Travel

Universal Studios Hollywood

Every great trip begins with a "Hey I have an idea" moment, doesn't it? The crazier the better, right? I think so. My family might sometimes disagree, but in the end they realize I was right. Ha ha! This trip to Universal was another one of those "Why not" moments!

Before we get to the park, a couple of things we learned. Did you know that hidden deep in Burbank, amidst the buildings and concrete and cars and people, there is a hotel with a gorgeous outdoor garden adjacent to it's outdoor pool? Worth seeking out! It's also close to In'n'Out. Priorities people. If you go during the "off season" it is possible to get some screaming hot deals! We got in on a buy one day, get one free pass with early admission for a crazy cheap price. (Check our partners!) Because I got such a great deal on the tickets, I splurged for the VIP up-front parking (around $25). At the end of a very long day, having the car that close was worth every single penny! And be sure to buy a map or use an app for directions. Getting to the park was easy. Getting back to the hotel? Don't rely on the "I lived down here for awhile years ago - I know where I am." Yeah...my kids got to see the side of Hollywood most Moms try to avoid on the way back to the hotel. Whoops!

One thing that I want to mention right off the bat is how different the park is from when I was a kid. We went every summer when I was growing up and I really had no idea what to expect. I knew it would be different - it had been at least 25 years since I'd been there - ET was still there on my last visit - but I had no idea just how different it would be.

We got to the park a little earlier than our early admission so we were able to get pretty close to the front of the line. It's interesting because there were already two lines queuing up - one for regular admission (an hour later) and one for early admission. Once the gates opened, our line was in and it was a mad dash towards the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I pulled the kids back to actually enjoy the sights along the way. We knew we'd have a wait no matter when we got in and we also knew we'd be in that line long before the general admission crowd got in so there was no reason to run for it like the rest of the crowds. By slowing down, we got to see some amazing props, take some cool pictures, meet Curious George, get a good look at the Weasley's Ford Angola & the famed Hogwart's Express. When I start going on about how no one does theming like Disney, remind me of this moment. Walking into that magical world was nothing short of magical. Universal absolutely nailed the theming for Harry Potter!

We wouldn't be able to ride "Flight of the Hippogriff" sadly. It was closed all day for mechanical issues, but "The Forbidden Journey"? Wow!!!! Not only is the ride amazing, but stepping into Hogwarts Castle is something truly "transfiguring". This is a ride that we'd visit more than once and it is most certainly worth any wait in line you might have! (If you have problems with motion sickness or virtual reality rides, you'll want to skip this one, but you can still go through the line. There's a waiting room where passengers are loaded.)

Plan on spending some time exploring this area of the park. When we got off the Forbidden Journey, it was perfect timing for the general admission guests flocking towards it. That meant everything else in that area was pretty open with no crowds. Take the time to explore all of the shops - beyond cool merchandise, the theming goes way beyond the outside of the buildings. If you want, you can mail a letter or a postcard from the "Owlery" that includes a special postmark. Be sure to keep an eye out for biting books too! One of the absolute coolest things we did, we almost didn't do: Ollivanders. A group is admitted into Ollivanders and a person is picked from the audience to go through a series of "Wand Choosing" activities where their wand chooses them. My youngest was the one picked for the ceremony and it was honestly magical. Of course I understand the marketing and the reasoning and technical aspects of it, but that in absolutely no way changed the experience. Watching that wand come to life in his hands was such an awesome moment! Did I buy it? Of course. One of the cool things about the wands is that they're interactive and throughout the land there are areas they can use their wands to cast spells and bring things to life. Seriously magical!

One thing that is an absolute must is eating at The Three Broomsticks. We'd left the hotel really early so we actually planned on having breakfast there. It was really good, large portions, it wasn't crazy expensive and the ambience didn't feel like a theme park at all. Plus, it's attached to the Hog's Head so you get to explore it too. And we need to discuss Butterbeer & Pumpkin Juice. We ordered Pumpkin Juice, Hot Butter Beer & Iced Butter Beer because you kind of have to try all of them. They were all good, but can you believe between the three of us we didn't have an agreed upon favorite? For real - we all had a different favorite. OH! And make sure you use the restrooms in this part of the park - keep an ear out for Moaning Myrtle!

