Visiting Universal Hollywood

One of the main reasons my family wanted to visit Hollywood during our Spring 2022 trip to California was to visit Universal Hollywood – and it did not disappoint!   We have visited Universal Orlando a few times as a family and we love it, so we were looking forward to seeing the differences between the two parks. 

The one thing I was looking forward to the most was The World-Famous Studio Tour, and it was everything I was hoping for!   We loved seeing where movies were made at this real working studio; they even had part of it closed because they were filming a movie that day.  There were movie sets like Jaws and Psycho, as well as a few parts of the tour that were portions of the Kong and Fast and Furious rides from Universal Orlando!!  It was a great way to get even more rides in! 

After The World-Famous Studio Tour, we headed to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for some exploring and spell casting. This is similar to Island of Adventure’s Hogsmeade.  They have Flight of the Hippogriff, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Three Broomsticks, and more.  The one main difference at Universal Hollywood in comparison to Hogsmeade at Universal Orlando is that they don’t have Hagrid’s here.  Lunch at Three Broomsticks was amazing and I was so thankful we had such a great experience! 

We loved exploring all of the other areas of the park as well.  The Lower Lot was where some of the favorites from Orlando were located.  When going between the upper and lower lot, take a minute for some great sightseeing on the platforms.  The view is beautiful and worth a stop on the way!  Transformers, The Mummy, and Jurassic World – The Ride were all located in the lower lot.  The rides down there were very similar to the rides in Orlando.  Mummy was the one ride I noticed the most difference on and Jurassic World had a different theming and the drop was bigger.  For the littlest guests, make sure to visit DinoPlay for some playtime or Raptor Encounter to meet Blue!  

Another ride we were looking forward to trying out was The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash.  Here, you become one of the pets looking to be adopted.  You go on a journey through the streets of New York City while getting cleaned up to become paired with your new parents to end the ride!  This ride was one of our favorites of the day and is great for the whole family!  

I love a good show and WaterWorld certainly did not disappoint!  The incredible stunts and explosive effects kept us on the edge of our seats.  When you come in, you have the choice of splash zone or not.  Choose wisely, the actors and actresses before the show begins show you what level of splash to expect!  Make sure to check the times listed on the app at the start of your day so you don’t miss this show.

Since I visited with my family, I have been back to explore Super Nintendo World in the lower lot.  We had Early Access Tickets so we were able to head to the land before the park officially opened to guests and explore the area.  I am so glad we did this because we were able to ride Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge with a super short wait.  The area truly feels like you’re part of your favorite video game you played when you were young.  You could gather coins and stars, play mini-games, meet your favorite characters, and eat at Toad Cafe.  

From the moment you arrive and walk down the red carpet at Universal Hollywood, you can spend the whole day feeling like you really are part of the movies!