Los Angeles Day 3
Rope Drop- Mic Drop
April 4, 2024
Despite no baseball... This may have been everyone's favorite day!
Morning
The alarm went off bright and early but thankfully all of us had a great night's sleep and were ready for our 15+ hour day at Universal Studios. We were all up and ready before 6:30AM and were eating breakfast while waiting for our Uber in the lobby by 6:40AM. TIP- We reserved our Uber the night before and it was a flawless experience. The Uber ride was $32 with tip which seemed excessive BUT the parking at Universal was $40 (furthest away lot) and I was willing to not have to drive, despite our Air BNB only being 1.7 miles from Universal!
The sun is not even out yet... But we are READY for our Universal Day!
We were at Universal and in the Early Access line at 6:45AM. TIP- We purchased the "Early Access" tickets for an additional $30/ per person to get us into Universal Studios and the Super Mario World an HOUR before official opening time, which in our case was 8AM. We were visiting on a smaller Spring Break week in SoCal and I am SO HAPPY we paid this extra money to get here early! It was worth EVERY PENNY!
The Frankenstein Parking Garage (the closest one) where Ride-Share drops off.
Hello Universal Studios Hollywood!
Family Selfie #1 of the day!
I love it when people offer to take a real family picture!
We waited in the special Early Access line about 5 minutes and were able to get several pictures at the front of the entrance before they called us to go towards the gates of Universal. We waited at the gates for about 5 minutes before they scanned our Early Access tickets. TIP- They request paper copies of all tickets as the brightness varies from phone to phone and it slows down the process. They came and unlocked the gates around 7:17AM but we waited all the way until 7:35AM before they actually scanned our tickets and we were in the park. But I had NO idea that this really meant nothing and there was even more waiting once in the actual park!
This is FRAME WORTHY!
And I love this one too!
I'm on the RED CARPET... This was so cool!
We are ready for "rope drop" or so we thought...
Once inside the park, we walked with at least 500 other people to the center of the Main Street barricaded with workers before "rope drop" began. Around 7:50AM a manager came and explained they would be walking us all the way to the Super Mario World in the Lower Lot as a large group and not to push people. HAHA, this worked so well- NOT! This was absolutely crazy and it truly felt like a mob. I have never experienced anything like this in my life and it was crazy- but looking back it was fun!
This was us inside the park about 100 yards or so down Main Street. Us and 1K other Californians on Spring Break!
This is a view of the area leading to the Lower Lot on our last "stop" before Mario World!
Once inside Mario World we immediately went to the Bowser's Challenge ride, despite many bloggers saying to do the games early. We walked right on to the ride and it was LITERALLY the best ride EVER. I loved it so much. It was interactive and with VR headset you can actually play along and feel like you ARE Mario! It was AWESOME. I really wish we would have gone back and rode it again as it was just THAT AWESOME!
Our very first view of Mario World on escalator #4. THIS WAS AWESOME!
Hello Super Nintendo World!
This was the line to get on the ride around 8:06AM.
Hello from Bowser's Challenge!
This ride was so nostalgic! I LOVED IT!
Family Selfie #2
I really did feel like a kid in a candy store!
My 90s teen-ager days were coming out!
We had SO MUCH FUN with this ride!
Once the ride was over, we tried to explore more of the Super Mario World before the end of our Early Access and then get back to the Upper Lot so we could get to Harry Potter. TIP- Many people online said to stay in Super Mario World and play the interactive games or enjoy this area before leaving but we chose to do the opposite and get to Harry Potter ASAP. This proved to be the best decision. We were able to ride the Flight of the Hippogriff, the Harry Potter rollercoaster, THREE times without even getting off before the rest of the "regular" folks even got to Harry Potter World. We were also able to see the entire village EMPTY which is unheard of! I would HIGHLY recommend getting to this part of the park as soon as "rope drop" happens.
We all really enjoyed Nintendo World!
Family Selfie #3
Time to go up to Harry Potter World!
It wasn't even a wait... We literally walked right on!
Family Selfie #4- Notice Luke is a little skittish!
I just had to get a picture and proof of this! This was ride #3!
He did it... He rode a rollercoaster (AND 3 TIMES, TOO)
A completely empty Harry Potter World- This was worth it to come here right after Early Access!
After we rode this rollercoaster 3 times, LUKE included, we noticed people starting to arrive so we hurried over to the Harry Potter attraction the Forbidden Journey, which was a virtual rollercoaster of some kind. This was an awesome experience and I LOVED it. Luke, on the other hand, had seen a video online of this ride getting stuck and had it dead set in his mind he would get stuck so he was a little anxious. HE DID RIDE this ride and for that I am SO PROUD... But only 1 time. Chris, Natalie and I were able to ride this one again using the "Child Switch" area at the front of the ride. TIP- Child Switch allows everyone to wait in line and then once it is time to load the ride, one parent rides the ride with the rest of the party while the other waits with the kid who is NOT riding the ride. Then they switch! WHERE HAS THIS BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE? I cannot even tell you how many times my dad would wait with Allison at the end of a ride, in the sun, while mom and I rode the ride and then him not get to ride it! This would have been SO HELPFUL! Not all rides at Universal have this option but many do!
