spacemtfan Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 Man, it's been a while since I posted a Photo TR on Theme Park Review... Well anyway, a few days before New Year's Eve, my family and I went to Universal Studios Hollywood using 5-day passes my mother got from the bank using her points. I was very excited to go, seeing as how we have never been to Universal Studios before. We've always gone to Disneyland, sometimes Knott's, but never to Universal Studios. So on December 28, 2010, we trudged through the L.A. traffic and made our way to the park. I was somewhat concerned with how crowded the parks will be, considering that it was still the Holiday season. But the Disney fanboy in me was saying, "oh, it'll be okay. It's just Universal Studios. They're not as popular as Disneyland ." Needless to say, the fanboy in me was wrong. The place was a madhouse, packed with what seems like thousands of people! Revenge of the Mummy, Jurassic Park, The Simpsons Ride, and the Studio Tram Tour all had wait times of 70 minutes or more. And it stayed like that throughout the afternoon. Even though the place was insanely crowded, I still felt like this trip was fun. Sure I only managed to get on three attractions, but hey! It gives us a good reason to come back (seeing as how we still have four days to use for the rest of the year)! As for the three attractions I did go on: Terminator 2: 3D - Waited 40 minutes. I'll admit to never seeing the "Terminator" movies before, but I love how action-packed the show was, with the loud music and gunfire. The combination of 3D and live-action was pretty cool, and it was neat how when during the movie, they made the theater smell like smoke and gunpowder. The final jolt at the end caught me off guard. Overall, it's a fantastic show that I wouldn't mind seeing again. Shrek 4D - Waited 60 minutes. My god, this line was deceptive. Just when I thought we were going to enter the pre-show, we were then shunted into another waiting area, and it moved so slow! Well anyway, Shrek 4D was also really good, thus proving that the only good 3D movies you'll see these days are in the theme parks . The moving seats surprised me as did the "spiders-going-up-your-leg" part. Again, wouldn't mind seeing it again. The Simpsons Ride - Waited 80 minutes (huh, it's always in increments of 20). Again, the line was very slow and deceptive. The fake attraction posters were pretty funny. It was nice that they put up television monitor throughout the line that played various Simpsons clips, but after seeing the same set of clips for the fourth time, it got really annoying. The actual ride was absolutely amazing! I loved how the ride system works. It works much like Soarin' at DCA, where all the simulators on one side are lifted and placed in front of a huge IMAX screen. The actual motion of the simulators felt like Indiana Jones Adventure. The film was very nice and smooth. The only downside was that because we were at the bottom, we had to crank our necks up to see what was happening. Our necks were very sore at the end of the ride. I loved this ride and I thought it was worth 80 minutes in line! Anyway, these are the pictures I took during our visit. Feel free to leave any comments! I remember once seeing a film in high school about how Los Angeles was supposed to be the city built around cars. Well, I don't think this is what they had in mind. That's right, folks! Just keep walking in the middle of the road. It's not like there are dozens of cars waiting behind you. > Looks like King Kong is in the holiday spirit! Wished I could of gotten a better shot, but here's the famous Universal globe So yeah...the place was packed! At the entrance it was worse, with people walking around, trying to find out where to go. This is all part of the Grinch's plan. He conspired against me having a good time! Truly, he is a mean one! So this is where the cast of Jershey Shore goes? Here's the sign for Universal Studios. Uhhh...I got nothing. It's just a sign. First ride of the day, "Terminator 2: 3D." Wait time: 40 minutes! Did you check behind the couch? It always seem to turn up there... Dude! This is what they do in the Marines? Oh man, I'm definitely enlisting! Boy...airport security is really cracking down on terrorism! And here's my pathetic attempt at trying to impersonate the Terminator. Maybe if I had a gun it would be more convincing. The Terminator 2 gift shop! Home to all of your Twilight needs! Let's eat lunch at Johnny Rocket's! It was good, but you have to pay extra for fries! What's up with that? More of the crowds! This was right in front of Shrek 4D. They had to turn it into a one-way path to ease the crowds. But I think it made it worse. For it being sixty minutes, the line is moving pretty fast. Feel free to make any gay jokes you want. I'm sure somebody on TPR can make plenty... Alright, we're almost in the theater! Ah man! Are you kidding me?!? Why is one cage made out of straws, then another sticks, and the other bricks? OH, I get it! Like in the story "Three Light Pigs!" That's pretty clever, actually. Waiting time for The Simpsons Ride EXTREME CLOSEUP!! Truly, the greatest of all E-Ticket attractions! I like how some of the ride posters take shots at the Disney parks. R.I.P. Phil Hartman (1948-1998) You know, I'll admit, I never saw the "Back to the Future" movies until now. Now I wish I could have gone on the ride while it was still around. But at least Japan still has theirs! I'd be impressed if someone actually made this in Roller Coaster Tycoon Hello Grinchmas tree! Sorry we didn't get to you today! Maybe next year!
DJeXeL Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 Wow that's the busiest I've seen that place. At least the few rides they do have are high capacity so that helps a bit. Thanks for the report.
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