Any So. Californians here that enjoy Universal Studios Hollywood?

[david]

I went yesterday. I haven't been there in 14 years.. And prior to that I went in 1987 and a few times in 91.

It seemed so much fun now.

Now it just felt like an outdated, overcrowded, over priced place that has more shops and food stands than entertainment attractions. The Simpsons ride was fun..

The backstage tram tour of the park is really sad now.

I do realize that Universal Studios is a real studio first and not really a theme park in the sense of Disneyland. Seriously though. Why is there still a Waterworld stunt show? Prior to that they had a Miami Vice and A-Team stunt show.. Two stunt shows based on highly successful Universal TV shows that were popular... Why on earth has the Waterworld stunt show lasted longer than those? AND ITS WATERWORLD! One of the worst movies ever made.

I do realize that there were fires that burned down a lot of the old sets that were part of the tram tour. But seriously. The tram tour is outdated and when a good chunk of the tour is driving around the lot and showing people the outside of big studios.. and having people gawk at a big brown building with a number painted on it.. it's quite sad.

I dunno. Maybe I am just old. But the park was crowded. I felt like I was a mall. There really were more places to spend money in the park than be entertained and what they had to entertain you was just outdated and boring. Except for the Simpson's ride. That was good.

 

[BAW]

Wow, I had exactly the same experience a few years ago. My sister and I planned a weekend in Hollywood with a visit to Universal as the main event, pretty much because it was such a fun place to visit when we were kids.

The letdown started immediately and just got worse as the day went on. The tram tour was awful and everything looked SO dated. I can't believe that I ever got so excited over it, lol. The War of the Worlds set felt out of place and even a little inappropriate to me. I don't see the entertainment value in inching your way through a pretty realistic looking plane crash scene in a faux-suburban neighborhood. It was really morbid and not something I was comfortable seeing. The Jaws shark, the parting of the Red Sea, King Kong...all pretty lame.

Overcrowded, overpriced and just not a whole lot of fun.

 

[Mr. BAW]

Mr. BAW doesn't do said excursions due to each of the above descriptions; we live within 6 miles of Knott's Berry Farm and 7 miles of Disneyland...its enough for me just to hear the fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

Honestly, it must suck to be a traveler and spent hard-earned cash on those "entertainment centers"....

 

[martha]

Hey now. I like Disneyland.

 

[Diemen]

Does the tram still go through that lame spinning ice tunnel thingy?

Yeah. I think the last time I went was sometime in the mid 90s, and even then it was pretty lame. I really love the oh-so-realistic gas cylinder sound Jaws makes when he comes out of the water. Woooo, scary stuff!

 

[cell]

i can see why universal studios would be considered overpriced. it is a smaller themed entertaintment park, their ticket price i think should be less, but we should also consider the entertainment. they have to get paid somehow.

the prices of both theme parks' tickets are almost similar.

universal: 67 bucks

disneyland: 69 bucks.

in comparison, disneyland does have alot more to offer for the price of their ticket (not saying this because i work for them lol). more attractions and still adding more over the years, entertainment (parades, fireworks, jedi training, fantasmic), continuous upgrades on hotels on resort property, etc etc. my only complaint is i think downtown disney is too small. i think it should be expanded but with the good neighbor hotels enclosing the resort...its not possible in my opinion.

i visited universal studios on free tickets last year and the year before. i have never been prior. what i did like about universal studios, it does have some cool entertainment. stunt shows, animal shows, tours, shows in general. the rides...

the merchandise is less expensive, the food is nearly similar in price but lower by maybe a dollar. popcorn or snacks are also less expensive. another plus is they serve alcohol. my favorite is citywalk. so much to choose from when it comes to dining and shopping.

there's alot of pros and cons of each theme park. i would say disney has alot more to offer for the price of their ticket.

 

[LMP]

I haven't seen to Universal Studios Hollywood, but its Orlando counterpart is a hell of a lot of fun. CityWalk has a bunch of great restaurants and places to hang out before, afterward or in-between going to the 2 parks.

Then the Harry Potter-themed section is coming in 2010... so yeah, that's nice.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Then the Harry Potter-themed section is coming in 2010... so yeah, that's nice.

Oooh oooh will I be able to ride the Hermione? I hears it's one of the most, ummm, "thrilling" rides ever.

 

[bonocomet]

no comparison Universal Studios and Disneyland... don't even try!

