A Day at the Universal Studios Hollywood, Los Angeles
The place that I think should be renamed HarryPotterLand.
When
preparing for California, I had only one real request: that my
boyfriend took me to the Universal Studios. Being the big Harry
Potter nerd that I am, there was no way I missed seeing Hogwarts for
real. So there we went, arriving from San Diego to LA at six in the
morning to have access to the park as early as we could and beat
traffic.
I
didn't take a lot of photos in the park, but I really wanted to share
about this experience and maybe give a few tips and tricks for those
planning a visit in the future. Universal Studios Hollywood are a fun
amusement park and if you love cinema, you'll enjoy exploring it.
Now, should I start with my favourite area? Oh yes.
YES.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The place where the dreams of
thousands and thousands of fans come true. This had been on my bucket
list ever since the park opened in Florida, and being able to visit
it in LA this year is something I never thought would happen. Being a
Harry Potter fan since the Philosopher's Stone film came out, this is
a pretty big deal to me. It felt magical to walk around Hogsmeade,
wander in the perfectly-recreated streets, get some sweets in
Honeydukes and even buy your own wand at Ollivander's.
Working
on my Beauxbâtons moves.
By
the way, I've said this on my post about the Warner Bros Studios in
London (post), but Butterbeer is sickly sweet and you probably won't drink more than one
sip of it. While you're there, make sure to check out Honeydukes,
where you'll find the most amazing sweets and extravagant displays.
Ollivander's is also rather impressive, I got my boyfriend a wand there
(living the geek life to the fullest haha) and you're sure to find
the one that matches your personality.
As
for the rides, there are two: The Forbidden
Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff. The latter
is children-friendly and gives you a nice view of the whole area, but
the real star is of course The Forbidden Journey. Set
inside the castle, you'll walk around beautiful decors before
reaching the ride proper. The waiting line goes through corridors
full of moving paintings, passes by the Sorting Hat, Dumbledore's
office, the Defence Against the Dark Arts room, and so on. The ride
itself is an amazing journey in which you fly over the castle and on
the Quidditch pitch, through the Forbidden Forest and live all kinds
of fantastic adventures which I won't give too much detail about,
because keeping the surprise is even better. A magical ride in a
magical setting, from start to finish.
The
rest of the park is amazing too of course. The Universal Studios are
fairly small, and you'll easily walk around to reach the different
rides. My favourite was the Jurassic Park Ride (which leaves you
completely soaked, perfect on a warm summer day), while my
boyfriend's favourite was The Mummy Ride.
My advice for visiting Universal Studios Hollywood!
Buy
your tickets online on the
Universal Studios website, and you'll get early entry in the park
to explore the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. People who get their
tickets on the website get to enter the Studios one hour early, but
only to visit the Harry Potter area. This means Hogsmeade and all the
rides without the crowds. That is what we did during our visit, and
it saved us a
lot of
time for the rest of the day.
One full day is more than enough to visit the whole park and do all the rides once. Granted you probably couldn't see all the shows, but you could squeeze in one or two (we saw Waterworld and it was awesome.) Don't bother getting VIP tickets and all that, if you arrive at the opening, you've got the whole day to see everything. As I said, the Universal Studios isn't a big park like Disneyland can be, so trust me and you'll save money!
One full day is more than enough to visit the whole park and do all the rides once. Granted you probably couldn't see all the shows, but you could squeeze in one or two (we saw Waterworld and it was awesome.) Don't bother getting VIP tickets and all that, if you arrive at the opening, you've got the whole day to see everything. As I said, the Universal Studios isn't a big park like Disneyland can be, so trust me and you'll save money!
Try
and do as many rides as possible in the morning, when the lines
aren't too long and you'll wait only about twenty minutes for any of
them. The most popular rides, from what I've seen, are The Forbidden
Journey, The Jurassic Park Ride, and The Simpsons Ride. In the
afternoon they'll most likely have a waiting time of more than an
hour. So do them all before noon, and you'll have time in the
afternoon to walk around, do the less popular attractions, and watch
shows, which are set on specific times.
The
food inside the park doesn't seem spectacular. They do have a
Starbucks, but the prices are higher than usual there (not
surprising). However, right outside the park is the really cool
Universal CityWalk, where you'll find plenty of restaurants and
coffee places. We skipped food in the Studios and went to the
CityWalk for dinner. Even if you don't plan on eating there, just go
for the sights because it's a really cool area.
