed day.
Revenge of the Mummy: WOW! I don’t remember this being that intense! The launch in the beginning was only 45mph but it felt a lot faster than that. I would compare this to a mixture of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain and a small dash of California Screamin (minus the loop.)
Jurassic Park: OH YEAH!!! Classic ride right there! Even though it may feel outdated to some, I love the nostalgia. Gotta appreciate the simpler times. This is definitely like Splash Mountain x4 because it can get scary for young children plus the drop is so much higher and you definitely get soakin wet compared to Splash Mountain.
Transformer 3D: The Ride: I’ve never even seen the movie (yes.yes…I know. I know… please don’t kill me) but man… this ride rocks!!! You wear 3D glasses for this as you sit in pod (4 seats in the front and 4 in the back) as you go from screen to screen all in the mist of transformers battling against each other. We were trying to dodge evil, escape through tunnels, barely missing falling into a pool of water. I’m a HUGEEEEE FAN of DISNEYLAND but even this… Disney cannot compete with. This ride is in a league of its own.
Minions: cute 3D ride if you’re into Minions.
Shrek 4D: eh… it’s okay. Good for youngins. I only enjoyed it cuz I got to rest my feet for a good 20 minutes. This is exactly like It’s Tough to be a Bug over at DCA.
The Simpsons Ride: BF enjoyed it. I sat out of this one. Been on it in 2008 when it first opened and I got nauseous.
Waterworld: another classic. Must see. As an adult, I appreciated this more than a kid. And folks, the green benches that labels SOAK ZONE, is a SOAK ZONE. You WILL get drenched. Not too much from the show effects, but before the show starts, some performers literally take an entire bucket full of water and pours it over the audience. If you’re not lucky and you sit in front of him… game over. You are completely soaked from hair to shoes. Be warned. They’re not joking when they label the seats SOAK ZONE.
The Animal Actors show was pretty cute. If you like animals, you will enjoy this.
Tram Tour: It’s an hour long. Some of the sets have been around since the early 90s… earlier maybe. I got sleepy with the boring parts but I was certainly awake with the new King Kong 3D segment and the Fast and the Furious Grand Finale. Now I know what it feels like to be a racer. ;) I thought it was pretty cool. I get motion sickness easy but I was fine with those two.
I’m surprised I had such a jam-​packed day. Here I am thinking, ohhh… we’ll be done with the park by 2p latest. We can probably walk down to Citywalk or people watch in the park. Oh no, that was not the case at all! We were busy up until the very end of the day. Granted, we went on a few rides more than once. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised how entertained I was with Universal Studios Hollywood. Once The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens… oh you betcha I’m gonna be here more often!!! =)

My throat is raw from screaming at Halloween Horror Night. I really had a blast, not because it was the scariest thing I’ve ever been to. It was just a good time experiencing many of my favorite movies in a new way.
I did most of the mazes except Walking Dead, because I don’t like zombies, and Crimson Peak. But I loved the Michael Meyers house the best, and The Purge Terror Tram was fun. Definitely take the detour to get the Norman Bates photo op at the Psycho set. You’ll walk through the plane crash set from War of the Worlds, too. The Insidious maze will totally give me nightmares, but The End of the World was my second favorite, like some PSA from the Bible Belt. The regularly offered rides like the Jurassic World log ride and The Mummy were even cooler at night, even though the latter is an indoor ride. I lost it when they lock you in the tomb and bugs start crawling all over you! They played all the songs from my playlist at home in the park while I waited in line. I love this holiday so much, and I’m glad I spent it here.

This review is based on our experience with two tiny kids (age 2 and age 4-​months).
The height requirements made almost all rides unavailable to us — my toddler is only 35″ at best and far below the 38″ and 40″ height requirements. That meant we spent an hour on the studio team tour (which was entertaining with Jurassic Park dinosaurs, earthquakes, sharks and Fast and Furious guns but, at times, also frightening my toddler). And 20 minutes at the Water World show (nice boat tricks and faux explosions).
And when we were done with the shows, we spent an hour standing in line for lunch (FYI Panda Express always has the shortest line because most ppl rather have a burger)
The water play area was WAY too rowdy for a 2 year old. He was frightened by all the big kids’ yelling, pushing and running around.
That left the rest of the day for sitting in the sun, frying to miserable crisps. My baby was too hot to nurse or sleep.
We got free tickets. I would not have bought tickets since my kids are too young.

