Can you do Universal Studios in 1 day?

[Disneyluvr]

We are going to DL May 29-June 3 and would like to do 1 day at Universal. My kids and DH have never been there and it's been several yrs since I last went (like 15!) Is it possible to see most everything in 1 day? Any tips or recommendations would help!

[millionairegirl]

If you can find enough to do there to last even one full day I'd be surprised. There's a reason you get a year's admission with the price for one day!

Citiwalk is pretty fun and has lots of good restaurants.

[bradk]

ordinarily on a weekday (particularly non-summer), it shouldn't be a problem from what i can gather. just hit the major attractions like mummy, back to the future and JP first thing

you might even want to consider going may 30th since it's definitely going to be a madhouse at DLR. probably at universal too, but universal has a lot less to offer in terms of attractions, so the crowds should be significantly less. if you're willing to splurge for the FOTL passes (which are $10 off if you print the tickets at home), i'm betting you can definitely pull it off on sunday/monday and then some.

[weluvdisney]

I was there a few years back and doing it in one day was never a problem-traffic from Anaheim can always be fun We are going this summer as well and it looks like there are some new attractions like Mummy the Ride and Shrek 4D. Have a great time

[DisneyDustin22]

It is possible to have the entire park at USH in half a day. No joke. Granted, during peak it is not that easy, but even at peak, you can do the entire park in less than a day. You would be surprised how many people have approached me and said, "Is there anything else to do here?"

[Hawaiian Cinderella]

Don't know how old your kids are but when we took my daughter last year when she was 5-1/2,we were riding the tram and she said, when am I going to get to ride something?? I told her you are. She said, no something fun like disneyland. She didn't enjoy it very much. I think we'll take her back when she is older and can relate some of the movies to the park.

[Mukta]

I don't know how old your kids are, but I like:

The backlot tram
Back to the Future the ride
Jurassic Park the ride
The Terminator 2: 3-D (my favorite!)
Backdraft!
Animal Planet Live
Waterworld

If your kids are younger, I'm sure they'll love the Nickelodeon water play area. I haven't been on the Mummy coaster or the new Shrek 4D yet.

[The old man]

Easy, but as always arrive as near opening as possible. This makes it easy to multiple ride BTTF, etc. Otherwise the lines can get very long. Also if you have money to burn you can buy their front of the line pass. I wished we had it for the Shrek show, it was the longest wait and remember tempertures will most likely be in the 90's.
David

[Disney Vault]

Universal studios doesn't have much to do. My family use to spend a day there when visiting disneyland. But that was until they built DCA. Now we never go to Universal studios because the Disney resort offers so much more to do.

[Darkbeer]

There is NO way you can finish up USH in a half day if you go to all the shows and attractions!

I really enjoy USH, it is different than Disney, but it is a REAL Movie Studio, and the Tram Tour takes you to famous sets and locations, plus the attractions are awesome. Basically a bunch of "E" tickets, with very little lesser attractions.

There is a reason why a lot more tour groups take their guests to USH than DCA....

[sdfilmcritic]

It takes me and another person about three quarters of a day to do USH. The last quarter of the day we spend walking through the City Walk area or catching a movie at the theaters near Hard Rock Cafe.

[Disney Vault]

There is NO way you can finish up USH in a half day if you go to all the shows and attractions!

I could never sit through every show in a day. Maybe it's just me but I hate to sit still and about halfway through the 2nd one I am wanted to go on a ride. I love the tram though. I can't believe they don't extend the tram thing at MGM studios.

[sdfilmcritic]

I miss the Wild West Stunt Show. They should have kept that one!

[DisneyDustin22]

Here is a proven way to do USH in half a day.

9am opening and you hit the Studio Tour on the first tram. Back just before 10am and you jump on Back to the Future. After BTTF hit the lower lot. Just after 10am now and you hit Mummy and JP when the lower lot first opens. Backdraft and Special Effects Stages wrap up the 10 o'clock hour and you head back upstairs. Hit the 11:30 Waterworld and then Van Helsing after that. Small break and theres a 12:20 Terminator show. After T2 jump into the 12:55 Animal Planet show. Grab some lunch after that. Sit down and watch the 1:30 Blues Brothers show. Finish up on Shrek 4-D around 1:50 you've just done all of USH and it's just after 2pm. Granted, if you wanted to factor in some play time at Blast Zone, you could if you wanted.

[Tutter]

Unlike Disneyland where you can sit around and watch things go by, there isn't really that atmosphere at Universal, so easily done in a day. I have enjoyed going there as a change, but it isn't the sort of place I'd happily return to day after day like Disneyland.

