First Experience at Universal Studios Hollywood

[Juan T.]

As I'm going through the forums, I have yet to see a discussion on the very first trip everyone took to Universal that made them love the park. I would love to read all your stories about the first time you visited the park. I'll start with my experience.

Note: I went to Universal at the age of four and nine but never really appreciated the park until I was 13. The following is my experience

of when I was 13.

I arrived at Universal at around ten in the mourning. The day was July 2nd 2011. I entered the park with my brother and cousin. Our first destination was to the House of Horrors. We went again about four times, until we decided to go watch Termiantor 2 3D. We went in and enjoyed the AWESOME show. As we exited out, I went over to the cliff right next to T2 and viewed the beauty of the area. (I will never forget that view) Next on the list was Waterworld. The last time I viewed the show, I was too young to fully comprehend what was happening. As I watched, I was very entertained by it. The day passed on and we visited Animal Actors, Shrek 4D( -_- ), The Simpsons Ride( At the time I was really angry that the Back to The Future Ride was taken off), and The Studio Tour. As the day was coming to an end, we headed down to the lower lot. At the time only Jurassic Park and The Mummy stood, so we decided to go on Jurassic Park first and then go dry off in the cold on The Mummy. We made line, and we got in the Jurassic Park vehicle. The ride than began. Since this was the first time for me to ever go on the Jurassic Park Ride (I was afraid when I was younger of the ride), I didn't know what to expect. Never did I know that this ride would change me. We went through the ride, and we came to the drop. As water splashed all over my face and as the ride ended, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be a filmmaker. As this happend, John William's unforgettable Jurassic Park music played in the back. Never will I forget this day.

 

[UniversalFan]

My first experience at USH was at the winter of 2005 (No Grinchmas at the time). My first impression of USH was blah at first. I was pretty tall back then at my age. I rode BTTF for the first time, I was scared of it at first, but started to love it. Saw WaterWorld, scared me again because you know, the loud gun noises. I did go on T2, but I cried. Lol. I had a blast in the indoor playground, shooting random people. Of course the studio tour. I loved it, always scared of King King, (before the fire, I was in 5th grade, still scared), the tour took me to many places in the world all on the backlot, I had a passion to become a film kind of guy. Then, I left USH with a smile on my face, looking back at it on the freeway, admiring it. And then started to go there more. I stopped going to USH from 2008-2011 because those years were the worst for USH. Then I got an AP, which I love. I will never forget that first experience at the park. Still enjoy it, always an evolving park.

 

[Jon Fu]

Nice thread, Juan. I've moved it to the Universal Studios Hollywood forum since it'll fit nicely under there. Good to hear some stories from our members, so I guess I'll add mine:

I'll preface this with the personal tidbit that my parents separated at an early age. It won't make sense now, but it will later.

So as kid, I lived in both Camarillo and Los Angeles with my mother and father (respectively), and every weekend I would trip back to Los Angeles with my father to his home. Lo and behold, Universal was on the way so we naturally became pass holders at around 1997-1998. I would visit my father every weekend, and Universal would always be a stop as we went back home. Soon after, it would almost become a daily occurrence, and we would be at Universal like clockwork every weekend.

After a while, I guess you could say Universal actually became a baby-sitter for both my father (since he didn't know what to do) and I. We would stop by WaterWorld and the Wild Wild West Stunt Show and head back home (and if we were feeling lucky we would head on over to the Lower Lot and do whatever). Of course, as a kid, everything had been painfully frightening. King Kong, Earthquake, Backdraft - not exactly attractions that would resonate with me as a kid. And this experience would go on for a few years.

Every weekend. Every trip. Like clockwork.

I finally took a hiatus between 2002-2005, and was lured back in by a mail-in postcard from Universal. The site started in 2006, and here we are.

In all, I literally spent half my childhood at this park, and it's become the benchmark for how I perceive a proper theme park experience. I wouldn't make my trip to Universal Orlando until the mid-2000s (hell, I didn't even know there were other Universal parks out there!). Odd, huh?