¡Bastante genial!
Ya había visitado el Universal Studios de Osaka, por lo que pensaba que ya sabía con qué esperarme: no podría haber estado más equivocada. Es enorme y mucho mejor que su contraparte japonesa, pero debo repetir lo que más hizo que me gustara: es enorme.
El tamaño del parque da para pasar tranquilamente todo un día ahí, entre los shops, los juegos, las atracciones, los tours y demás. Los precios no son tan ridículos, y justo cuando fui estaba la promoción de comprar un Anual Pass por el precio de una entrada común (ojo con las blackout dates, hay que ver qué días no se puede ir).
Justo cuando fui estaban construyendo el mundo de Harry Potter, así que me lo perdí (me pasó literal lo mismo en el de Japón), no soy de planear bien estas cosas. Muero de ganas de volver por eso solo, la verdad.
Me pareció un parque entretenido con muchas actividades para adultos también, que a veces se pierde un poco entre tantos lugares hechos para niños: en este lugar no es el caso (por más que haya Minions hasta en la sopa). La verdad es que me sorprendió muchísimo, y me muero de ganas de regresar.

I was there today another time, I personal think is cool to go there, anyway if you are a movie lover. New and changing spots makes it always different.

Oui oui, 5 étoiles ! J’ai adoré la journée que l’on a passé chez Universal Studio. De 9h à 22h, nous né nous sommes pas arrêtés. Nous avions envie de tout faire, tout voir… et tout acheter !
J’ai donc :
— payé 25 $ pour être sur les Preferred Parking à 50 m de l’entrée du parc
— couru dans le City Walk comme une dératée pour atteindre les portes d’entrée
— ouvert le plan du parc et commencé à programmé la journée
— demandé à chaque employé quelles attractions je pouvais faire avec mes problèmes de dos. Sachez donc que c’est OK (même si ça bouge quand même un peu) pour: Minions Mahem, Jurassic Park, Shrek, Waterworld, Studio Tour mais vous OUBLIEZ: Revenge of the Mummy, The SImpson Ride & Transformers.
— pris des photos avec Scooby Doo et Sammy, Beetle Juice,… et fait tomber un Minion en lui faisant un «câlin photo».
— manger un burgerurger chez Krusty Burger, pas franchement bon mais sur le coup on s’en fiche parce que c’est trop cool
— complétement craqué mon slip (oui oui j’ai bien utilisé cette expression) dans les boutiques de goodies, Minions en tête, sans oublier le T-​Shirt Jurassic Park, Duff et Dents de la mer (la BA-​SE).
Bön à savoir: Achetez vos places sur leur site Internet pour avoir 10% de remise sur votre billet d’entrée.
Petit +: Si vous avez de gros problèmes de dos, nuque ou os cassés, vous pouvez tout de même profiter de certaines attractions 3D, des sièges spéciaux sont prévus (ils né bougent pas).

Les entrées sont chères, globalement le parc vaut le détour. Il y a du monde et c’est vraiment dommage qu’il existe des passes coupe fille, je trouve ça assez ridicule… L’entrée au parc est déjà bien assez chère…
Les attractions sont sympa. Surtout transformers et despicable me.
La mummy bouge un peu, évitez si coeur sensible ça né m’a pas plu… Bcp d’attente (au moins une heure) pour cinq minutes à tout casser… Décevant pour mon compagnon.
Les décors sont très sympa. Prévoir d’arriver de bonne heure. Le parc ouvre à 9h.
Nous sommes arrivés à dix heures et avions préparé de quoi manger à midi pour éviter le monde et aussi les prix exorbitant de la nourriture et des boissons.

