This is the third Universal Studios park that we have been to. We love our theme parks, and especially love the Harry Potter areas at Universal Studios.
Since we only had one day at the park, and we really enjoyed it while in Japan, we decided to get the express pass ticket. The pass was about $80 USD more per ticket. We were at the park during a less crowded time, so the tickets and express passes were priced in one of the lower brackets. Depending on when you visit the park, the tickets may be more or less.
We left our accommodation early knowing that LA traffic is terrible and unpredictable at times. The park was only open from 10am to 6pm, so we wanted to make sure were got there early enough that we didn’t lose any time. Our accommodation was actually pretty close to the park and we had zero traffic getting there, so we ended up waiting about 40 minutes until the gates opened. We’ve never been at the gates for the opening of any theme park, so it was quite fun to be there for a the countdown and then to see everyone rush in to get to their favorite part of the park.
We found that most people ran to the Harry Potter area, which is where we decided to go as well. As we were walking with the crowds we were expecting the area to be really busy, but that wasn’t the case. Everyone ran to get in line on the ride, but since we had the express pass, we just wanted to walk around the area and use our interactive wand to trigger magic in the shop windows.
Since we already had a wand (yep two adults with a wand), we were able to walk around to all of the windows without anyone being around. Most people were interested in the rides, or were visiting the area for the first time and didn’t have a wand yet. It’s quite a fun experience to shop for the wand and decide which one to get, so I wouldn’t suggest rushing that process, just know that if you happen to already have one it’s best to start your day doing magic.
The line for the Flight of the Hippogriff wasn’t too long by the time we started to think about rides, but Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was already at a 60 minute wait. Now 60 minutes isn’t too bad, we have seen it much longer at other parks, but as mentioned we were visiting on a low crowd day and none of the rides ever got over 60 minutes.
Since we had our express pass we were able to go on both rides right away. We did find that the wait time for both rides dropped as the day went on so we got to ride each one a couple of times. If the park isn’t too busy, I would suggest using the Universal Studios Hollywood app to check for wait times and getting in line when the time goes down. There’s also the option of the single rider line, which we always find goes pretty fast as long as your OK at the change that you won’t sit together.
After we did the rides in the Harry Potter area we went to watch the Animal Actors show. I love this show and it doesn’t matter that it’s the same script used in all the parks, and has been the same for years – it’s still a fun show. I remember a similar script from 20 years ago when my family went to Universal Studios in Florida.
After the animal show we went and had lunch at the Three Broomsticks in the Harry Potter area. We’ve eaten there before, and the food is always good. We usually get one of the roast dinners with veggies.
After lunch we went on the Studio Tour. This is a 60 minute ride that takes you outside of the park into the Universal Studios backlot, and through a couple of rides. If we would have had more time, I would have loved to ride it again.
We got to see the city backlot and the old west backlot. As we were going through the old west backlot I thought it looked just like the scenes from the Once Upon a Time In Hollywood movie. A few moments later the guide announced that this is where that movie was filmed!
As we rode around the sets they had different effects taking place to show you the magic of movies… I won’t share too much on that because I don’t want to spoil anything.
We did see sets for Jurassic Park, Jaws, Psycho, War of the Worlds, and Grinch. During the tour you also got to experience sampling of some of my favorite old rides that I remember from Universal Studios Orlando – Jaws and Earthquake, as well as new immersive rides for King Kong and Fast and Furious. We loved the King Kong ride in Orlando, so it was great to do that ride again.
After the Backlot Tour ride we waited in line for Simpsons. For some reason, this was the longest wait time in the park for most of the day. We had our express pass so we thought we would be able to do the ride quickly before making the stunt show. Unfortunately that was not the case, the line (even the express line) was super slow and we missed the stunt show! All of the other rides were super quick using the express pass, but for some reason the Simpsons took a long time – just be aware if you are in a rush like we were!
Since we missed the stunt show we made our way to the Lower Lot for the Revenge of the Mummy and Transformers rides. I am not a fan of water rides, so we skipped the Jurassic World ride. The message board did say you would get soaked – no thanks!
