Universal Studios Hollywood — Attraction in Los Angeles

We had our family vacation here. We had a good time exploring and snapping pictures! The first day we were there we went to get food since we had landed about lunchtime and still needed to get lunch. So we decided on getting burgers at the Krusty Burger! The burgers did not disappoint! The fries were on point as well. We then went to Hogsmead and rode the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. The line we zipped right thru, lots of cool stuff to look at! It was a fun ride, but broke down at the end. Not all of us felt great after it was over...the motion sickness was for real. We were a little hesitant to go on another ride, so we went to go visit the Minions at Super Silly Fun Land. Lots of photo ops and a much tamer twirl ride outside. We then went to see the last show of Waterworld. The line wait was set up in an odd way but we made it to our seats and enjoyed the show! So much so that we went back on our last day as well! We had about an hour until the park closed so we decided to check out Super Nintendo World. Our littlest wanted to ride Mario Kart Bowsers Challenge so we got in line. They wound up having technical difficulties so we were not able to ride. After the park closed we headed over to the City Walk to get dinner. We decided to eat at Bubba Gumps. Always a favorite of ours. The next day we spent most of the day in Super Nintendo World where the kids took their wrist bands and played the challenges, which was super fun. We also were able to get in the que for Toadstool Cafe for lunch! So cool! Definitely see why its so hard to get in! But totally worth it! The weather turned and it started pouring, so we went on the Studio Tour which was surprisingly awesome! We wound up leaving early since we were soaked. We did go back to the city walk later and have dinner at Toothsome Chocolate Factory. The last day of our Universal family adventure we had the early access pass which got us into Super Nintendo World early and first thing we got into line for the Mario Kart ride! Even having early access, it was a bit of a wait but the ride was super fun! I'm sure our littlest would have been happy just going round and round on that ride alone. But we decided to get out and try to go on as many rides as we could. Next stop...Jurassic World! Again, we got soaked but it was a BLAST! We branched off and had a churro break while a couple of us went on the Mummy ride. The line area was cool, and the ride was fast and exhilarating but I was kind of bummed, it just wasn't as cool as I thought it would be. We were hoping to go on the Transformers ride but it had been shut down and remained shut down for most of the day. So we went back up to the upper lot, rode the Kung Fu Panda ride. Had a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks then lunch at the Krusty Burger. We went to see Waterworld again and then went to the Flight of the Hippogriff and rode the HP and the Forbidden Journey again. It did not glitch and was super fun but even I felt the motion sickness and decided I was good on rides at that point. We did some shopping, we had to make sure to get the huge donuts from Lard Lads and headed back to our hotel.

In sum, we had a great family vacation even with climate challenges. The rides were fun and the interactive parts of the park (Super Nintendo World bands and Hogsmead wands) were really cool. The park hours were 10am-6pm when we went, so definitely limits time especially when wait times are high. Would have given it a 5 but its just not there yet, but it has the potential and I hope they keep at it! If I were asked if I wanted to go to Disneyland or Universal Studios Hollywood, I would choose Disneyland...

First time visiting and will likely never come again. Went with my mom and two of my sisters for a girl's trip. I didn't have my kids with me and thank goodness, because I would not recommend this place to anyone under 5 or anyone over 70 or anyone who needs assistance in any way. The place is small and about a quarter of it is taken up by escalators to take you from the top floor to the bottom floor. It was not busy when we went and we didn't wait longer than 20 minutes for anything including the Mario ride and I would still NOT recommend going here to anyone. The Mario ride queue decorations were amazing and very well done. Mario Land is really cool and again, decorations are beautiful but that's about it. The ride is just a 3D glasses ride that takes you a long at like 5/10 miles per hour which really made the whole thing feel like a disillusionment since you are supposed to be "racing" but going slower than neighborhood speeds. On top of this, if you want to enjoy Mario Land to the fullest you have to purchase a band that interacts with some of the stuff in Mario Land. There is only one ride and one cafe.

Harry Potter land was another disappointment. Again, cool decor but that's about it. The two rides are lack luster.