Visitar Universal Studios es siempre una experiencia increíble. Desde Dora la Exploradora, pasando por Shrek, los Minions, hasta Transformers y Los Simpson, disfrutarás este parque como enano. Los chiquitos y los grandes pasan el día ultra divertidos en los juegos y en los shows (el de los stunts es grandioso), bueno, hasta en las tiendas te diviertes viendo las mil cosas temáticas de cada zona y acuñando los quarters de colección. Hay juegos para los más pequeños y para los chavos y adultos. El de The Mummy y el de Tranformers fueron mis favoritos, aunque la mojada de Jurassic Park es súper refrescante (sobre todo en verano); los chiquitines son megafelices en el juego de los Minions y todos los que tenemos alma de niños y también. El clásico de clásicos, el paseo en el tranvía para conocer los estudios es de los recuerdos que quedarán para siempre en tu memoria y si no hablas inglés no andas sufriendo porque el recorrido es narrado en español en ciertos horarios, además casi todo el personal es bilingüe y siempre están dispuestos a ayudar.
Llévate unos zapatos súper cómodos o de plano tennis porque vas a caminar muchísimo y usa bloqueador solar aunque se vea nublado.

Im Gegenteil zu Universal in Orlando ist der Park in LA sehr besuchenswert ! Absolut sehenswert ist die Studiotour !! Wenn man Hunger kriegt, kann ich dort die Läden von «Pinks» empfehlen. Hier ist das Preis Leistungsverhältnis noch erträglich !!! Noch ein Tipp: Geld sparen kann man hier bei der Wahl des Parkplatzes. Die günstigste (und am weitesten entfernteste) Variante ist vollkommen ausreichend. Der Fußweg vom Parkhaus zum Parkeingang dauert nur 5 Minuten und ist wirklich kurzweilig und abwechslungsreich !

Nous avons choisi l l’expérience ViP. Je suis un peu déçu par rapport au prix je m’attendais a plus de différence avec un accès normal. Nous n’avons absolument pas vu le décor de desperated housewife comme promis dans la vidéo de présentation. C’est ce qui m’intéressait le plus.

J’ai visité ce parc six fois entre 2007 et 2014 donc je commence à le connaître par coeur, on passé d’abord par City Walk avant d’arriver à l’entrée avec le fameux signe Universal.
Ce que j’adore chez Universal par rapport à Disney ce que dans les attractions on va vraiment l’impression d’être ou des revivre les films, en plus ils ont de super licences comme Moi Moche et Méchant, les Simpons, Jurrasic Park, Shrek, Transformers
En plus ici contrairement à Orlando c’est des vrais studios de cinéma et des tournages ont toujours lieu ici, on peut en voir une partie des décors avec le studio Tour à bord de trams géants type voiturette de golf en beaucoup plus long.
Tous les ans il y a de septembre à novembre les nuits d’horreurs pour Halloween, j’adore pour des fans de films d’horreur c’est un must, le parc est transformé pour l’occasion avec des maisons hantées géniales comme cette année sur The Walking Dead, Aliens… et des zones d’horreur un peu partout, l’ambiance est géniale ça hurle dans tous les sens.
A noter en construction une zone Harry Potter qui va ouvrir en 2016 et l’agrandissement de la zone Simpson pour 2015

Die Studiotour ist wohl inzwischen etwas in die Jahre gekommen. so wirklich viel bekommt man nicht zu sehen und die eingebauten «Abenteuer» (Wasserdurchfahrt, U Bahnstation…) sind nix neues.
Die Fahrgeschäfte sind das übliche Programm: 3D/​4D oder richtiger Rollercoaster im Dunkeln.
Die Burger für 11,99 $ sind genauso überteuert wie der Eintritt von 92 $. Da wundert man sich auch nicht mehr über die 16 $ für das Parken.
Ein Besuch reicht auf jeden Fall, evtl. haben Familien mit kleineren Kindern mehr Spaß an den Comic Figuren.

Une bonne adresse. A faire pour tous les curieux du cinéma et les enfants avides de dessins animes et de simpsons.

Aller à Universal est une expérience super! Très différents de Disneyland ! À faire au moins une fois !

Pour 84 $, grosse déception… le tram tour dans les Backlot, la moitié des spots (Wisteria Lane, le Lac des dents de la mer, le Blue Screen, le Faux decors des rues de NY, et d’autres…) inaccessibles car des tournages étaient en cours ou en travaux. Idem pour le spectacle de WaterWorld. Je comprends tout à fait qu’il puisse y avoir des travaux et des tournages, mais faire payer le plein tarif alors que les principales attractions sont inaccessibles né me semble pas très correct. Nous vous conseillons donc de vous renseigner sur les attractions ouvertes et les tournages en cours avant de le visiter. Le dimanche, il semble qu’il n’y ait pas de tournage, et que le tram tour passé donc par tous les lieux de films.