If
you are around LA, make sure to visit the Studios. It's such a fun,
well-made park and the rides are all really fun and I was pleasantly
surprised by the technology used for the most recent ones. If you
feel like Disney isn't your thing, try out Universal - it's all
cinema related and a whole lot of fun. I couldn't stop smiling and
jumping around from the moment we entered the park. We're never too
old for stuff like that!
LOOKING FOR MORE TRAVEL GUIDES ABOUT THE US? CHECK THESE OUT:
LOOKING FOR MORE TRAVEL GUIDES ABOUT THE US? CHECK THESE OUT:
Do you like theme parks? Have you ever been to the Universal Studios?
Lots of love,
Julia x
Lots of love,
Julia x
25 commentaires
This post made me want to cry. I visited Universal Studios in Florida around this time of the year in 2011 (!!) - I still remember everything as if it had happened last Summer. I am a big fan of theme parks and I have visited quite a few - I have been to Universal Studios in LA as well, but back then they didn't have the Harry Potter section of the park.
ReplyDeleteThe Jurassic Park ride and the Mummy one are some of my favourite ever as well, and I didn't like Butterbeer when I tried it - I feel like we had a similar experience at the parks, although we visited at different times/different locations.
Martina | paperplanepond.co.uk
Oooh lucky you, even without the Harry Potter section, the Studios in Florida must have been awesome! Theme parks are amazing because you just feel happy and carefree there. It's fun that we had similar experiences, and I'm not surprised you enjoyed the Studios in LA as much as I did! x
DeleteI would have wanted to go there as well, even though I am not as big a fan as many others.
ReplyDeleteLinda, Libra, Loca: Beauty, Baby and Backpacking
Just for the whole experience, theme parks can make for a fun day out! xx
DeleteStill my dream to visit!
ReplyDeleteBeataba.com
Definitely make it happen, you'll love it! xx
DeleteLooks like an amazing time!
ReplyDeletexx Lisa | lisaautumn.com
I really did, one of my best discoveries in the US! xx
DeleteOhhh wow, this looks amazing! The little shops are so cute and everything looks so perfect :D it looks such a dream to photograph! Such great advice too, I am longing to visit! xx
ReplyDeleteelizabeth ♡ ”Ice Cream” whispers Clara
The shops are indeed super cute, especially in the London and Paris section - even though it seems like they've never actually checked what the cities look like haha. It's all cliché but that's part of the magic! xx
DeleteI haven't been to the Disney park, but it must be just as great as the Studios! I hope you'll get to visit both of the parks one day! xx
ReplyDeleteOhhh my gosh, this looks amazing! Visiting Universal Studios is definitely on my bucket list <3
ReplyDeleteAndini xx | Adventures of an Anglophile
Oh you'd loooove it Andini I'm sure! xx
DeleteI have always wanted to go hereeeeee
ReplyDelete-Ellie x
https://elliesomethingx.blogspot.co.uk/
I'm sure you'll go one day! xx
DeleteI love Universal Studios! The photos are so fun!
ReplyDeleteHave an awesome day!
xx Kris
https://dreamingofpink.wordpress.com
It's an amazing place where everything looks super cool, I'd definitely go there again! Thanks Kris :) xx
DeleteThe last photo is amazing, I love it. I saw recently all the Harry Potter movies, so I was thinking of going to the one in London. It's so nice to see all your pictures, it must have been great to visit it. x
ReplyDeleteThanks Anca! Oh if you've just seen the films, you should definitely go to the Studios in London. You'll love them, trust me! xx
DeleteI didn't get a chance to go, gutted! It looks amazing xx
ReplyDeleteTiffany Tales | Lifestyle & Beauty
Well, maybe next time you go to the US? :D xx
DeleteTotally agree, you're absolutely never too old for this kind of thing! I REALLY want to visit here now, it looks like such an adventure and with so, so much to explore!!
ReplyDeleteaglassofice.com
x
We all need some fun and adventure, and theme parks are the best place for that! xx
DeleteLooks lovely, glad you had a good time!
ReplyDeleteLauren x Huggled
Days spent in theme parks are always fun! xx
Delete