 

[William]

Agh, my story is probably gonna be long. Prepare yourself.. I become an author when telling old stories.

I first found out about Universal Studios Hollywood back around 2008, and I didn't really know all that much. All I knew about Universal in general was that I lived literally 10 minutes away from USH. For Christmas '08, my parents decided to surprise me with a trip to USH with a good friend of mine who lived in Washington state. They rolled up this piece of paper, wrapped it, and placed it under the tree. They told me to save it for last, and when I opened it, there it was: a confirmation of the ticket's purchase with Shrek's face plastered on the front. I was ecstatic to say the least. Anyways, 2 days passed by, and before I knew it, I was with my dad and my best friend on our way to Universal. I had only ever been to one theme park prior to that trip, and that was Disneyland. I only remember going there twice at the time, so I didn't really know what to expect with Universal. Now, I was in the 5th grade, and I was uh.. kinda small minded. I only did what I knew I wanted to do, and that was final. That played a major part in our trip there.. Speaking of which, let's move on to the trip itself.

It was during Grinchmas (obviously), so Christmas decor blanketed the park. The only thing I vividly remember regarding Grinchmas that year was playing in the snow. Haha. Anyways, on to attractions. I refused to do Waterworld because I thought it was an intense water ride, and I was not in the mood to get wet. My dad wasn't really sure what the attractions were like, so he didn't know how to convince me. I wouldn't do T2:3D either because I assumed it was The Matrix (I honestly had no idea they were different at the time, and robots just weren't my thing). I just envisioned us sitting in some boring movie theater watching some boring film for 40 minutes. I managed to get away with not watching that either. Then came The Simpsons Ride.. Now we knew we had to do this since it seems like a kid's fantasy to experience a cartoon world, and it was the park's newest attraction. Long story short: I had fun, but it made me pretty nauseous. We never did the Studio Tour, I can't remember why.. So we headed to the Lower Lot. First we rode Jurassic Park, and that was crazy. I think I was okay with the ride overall, but that drop scared the hell outta me. My dad still has a video tape of our ride, I'll see if we still have it! Next was Backdraft. This was my first and last viewing of Backdraft, so I can't remember much, but I remember not knowing what I was getting into (surprise, surprise). What I do remember is backing the heck up when some flames blasted right in front of me. Overall I was okay with it. Last, but certainly not least, was Revenge of the Mummy. Now, at the time, the ride was relatively new. Not really, but sorta. I just remember that it seemed like a huge deal for me going through with something this scary, and I definitely remember freaking the hell out when I got in. We were kinda too deep in the queue to just walk out, so I knew I had no choice. The only parts I remember from the ride were watching the mummy awake at the beginning, seeing the sand face, and feeling the scarab beetles. My eyes were seeled shut for the duration of the ride, and I loathed it. I seriously wanted to get the hell out, and I was sick to my stomach after these rides. By the time we left the park and were back in the car, I was clutching my stomach, but for some reason, I was mad because I wanted to go back. I assumed we had only seen a small portion of the park (I assumed it was the same size as Disneyland), and I couldn't get over how we had only gone on "3 rides".

Overall, not the best experience. Not the worst experience. I was a total party pooper, and I own up to that. I can't blame my friend if she was pissed off at me. Haha. I'll never forget that trip, because my view of the park is completely different now.

 

[Juan T.]

My first experience at USH was at the winter of 2005 (No Grinchmas at the time). My first impression of USH was blah at first. I was pretty tall back then at my age. I rode BTTF for the first time, I was scared of it at first, but started to love it. Saw WaterWorld, scared me again because you know, the loud gun noises. I did go on T2, but I cried. Lol. I had a blast in the indoor playground, shooting random people. Of course the studio tour. I loved it, always scared of King King, (before the fire, I was in 5th grade, still scared), the tour took me to many places in the world all on the backlot, I had a passion to become a film kind of guy. Then, I left USH with a smile on my face, looking back at it on the freeway, admiring it. And then started to go there more. I stopped going to USH from 2008-2011 because those years were the worst for USH. Then I got an AP, which I love. I will never forget that first experience at the park. Still enjoy it, always an evolving park.

