We had both been before but never together. We got there early with the foreign tourists, and by early I mean 10am, Universal isn't as popular as Disneyland so the hours are shorter. They're only open 10am-5pm on most days.
So, we grabbed a map, and first thing went to see when the Water World show was playing. While we waited for that we walked through the House of Horrors, which really does get your heart pumping. After I nearly severed My Love's hand from squeezing it so tightly, it was time for Water World. This show is always exciting, action and stunts who doesn't love that. But, be careful where you sit. The jet-skis like to simulate the whole Shamu thing and splash the first few rows "the wet zone". After the exciting show we headed to Terminator 2: 3D. My Love is probably the last person in the world that is a HUGE Arnold schwarzenegger fan, so he was stoked to see this show. The best thing about the Terminator show is that the show begins while you're still in line. Some ambiguous red headed actress always starts the show talking to the waiting group from up on a balcony, giving some background story and building anticipation. It's cheesy, but it works. From the Terminator show we walked over to the ride. The Studio Tour. My whole family is
in the entertainment business so I know a lot about what goes on behind the scenes. I have been on the Disney lot, Warner Brothers, and Universal as a pedestrian but I will tell you it takes nothing away from this ride/tour. It is always fun to see the king of New York Mr. King Kong himself. When he is right up in your face knowing he is animatronic is only a slight relief. The same goes for Jaws as he lunges out of the water at you, however, for this one your tram seating placement is
imperative because he only jumps out once if I recall correctly. Another recognizable attraction is the set from The Grinch. Fun to see but no lights and whistles for this one, so you drive right along. My favorite part of the tram tour isn't pictures here but it is the awesome flash flood in Old Mexico. Beyond that is the famous Bates Motel from the movie Psycho. And in the upstairs window is a
creepy surprise... Another attraction is the devastating set of Spielberg's War of the Worlds. For me it was kind of depressing. As an American the sight of a horrible plane crash and demolished buildings is a little sensitive. But maybe that's just me. Passing the sad crash sight there is an exciting car show. With "dancing cars".The other highlight of the tour that we somehow failed to photograph is the city set. Where they have all of the building facades that are transformed for many recognizable shows, my favorite being the late Ghost Whisperer.
After the tour we exited near the site for the new Simpsons ride that was under construction when we were there (yes, its been awhile). I am not a Simpsons fan, so I didn't really care, but My Love took a picture. Next, we headed down the giant escalators to the second level of rides. There we hit Jurassic Park, where you tour the dinosaur revival until the dinosaurs break loose... This is another wet ride just as a warning, but if it's a hot day, like it was when we were there, you can just try off in the sunshine. The final ride is the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster. Interesting...but short and really not worth the wait on a summer day. Plus its HORRIBLE that they replaced the E.T. ride with this.
Besides the rides there is a little carnival area to play some games, you have to pay for. And another show or two we didn't attend. The Universal park is a small one, so it doesn't take very long to do everything, which is nice in some ways but you don't necessarily feel like you get your money's worth because you are done so quickly. That is probably the reason for the buy one day get a year free things they do now.
Destination: Universal City
Points of Interest:
Universal Studios http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com
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