[blondiemouse]

You know guys this thread comes up alot and as family and I finally got to the studios in Feb we were interested in what people had said.Most seemed to say you can easily do the park in under a day and I must say I disagree (which puts me on Darkbeers side - will wonders never cease ? ) .Our first day at Universal was a quiet Monday in early Feb,Mummy,Jurassic and BTTF were all walk ons,the shows were all no more than half full ,we were there for line drop,stayed till after 5pm and still did not do everything in the first day.It was interesting how much the tram tour differs from day to day and on which guide you get-the first day we didnt even see Jaws because Silly Housewives or some such show was filming.Oh and I must say The Mummy is really disappointing

[DisneyDustin22]

Granted everything differs as far as shedules of shows depending on what day you go. For example, if you went during a non peak time, especially in february, there are usually only 2 or 3 showings of the live shows in the park. So if you miss both, then yes, you dont get to see that attraction that day. On a peak day shows have upwards of 10+ shows a day. Usually they are every hour plus 10 min apart. As an employee there I guess I have to be biased because I know the routes of ways to go and schedules of everything but still, the point I am trying to make is, Universal has 12 attractions in the park. Disneyland has 12 attractions in Fantasyland alone! So what I am trying to say is, given that only a few of the attractions at USH are over 20min long. It is very much possible to do everything withing one day. Peak or non peak. The trick is, like at any theme park, is do the biggest and best attractions as early as possible to avoid long lines later on that day. The studio tour takes 45 min and rarely goes over that. If you get on that with no wait, you're back within an hour, as opposed to having to wait 30min then another 45min on the ride itself, it eats up a lot of time.

It all depends on how much time you take strolling through the park. Like mentioned above, USH doesn't have the atmosphere that Disneyland does, so a lot of the time, you won't find yourself just oooing and aahhhing at the surroundings.

[ekester]

I absolutely agree that you can do pretty much everything in one day. But to say you can enjoy the park in half a day is only a result of a pre-disposition that you don't like the park.

Is it physically POSSIBLE to see the park in half a day? No way. Even if you run from place to place, plan the visit in excruciating detail and happen to hit each major attraction without wait times, the time in attractions and shows (without any waiting) is more than 4 hours.

But for someone who has never been to the park or who hasn't been there in 10 years, how about taking your time to see everything it has? There's a lot more there than just the big attractions - if you take your time and look.

For people who have been there or who live in LA, it may not be very interesting to explore the Lucy attraction, look at the prop displays or examine the movie cars. But for a first time visitor, spend a day, look around, enjoy yourself & relax.

Personally, I like the park. Can't visit it every day but there's a lot to it for a first time visitor. You will definitely find a full day there.

[ekester]

Here is a proven way to do USH in half a day.

9am opening and you hit the Studio Tour on the first tram. Back just before 10am and you jump on Back to the Future. After BTTF hit the lower lot. Just after 10am now and you hit Mummy and JP when the lower lot first opens. Backdraft and Special Effects Stages wrap up the 10 o'clock hour and you head back upstairs. Hit the 11:30 Waterworld and then Van Helsing after that. Small break and theres a 12:20 Terminator show. After T2 jump into the 12:55 Animal Planet show. Grab some lunch after that. Sit down and watch the 1:30 Blues Brothers show. Finish up on Shrek 4-D around 1:50 you've just done all of USH and it's just after 2pm. Granted, if you wanted to factor in some play time at Blast Zone, you could if you wanted.

If you have access to the teleport machine that gets you from place to place that quickly, you should sell it. You'd make a fortune.

[SuefromRI]

While in CA we spent one day at Universal and managed to see most of it in one day on Aug 26,2003. My kids were 15 and 21 so we skipped the kids area, although you would have thought my 21 year old daughter had seen Brad Pitt or someone the way she was yelling about seeing Sponge Bob walking around. We have been to US in Florida, so some rides were duplicates, but we rode JP and ET and saw everything unique to CA, like Waterworld, Backdraft, the backlot tour, the 3 part tour with the special effects. Mummy and Shrek were not open yet, (but we've gone on them in FL and liked Shrek, but was disappointed in Mummy) but they had a Mummy based haunted house that you walked through that was the scariest thing we have ever done. As at Disney, choose your must sees and do them first, then anything else you get to will be a treat, instead of anyone leaving disappointed cuz they didn't see their favorite.

[Deanclan]

we just did this in a day. We stopped at the front boards, noted times of different programs and areas. Noted them on the map and took off. We missed one item in order for the kids to spend 45 minutes playing in the water area. Our tram ride was very disappointing, but it was fun for the kids to get pictures with Shrek and Fiona, Beattle Juice and Frankenstien. Their personal favorite (which considering their 5, 8 and 11) was an agree'd upon Special Effects. We got there 45 minutes after opening due to (imagine this...) traffic and were ordering dinner at Shanghi at 4:50 after doing our "shopping". This was done on a "5 year olds" pace too. God bless who ever thought of the esculator's going up and down that hill though. Oy. I shuddered just watching some kids tearing UP them. Wish we had seen the Mummy as a huanted house instead of a ride and wasn't impressed with Van Helsing as one. The 11 year old was scared half way through, the 5 and 8 year old were like "what's the deal"... Though that could because their short a few fear gene's..