A frequently made side trip by people who are staying at the Disneyland Resort in California is a day long visit to Universal Studios Hollywood.
Universal is a large park where you could easily spend a full day enjoying the attractions and shows. Known for their simulator rides and tours Universal Studios Theme Park is a place for ride, television, or movie enthusiasts to enjoy.
Like Disneyland this park offers many ticket choices. A one day pass will get you entry into all the rides and tours. A Front of the Line pass will allow you to skip all lines while at Universal. There are two options for this pass; one with dates you cannot use it, such as summer and holidays. The other front of the line pass is unrestricted and therefore more expensive.
Universal Studios Hollywood has tours to enjoy while at the theme park. The Studio Tour is world famous and will give you a behind the scenes look at the special effects used in Jaws and King Kong. In addition, you will see familiar houses for television shows, and scenes from familiar movies. This tour now includes scenes from the hit film 'War of the Worlds'. Also included in the Studio Tour are scenes from 'Jurassic Park: The Lost World" and the town of Whoville from 'The Grinch who Stole Christmas'. This tour is approximately 45 minutes long, and is a must see if you are going to Universal Studios.
If you purchase the VIP Experience ticket, there is a VIP Experience tour. This is a personally guided tour of sets and production locations that are closed to the general public. These are things you won't see on the studio tour offered to everyone else. In addition to this exclusive tour, the VIP Experience ticket also includes the front of the line pass. There is an age restriction on this ticket though: each ticket holder must be over 5 years old.
In addition to the tours there are other shows and rides to enjoy during your time at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Some of the shows at Universal Studios are Waterworld (caution, you may get wet if you sit in front) where you will see a tidal wave, and Shrek 4-D which puts you right in the middle of the action. Terminator 2: 3-D will make you feel like you are in the future as you see robots come to life.
Don't forget the special effects stages, where you can see the special effect from Backdraft from a close perspective. Be cautious though… it does get very hot in this studio.
There are also several rides to enjoy while at Universal Studios Hollywood. Jurassic Park the ride is a flume ride and you do have a possibility of getting wet as you sail through this attraction. Back to the Future is a simulator ride that puts you in the action of time travel. For a wild roller coaster; Revenge of the Mummy should satisfy your need for excitement.
Universal Studios did not forget the young children either. They have a special section of the park called Nickelodeon Blast Zone. Here your child can meet SpongeBob or the Rugrats. The Wild Thornberry's Adventure Temple has thousands of foam balls to romp around in while trying to avoid the Temple Idol. The Nickelodeon Splash is guaranteed to get you wet. With 500 gallons of water, sprayers, soakers and the like, entering this zone is not the way to stay dry, but is the way to cool off on a hot day.
After you have finished playing at Universal Studios take time to enjoy the City Walk. This area is similar to Downtown Disney. Here you will find many restaurants including Tony Roma's and the Hard Rock Café. You will also find entertainment and shopping. Save this are for after you are done at Universal Studios, and enjoy it before you head back to the Disneyland Resort.
If you are a movie fan, or television fan; you will love Universal Studios. If you like wild rides and excitement, you will love Universal Studios. This is a wonderful way to break up your days at Disneyland for a one day excursion.
Finally, it is more economical to purchase your tickets for Universal Studios online. Doing so you will save money of the ticket price at the gate, and get any special offers going on when you make an online purchase. To purchase tickets for Universal Studios, and see your ticket options go to their website:
Universal Studios Website