Universal Studios Hollywood Tips (Plus 1 and 2 Day Itinerary) (2024)

Planning a trip to Southern California and love theme parks and movies? Same here! Lots of Universal Studios tips and tricks, coming right up! Plus, a suggested one and two day Universal Studios Hollywood itinerary, my favorite hotel just minutes from the park, and of course all the things I ate, haha!

Welcome to the magical world of Universal Studios Hollywood, where blockbuster movies come to life and adventures await around every corner!

I just returned home from a super fun two days in the park, and of course now have all the Universal Studios tips to share! To be honest, I kinda forgot how much fun theme parks are (yes, even as an adult), and wanna start incorporating them more into my California adventures. I mean, SoCal is only a drive away from us anyways…

We totally felt like kids again – wandering Hogsmeade while sipping on frozen butterbeers (my new favorite), screaming on thrill rides in the Lower Lot (don’t miss The Mummy ride!), seeing the backlot of The Good Place on the iconic Studio Tour, and of course taking photos with all our favorite characters (hi Shrek!). Oh – and collecting coins, eating themed foods at Toadstool Cafe, and riding Mario Kart at Super Mario World! Such a fun weekend down in Hollywood!

Here’s everything you need to know to have the best possible weekend at Universal Studios Hollywood!

Important Info and Universal Studio Tips

Where is Universal Studios Hollywood and How to Get There

Hollywood, baby! Yes, for real! Universal Studios Hollywood is located in Universal City in Southern California. It’s situated in the San Fernando Valley, just north of the city of Los Angeles (so thankfully you’ll miss most of that horrid LA traffic if you’re coming from up north, haha).

The park is nestled in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, meaning tons of scenic views! You’ll see the surrounding mountains from plenty of places within the park, but we loved the views on the escalators between the Upper and Lower Lots the most (and of course took some cute pics).

Flying: Since the park is oh so close to downtown Los Angeles, there’s plenty of nearby airports (LA is one of the most populous cities in the US after all!).

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): Since LAX is a major international airport, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding non-stop flights from other large airports. It’s about 25 miles southeast of the park, so not terribly far (although LAX is definitely not my preferred airport of choice in SoCal – it’s HUGE and the traffic nearby is just awful!). But it has the most nonstop flights by far… so sometimes the most convenient depending where you’re coming from.
• Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR): The closest airport to the park, at only 6 miles away! BUR is a smaller airport primarily only serving domestic flights, so if you’re coming from further away, you’ll most likely need to connect.

• Long Beach Airport (LGB): Another of the smaller airports in SoCal, and about 35 miles south of Universal Studios Hollywood.

• John Wayne Airport (SNA): Yes, another option, although a bit further south around 45 miles away (but perfect if you wanna visit Disneyland and Orange County as well).

Driving to Universal: If you’re coming from elsewhere in California (like us!), you can totally drive!

Coming from the San Francisco Bay Area, we tend to prefer driving to SoCal instead of flying. Although flights are relatively cheap (usually under $200 roundtrip), we find total travel time is roughly the same driving vs. flying (considering the time getting to the airport, waiting at the gate, actual flying time, getting out of LAX, etc).

• Local Tip: If you’re driving from Northern California and aren’t planning on making any stops, take the I-5; it’s way faster than the 101! Unless you’re doing a PCH road trip – that’s a different story!

Here’s some example driving distances from the other popular spots in California (and nearby) to give you a sense of the time required:

• From Los Angeles: 20 minutes, 10 miles
• From Orange County: 1 hour, 50 miles
• From Santa Barbara: 1 ½ hours, 90 miles
• From Palm Springs: 2 hours, 120 miles
• From San Diego: 2 hours, 130 miles
• From Las Vegas (Nevada): 4 ½ hours, 275 miles
• From Yosemite National Park: 4 ½ hours, 270 miles
• From Big Sur: 5 ½ hours, 340 miles
• From San Francisco: 6 hours, 375 miles
• From Sacramento: 6 hours, 375 miles
• From Phoenix (Arizona): 6 hours, 385 miles
• From Lake Tahoe: 7 ½ hours, 435 miles

If you’re not from around here, I HIGHLY recommend combining a visit to Universal Studios Hollywood with other spots in SoCal. My favorites are Palm Springs (perfect for a winter visit), San Clemente, and Santa Barbara – plus a weekend in San Diego never hurt anyone, haha.