But yeah the City Walk is fine as long as you don't pay to go into the park... I saw U23D at the theatre there

 

[anitram]

Disneyworld >>>>>>>>>> Disneyland.

I didn't go to Universal when I was in LA because I read similar reviews of it and thought that 70 bucks was outrageous. I actually think it's outrageous for Disney too, but whatever.

 

[Carek1230]

Don't forget to add parking on top of the $67 or $69 entrance fee and spending money or money for food and drinks. I refuse to pay that much money to push thru throngs of crowds and spend a majority of the day standing in lines. I've been to all those entertainment places so at least I can say I've experienced them. I think the best way to see each park as a VIP now is to have ties to someone associated with either Disney or Universal etal. (Thanks, Mr. Spielberg!!)

 

[anitram]

Don't forget to add parking on top of the $67 or $69 entrance fee and spending money or money for food and drinks. I refuse to pay that much money to push thru throngs of crowds and spend a majority of the day standing in lines. I've been to all those entertainment places so at least I can say I've experienced them. I think the best way to see each park as a VIP now is to have ties to someone associated with either Disney or Universal etal. (Thanks, Mr. Spielberg!!)

Yeah it's easily a $125+ day.

 

[LMP]

My family bought annual passes because we're lucky enough to live close-by, so it pays for itself if you go more than twice a year, but it's still pretty expensive.

Every time I go there, I see more foreigners and people from the area than any American families vacationing there, you know?

Disney World's pretty cool, but Universal's more to my liking.

 

[waynetravis]

We're going to Universal and Disney next year

 

[No spoken words]

I've been to Disneyland, Disneyworld, Universal in Hollywood an Universal in Orlando, and I can say without hesitation that I enjoyed Disneyworld a whole hell of a lot more than any of the other three.

 

[powerhour24]

Geez, it sounds like they haven't been updating the Hollywood park as much as the Florida one, that's sad. The Orlando one routinely gets new things to replace old attractions, and has Islands of Adventure.

 

[cell]

consider the characters you see at any theme park. they get paid minimum wage. consider the restaurant workers. they also get paid minimum to average pay, some with tips. also those that work in parades, minimum wage. i am one of the lucky ones who get paid higher than average because i work off site.

everyone wants something for lower price or for free. i hear it all the time. if all theme parks were to lower their ticket prices, half of those resorts would end up giving pink slips to half of their employees, or the quality of entertainment would lessen or stop. parking fees are to upkeep the parking structures. disneyland or universal studios are major theme parks.

during the summer, families will be on vacation. it will get extremely busy. if you would like to avoid the big crowds. try visiting during off season. consider getting an annual pass. they also offer discounts within the resorts to those who purchase them during the year. the pass will pay for itself after a few visits. just a few suggestions.

 

[LMP]

Geez, it sounds like they haven't been updating the Hollywood park as much as the Florida one, that's sad. The Orlando one routinely gets new things to replace old attractions, and has Islands of Adventure.

Yeah, but the Simpsons replacing Back to the Future was unnecessary... it was my favorite attraction at both parks, now that title goes to the kickass Spider-Man ride. The Simpsons' Ride is still pretty cool and great to ride if you're a fan of the show, for sure.

Earthquake was replaced with a fake disaster movie-type ride with Christopher Walken, so that's an automatic upgrade, even over a video of Charlton Heston circa-1991.

Jaws and E.T. may be the only rides leftover from the original opening, with the former being great while the latter is only fun for nostalgia's sake and seeing Steven Spielberg "interact" with E.T. in the intro movie.

Halloween Horror Nights is the absolute peak of everything awesome though... I've had a blast going the past 2 years and plan on going again this year.

 

[bonocomet]

Definitely the best time to go to the So Cal parks is in the winter mid week... no crowds and the weather is usually still very nice.

 

[Carek1230]

My family bought annual passes because we're lucky enough to live close-by, so it pays for itself if you go more than twice a year, but it's still pretty expensive.

Every time I go there, I see more foreigners and people from the area than any American families vacationing there, you know?

Disney World's pretty cool, but Universal's more to my liking.

Yeah I've done the season pass thing to Great America when I lived in No. Calif. and Sea World here in San Diego which is practically in my back yard and they do offer local folks great deals on these kinds of passes. Like a one visit entrance cost gets you an entire season including parking. Can't beat that. I still don't like the crowds. Probably part of getting old and cranky tho

 

[david]

I think Back to the Future had to be replaced. They were great films and all, but the series has long since ended and its depiction of the future only went as far as 2015... So yeah.