Harry Potter World Family Selfie!
Once we rode all the Harry Potter rides, we went into Olivanders to get Luke his much deserved wand. This was all he had been talking about for about 3 months leading up to this trip. He read all of the Harry Potter books within the last year and has truly fell in love with the series. We told him if he faced his fears, was brave and rode the roller-coaster, he could get a wand. Let me tell you- he dragged us straight from the Forbidden Journey to the wand shop! He deserved this and it was $65 well spent! We walked around Harry Potter world while Luke placed many spells and then we made our way to Lard Lad Donuts in Springfield for a MASSIVE donut!
Luke enjoying his much earned and deserved $60 wand!
Hello from the Hogwarts's Express !
It was barely 10AM and we felt like we already achieved so much! We decided to only get 1 donut as they were so ginormous. We got the traditional pink donut and it was DELICIOUS! I was seriously impressed with this donut and wish we would have gone back for another one! Overall, I would rate the Lard Lad Donut a 9/10 and would highly recommend it!
The Lard Lad Donut menu!
This was seriously delicious!
And literally as big as your face!
After our sweet treat, we decided to go to the Kung Fu Panda ride as it did not have a line. This was a cute, very basic ride but we all enjoyed it! Then we went to the Studio Tour as our Early Access allowed us to skip the line. TIP- Early Access only grants you an hour "early" entrance to the park and only in Super Mario World. However, it also allows you a one-time front of the line access to the Studio Tour BUT you must use this before 11AM. When we arrived the wait time was only 25 minutes but we used our "Early Access" pass to jump to the front of the line. The Studio Tour was a great experience and I love that this is all on a real working movie studio. You will NEVER find that at Disney or Six Flags, which made this very unique. I also enjoyed the relaxation it provided as we were already tired. However, overall, this ride was at the bottom of most of our lists! TIP- It is a 50-60 minute ride so be sure to use the restroom prior to embarking on the tram.
The Upper Lot wait times at 10:15AM.
We are ready for the Studio Tour!
Studio Tour Selfie!
The JAWS movie set!
Again, my 90's heart was LOVING this!
We LOVED the Studio Tour- Well at least I did. I think Luke ranked it LAST but still!
Afternoon
By now, we were all tired and hungry so we went to Krusty Burger in Springfield as this was the #1 thing Chris wanted to do at Universal! The line at Krusty Burger was not that bad and we waited about 15 minutes to place our order and then another 25 minutes to get our food. TIP- Krusty Burger does offer mobile ordering and it "seemed" it was a little faster than waiting in line. We also opted to purchase a refillable Coca-Cola souvenir mug and that worked out really well! However, they would not give out regular cups to pour our refillable soda into! But you can bring your own water bottles into the park which I highly recommend! Overall, I would rate the Krusty Burger experience as a 8.5/10.
Chris had been looking forward to this for a while!
He is a huge Simpson's Fan!
The Krusty Burger Menu options!
The final product- Still 8.5/10!
After lunch we decided to go to the Lower Lot and try to knock out a few rides before the afternoon influcuation that traditionally happens. We opted to go to the Jurassic World ride first and at the time of arrival it had a 65 minute wait but we were boarding the ride after 42 minutes. TIP- You will get wet on this ride but the back right allowed for less water spraying. The props and special effects for Jurassic World were second to none. We all LOVED the overall experience of this ride and even Luke enjoyed it!
This is a new FAVORITE of mine!
Our plan afterwards was to do the Transformers Ride but it had a 100 minute wait so we decided to split up and the girls went to Mummy- The Ride and the boys went to The Secret Life of Pets. The Mummy ride was really fun and I love that it went upside down and backwards but it was all inside and that took away a bit of the appeal for me! I would ride it again but I would pass for anything longer than a 45 minute wait! The Secret Life of Pets turned out to be our LONGEST wait of the entire day. The boys waited 110 minutes to get on this ride and then the ride itself was about 20 minutes long. Luke LOVED this ride and Chris enjoyed the downtime- but be prepared to wait a WHILE! Natalie and I enjoyed a small café while we waited for the boys and I enjoyed some cookies and a small "glass" of $15 red wine. This same wine (brand and all) is $4.96 for a BOTTLE at HEB at home. Once again, our budget was all but done at this point!
Hello Secret Life of Pets (Longest wait ALL DAY)
But the boys loved this ride- It was Luke's #1 ride!
Seriously- The exact same brand at HEB is $4.95/ bottle and this was $16!
Hello Tweety Bird!
After we met up with the boys, we went to the Three Broomsticks restaurant in Harry Potter world to get butterbeer and butterbeer Ice Cream. We stopped at Honeyduke's first to get Luke the Butterbeer Ice Cream he had seen so much on YouTube. I opted to get an ice cream cone as well and it was delicious. Overall I would rate the Honeyduke's Butterbeer Ice Cream as a 7/10 and a pretty good value priced at $8.95 for a waffle cone!