→ Visiting Universal Studios Hollywood on a much longer Pacific Coast Highway road trip?! Check out all my favorite PCH stops right here!

Parking at Universal Studios Hollywood: Just remember if you’re driving you’ll need to deal with (and pay for overpriced) parking. General parking is over $30 per day, and front gate parking is upwards of $70 – kinda wild (and that’s on top of ticket prices). Because of that, we left the car at our hotel (The Garland), and took the free hotel shuttle to the park.

BUT there’s lots of parking at Universal if that works out better for you (maybe you’ve got lots of stuff and some wiggly kids). Note that there’s no free parking at Universal Studios Hollywood with a standard ticket. Only annual Gold pass ticket holders get free parking.

If you wanna park for $3 (yes, THREE DOLLARS for all day parking), you can park at Universal City’s Park and Ride Lot and simply take the shuttle over.

Public Transportation to Universal

• Metro: The Metro Red Line has a stop right at Universal City Station, which is within walking distance to Universal Studios Hollywood. You’ll find the Red Line from a bunch of spots throughout LA, including downtown LA and Hollywood. An easy and cost effective option if you’re staying near a metro stop!

• Bus: There’s also a few bus routes operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) that service Universal City.

Shuttle Services: Before booking any transportation, always check to see if your hotel offers shuttle services to Universal Studios (one of the best Universal Studios tips). Sometimes they’re even free… yes, all the way from downtown LA.

And if not, if you aren’t interested in relying on public transit (I get it, especially after a long, tiring day in the park), there’s plenty of tourist shuttles (i.e. tour companies) that offer shuttle transportation to Universal Studios Hollywood. Some of these are part of package tours, but there’s also standalone transport services. We saw tons of these huge coach buses in the lot!

Rideshares: Of course there’s always Uber/Lyft to get you to/from the park! Universal has a dedicated rideshare pick up/drop off, inside the Frankenstein parking area, just FYI, which is a 2 minute walk to the park, so super, super easy and convenient! Don’t Uber from downtown LA though – it’s gonna be hella expensive! Our hotel was less than a 10 minute drive and only an $8 Uber in the early AM.

And if you’re staying at the Sheraton Universal or Hilton Universal City, you can easily walk to the park in less than 10 minutes!

When to Visit Universal Studios Hollywood

In terms of weather, there isn’t a horrible time to visit Universal. Winters are mild (and sometimes a bit wet), while summers are typically hot and dry. It’s the crowds you gotta worry about.

For the least crowds, you’ll wanna avoid the weeks around Spring Break (typically mid-April), all of summer vacation, and Christmas holiday season at all costs. Of course the park will be way busier on weekends vs. weekdays, but I get weekends work best for most people (including us).

For reference, we visited the first weekend of May and didn’t find the crowds to be horrible, although we don’t have much to compare it to, haha. I will say we had Early Access one morning and were able to ride every single ride in the park with wait times less than 30 minutes. We did spend 2 days at Universal Studios Hollywood so that definitely made a difference as well (since we didn’t feel stressed to pack everything in and could wait out long lines by getting a snack or taking pics with characters).

Where to Stay Near Universal Studios Hollywood

There’s TONS of hotels in Los Angeles – honestly so, so, so many. If you wanna get to the park for rope drop or have Early Access to Super Nintendo World, I recommend staying nearby in Universal City.

My top pick? The Garland: Only an 8-minute drive to Universal, you really can’t beat the location. This is where we stayed and I cannot say enough good things about it! From the quirky retro touches, poolside sunset movies, a street taco cart (which I can totally vouch for), and delicious brunch at The Front Yard, we absolutely loved it.

Plus, there’s a FREE shuttle to Universal (and back) every single day on the hour starting at 8am (we did have to Uber one morning to get to the park earlier for Early Access, just FYI).

El Royale Hotel and The Tangerine are great options as well (and less than 10 minutes away), and there’s always the Sheraton Universal and Hilton Universal City which are both located within walking distance to the park.

