Universal during Dec?

[AussieCaribou]

G'day everyone,

I was so excited to find your forum!  I have a few questions about USH and it looks like you are just the people to ask.

My husband and I are bringing our 15 year old daughter to the US in Dec. The trip is a combination, 'congratulations for graduating from High School' and 'this is what amusement parks/theme parks look like' trip.  We will be taking her to Knott's Berry Farm, Disneyland/California Adventure, Belmont Park, Walt Disney World, and Universal Studios Hollywood. My daughter is interested in going into engineering (specifically, she wants to build amusement/theme parks) and so we want to expose her to as many as we can in the short time we have. 

So, I have read the other threads about how to see it all and we plan on going to Despicable Me and then the Studio Tour (we are happy to do single rider on the lower lot). 

We are planning on going on 10 Dec 2014 after our 15 hour flight from Australia.  We get in at 630am and hope to make it through customs and immigration in less than 2 hours.  Then we have to pick up the rental car and drive to...and here's were I need help.  How safe are the parking lots as USH?  Should we be stopping off at our hotel (Knott's Berry Farm) and drop our bags there?  Or will they be okay to leave them in the boot of the car? 

Does anyone know what time USH might be opening on that day?  Is it likely to be very crowded?  

Lastly, if you were going to show off USH to someone who really wants to build entertainments, what would you show her?

Thanks

Natalie

 

[Alexshow.]

Let me look that up...

Universal Studios Opens at 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM but it might change due to a holiday event that starts around late November and ends early January based on

How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Parking lots should do fine on your visit but it is a weekday so you should be fine for the day. With Despicable me, flip that with studio tour

for second as Studio tour can get crowded in the holiday times due to the Whos are on the Backlot for the event. With the Bagging, i'm going to have to go on a limb and say;

Keep the bags in the Trunk of the car as I think that theres a certain time when you can check in. I might be wrong on that case but just for safetys,

 Another thing if it is crowded, there might be a BottleNeck in the Flinstones BBQ/Simpsons plaza/SES area but just be calm and enjoy the park.

For shows; water world is your awnser. #1 Rated stunt show in hollywood and it got a large refurb over Off-season so it will be nice for you guys. I hope that I got some

of the questions awnsered for you guys but its my opinion of how a day like that could be as it is in a Holiday time; with some schools out but not all.. I just hope you guys have

a great time.

 

[Matty5]

Hello,

I've worked at the park almost 5 years now. And usually during that time of the year, the park is open 10-5 like mentioned above. It's possible it could be open later, but plan wit these hours in mind since they are limited. But remember that limited hours mean a heck of a lot less guests in the park. The tour, the rides, Waterworld, and IMO Special Effects Stage show are all must-sees at our park. This how I would do the park. Be there when it opens at 10, we usually start letting guests in the park around 945-950 and then "drop the rope" at 10. I would make a left towards Despicable Me, then head towards The Simpsons Ride, do it. And then the tour. After that, go across the way to the "Starway" and go to the lower lot for The Mummy, Jurassic Park and Transformers. It shouldn't be too busy, so I dont think single rider lines will be necessary or even open. Then go back up and check out the shows and the House of Horrors (my home attraction). 

Also, know that a few of our attractions offer special "Behind the Scenes" tours to guests who seem like they would benefit from it. House of Horrors (I'm one of the guides) and The Simpsons are two of the attractions that are consistent with giving them. So I bet if you ask around those attractions, they might be able to hook you guys up!

As for the car, it should be fine. Just park near one of the security cameras. And deffo leave your stuff in the boot (trunk in American) where it can't be seen and I'm sure youll be fine. Hope this helps!!

 

[RyanTTD]

Since your daughter wants to get into the themed entertainment business, it may be worth it to purchase the VIP Studio Tour ticket.   You will get Front of Line access to every attraction and show, and a very extensive tour of the studio backlot.

Theme parks and movie studios share a lot in common, and a lot of people who currently work on, and for theme parks got their start in the movie making business.

http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/tickets/vip-experience/?intcmp=topnav

 

[Chris]

Having some experience with USH, December 10 is a very low period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Expect that the park will be very empty with crowds, but also will have lack of show performances which will require you to plan your day instead of just hitting one attraction after another.  Expect to stay the entire day to get your money worth.

