finally green wohoo! Thanks for the reads and rates guys :-D
finally green wohoo! Thanks for the reads and rates guys :-D
Member since:28.09.2004
Reviews:6
Members who trust:1
This summer we went to LA and stayed in Anaheim near Disneyland, but chose to go to Universal Studio's instead of Disney because im a huge film fan.
We booked our tickets online beforehand and not only did we save money about $10 each (usual price is around $59.99) but we bypassed the queues at the gate aswell!
We went on a Thursday so the park opened at 10 a.m ( 9 a.m - 9 p.m weekends, 10 a.m - 6 p.m weekdays) we set out early because you can guarentee traffic queues in LA. We drove North from Anaheim on the Santa Ana freeway (5) until we hit downtown LA then we got onto the Hollywood freeway (101) signposted universal studio's all the way from there.
We arrived at the entrance and chose the free parking which is slightly further away than the paid parking but it was a nice day and we had plenty of time so we didnt mind the very short walk.
Before entering the main park you pass through universal citywalk, where there is the universal studios cinema showing all the latest blockbusters and lots of shops and restaurants including
hard rock cafe and ben and jerry's!
At the end of the citywalk you approach the Universal Studio's globe with the ticket booths to your right. At the ticket booths as well as purchasing your tickets you can buy wristbands that entitle you to all you can drink/eat, which are well worth the money because it can get hot walking round all day.
After purchasing your tickets you walk through the gates where the red carpet is, it makes you feel like your at a movie premiere! After entering we were greeted by a guy who asked if we had time to do a quick survey which took literaly 2 minutes and we got a front of the line voucher for the back lot tour, so if your asked its well worth 2 minutes of your time.
We then ventured further into the park with a buzz of anticipation on what we were goin to find inside. No sooner had we turned a corner i was face to face with my favourite superhero spiderman, i instantly struck a web slinging pose with him and had my photo taken! If you dont have a camera yourself there are staff with cameras all round the park taking photos which you can then buy at the end of the day.
We continued on and came across Shrek 4d it was starting in 5 minutes so we ran in quick and found a very short queue so we got in on that showing. What a way to start it was so well themed and the show was brilliant, it was so funny and had all the characters from both films. After exiting we found shrek outside with donkey and i couldn't resist having my photo taken with him as well. I had high hopes for the rest of the park after this!
WE continued on checking show times as we went so we could fit everything in. Next stop Terminator 2 3D, this was my least favourite but was still very good, it told the story well and was again very well themed. After exiting every ride or show you are sent through a gift shop selling themed gifts for what you have just seen.
Then it was a mad dash across the park to see waterworld an amazing show that is only done twice a day because the stunts and set are so amazing. This blew me away, we sat in the splash zone so we got really wet but it was so hot we didnt mind! The set was awesome it looked like it had been taken straight from the movie. Then the show begins and the story unfolds much like the film with a search for dry land, amazing water stunts on jet ski's soon followed with explotions and gun fire a plenty. This was well worth seeing and i recommend it no matter how big the queue is.
After that excitement we got a drink and walked round the general gift stores, spotting more characters i couldn't resist the photo op and had my pic taken with spongebob and the x-men.
It was then onto the back lot studio tour, which i was really excited about because its still the world's largest working movie studio. The fast and the furious : Tokyo Drift and the ghost whisperer were being filmed while we were there so it was time to celeb spot, alas we didnt see anyone! We used our voucher we got at the gate and hopped straight on the bus avoiding the queue. This is a definate must, we drove around movie sets including for a limited time only Steven Spielberg's war of the worlds, king kong, the bates motel from pyscho and you can't forget cabot cove the home of murder she wrote! With stunts and suprises all the way through this guided tour it would be a shame to miss it.
After all that excitement we were only half way through! So it was onto back to the future and a ride in the delorian through time and space, which shook you this way and that through jungles and volcanoes, it was a real scream.
Then for the scare of my life as we entered Van Helsing's castle. Before you enter you walk round looking at props from the movie, then you are sent through a wickedly scary haunted house i wont spoil it for you folks but i screamed like a girl!
With the upper lot finished with we made our way down to the lower lot where we encountered the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. This was probably my favourite. A log flume done on large scale you enter the park through the big gates and get aboard your craft and set sail through the jungle. With lazy stegasaraus and hungry raptors at every turn, you come face to face with a 50 ft T-Rex before an 84 ft vertical drop waterfall to the exit, it was truely stunning.
Then with only an hour left til the park closes we made our way to backdraft where you experinece a 10,000 degree blast of pyrotechnics and special effects as they set a room on fire!
Then finally we ended our day on the revenge of the mummy the world's first blockbuster rollercoaster. Which sends you through tombs and pyramids on a fast past ride that takes you to Egypt and back again.
After all that we were knackered, its a great day out and we hardly encountered any big queues and if we did we just did something else and came back for the next showing when there wasn't any and with so much more to do that just rides its a ral day out for the whole family. There are lots of shops selling all kind of merchandise from stuffed toys and t-shirts to games and statues. There is even a prop shop where you can buy clothes and stuff from TV programmes. There are lots of restaurants serving anything you could want. There are many carnival games and props from films all round the park to keep you amused between rides.
It was then time to leave, we walked back through the citywalk browsing the shops as we went until we reached the parking lot, before long we were back on the freeway heading south to relax back at the hotel.
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Sep 14th, 2006
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