Universal Studios Hollywood Tips and Tricks

Even after only a few days in the park, I came away with tons of Universal Studios tips and tricks. And sometimes just a few tweaks to your Universal itinerary can really make the trip just that much better.

My biggest piece of advice – if you wanna see and do and eat everything, DON’T WING IT. Have a plan and *follow that plan*!

Other (just as important) Universal tips here:

Download the app: The Universal Studios Hollywood App is honestly a HUGE help. There’s an interactive map right in the app that shows your exact location in the park, estimated wait times for all rides, park hours (they change all the time), restaurant menus, and even virtual line ques.

I was super overwhelmed at first (the park seems huge if you’ve never been), but the app was invaluable. And it’s free, so there’s no reason not to download it!

Get early access to Super Mario World: On that note, if Super Nintendo World is super important to you (and you don’t wanna wait on crazy long lines for Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge), early access is more than worth it. Early access gives you entry to Super Nintendo World a whole hour before the park even opens, meaning way fewer crowds and way less wait time.

Do note that once they allow early access guests in, park staff walk all visitors straight to Super Nintendo World. You’re not allowed in other areas of the park (understandably so, and plus everything else is still closed).

Also – don’t bother taking the stairs thinking you’ll bypass all the escalator people (you’ll see what I mean…) — park staff lead everyone and stay in front. Meaning you may as well take the escalators… it’s gonna be a long day — don’t wanna tire yourself out straight from the get go!

Arrive at the park for rope drop: If you’re not planning on getting early access, I highly recommend getting to the park early and even before actual opening hours. They’ll scan your ticket before park hours, then put everyone in a waiting hold, and then drop the rope and you’re free to go as you please!

Make sure you prioritize heading to the popular rides first so you can get on before the huge lines start to form.

Make reservations for Toadstool Cafe: If you wanna eat at Toadstool Cafe (the themed restaurant inside Super Nintendo World), you’ll need to make a reservation. These often sell out early in the day (and can only be made the day of), so in order to get your desired time, make your reservation as soon as you visit Super Nintendo World in the AM upon park opening.

The only way is to scan the QR code outside the restaurant – not even in the app. If you miss reservations, they sometimes do walk-ups, and make sure to check the QR code link throughout the day – sometimes reservations become available later on.

Don’t miss the studio tour: This is the bread and butter of Universal Studios Hollywood, and what really sets it apart from Universal Orlando! I mean, Universal Studios Hollywood remains a working studio (!!!) where movies, television shows, commercials, and music videos are still filmed.

You can even catch glimpses of active production sets if you’re lucky. Plus, there’s some really cool “rides” on it too – like the King Kong 360 3-D, Fast & Furious – Supercharged, and of course you’ll get to see the Jaws replica!

Figure out your breakfast situation ahead of time: If you’re planning to rush to the rides (which you should if you don’t wanna wait on horrendous lines), you either need to eat breakfast before entering the park (or a quick one while waiting for rope drop), or wait it out until you’re satisfied with your morning. Looking back I’d bring some snacks for the AM since we didn’t end up eating until almost 1pm on our first day, whoops (not the smartest idea).

Take advantage of mobile food ordering: Perfect if the food lines are long and you’re getting hangry, haha. If you know what you want you can simply order on the app and essentially skip the line!

Some rides offer free lockers for two hours: While most rides allow you to carry on backpacks and such, two rides (Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Revenge of the Mummy) provide free lockers to keep your stuff in.

These lockers are good for up to two hours, so if the line’s short and you don’t feel like carrying around your stuff for a bit, well, you’ve got up to two hours for free (take advantage – nothing’s free at theme parks… ever)! One of my best Universal Studios tips by far.

Buy your tickets in advance: Not only will you save time (who wants to wait on yet another unnecessary line when you’ll be on lines all day, haha), but you actually save a few bucks buying on the website.

Stay hydrated: You’re in SoCal – it’ll probably be hot and sunny. There’s plenty of bathrooms located around the park, so no excuse not to drink lots of water and stay hydrated (and no, a Duff’s Beer doesn’t count, haha).

While we’re on that note, don’t forget about the sunscreen!

Check showtimes: Since shows are only scheduled a few times each day, if you really wanna see a show (I highly recommend WaterWorld), plan it into your day. Rides run continuously during park opening hours, so you can hop on those anytime.