 

[AussieCaribou]

Wow!  Thanks guys.  

lol, I guess I need to remember that I should be typing in American English...not Australian English (I could get into a bit of trouble with some meanings I think).  So, yes, trunk...the trunk of the car. 

Actually, I think that I like the 10 to 5 hours.  I know my daughter; she will want to stay until the very end of the day...I am not sure how much later than 5pm my husband and I can do. Jetlag is HORRIBLE! Also, the prospect of lower crowds is an added positive. I really wish that we could afford the VIP tour...alas, the Aussie dollar isn't quite that good against the US greenback.

I just googled Grinchmas and wow!  I'm a sucker for Christmas lights...oh, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas has been my favorite DS book since I heard it read at the library as a child. :0)

So, should I be downloading the map and committing it to memory (like DLR/WDW) or will we be able to navigate with a hard copy in the park?

Do the parking lots open early (as we hope to be getting there about 9am) and is there anywhere outside the park that's open for breakfast about then?

Oh, and tickets...Buy them at the park when we get there?  Or should we be getting them before we go over?  I noticed that they are a few $ cheaper on the website but I kind of like face to face contact as well.

Matty5, my daughter and I have a few questions about your home attraction... would it be okay to send you a message with them?  Neither one of us wants to sound too pathetic on an open forum. 

Thanks everyone.  

 

[Alexshow.]

The park has a Hard Copy of the park map and they give it to you right at the door. The Tickets; i'd do Online due to the money. With

Citywalk; it usally opens around 9 AM so if that happens, you might be on the time they have that start. With Grinchmas; and NOTE: Subject to change.

Its based on the Film of the book and the book itself. It gets a little crowded in the night because they have this Celebrity reading the story part. And that

theres a Tree Lighting after that (Shorter last year than the others). Ok, done with Grinchmas. But that's what I can give on some of your questions.

 

[Miss Betty Juice]

Wow! Thanks guys.

lol, I guess I need to remember that I should be typing in American English...not Australian English (I could get into a bit of trouble with some meanings I think). So, yes, trunk...the trunk of the car.

Actually, I think that I like the 10 to 5 hours. I know my daughter; she will want to stay until the very end of the day...I am not sure how much later than 5pm my husband and I can do. Jetlag is HORRIBLE! Also, the prospect of lower crowds is an added positive. I really wish that we could afford the VIP tour...alas, the Aussie dollar isn't quite that good against the US greenback.

I just googled Grinchmas and wow! I'm a sucker for Christmas lights...oh, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas has been my favorite DS book since I heard it read at the library as a child. :0)

So, should I be downloading the map and committing it to memory (like DLR/WDW) or will we be able to navigate with a hard copy in the park?

Do the parking lots open early (as we hope to be getting there about 9am) and is there anywhere outside the park that's open for breakfast about then?

Oh, and tickets...Buy them at the park when we get there? Or should we be getting them before we go over? I noticed that they are a few $ cheaper on the website but I kind of like face to face contact as well.

Matty5, my daughter and I have a few questions about your home attraction... would it be okay to send you a message with them? Neither one of us wants to sound too pathetic on an open forum.

Thanks everyone.

Welcome to the site!

I think the tips so far have been sound. I would add that you should buy the tickets online, for sure. It'll save you time in line which you can spend in the park instead, and you save a few dollars too.

You can read up on past Grinchmas events on the main website, InsideUniversal.net. In the archives we have our grinchmas articles from past years.

As for questions about particular rides/attractions, please don't be afraid to ask about anything publicly! We're not going to make fun or hassle.

 

[Chris]

Just remember that Grinchmas usually only takes place on the weekends and during the peak days later in the month.  December 10 is a Wednesday, so, most likely, the Grinchmas decorations may be up, but the shows will not take place.