You only have to go on about two rides at Hollywood to realize they are mostly all the same... Take you in a little cart or box that bumps you around with 3D glasses on. I honestly felt so overstimulated and had a headache after being in the park for 3 hours. I originally was really upset that you pay $100 plus for a ticket and that the park is only open for 8 hours... When we had been there for 5 hours, we were already ready to leave. We did the transformer ride, the Mario ride, the mummy ride, both Harry Potter rides, The studio tour, the secret life of pets ride and the Despicable Me ride and it was all just okay at best.

The studio tour was just okay. Too loud and honestly just not too exciting. The best part for me was seeing the cars that have been in movies. The poor little girl behind us was TERRIFIED because during the tour you get taken into a sound room and they simulate an earthquake and flood. Another time they simulate a fast and furious scene and this poor girl was just crying and wanted to get off but the entire tour is an hour. She was probably 3 or 4 and of course, didn't realize it wasn't real because a toddler's brain isn't developed that way yet. As a mom myself, I just felt so bad for her and wanted to give her a big hug. Would NOT recommend the studio tour to anyone under 8.

I left feeling like it was a massive waste of money and wish we had just done another day at Disneyland. One of the only things that I genuinely liked were the characters that came out and interacted with people. We saw Megatron and Optimus Prime and they both were hilarious and did an awesome job. Whoever was in those customers are great actors for sure. My mom joked that they were good enough to work for Disney and should just leave this place 😂

The fast and furious ride they are building looks pretty cool but still not sure if it will be worth the trip here...

It gets two stars for the decor and the two great actors pretending to be transformers... Not worth spending $100 to $300 to go here though. Can't imagine what it would be like to go here during peak season.

Some people love this place and that's great for them! I wouldn't recommend it myself. Once was more than enough to feel like my rose colored glasses had...

Universal Studios Los Angeles – What an Awesome Experience!

We love theme parks—it’s kind of our thing—and Universal Studios Hollywood definitely ranks as one of the best we’ve been to in terms of overall experience.

We had a one-day park ticket that came with a second day free, which we didn’t expect to use… but we ended up going back because we had such a great time! We arrived around 9:30 AM, and parking was a breeze. We paid $55 for premium parking—it’s a bit pricey, but it did save us a good 30 minutes of walking, so it was worth it for us.

Despite the crowd, getting into the park was surprisingly smooth and well-managed. We kicked off the day with The Simpsons Ride. I’m not a big fan of simulator rides (our 11-year-old is all about them), and while she loved it, the 45-minute wait wasn’t really worth it for me.

Next up was The Mummy coaster—currently the only roller coaster in the park until Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift opens next year. This ride was a blast! The line moved quickly, which made the whole experience even better. We didn’t purchase the Express Pass since it was a Monday and we wanted to see if we could manage without it. Ride wait times ranged from 30 to 55 minutes, but since we weren’t riding as a group, we took advantage of the single rider lanes—highly recommend if you’re okay with splitting up.

Honestly, The Mummy was the only ride that felt like a real thrill ride. The others were more about the experience than adrenaline. That said, the Studio Tour was a major highlight—super entertaining and only a 20-minute wait. The 45-minute ride through real sets and effects was surprisingly fun!

What really made Universal stand out was the staff. From the moment we walked in to when we left, everyone was in character, upbeat, and just genuinely happy to be there. Whether it was giving directions or helping us onto rides, the team’s energy made the whole experience feel special. You can tell they love what they do, and it seriously elevates the vibe of the park.

Food-wise, yes, it’s on the expensive side, but overall, it was good. The giant donut was a standout treat, and we really enjoyed the corn dogs and Krusty Burger too.

Super Nintendo World (aka Mario World) was so much fun—super cute and well-designed. It’s probably aimed at a younger crowd, but as a Mario Party fan, I was hyped and loved it. All the live characters were amazing. They stayed fully in character and were so friendly while taking photos. The Addams Family actors were hilarious, and during the Studio Tour, ‘Bates’ even chased our tram—my daughter said that was her favorite moment of the whole day!

We also caught the WaterWorld show again (we’d seen it in Singapore), and honestly, the performers here knocked it out of the park—so action-packed and super interactive with the audience.

Our second visit ended up being even better since the park was less crowded, and we could explore more freely.

My favorite part was DONKEY he interacts and talks to you with was so funny and just makes the kids laugh so much.

All in all, Universal Studios Hollywood is a fantastic day out for the whole family. Whether you’re there for the rides, the characters, the shows, or just the atmosphere—you’re in for...