Take pics with characters when you see them: I was surprised that lines close to take pictures with the characters, but it makes sense since they need breaks from the costumes! Get on line early so you don’t miss out on the popular characters (namely Mario and Luigi and Shrek and Fiona). You’ll see some characters roaming around (we loved seeing Frankenstein out and about), but most are there to pose for photos.

My favorites were the minions, Bart and Lisa, the train conductor in Hogsmeade Village (such a character), and the Jurassic Park dinosaurs – so, so epic! And OMG, you need to see Donkey – so interactive and fun!

Other FAQs about Universal Studios Hollywood

What is the closest airport to Universal Studios? Nope, it’s not LAX! The closest airport to Universal Studios Hollywood is actually Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), also known as Bob Hope Airport. Being only ~6 miles northeast of the park, it’s easily the most convenient airport for visitors in terms of proximity to Universal.

Are Universal Studios Hollywood and Hollywood Studios the same thing? I was super confused about this at first too, and I’m here to report they are very much NOT the same thing!

Universal Studios is a film studio and theme park located in Universal City, California (what this entire blog post is about!), while Hollywood Studios (officially known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios) is a theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Hollywood Studios is operated by The Walt Disney Company and is inspired by Disney films and the entertainment industry.

Universal Studios Hollywood vs Universal Studios Orlando: Which one should you visit?! It’s hard to say – although they’re on opposite sides of the country so that may very well be the deciding factor, haha.

Here’s a few key differences about them –

• Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Located in Universal City, California
  • Features Super Nintendo World, the Studio Tour, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and plenty of movie-themed attractions
  • Divided into two main areas: the Upper Lot and the Lower Lot
  • The park is smaller in size compared to Universal Studios Orlando but offers unique experiences such as the Studio Tour and is very much doable in only one day

• Universal Studios Orlando
  • Located in Orlando, Florida
  • Comprises two theme parks: Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure (with way more action and thrill rides)
  • Offers a wider range of attractions, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in both parks, The Simpsons Ride, and more.
  • Universal Studios Orlando is larger and is hard to see in only one day

So basically, if you’re in California, visit Universal Studios Hollywood, and if you’re on the East Coast, visit Universal Studios Orlando, haha. BUT remember, Super Nintendo World is ONLY at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Should I get the Universal Express Pass? That depends on a few different factors. It’s more expensive (obviously), but you get to skip the regular lines at most attractions within the park. Perfect if you’re visiting on a very crowded day and really wanna maximize your time.

You definitely don’t need the Express Pass if you’re spending two days at Universal Studios as long as you have a well-planned out few days of course (my suggested Universal Studios itinerary below!). We got Early Access to Super Nintendo World and skipped on the Express Pass.

What’s the VIP Experience? An even more exclusive and personalized visit to Universal Studios Hollywood! It’s essentially a VIP guided tour of the park that provides behind-the-scenes access, priority access to attractions, and special perks like gourmet dining.

Not necessary for the regular visitor, but perfect if you’re a huge movie buff and really wanna learn about and gain insider info about the studio’s history, famous productions, and the movie-making process.

Can I bring food and water into the park? Yes, you’re allowed snacks, sandwiches, fruits/veggies, and other non-perishable items (no glass containers understandably). Even small coolers and picnic baskets are allowed, although they must fit within the park’s size restrictions.

Bring a reusable water bottle to fill up at water fountains throughout the park (although it seems kinda annoying to hold all day if I’m being honest if you’re just carrying a belt bag like I did…). Note that outside alcohol (including drinks purchased in CityWalk) is not allowed in the park.

What else to do near Universal Studios Hollywood? There’s TONS of things to do near the park – I mean LA is right there! Some popular spots are Hollywood Boulevard, the Griffith Observatory, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, the Santa Monica Pier, CityWalk (literally a walk away), and so much more.

Most visitors combine their one or two days in Universal with other things in SoCal! Might as well hang around SoCal for a bit if you’re not from around there!

Should I spend 1 or 2 days in Universal Studios?

That’s entirely up to you of course! I will say that most people only spend one day at Universal, but we really enjoyed having two days at the park!

