Universal Studios

Our lovely concierge Sergio printed out directions to Universal Studios for us so the getting there wasn't too hard. Dad is still getting used to driving on the wrong side of the car and the road so there were a few moments I was slightly concerned but we got there in one piece.

We got to park in the Frankenstein parking lot and then it was time. I was so beyond excited that I could barely contain myself. Over to the guest services counter we hopped to get our Front of Line passes. Honestly, they were worth every penny. If ever you find yourself planning on visiting Universal Studios, I cannot recommend enough that you spend the extra money and get a Front of Line pass. If you remember the guy with the mullet skipping the line because he purchased his movie tickets online then it's just like that, only twenty times better. Wait times on some rides were ninety minutes and I think the longest we waited for a ride was five. You do the maths! They are only valid once on each ride but if you really love the ride I guess you could line up again. You also get priority seating at the shows which is pretty handy.

Our first stop was the studio tour as that was the one I wanted to do the most. Front of the Line meant we literally walked right up and onto the cart. Ours was the first cart of four so it meant we had the best view and could actually hear the tour guide. We started by heading down to their town which has several streets but is mostly used to depict New York City. There were places from Bruce Almighty, Back to the Future and Ghost Whisperer down here and New York Street can be used for New York from the 20's right through til now.

Next stop was skull island:

 



This was a 3D adventure that pitted King Kong up against a Trex or two. Peter Jackson himself helped design this and it was quite impressive. The cart moved as if we were being tossed about and I got sneezed on by a Trex, which was an experience in itself. Quite impressed.

After that it was time to drive past the car yard which had cars from movies like Back to the Future, Fast and Furious 2 and Jurassic World. Then onto Isla Nublar itself:

 

We then drove through the Wild West and Little Mexico, where we saw a flash flood simulation. This ride really is quite intent on drenching people! Quite interesting how they film it though. Apparently the water droplets have to be much larger than normal rain so the cameras can actually capture them.

Next was an underground subway station in which we saw a subway crash followed by another flash flood. They actually filmed an episode of Bones in there which was pretty cool.

Next stop, Amity:

If you look closely you can see the "monster named Jaws" they captured in the movie. Boy were they wrong! After pulling up next to the refuel station we see a poor police diver devoured by Jaws before all goes quiet. Next minute, Bruce appears:

 

 

Now Bruce actually is the name of this mechanical shark. Fun fact, the Bruce in Finding Nemo is actually named after this guy here. Now apparently Bruce was built and tested in this freshwater lake here but when they went to film the movie in salt water, he kept malfunctioning. This is why we don't see much of the shark in the movie. Did a great job of building suspense though!

 

 

Bit of a change in pace but still slightly on the topic of sharks, we were off to Wisteria Lane:

 

 

 

The original lane had to be expanded to add extra houses like Edie's after the popularity of the show and they are all still standing today. After that we swung past Whoville which quite creepily had dead bodies out the front. For Halloween they turn the park into a bit of a horror them after dark and the had turned this part of the tour into a maze with the them of 'The Purge' Totally explains my dream last night! We also swung past the Bates Motel and mothers house, where Norman was hanging out on the porch.

 

Then it was on to the disaster zone from War of the Worlds. They purchased an actual plane for this scene, which took nine weeks to set up:

 

 

It was in the movie for less than five minutes.

 

After this disaster zone we got a message from Agent Hobb letting us know were in grave danger but that we could hide out with his friend Dom:

 

 

 



This was another 3D experience, and quite impressive. This concluded the tour.

In other news, Hogwarts and Hogsmeade are coming to Universal!!

 

 

We needed coffee by this time so we stopped in at a little known town by the name of Springfield:

 

 

 



 

After quenching our coffee thirst in Cletus' shack, it was time to head down the hill to the rides! First stop: The Mummy.

Now my Mummy is not very fond of roller coasters but for some reason she chose not to read the signs that explained what this ride was so by the time she got in, it as too late. I still don't think I have been forgiven! The ride itself was really short, you basically go forward a bit, then go forward really fast, then do the whole thing in reverse. Nothing to write home about.

After that it was made quite clear there would be no more roller coasters for Mum so Dad and I went on to the Transformers ride by ourselves:

This was much more impressive than the Mummy ride. Optimus charged us with the task of protecting some sort of important device (yes that's how much attention I was paying) and we went on an adventure through the city to try and protect it. The ride itself was probably three times as long as the Mummy and much better theme wise and adventure wise.

The final ride before lunch was Jurassic Park:

A nice water ride slightly reminiscent of the rapids ride at Dreamworld, we saw cute little herbivores as we floated along (getting spat on a few times) before entering the carnivore area which of course is where it all goes wrong. The best way to escape is obviously through the water filtration plant so up we go, bypassing raptors along the way. The big finale is a Trex jumping out at you and a plummet down the waterfall. Pretty decent ride, everyone enjoyed it.

Lunch was in the Jurassic Park café where we all had overpriced salads. We then went off to explore a little more, where I had the chance to meet Bumblebee and Optimus Prime:

 

A quick conversation ensued in which Optimus (we're on a first name basis now) told me to throw a Decepticon on the barbie when I returned home. Nice guy actually :)

Back up the hill and time to go on the Minion ride. Another 3D adventure in which you are transformed into a minion, go through minion training only to be transformed back into a human at the end. What a waste :P

Time was running short so we went over to see the animals in movies show. It was quite interesting and included animals from Beverley Hills Chihuahua and The Proposal. I'm guessing these guys here are from G-Force?

 

 After a quick ice cream break and then a look through all the shops, it was time to head off. A really enjoyable day and highly recommended to anyone who is thinking about going.