The Simpsons ride is great.

 

[elevation2u]

I live in San Diego and I can't even remember the last time I went to Sea World, that place is depressing, but I do enjoy the zoo every now and again.
Disneyland is still fun to me as long as I don't go as often as once a year cause it seems smaller with each visit, and Universal Studios is lame, all around, last time I went was for free so I wasn't complaining but I would never pay to go back. The worst part about Universal Studios is City Walk, it's like a neon glowing walk and inauthentic entertaiment of joe schmoes corporate diners and misc crap, seriosuly I guess it comes down to it, amusement parks are at the bottom of the barrell when it comes to meaningful culture. It's all about buying crap you don't really need and being entertained by fake replicas of everything. That being said, if you get into the right mindset and go with a good crowd it's fun in all its consumerism glory.

 

[elevation2u]

do they still have ET? and Jurrassic Park?

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Halloween Horror Nights is the absolute peak of everything awesome though... I've had a blast going the past 2 years and plan on going again this year.

I went to that a couple of times a long time ago with an ex and it was a blast.

I got chased by guys wielding chainsaws and some of the haunted houses were freaky as hell. Good times!

 

[beegee]

I personally love Disneyland more than any other place on Earth. I live in Nevada and still go three or four times a year (for two and three day visits with Park Hopper tickets) and I don't care what it costs. Just being in the park is enough for me. I could write a ten page post on how much I love the place. For what Disneyland gives me, the price is nothing.

I have a Disneyland encyclopedia (2008 version) that my family refers to as my bible

I would not travel all the way from here to go to Universal. However, I would probably go once to see the Harry Potter attraction. We drove from here to go to Knott's Berry Farm earlier this summer and it was totally worth it. We stayed right next store at the Knott's resort. The admission was cheap, even though I forgot my Pepsi cans and the lines were short.

I can't wait to see Halloween Time at Disneyland in October

 

[LMP]

I think Back to the Future had to be replaced. They were great films and all, but the series has long since ended and its depiction of the future only went as far as 2015... So yeah.

The Simpsons ride is great.

True, but it's still a popular enough franchise to warrant a ride, you know? Jaws is still up and running fine. The Simpsons' Ride is definitely good, but BTTF is my favorite movie and riding that ride was always a fun experience for me.

I wish they would bring back Ghostbusters in some capacity... who doesn't love that movie?

I went to that a couple of times a long time ago with an ex and it was a blast.

I got chased by guys wielding chainsaws and some of the haunted houses were freaky as hell. Good times!

Haha, nice.

Last year it was a movie-themed thing, with houses for Freddy, Jason, The Thing, clowns, puppets, and a deranged Santa... not the best theme, but The Thing house was off the fucking chain.

 

[the tourist]

From what I remember about Universal Studios, CA (I went when I was 12 and was sick whilst there), there was very little in the way of rides. So instead of replacing rides with other rides, they should have just added new rides.

 

[anitram]

I personally love Disneyland more than any other place on Earth. I live in Nevada and still go three or four times a year (for two and three day visits with Park Hopper tickets) and I don't care what it costs. Just being in the park is enough for me. I could write a ten page post on how much I love the place. For what Disneyland gives me, the price is nothing.

That kind of reminds me of my Dad.

We took him to Disneyworld for the first time when he was 48 years old. He absolutely loved it there and still talks about it often. Every year he'll bring up a family vacation to Florida and now that we're all grown up and have our own lives, it never happens, but I know it's because he wants to go back to Disney. I will have to take him, maybe for his 60th birthday...

Anyway, he said that when he walked around in Disneyworld, it was one of the happiest moments in his life because when he was growing up as a little boy in communist Eastern Europe, this is what he imagined America was like. Then he got here and it was nothing like that, particularly the immigrant areas he lived in. And then finally, all those years later, he went to a plastic, fake kingdom that represented his dream. It was kind of cute to watch him.

 

[beegee]

That's a great story. I grew up in Southern California so I have so many memories of spending time there with my older brother. Now that I'm a mom, I get to share the park that way, too. I can just sit in the park and do nothing and be completely happy.

 

[bonocomet]

^ I know exactly what you mean beegee... I love it there too


(and I totally miss the Adventures in Inner Space ride )