I remember the first time I went I cried when encountering King Kong and The Mummy.

Agh, my story is probably gonna be long. Prepare yourself.. I become an author when telling old stories.

I first found out about Universal Studios Hollywood back around 2008, and I didn't really know all that much. All I knew about Universal in general was that I lived literally 10 minutes away from USH. For Christmas '08, my parents decided to surprise me with a trip to USH with a good friend of mine who lived in Washington state. They rolled up this piece of paper, wrapped it, and placed it under the tree. They told me to save it for last, and when I opened it, there it was: a confirmation of the ticket's purchase with Shrek's face plastered on the front. I was ecstatic to say the least. Anyways, 2 days passed by, and before I knew it, I was with my dad and my best friend on our way to Universal. I had only ever been to one theme park prior to that trip, and that was Disneyland. I only remember going there twice at the time, so I didn't really know what to expect with Universal. Now, I was in the 5th grade, and I was uh.. kinda small minded. I only did what I knew I wanted to do, and that was final. That played a major part in our trip there.. Speaking of which, let's move on to the trip itself.

It was during Grinchmas (obviously), so Christmas decor blanketed the park. The only thing I vividly remember regarding Grinchmas that year was playing in the snow. Haha. Anyways, on to attractions. I refused to do Waterworld because I thought it was an intense water ride, and I was not in the mood to get wet. My dad wasn't really sure what the attractions were like, so he didn't know how to convince me. I wouldn't do T2:3D either because I assumed it was The Matrix (I honestly had no idea they were different at the time, and robots just weren't my thing). I just envisioned us sitting in some boring movie theater watching some boring film for 40 minutes. I managed to get away with not watching that either. Then came The Simpsons Ride.. Now we knew we had to do this since it seems like a kid's fantasy to experience a cartoon world, and it was the park's newest attraction. Long story short: I had fun, but it made me pretty nauseous. We never did the Studio Tour, I can't remember why.. So we headed to the Lower Lot. First we rode Jurassic Park, and that was crazy. I think I was okay with the ride overall, but that drop scared the hell outta me. My dad still has a video tape of our ride, I'll see if we still have it! Next was Backdraft. This was my first and last viewing of Backdraft, so I can't remember much, but I remember not knowing what I was getting into (surprise, surprise). What I do remember is backing the heck up when some flames blasted right in front of me. Overall I was okay with it. Last, but certainly not least, was Revenge of the Mummy. Now, at the time, the ride was relatively new. Not really, but sorta. I just remember that it seemed like a huge deal for me going through with something this scary, and I definitely remember freaking the hell out when I got in. We were kinda too deep in the queue to just walk out, so I knew I had no choice. The only parts I remember from the ride were watching the mummy awake at the beginning, seeing the sand face, and feeling the scarab beetles. My eyes were seeled shut for the duration of the ride, and I loathed it. I seriously wanted to get the hell out, and I was sick to my stomach after these rides. By the time we left the park and were back in the car, I was clutching my stomach, but for some reason, I was mad because I wanted to go back. I assumed we had only seen a small portion of the park (I assumed it was the same size as Disneyland), and I couldn't get over how we had only gone on "3 rides".

Overall, not the best experience. Not the worst experience. I was a total party pooper, and I own up to that. I can't blame my friend if she was pissed off at me. Haha. I'll never forget that trip, because my view of the park is completely different now.

I was just like you when I went the first time. I only went on a few rides, along with the shows here and there. That was about it. I was that scared!!!

 

[William]

The only thing I was really scared of was ROTM. For the rest of it, I just refused to do things. Like I said, I had absolutely no desire to expand my horizons as a child.

 

[Miss Betty Juice]

My story is long as hell. If I ever finish my damn article you'll read it there.

