Time to explore another world. Don’t go in blind. Check out my tip and tricks for Universal Studios.
These are things you do when friends come to visit LA from out of town. You go to Disney, California Adventure and/or Universal Studios. Since I’ve never experienced that “magic” at any of these theme parks I really wanted to plan out the adventure when my bestie came to town so I could see for myself what all the hype was about.
First stop was Universal Studios. I got a lot of tips & tricks from locals of what to see and when to see it, where to go, what to buy, where to eat and what not to waste our time on. I really wanted to be a good host and make sure that since it was a first for all that we utilized every single second. We met up with friend and Universal Studios executive Chef Eric Kopelow who would blow our minds for the next 11+ hours. Seriously, if you know someone behind the scenes make that connection because they obviously know things you don’t.
The first mistake I made was thinking that we would spend about 5 hours at the park. First stop was Water World, which was exciting, wet, funny and super high energy. It was also universally the number one thing to do.
Then it was off to meet up with Chef Eric.
He surprised us with the VIP buffet, which I didn’t even know existed, before sending us off with full bellies to explore the park. The presentation of the food was beautiful and I highly recommend starting your day off here. There was so much variety and the service was spot on. The dessert bar was filled with every sweet treat you could imagine. It’s truly a part of the Universal experience.
With our handy dandy map and newly revised list of things to do from Chef we headed to the back lot for the tram tour. The ride goes through all the studios, neighborhoods you’ve seen on TV and movie sets where you see firsthand how a movie is made. The Fast and Furious crew makes an appearance, King Kong and Jaws were on hand and there was a ton of interaction from famous mystery characters (I don’t want to give it all away.) It’s really interesting and nostalgic. TIP: Hold on tight so you don’t fall off the tram and watch your back. YES!!! A tram ride was that exciting.
Next we took the 8 minute escalator ride down to the lower lot to tackle the rides. The escalator actually gives you a view of the entire park and Universal City. Lower level included the transformer ride which was a favorite and unbelievably realistic. We kept trying to reach out and grab things that we thought were right in front of us but weren’t (that will make sense after you experience it.) Jurassic Park was ok. I didn’t understand all the hype for this slow long log ride. Apparently a huge dinosaur was suppose to make an appearance at the end but was down for the day. Revenge of the Mummy got off to a super fast start but then it was just over. The initial anticipation was intense and then the steam was just gone.
Most of the rides are heavily simulated but if you can get the same rush without being freaked out that the ride is going to fall off the rails than I’m all for simulated rides. We were blown away at how intense they were and we weren’t moving on roller coaster tracks but yet our hair was blowing in the wind and we were being thrown from side to side. Amazing!!!
The Special effects stage was surprisingly interesting, funny and a good show. MEOW! The hosts were hilarious and did a great job at keeping everyone entertained. Make sure to get on the Simpson ride, the Minions ride (one of our favorites) and catch the Animal Actors show.
Chef Eric made us feel like rock stars taking us into Krusty’s kitchen to see up close the humongous vat of pink frosting and how the lard donuts were made. All this running around really built up big appetites. Don’t ever tell a Chef you don’t know what you want to eat. We couldn’t make up our minds what to order so out came huge pans of chicken and waffles, mashed potatoes, Krusty quad burgers, chili dogs, donuts and corn on the cob.
I can definitely understand now why people go to these theme parks on a regular basis. It started to rain half way through the day and not only were people still coming into the park but everyone in the park kept on having a great time regardless of being soaked and walking around with wet clothes. It really is a happy place.
Here’s few tips I wanted to pass along for your next visit.
#1 Purchase the front of the line pass. It’s a few more bucks but definitely worth it. We avoided lines and were able to spend all the extra time exploring.
#2 map out the day with a plan
#3 bring bottled water
#4 make sure to take the back lot tram tour.
There’s also the VIP experience pass. It’s a little spendy but it includes a front of the line pass, VIP buffet and extra behind the scenes tours and I’m sure there are a few other perks.