We had tons of time to explore the park at a leisurely pace, got to ride popular rides multiple times (often with very little wait time – I see you Mario Kart, The Mummy, and Transformers), and were able to take lots of snack breaks without fear of missing attractions/shows/characters.

If you buy early access to Super Nintendo World, you can most likely see and do everything in one day. Just make sure to prioritize your must-do activities and plan your day strategically. The park isn’t huge by any means – it’s way smaller than Disneyland/California Adventure nearby and Universal Studios Florida/Islands of Adventure in Orlando. So very doable with just one day.

It really depends on how long you’ve got, and if you’re trying to hit up other Southern California hotspots on your trip. Coming from the SF Bay Area, we’ve been to SoCal dozens of times, so this trip was primarily about visiting Universal Studios Hollywood since we’d never been.

Rides at Universal Studios Hollywood

And now onto the good part – all the rides at Universal! I was kinda surprised that there weren’t more rides at the park (there’s only about a dozen or so), but that just meant we re-rode our favorites a bunch!

Universal Studios Hollywood is divided into two main areas: the Upper Lot and the Lower Lot. There’s a series of escalators between the two, although they take quite a while to get between (there’s four long escalators!), so I’d recommend checking off everything in one before heading to the other so you’re not bouncing between the two all day.

I’ll go over the rides in more detail, but here’s a general overview of the lots.

• The Upper Lot is where you’ll find the main entrance to Universal Studios Hollywood and where many of the family-friendly attractions are located (think Kung Fu Panda, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, The Simpsons Ride, and Secret Life of Pets). There’s also The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (my favorite!), the Studio Tour, and The Simpsons Springfield (don’t miss the giant pink donut) over here.

• The Lower Lot is where the more adventurous and thrilling rides are, including Revenge of the Mummy, Jurassic World, and Transformers. Plus Super Nintendo World (!!!) with the crazy-popular Mario Kart ride, themed dining at Toadstool Cafe, and shopping at 1-UP Factory.

Upper Lot

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Welcome to the magical Wizarding World of Harry Potter, full of frozen butterbeers, wand and owl shops in Hogsmeade Village, cobblestoned streets leading to Hogwarts Castle, and Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavor Beans.

I think we wandered through half a dozen times, and I never got over just how detailed and authentic everything was! A must visit for witches, wizards, and Muggles alike. There’s two rides here, and a third attraction which is more like a mini-show:

• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: We LOVED this ride and went on it 5 times during our 2 days at Universal Studios, haha. Get ready to soar through iconic Harry Potter scenes, including the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch, and the Chamber of Secrets. Definitely one of the most popular rides in the park.

• Flight of the Hippogryph: This is the park’s only outdoor rollercoaster, and you fly around Hagrid’s hut and past Hagrid’s magical creatures. Honestly, it’s not worth waiting if the lines over 20 minutes long – the ride is literally a 20 second mini roller coaster and is over in a flash (womp, womp). It definitely has great potential but was very (very) meh to us and kinda a dud.

• Ollivanders Wand Shop: A magical experience where guests can watch a wand-choosing ceremony conducted by a wandkeeper. It’s more of a mini show than an actual ride, and was cute but not a must-do in my opinion unless you’re a huge fan of HP. The lines are never very long for this, so may as well check it out. Then you can purchase your very own wand afterwards to cast spells and make magical things happen in the park (yes, really!).

Springfield

So, so colorful, and so, so fun! Especially with a giant pink donut in hand! I was floored by how meticulously themed Springfield was. The whole area really recreates the look and feel of the fictional town from The Simpsons. From the colorful buildings to the humorous signage and themed props, it really captures the charm and humor from the long-lasting TV show (with over 30 seasons, wow!).

Don’t miss classic American burgers, fries, and milkshakes at Krusty Burger, a Flaming Moe from Moe’s Tavern, oversized, pink-frosted donuts from Lard Lad Donuts (just like Homer!), and some Duff Beer from the brewery!

• The Simpsons Ride: Get read for a hilarious adventure through Krustyland, an amusem*nt park created by Krusty the Clown. Riders board a simulator vehicle shaped like a roller coaster car and experience 3D animation, motion simulation, and special effects along the way. We thought it was super fun!