Aller à Universal, c’est vivre un rêve éveillé…que l’on soit petit ou grand!
C’est l’ocassion d’aller parler à Dora, à Bob l’éponge, à Shrek ou même à son âné.
C’est le moment aussi de visiter des décors de films qui vont ont marqué ou de séries dont vous êtes fan (il y avait même le tournage de Desperate Housewives quand j’y suis allée).
Des magasins de souvenirs de tous les côtés, des attractions magiques comme les Simpsons!
Attention, pour la bouffe, même s’il y a de quoi se restaurer… C’est vraiment pas le meilleur burger de votre vie…
C’est sec, industrialisé mais servi en quantité généreuse. Au moins vous n’aure pas faim le reste de la journée!
Si vous avez la chance de voyager sur la côté Ouest US, profitez vraiment d’un passage à Los Angeles pour vous rendre dans ce parc, c’est peut être une des seules raisons d’aller à L.A.
D’autre part, le parc est immense, donc il faut au moins prévoir une journée complète pour en profiter pleinement.
Have Fun :)

J’ai beaucoup apprécié le parc, les attractions sont très agréables, le tour du studio est simplement génial. Je recommanderais de prendre le pass VIP pour ce qui le peuvent (140 dollars, lors de mon passage) car il permet de se ballader librement, avec un chaperon, dans les studios et de discuter avec le personnel présent.
Pour les souvenirs ou le repas du soir il y a un city walk avec des restau et des boutiques, idéal pour finir la journée.

Mardi 13 août
Forcément je né pouvais pas y couper ! Au final, pour ceux qui reste plusieurs mois ici autant qu’ils prennent le billet annuel a 40 $ de plus leur permettant de rentrer et d’obtenir des discounts en restauration ! Sinon il n’est pas si nécessaire que ça de prendre les billets coupe-​file en arrivant à l’ouverture du parc et jusqu’à 14h les temps d’attente (jusqu’à 30 min) me semblent être raisonnable pour un tel parc d’attraction. Après c’est une question de moyens. Prévoir une bonne journée voire dîner le soir dans l’avant village (boutiques, restaurants) qui s’avère intéressant.
Aspect pratique quand on arrive de la ligne de Métro Red Line un bus gratuit permet d’accéder à l’entrée située plus haut. Pour les plus sportifs, l’ascension est estimée a environ 10 min (mais ça grimpe pour de vrai).
Passé la billetterie nous voilà sollicités pour un sondage en échange d’un coupe-​file pour le train du Studio Tour qui présente le Parc et les studios. Il fait absolument commencer par cette attraction de 45 min, c’est génialissime !! Ensuite on peut enchaîner spectacles et attractions: maison hantée*** (un classique), Waterworld****, Jurassik Park***** (un final époustouflant), The Mummy*** (un peu court), Transformers: The ride 3***** (queue longue plus de 30 – 65 min mais ça vaut vraiment le coup), Special effect stage**** (petites leçons d’effets spéciaux c’est sympa et ça vaut le coup, prévoir tout de même un petit pull), Shrek 4D* (Bof !)
Suivant la saison prévoir la crème, lunette casquette, de quoi se désaltérer (là où ont ait la queue il y a des stands…). C’est immense et sur deux niveaux donc prévoir son organisation même si tout le monde commence par le haut et finit par le bas.

Excellent prévoir une journée complète, garez vous au général parking pour 15 $ marcher à travers la gallérie marchande le retour le soir vaut le coup d’œil avec les lumières des magasins, pour une journée réussi avec peu de temps privilégié la passé A star, pas de queue et les meilleurs places, enjoy your Day

Echt cool, jeder, der in L.A. Tourist ist oder auch dort lebt muss dort gewesen sein!
Und das beste: die Studio Tour! Die ist wirklich gut gemacht mit vielen specials!

prévoir une journée entière, bien remplie, visite de décors exterieurs (wisteria Lane, la maison de «psychose «etc.) et interieurs, visite des entrepots de costumes et d’accessoires (caverne d’Ali Baba), «coupe fil» pour toutes les attractions trés utile en juillet, supers attractions comme les Simpsons… seul bémol, le repas buffet trés trés médiocre…mais on né va pas là bas pour la gastronomie… super journée