Universal Studios…A Great Day Out For The Family
If you are visiting Orlando then one of the “must do” and “must see” theme parks is Universal Studios. The park is split into six main areas; Production Central, New York, San Francisco/Amity, World Expo, Hollywood and Woody Woodpecker Kidzone.
Arriving early in the morning is the best thing to do in my opinion and if you arrive just as the gates open then you’ll want to make a quick dash to the rides where the lines will be longest later in the day. I’ve tested and experimented a little and I have always found that upon entering the park and walking past the shops that it is best to turn right and head down through “Hollywood”.
The Simpson’s ride in World Expo is the first ride to head for as the lines can be very long for this superb experience as you swoop, soar and smash your way through Krustyland. After that do Men in Black… it’s right next door at the furthest point to go in the park.
By now the park will be starting to fill and you’ll expect to see lines building at almost every ride so now you have to be selective. My tactic is to choose the rides where singles or doubles sit in carriages rather than the larger shows that take a large amount of people…I save them for later in the day. So, with armed with that info…where to go next?
Three of the most popular rides are Jaws, Disaster and Revenge of the Mummy. Personally I’d head for Revenge of the Mummy next as most people will still be in the Production Central area. After that I’d ride Disaster and then Jaws. From there, I’d then start working my way back towards the entrance and do Twister but make sure you keep an eye on show times as you don’t want to miss the Blues Brothers Show which runs at 11.00am, 12.00pm, 1.30pm, 2.45pm and 4.00pm. Also you’ll not want to miss the Universal Horror Make Up Show to discover the secret techniques from Universal’s legacy of horror and how they do some of the scenes in their movies.
By now, you may be thinking my route to take rides is a bit all over the place…and honestly it is! But… if you want to experience a great day out then my experience is to get the most popular rides done quickly and when your energy is at it’s highest so you can then enjoy a leisurely stroll around the park and maybe take in your favorite rides again.
if you have young children, then it’s great to relax a bit after all the hectic rides in the Woody Woodpecker Kidzone which features things like “A Day in the Park with Barney”, “Curious George Goes to Town”, Woody’s Nuthouse Coaster, ET Adventure and Fievel’s Playland.
So by now you must be feeling hungry? Where to go?
Personally I’ve always enjoyed the seafood and asian food at Lombard’s Seafood Grille in the San Francisco area but Mel’s Drive In is also a cool place to go to enjoy burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads and fries. The Beverly Hills Boulagerie is good for breakfast but if you take my tip, you’ll have already had breakfast before you got to the park so that when it opens you’re heading for the rides. If you are looking for pizza and pasta then either the International Food and Film Festival or Louie’s Italian Restaurant fits the bill while if you like the Irish feeling then head to Finnegan’s Bar and Grille.
There’s a lot to do at Universal Studio’s and another popular thing to do is meet some character’s. Make sure you pick up a park guide when you come in and look for the part that says “Character Zones” as that displays the times that you can get up close and personal with Spiderman, the Marvel Super Heroes, Shrek and the Donkey, SpongeBob SquarePants and various other character meets in Toon and Seuss zones.
So that’s the most popular rides and character meets done and we’re now full from food and drink, what can we do now… well, if you’re in the Hollywood area how about Terminator 2 or in Production Central Shrek 4?
After that you’ve pretty much seen everything and you’ll be feeling tired. If you’ve taken my advice you’ll have dashed around a bit but by now you’ll be close to the exit. So there’s no need to rush…just take your time and enjoy a leisurely stroll through the shops or if you’ve decided you’ve done everything you wanted to do, why not wander around City Walk?
Or…if you’re really feeling lazy…take a look at this short video instead… and visit Universal Studios with me!