After the Lower Lot we headed to the WaterWorld show. It was a pretty good show with lots of really good effects. Be warned though – if you sit in the wet seats (benches marked with a different color) or anywhere near them you will get drenched. And I mean drenched…
After the WaterWorld show we wanted to make the last Special Effects Show of the day. According to the times, we had about 10 minutes to get from the WaterWorld show to the Special Effects Show. Unfortunately, we didn’t factor in the crowds from the WaterWorld show. We arrived at the Special Effects Show right at starting time, however the doors were already closed and we couldn’t get in.
So instead of the Special Effects Show we went to the Minions ride and then make to Harry Potter. Ben wanted to use his wand a bit more and the wait times were super low at the end of the day so we went on the Flight of the Hippogrif and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey again – we walked right on to both of them.
Our Tips for Universal Studios Hollywood
Perform Wand Magic Early
If you don’t already have a wand (and plan on getting one), we would suggest getting them early. Everyone went straight to the rides, which meant all of the wand magic was empty in the morning.
Unlimited Refills Cup
Throughout the park you can purchase and fill up a refill cup. The initial cup is about $12, but you get unlimited refills all day (compared to $4 for one bottle). We purchased one cup and shared the refills between the two of us. We alternated who got to pick the drink.
Express Pass
We thought the Express Pass was worth the extra cost. We were only planning to be at the park for one day and we wanted to make sure that we had time to ride everything, which we did because of the pass.
To do all of the rides without the express pass we would have likely needed two days (even during the low crowd time). If you look at the cost (cost varies based on time of year) it would have been $149 for two days. We paid $179 for one day with express pass. For $30 more we saved ourselves a day and basically had a guarantee that we would make all rides within the one day. This method gives you an extra day for other site-seeing in the area, or maybe saves you a full day within your holiday – just a thought when you are planning your trip.
Use the Universal Studios Hollywood App
There’s free wi-fi throughout the park, so make sure you download the park app at the beginning of the day. We used this app to watch for wait times (because we wanted to ride some of the rides a second time) and to check the times for the shows. At different times of the day the ride times varied, so it’s a good idea to check the wait times and pick the rides with the lower time.
Ride the Harry Potter Rides Later in the Day
The two Harry Potter rides had long waits early in the day. As I mentioned before, everyone seemed to head straight to the Harry Potter area when the park first opened. Since everyone went there first thing in the morning, the afternoon was less busy. We found this to be the case when we were in Florida and Japan. Just keep watching the wait times in the app…
Not Enough Time to Get from WaterWorld to the Special Effects Show
As I mentioned before, we missed the Special Effects Show because of a ride line and because we didn’t have enough time to get from the last WaterWorld show to the last Special Effects Show. Don’t make the same mistake we made, even though the finish and start times appear to have enough of a gap between them.
Check for Single Rider Lines
If you don’t mind being separated from your group you should use the single rider lines available on some of the rides. This line is used to fill the seating on rides – for example if there is a group of three, they will use someone from the single rider line to fill the fourth seat. You usually get on the ride much faster than waiting in the normal time, but you will most likely be separated from your group.
Don’t Miss the Harry Potter Bathrooms
The bathrooms in the Harry Potter area are worth a visit! Don’t want to spoil it so that’s all I’m going to say.
Small Bags are Great
So I’ll admit it, I bought a fanny pack/bum bag for our travels. I have bad shoulder and neck issues so carrying a purse/handbag or a backpack for long periods causes me problems. This trip was the first time I really had a chance to use it and it was awesome. Some of the rides make you put large bags in the lockers (which is a busy nightmare to drop off and pick up), but my fanny pack/bum bag was allowed on all of the rides. I didn’t have to take it off and it caused no issues with the ride seatbelts. It was super convenient. Plus I had easy access to our express passes for the rides and my phone for pictures.
LA Traffic is Terrible
The traffic in LA is terrible all the time (not just during rush hour). I would recommend staying near the park so you don’t have to travel too far. We stayed in the Burbank area and had no issues getting to the park. In fact, because we allowed for traffic and there wasn’t any, we got to the park early and were there before they opened. The traffic is very unpredictable, so I wold recommend staying close to where you are visiting. The Burbank area was great for Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros Studio, as well as Griffith Observatory.