Universal Studios in Los Angeles Amusement Park is a Must visit for tourists or residents (6/07)
Universal Studios Hollywood
Are you a big fan of famous Hollywood movies and curious for real soundstages and sets? Then you must come and visit Universal Studios Theme Park in Universal City!
The park offers a great variety of family fun, excitement and of course a glimpse behind the scenes of Hollywood’s biggest productions, special effects, and real live sets.
The big advantage of Universal Studios Theme Park is that it has a variety of attractions for kids as well as adults. The impressive park is split into two areas with different levels connected by escalators and magnificent views of the Hollywood Hills.
When we arrived we expected that we were going to have a blast but what we didn’t know is that we also were going to have one of the most real-life frightening experiences ever in “The House of Horrors”! As you walk through this house, you wish you never entered because the scary characters of Universal Studios’ most popular horror movies are hiding in little corners and screaming in cages, hungry to terrify everybody that crosses their path! For people who love horror movies and would love to meet Dracula, The Butcher, Chucky, Frankenstein and many more, this is a must see as the setting and characters make you believe you’re in a real nightmare!
When we finally came out of the house we were lucky to witness a scene from the movie “The Mask of Zorro” where two look-a-likes were fencing like Zorro and the beautiful Elena, ending with a romantic kiss. This was a much needed break from the scary scenes that we had just witnessed. After the act, you can take a picture with the characters as well as with a lot of other famous Universal Studios’ characters such as Spongebob, Shrek and Fiona, Spiderman and many more. This is a fun experience especially for kids as they will find the characters throughout the park.
We also saw one of the most breathtaking shows in the park based on the movie “Waterworld”. The audience gets to see the final scene from the movie that’s brought to life with dangerous stunts, crazy explosions, and a real airplane flying in to the pool where the action happens! The look-a-likes did an amazing job copying the actors from the movie such as the main character Mel Gibson. If you like seeing stunts and a lot of action, you can’t miss this show performed on a set surrounded by water! You can expect unbelievable stunts with jetskis, amazing sound techniques and explosions, amazing acting skills and a lot of water!
After that, we started looking for something to eat and we must say that there were plenty of choices: hamburgers, Mexican food, grilled chicken, ice cream, pretzels, Sushi and all you can imagine! We chose the grilled chicken, good enough for an attraction park where the entertainment is more important. For those of you who just love to eat, you can buy an “All You Can Eat Pass” for $25 when you’re over 48 in. and $15 under 48 in. This pass will let you enjoy one day of unlimited trips through the food lines of all participating restaurants.
Next on our program was the amazing Studio Tour including exclusive behind-the-scenes special effects, set pieces and facades on Hollywood’s most famous backlot. Whoopi Goldberg as our virtual guide took us on a trip to experience where and how “the magic happens”. We witnessed an explosive special effects rehearsal at “The Fast and The Furious: Extreme Close-Up. It was a mixture of explosions, fire and of course, spinning racecars.
We also got the opportunity to see original sets of movies such as “War of the Worlds”, “Jurassic Park: The Lost World” and “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”.
During the tour we were also advised to stay on the lookout for the cast and crew of current productions such as “CSI” and “Desperate Housewives”.
Another amazing special effect was “Flash Flood” where you get to experience “movie rain” and a devastating water flood. The nice thing about the special effects is that you can compare it to the movie scenes as you get to see them on television in the tour bus.
One of the funniest attractions, especially for kids is “Shrek 4-D”. At first it seems as if you’re in a regular movie theater but as you put on your 4-D glasses you find yourself in a wild adventure with Shrek and Donkey trying to save Fiona. This attraction puts you in the action and the effects seem so real that all of your senses will be used. Be prepared for exciting rides on a dragon, creepy spiders, an amazing waterfall and a lot of Donkey’s sneezing!
One of our favorite attraction which we did three times was “Back to the future…The Ride”. This is the ride’s last year as the park is making room for a new one. We were glad that we got the opportunity to join Marty and Doc Brown while sitting in a replica of the time traveling car used in the movie. At first we got a little introduction to the story and then we experienced a wild trip as the car went up and down, shaking in every direction simultaneous with every movement on-screen. The combination of the interactive film and the moving car made you feel as if you were a part of the action. It was so much fun!
Luckily we had “Front of the Line Passes” so we didn’t have to wait in line for any of the rides. This is a well-organized system as the colored passes are easily recognized by the park assistants who will guide you to the front of each line. The good thing is that you don’t have to work yourself through the line explaining to other patrons that you have a special pass. There is a separate entrance at every attraction. This pass procured us a lot more time to visit the park and took away the typical frustration of those long lines. We highly recommend purchasing these.
If you like to get wet don’t miss the ride “Jurassic Park”! On a wild trip in the water you get to see the scenery similar to the movie and you get to be terrorized by raptors, the 70-foot T-Rex and surprised by many other dinosaurs. This attraction relinquishes no one from getting wet as you get splashes of water from every side! The icing on the cake is at the end as you fall down a waterfall. Get ready to get soaked!
For those of you who are intrigued by water’s opposite, fire there is the “hot” show based on the movie “Backdraft”. First we got a taped introduction on the making of the movie by its director Ron Howard. After that we got a glimpse of the action and the dangerous stunts the actors went through as we were exposed to a heart-pounding fire show. From a safe distance we got to witness an amazing 10,000-degree furnace with dangerous explosions, lots of fire techniques and special effects.
Other musts sees are “Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride”, a thrilling in-door roller coaster which travels at high speeds forward and backwards. This new attraction is super high energy and speed and replaced the attraction “ET” and has been a hit so far. Also, the “Universal’s Animal Actors” which features some charming and amazing animal tricks by monkeys, dogs, birds and more, “Fear Factor Live”, and “Terminator 2: 3 D”, a live and 3-D special effects show!
We couldn’t have ended this wonderful day better than by visiting “Universal Studio’s City Walk”. Nighttime is the right time to visit this park as it has a mixture of incredible lights and impressive scenery! City Walk provides an extraordinary collection of entertainment, themed restaurants, nightclubs, movie theaters and specialty shops.
It should be no problem to choose something to eat from the great diversity of restaurants with their own special menu and themed decorations.
The specialty shops include well-known brands such as “Abercrombie and Fitch”, “Guess”, “Billabong”, “The Dodgers Clubhouse” and many more to buy gifts and souvenirs.
As for the entertainment you will find a lot of nightclubs, movie theaters, the “Gibson Amphitheatre”, events such as “The City Walk Summer Block Party”, “Evan Almighty T-shirt Giveaway” and much more.
For further information about Universal Studios’ City Walk hours, driving directions and parking, please visit http://www.citywalkhollywood.com/ or call (818) 622-4455.
For further information about Universal Studios Amusement Park, the Studio Tour and all other attractions, you can visit their website http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/ or call 1-800-UNIVERSAL. On the website you will also find additional information such as park hours, address and driving directions and ticket prices.