Studio Tour

One of the main attractions of Universal Studios Hollywood is the Studio Tour! So, naturally, one of my biggest tips for Universal Studios is to not miss it (especially since it’s not offered at the location in Orlando).

What is it exactly? A tram ride that takes guests behind the scenes of real working movie studios and offers a glimpse into the magic of filmmaking. One of the defining features of the park, actually!

There’s movie sets, soundstages, and other things in the working backlot to see, where famous blockbuster movies and TV shows have been filmed over the years. Think Desperate Housewives, Jaws, Back to the Future, The Good Place (with the exact yogurt spot), Alfred Hitchco*ck’s “Psycho”, and so many more.

Besides all the filmmaking fun, there’s also two main “rides”/special effect demonstrations on the Studio Tour – Fast & Furious – Supercharged and King Kong 360 3-D, both of which were utterly fascinating and really cool. The Studio Tour does get busy at times (staff told us wait times can be two hours!), so if you see a short wait time, go for it!

Other rides and attractions in the Upper Lot

• The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!: Pretend you’re a pet navigating the wild streets of NYC – the ride was cute and all but once was enough, haha.

• Despicable Me Minion Mayhem: We loved this 3D motion-simulator ride featuring Gru, his daughters, and the Minions. Real talk – I almost teared up at the end! Don’t miss the minion dance party afterwards. Safe to say we went on this multiple times.

• Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest: A 4D theater experience with 3D glasses and special effects! Clearly it wasn’t too memorable for me because I don’t remember riding it, although I know for a fact we did!

• Super Silly Fun Land: A cute play area for kids inspired by the Despicable Me movies. There’s the Silly Swirly Fun Ride (a spinning ride), Super Silly Space Killer (a water play area), and more.

• WaterWorld: Also in the Upper Lot you’ll find the park’s only live-action stunt show. It’s based on the 1995 film “Waterworld”, and we loved the thrilling stunts, pyrotechnics (so much fire!), and even a seaplane crash. Crazy what special effects can be performed on the water – kinda wind!

Lower Lot

Super Nintendo World

Walk through the life-sized green pipe (with rainbow sparkly lights of course) and you’ll find Bowser’s Castle, Princess Peach’s Castle, angry thwomps, and Mt. Beanpole. Even biting Piranha Plants, rotating coins, and ? blocks to punch. A truly immersive world and complete deja vu (that is, if you played the video games as a kid like I did!).

I could not believe just how much thought went into designing the space – we really felt like we were in Super Nintendo World! It was designed to resemble the vibrant and colorful world of Nintendo games after all – particularly the Mushroom Kingdom from the Super Mario series!

Besides the ridiculously popular ride (which sees wait times of an hour+ after 9:30am), there’s the themed Toadstool Cafe with fun desserts and lunch items, shopping at the 1 Up Shop, and of course the Power Up Band Key Challenges to collect virtual coins (you’ll wanna buy a Power-Up Band to compete in these).

• Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge: This ride was SO fun – and even better that we had early access and didn’t have to wait on a two hour line, haha (it was more like 5 minutes for us). As soon as we got off we quickly got back on line to ride again (definitely only possible with early access!). I won’t spoil it for ya, but just know you’ll be putting on a Mario visor and special VR goggles and will be steering through different levels and versions of the Mario Kart game! Technology is wild y’all!

Other rides and attractions in the Lower Lot

• Jurassic World: Ohhh another one we loved! It kinda felt like going on a river adventure through prehistoric landscapes complete with MASSIVE state-of-the-art animatronic dinosaurs (and super realistic). It’s the only water ride in Universal… so you may very well get a bit wet! Some people wore ponchos, but that seemed like overkill to me, haha (especially on a hot day).

• The Mummy: Easily our favorite ride in the entire park – and probably the most thrilling (which is definitely why we loved it oh so much). At first it’s very deceiving, but then BAM – you’re off! It’s actually an indoor roller coaster totally inspired by The Mummy film franchise – expect mummies, scarab beetles, and other dangers.

• Transformers: The Ride 3D: Get ready to battle between the Autobots and Decepticons (think Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, and more)! This was another of our favorite rides in the park, and we went on multiple times during our two days at Universal!