Okay, okay, okay...there's more to Universal than Harry Potter. So it's off to the rest of the park! The timing is right so we head into the Special Effects Show. This was a fun thing for the kids to get to see first hand and it was fun for me to see all the "Monsters" make appearances. I've always been a sucker for the old monsters and have such fond memories of them from my younger visits here.

Next stop? Springfield. They absolutely got this one right too! The only complaint I have about our visit to Springfield is that I went into the Kwik-E-Mart for the sole purpose of buying a Duff Beer in a can to bring home and Duff was an energy drink. Total fail on that one Universal! We did get to meet Krusty so that was a win. Oh and Lard Lad Donuts? YIKES!!! Those donuts are literally plate sized and they taste amazing! Buy one. Or two. You can thank me later.

The line with the longest wait (about 90 minutes) was actually for the Back Lot Studio Tour. The kids weren't sure they wanted to wait that long, but I made them. That was one little piece of nostalgia I wasn't giving up. (I have memories of my Uncle screaming at Jaws on that ride and then later trying to feed me to the fake Jaws they have hanging up that still make me smile.) The best parts of that ride still exist: the flood, Jaws, the breaking tracks, the behind the scenes buildings. They've added so much more though! No spoilers, but let me say Whoville was a totally unexpected surprise, Norman Bates is creepy, King Kong literally knocks the snot out of a dinosaur and I'd ride shotgun with Vin Diesel any day! Worth the wait.

We head down to the "Lower Lot" next. When I say down I do mean down. Like 345 stairs nearly straight down. There are elevators available as well as escalators. The escalators are not straight up and down - they're done in about 4 sections. There are also stairs if you're feeling inclined. We did a few and decide the escalator was just fine. Ha ha! (Oh and if you get thirsty or hungry, conveniently, there are snack carts at each landing.)

The Lower Lot is where you're going to find your larger thrill rides: Jurassic World (you will get wet!), Revenge of the Mummy & Transformers. I've got to tell you those Transformers are huge and intimidating. They are every bit as amazing face to face as they are on the big screen. This is one character meet you'll want to make time for.

After getting some thrills in, it's time to forage for food back on the Upper Lot. We ended up getting food from a place that wasn't that great. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's no longer there. Little bit of advice? If all the food places are busy and you find one that isn't - there's probably a reason. There are a lot of options so don't just feel like you have to grab the closest thing to you. Honestly, I wish we'd gone back to The Three Broomsticks again - it was that good.

The last area of the park we haven't explored is, surprisingly, pretty empty and so much fun! We met Dr. Brown who came running up to the boys frantic "Boys - we've got to get back to the future now!" I did the one thing I never do and got in a picture with Frankenstein. While taking that picture, here came Beetlejuice sauntering up to me "Hey Mama...what's up" and he literally threw himself at me. So funny! We also saw the Girls from Minions as well as the Minions, Marty & Alex from Madagascar, Dora the Explorer and Scooby & Shaggy. Minion Madness was a lot of fun - again, terrific theming waiting in line that's worth going through the line just to take it all in. Lots of fun rides in Super Silly Land too!

As kind of an aside, The Walking Dead attraction closed in 2020 but if they bring it back and you are at all into creepy, scary, frightening, haunted zombie attractions you'll want to go through this one. We missed the last admittance into the attraction by just a couple of minutes. My kids, honestly, were not disappointed.

Before leaving the park we decide we're going back to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Treats from Honeydukes, riding "Forbidden Journey" again and catching a performance from the "Frog Choir". (Do this - you'll be glad you did!)

This is definitely not the Universal Studios of my childhood. There would be moments throughout the visit where I'd get a nostalgic "Oh, I remember this" and it was sweet to go back there, but to see the changes they made and to experience those with my kids was such a remarkable experience. They've done a great job growing & evolving, but keeping just a hint of the classic.

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