I loved getting to spend this day with Luke the Duke!
ButterBeer Ice Cream- Trust me, just get it!
Once we got our sugar fix, we found a place to sit inside the Three Broomsticks Bar and the adults got Butterbeer with some Jameson whiskey! This was a $70 tab for 2 butterbeers and 2 shots but it was WELL WORTH IT! The velvet texture of the Jameson went so well with the butterscotch flavor of the butterbeer. As Joey would say "I would walk back to LA for that". Overall, I would rate this Butterbeer experience 9/10! We sat in the restaurant, enjoyed a few more drinks and tried to collect our breath before heading back out and going to the famous "Water World" show inside Universal Studios.
This combination was SO GOOD! I wish it was offered on cruises with our drink packages!
The ButterBeer alone was delicious and only $14.
The Water World show was a good amusement park show and Luke especially liked it. It was also very well attended at the 4:30PM showtime- so be prepared! TIP- This show lasted about 40 minutes and was well worth the time. Be warned there IS bathroom nearby but it is very crowded near show start and stop times.
This was a great way to rest after a long morning and early afternoon!
The show was VERY well put together for an Amusement Park show!
Plus it only lasted about 25 minutes!
We left the show to head towards the Minion ride and stopped to refill out Coca-Cola cup inside the Minion Café. While Chris was helping the kids get the refill a beautiful family came and gave us their remaining Fast Passes for the day as it was after 6PM. We were so incredibly grateful for these and were able to use them to get to the front of 2 different rides.
We immediately went to get in the line for the Minion Ride as we were right next door. We got in the Fast Pass line and literally walked right on. At the time of arrival there was only a 35 minute wait but it felt SO GOOD to just walk right on. The Minion Ride was good but it was not any of our favorites and overall it would be towards the end of the list of rides for all of us.
Minion Ride Family Selfie!
This ride was cute and I would do it again!
Evening
We got on the app to check the wait-times for many rides and saw Transformers was closed for the time being. We were super upset as we really wanted to get to ALL the rides. We opted to go to the Simpson's Ride in Springfield and opted not to use the 2nd of our 2 fast passes in hopes that the Transformers would be working in a few hours. We waited in line for this ride for about an hour and by this time of day, the sun was setting and the wind was some type of fierce. I felt like I was in Oklahoma- and we were all not properly clothed and were FREEZING. I actually enjoyed the ride but honestly all I will remember is how cold we were zigging in and out of the line in the 48* temps! TIP- Bring long pants and hoodies when in Southern California- pretty much any time of year!
We are ready for the Simpson's Ride!
I actually really enjoyed this VR/ 3D style ride!
Plus the dialogue was super nostalgic!
And we even got to meet Marge!
We checked on the app once more and the Transformers Ride was still closed so we went to Three Broomsticks to get the Family Meal for dinner. This meal consisted of 4 chicken leg quarters, 4 small rib racks, grilled vegetables and corn on the cob for $79.99. This seemed high but in reality, it was a good cost for a family of four. We all really enjoyed the English style chicken and loved the veggies too. Overall, I would rate this meal as a 8/10 and would recommend if you like English style cooking and food!
This was a lot of food and fed our family well!
Dinner Family Selfie!
At the end of our dinner we checked the app and the Transformers Ride was up and running again and it already had a 60 minute wait. We got down to the Lower Lot and used our Fast Passes to jump to the front of the line. We only had to wait about 15 minutes before we were enjoying the VR rollercoaster ride. The Transformers Ride was really cool and the kids and I, not being a Transformer fans, still really enjoyed it.
This view of Super Nintendo World at night was PRICELESS!
Transformers Time!
And we had FAST PASSES- Let's Go!
After our Transformers Ride we had now rode all of the rides in Universal Studios (across all 4 of us) and decided it was time to start wrapping it up. We made our way back to the Upper Lot and towards the front of the park, making a pit stop for some late night treats at Honeyduke's in Harry Potter World. Natalie and I also stopped at the Main Gift Shop to get her a Universal T-Shirt as well as pick up our packages we purchased prior in the day. TIP- Universal Studios Hollywood offers a Package Pick-up service FREE of charge. This allows you to purchase whatever you want and the majority of stores and it will be delivered to the main store. You have to tell them you want package pick-up when paying but this is a GREAT way to buy items and not have to carry them around all day!
One last final view of SNW before we left for the day!
We ended our 15+ hour day at 9:30PM as we walked to the Frankenstein Parking Garage to meet our Uber to take us back to our apartment. TIP- This was a flawless process of getting the Uber and getting to the pick-up location. Plus this return trip was only $7 which was a steal. We got back to our apartment around 10PM and we were all wiped out. We got showers and were passed out in bed before 10:30PM.
This day was AWESOME. I really didn't think my family would be THEME PARK JUNKIES but this day proved otherwise. They are already planning a trip to Universal Florida and even Disney! My thing is- How on earth can people do that for more than one day? And oftentimes 3-5 days in a row- NOPE!
Me personally- I would rather still cruise!
Stay Tuned for Day 4!!!!
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