Food/snacks at Universal Studios Hollywood

We were more-than pleasantly surprised with the snack situation at Universal Studios. After visiting Disneyland last year, I didn’t think Universal would be on par, but boy was I wrong. We ate SO good and there were SO many fun themed foods and drinks. That was another benefit of spending two days at Universal – we got to try almost everything we wanted (hence this very long list of foods, haha)!

• Frozen butterbeer: 10/10 (super iconic, super refreshing, and super delicious – and no, it’s not beer and is actually nonalcoholic)
• Minion cookie: 7/10 (not terrible, but not the best cookie I’ve had either)
• Minion Nutella banana pudding: 8/10 (that nutella at the bottom really kicks it up a notch)
• Classic salted pretzel: 8/10 (perfectly fluffy and salted and always theme park favorite of mine)
• ? Up box tiramisu: 7/10 (super cute decorations and tasted pretty good)
• Flaming Moe: 5/10 (get solely for the presentation – it’s just orange soda with dry ice)
• Giant pink donut: 10/10 (I’d go back to Universal just for this – thought it’d be just for show and a fun pic, but wow oh wow was that donut org*smic)

• Cheesy mushroom garlic knots: 9/10 (SO CHEESY and yummy and great dipped in the marinara sauce, don’t miss these at Toadstool Cafe)
• Butterbeer soft ice cream: 5/10 (didn’t taste the butterbeer flavor too much, but the vanilla was yummy and the texture was perfect, haha)
• Mushroom calzone: 4/10 (photo op in my opinion)
• Krusty burger: 6/10 (fun and nostalgic space, but regular American food)
• Toadstool cafe: 🍄 6/10 – The food was more like a 8/10, but the entire place kinda lacks organization and we didn’t start eating until after 1:15pm when our reservation was at noon. Definitely dedicate at least an hour and a half for this regardless if you have a reservation.

Suggested 1 and 2 Day Universal Studios Hollywood Itinerary

1 Day Universal Studios Hollywood Itinerary

You can totally do Universal Studios Hollywood in just one day – the park isn’t all that big honestly! BUT it will be a very rushed and hectic day if you wanna go on all the rides, and definitely expect to wait in a few lines!

• 8-9am: Early access to Mario world
  • Ride Mario Kart
  • Make reservation for Toadstool Cafe for early lunch
  • Games and challenges
  • Character photos
• 9am-11am(ish): Other rides in Lower lot
  • Mummy
  • Transformers
  • Jurassic World
• 11:15-12:45ish: Toadstool Cafe
• 1-2:30pm: Studio Tour
• 3pm onwards: Upper Lot rides (including Wizarding World of Harry Potter) and WaterWorld show

2 Days in Universal Studios Hollywood

As noted earlier, we spent 2 days in Universal Studios. And because of that, we didn’t wait longer than 25 minutes for any ride since we had two mornings and were able to knock out all the busy rides in the AM. We had a super relaxing two days in the park, and loved being able to stop for photos with characters and indulge in all the themed snacks without feeling like we’d be missing out on rides.

AND were able to go on the super popular rides multiple times (including twice on Mario Kart, 5x on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – no, it didn’t get old, a whole bunch of times on both The Mummy and Transformers, and whatever other rides we wanted to do again).

Day 1 in Universal

Morning

• Early access to Mario World
• Other rides in Lower lot
• Lunch at Toadstool Cafe

Afternoon

• Spend the afternoon enjoying more attractions and shows, including The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!, Kung Fu Panda Adventure, and hanging out in Springfield with a few Duff beers!

Night

• CityWalk

Day 2 Universal Itinerary

Morning

• Arrive at Universal Studios Hollywood for park opening.
• Start your day with popular attractions in The Upper Lot with typically long wait times, such as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (we went twice back to back on Day 2), Flight of the Hippograph, and The Simpsons Ride.

Afternoon and Night

• Studio Tour
• WaterWorld
• Wander around the park, taking pics with characters, going on your favorite rides AGAIN, sipping more frozen butterbeers, eating that gigantic pink donut, etc!

Hope all these Universal Studios tips and tricks help you plan the most perfect trip! Have a butterbeer (or two!) for me!