Universal Studios, Hollywood CA! (Universal Studios Hollywood)

Member Name: lfclou7

Product:	Universal Studios Hollywood
Date:	25/10/04 (728 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun for the whole family, Good facilities for everyone, Good quality rides and attractions and nearly always good weather to enjoy them!

Disadvantages: Park situation can be a bit awkward for some

Universal Studios is situated in Hollywood, California - the movie capital. It is basically a theme park which is designed as entertainment for people of all types and ages and is the biggest movie studio in the world.
I'll start with the park's actual location; Hollywood is very hilly and so it seems quite fitting that the park should be situated on a hill. Usually one will stay somewhere around Hollywood Boulevard when visiting here and there are buses that can be taken every half hour or so. I attempted to walk as it didn't look that far on the map, but didn't realise that on the route I took there are no pavements and it tranforms into a road so busy you might mistake it for a highway. Therefore a word of warning - wait for the bus, grab a cab or if you have a hire car by all means drive. When you arrive at the bottom of the hill, there is a free shuttle service which will take you to the entrance if you don't fancy the exercise, this is quite frequent.
So you've arrived at the entrance and if you've hit peak season (April - August & December) then you might be waiting for a while to get tickets, but there are a lot of booths, so nothing too serious. The current price is about $45 for a standard adult ticket but it is possible to upgrade for double the price which allows you to jump queues on rides and guarentees you a seat in all of the attractions. It is also possible to get a summer pass, which would probably be worth it even if you were only planning to visit the park a few times. Also, it is worth knowing that in many places around Hollywood (e.g. your hotel, shopping areas) you can pick up leaflets which entitle you to money off - always a help!
The park opens at 10am most days and stays open until around 8pm depending on the season, which gives you a good day out!
Inside the park there's an array of things to do; set on 2 levels the lower part of the park contains the new Revenge of the Mummy rollercoaster, Jurassic park:the ride, Backdraft stage show and a show about the making of movies as well as various souvenir shops and eateries. On the upper level you will find attractions such as Shrek:4D, Terminator 2:3D, The studio backlot tour, Spiderman:the musical, a show with animals from movies, a live waterstunts show, Van Helsing:Fortress Dracula, Back to the Future: the ride and Nickelodeon Blast Zone.
On the lower level you will first come across the Jurassic Park water ride which could easily be mistaken for a tranquil boat ride if you do not queue for long enough to read the signs. However, be warned! After your tour around seeing all the different dinosaurs (which are very realistic) you are faced with a huge, dark drop - the pictures are classic! Next, you will find the Revenge of the Mummy ride which just opened this year and so the queues tend to be quite long. You are provided with a free locker in which to place any loose items then you are ushered on to join the queue, once you get inside there is a short video to entertain you whilst waiting. The ride itself is mostly in the dark, all in all it is a bit disappointing as far as most American movie-themed rollercoasters go and is over really quickly. It is worth going on but it's not really one to repeat, although the speed is pretty cool. If you fancy something relxaing next, take a trip to the Special effects stages; don't be alarmed by the queue size, the stages have quite large capacities. In here you will see examples of special effects being used to make people disappear, make an effective scary monster and add sound effects to the movies - all using audience volunteers of course! Next door you will find the Backdraft stage where you will be shown how the fires were created in the movie, even feeling a little heat yourselves by witnessing the action just feet away from you, this is a good show!
On the upper level, the newest addition is the Shrek:4D show which is absolutely not one to be missed! You sit in a theatre wearing 3D glasses watching a short Shrek spin-off story where princess Fiona is kidnapped and you go with Shrek to rescue her. Your seats actually bounce as you ride the horse and cart, you get wet when the donkey sneezes and it is certain that you'll have your arms out trying to grab the objects jumping out at you. Definitely one for both the kids and adults! Back to the Future: the ride is also a must-do, you ride in the car with 7 other passengers and it feels so real you begin to forget that it isn't! On this ride you must catch Butch before he destroys the concept of time travel forever! The Spiderman Rocks show is a musical which features some up and coming stars, including a guy from Dodgeball this summer! It is basically a short Spiderman story told mainly in song and although it's quite cheesy is good fun - but watch out dads, you may be dragged upon stage to dance before the show! Finally, do not skip out the backlot tour as this is where you get to see real movie sets (like the house from Psycho and the world's biggest fake sky backing from the Truman Show) as well as being part of some movies like Jaws, Earthquake and King Kong - they even do tours in Spanish if you should so require! The only thing I would say about this is that even though this is a bigger park, the Universal Studios alternative in Florida has a lot more to offer in that the Jaws and Earthquake rides are separate as well as having a few more different attractions to choose from.
Well now that you have an idea of the attractions on offer in the park, I'll say a little about the facilities. There is widespread disabled access to most of the attractions which is very well thought-out. There are restrooms and baby changing facilities in many different locations as well. In addition, you can also find a variety of food options on offer, but fast food seems to be favoured and it tends to be quite expensive although probably no more so than a theme park here. Be sure to pick up the deal on the character flask which costs about $8 and refills are 99c all day - worth it just for the souvenir! There are also shops located all around the park, some of which stock the same items, but you can find some funky souvenirs and gifts! Also, if you're a single rider on any of the rides, you are likely to be able to join the single rider's line and cut your queuing time filling all the spare places - meaning more rides (and fun) for you!
Upon leaving the park, why not pay a visit to the Universal Citywalk which is part of Universal Studios and is open until at least 10pm. Here you will find a wide variety of shops and eateries, including one shop decicated to wind-up toys and the Hard Rock Cafe. If you want to go there to eat, I recommend that you book earlier in the day as you will be in for a long wait otherwise, however, you do get an alarm which will call you back when your table is ready, allowing you to look around the shops. In addition, in the Citywalk there is a huge cinema and various nightclubs, but remember over 21's only in the States and ID is very strict.
When your day comes to an end, you can take the bus back down to the bottom of the hill before 10pm, otherwise walking is the most likely option. If you don't have a car i would suggest trying to get a cab as the nearest bus stop is on a busy road, and a long wait in the dark is not ideal.
If you are reading this because you are going to Hollywood then have a fantastic time! And if you are reading because you are thnking about paying it a visit -go! Despite the few negative comments about the park, the Studios are well worth a visit!

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