It was really cool reading your stories so far though.

 

[Jon Fu]

The only thing I was really scared of was ROTM. For the rest of it, I just refused to do things. Like I said, I had absolutely no desire to expand my horizons as a child.

I didn't either. WaterWorld and Wild West - both the only thing I would do. As a kid, I sort of climbed the theme park ladder in exponential bursts.

Being older now, I've become a bit desensitized. The only thing that can still rattle my chain is Halloween Horror Nights. If I honestly had a choice, I don't think I would go. You need a group.

 

[William]

I didn't either. WaterWorld and Wild West - both the only thing I would do. As a kid, I sort of climbed the theme park ladder in exponential bursts.

Being older now, I've become a bit desensitized. The only thing that can still rattle my chain is Halloween Horror Nights. If I honestly had a choice, I don't think I would go. You need a group.

I do any and all rides now (except the ones that make me incredibly dizzy), and I'm the same as you in that the Halloween events are the only thing that can manage to freak me out. I've only been to Knott's Scary Farm once. I was a bit traumatized at first, but before I knew it I was having a blast. I can't wait to go to HHN with friends this year! Haha.

 

[BruceTheShark]

My first experience I was about 2 or 3 months fresh out of the womb! I definitely don't remember much. My earliest memories are going on ET and waiting in line with the cards they handed out giving the people behind the computers our names so that ET can say them at the end of the attraction. I remember my Dad and Grandpa were able to get me on Jurassic Park when I was at the height limit with some convincing and a bribe from the gift shop afterwards! I ended up getting a Jurassic Park: The Ride hat with my name personalized on it. BeetleJuice was a must, as it was my moms favorite thing to do. Universal is really responsible for my love of monsters and horror nowadays. It scared the hell out of me as a kid, but now seeing that stuff brings feelings of nostalgia and reminds me of my childhood. Back to the Future was always a highlight of our visit. I loved that ride. When Terminator opened up, that was my new favorite attraction. I must have been 8 years old and I got a laser gun, T2 glasses and some other toys and pretended to act as Arnold for about a week after seeing that show.

 

[Jon Fu]

My first experience I was about 2 or 3 months fresh out of the womb! I definitely don't remember much. My earliest memories are going on ET and waiting in line with the cards they handed out giving the people behind the computers our names so that ET can say them at the end of the attraction.

Does anyone have a card from E.T.? I have to admit, I was contemplating on whether I should take one from Florida since it's been so long. Obviously I didn't follow through, but I wouldn't mind being able to purchase my own later on after the ride is finished.


It's a shame. I really have no memory of E.T. in Hollywood.

 

[William]

Seriously, as soon as I gave back my E.T. card in USF a few months back, I thought to myself, 'Man, I should've taken it!' Haha I mean I know it's not necessarily the right thing to do, but I'm sure we all stoop down to that level on occasions.. I've been thinking of finding one on eBay before it closes its doors.

 

[Jon Fu]

Seriously, as soon as I gave back my E.T. card in USF a few months back, I thought to myself, 'Man, I should've taken it!' Haha I mean I know it's not necessarily the right thing to do, but I'm sure we all stoop down to that level on occasions.. I've been thinking of finding one on eBay before it closes its doors.

Yeah, I would never condone stealing, but I really wish they sold the old cards.


Oh well. We still have plush E.T.s for what it's worth.

 

[Miss Betty Juice]

I will put a bounty out on those cards. Next one who goes to Florida, bring me back one! You'll be richly rewarded!

...I'm joking. Mostly.

 

[BehindTheTheme]

 Obviously I didn't follow through, but I wouldn't mind being able to purchase my own later on after the ride is finished.

It's a shame. I really have no memory of E.T. in Hollywood.

Sure you didn't take it h34r: . JK. LOL B)

 

[William]

I'm trying my very best to convince my family into having us all go next year some time after Diagon Alley opens. Maybe I'll grab a few E.T. cards for all of ya!