 

[smoaT]

A recomendation for a foreigner. Just outside the Universal property there is a place called In-N-Out... when you're done with your day in the park go there... it has the best hamburgers in California. And for the park you are going in a very special time of the year. We hope this year Grinchmas is more festive than last year, but it's an amazing experience. Be prepared to get cold since it's a crime not to ride Jurassic Park the ride. In that time our climate gets very chilly and getting wet can be a nasty combination... 

 

[AussieCaribou]

thanks again everyone!

Okay, so...um...we need to bring a change of cloths for after Jurassic Park?  

I went to Universal Studios before...but it was a million years ago (okay...that might be an exaggeration...).  Can't remember the exact year...but ET hadn't opened yet... we were very lucky to get to go on it through soft-opening.  I was the first Natalie on the ride. lol  It was a BIG deal to my family.  So, basically, I remember that there was an animal actors show...and the studio tour...and well, um...nothing else is the same... oh wait!  The Starway...

Okay, so my daughter is 15 but she's Australian.  So, over here, we don't have Halloween (I know, I know...how barbaric...) and we don't have any haunted house type things in my town (If you go up to the Gold Coast in Queensland, you can go to some of the amusement parks there and they have walk through haunted houses some times - but that is a two day drive from our house...).  So, last October, we were able to fly over to San Diego, Cal for a week as I had a work exchange there.  So, we got to go to the Disneyland Halloween Party.  In the process of getting costumes, we went into a Halloween shop (Spirits?) and my daughter walked by this...thing...it was a bug on the ground and when she passed, it jumped out at her and became an alien type thing and growled at her.  She screamed and ran...and I mean screamed, like terrified, not teenager playing around.  I only wish that I had a copy of the video from the store's feed.  Okay, maybe I'm a mean mum. Anyway, while we would love to experience the house of horror, I am concerned that it might not be the attraction for her.  Is there a way to let people know that she doesn't cope with things that jump out?  I am guessing not.  

Also, I notice that everyone on the site mentions the water world show and the special effects show as being worthwhile, but no one says much about Animal Actors.  Is it worth the wait?  We are big fans of our furry friends. 

Thanks

 

[Alexshow.]

With WaterWorld. Yes; its well worth the Wait and its a really great Stunt show with a nice little layed out story to try to interact with guests in some moments of the show. Special Effects,

I'm going to come out with my opinion on this but the show is... Ok, If you need to fill in time, do see the show but it's ok; atleast thats my opinion. I like Animal Actors and can be worth 

waiting but if your allergic to some animals like Cats, or even dogs then the show might not be for you or your loved ones.  With House Of Horrors, yea your daughter might not want to but

You can ask for the Behind the scenes like what Marty said and with the Clothes. Switch them to Pants and Long sleeve shirts as Jurassic Park does get cold and it will go colder in the Night

also. With the Studio Tour, I forgot to bring this up but its around 45 minutes to a Hour for the tour once it starts as your tram gets going. And just to bring it up, ET has a Animatronic in the

NBCuniversal Exprience down in the lowerlot since its celebrating its 50th of the park as theres alot of old Universal Hollywood items. And now i'm done for now.

 

[Matty5]

A couple things. If seeing Grinchmas is a must (assuming it's happening this year of course), I would recommend visiting us on the weekend (Saturday or Sunday) or else you may not be able to see any of the festivities. .

In terms of the map, wait til you get there. There are plenty at the turnstile as you walk in. There's alot of changes happening in the park in the coming months to years, so a map now may look completely different come December. 

As for experiencing the house of horrors, we do our best to make it an experience that anyone can enjoy. For those who just don't want to having someone jump out at them, but would like to the all the cool sets inside, we do offer a "Behind the Screams" tour where we could walk you through with the lights on and without the monsters inside. This is just simply something to ask for when you see the house of horrors, approach the greeter person and ask em about it. If this is really important for you, update us on here closer to your trip and i might be able to set something up for you guys to make it a hassle-free tour. 

BUY TICKETS ONLINE. This saves a lot of time and hassle. As for breakfast, there is a Cinnabon, Starbucks and Coffee Bean on citywalk which should be open an hour to an hour and a half before the park opens. Also, Saddle Ranch right by the entrance has full breakfasts if that's what you want. And parking lots open an hour before the park opens.