Where Are You Now, Pat?
Isn’t it great? I’m always somewhere, and it’s usually someplace totally awesome!!! This week, we are continuing to look at awesome places you should visit and we are comparing, contrasting, and giving tons of love to Universal Studios on both coasts, especially around Christmas!
I’ve been obsessed with Universal since I was a little girl watching horror movies, and I was dying to go. The first time Sweet Husband took me to Universal Studios Hollywood as a newlywed, I was in awe. It was everything I imagined, and we’ve gone back to both locations over and over again for the fantastic experiences at a reasonable price. Christmas, specifically, at Universal Studios is extra magical.
Let’s talk basics:
Universal Orlando
The much younger sister of the family, Universal Orlando came on to the theme park scene by capitalizing on the abundant land availability in Florida. When the theme park near Orlando, Florida, opened in 1990 it consisted of one theme park, a handful of rides and a (mostly fabricated) studio tour.
Universal Studios Hollywood
An actual, working movie studio from the early 1900’s, the first studio tour in its modern form was in 1964, and led guests through real movie sets. Universal Studios, Hollywood, is located in the San Fernando valley on a site that was once a farm before being converted to the largest and most successful studio of its time.
Benefits of the Universal Experience
Most people know me as a Disney fiend. Yup, that’s true enough. But I’m not strictly loyal to the Mouse and his parks. I absolutely love Universal—on both coasts! Over the years I continue to return repeatedly to both locations, for a wide variety of reasons. Whether it’s Christmas at Universal Studios or Disney for Halloween, I am always on the go. Let’s talk about some of the benefits of Universal’s products:
Manageable size
Disney World is the size of Manhattan. Navigating that space is its own planning adventure. Going from one theme park to another must be budgeted at an hour, and getting to any of the hotels requires a bus/boat/monorail or Uber! Universal is quite walkable. You can go from one park to another in Florida, for example, in a short ten-minute walk. Proud of it’s compact footprint, you seamlessly go from one “land” to another in a Universal park with lighting and music changes so subtle you don’t even realize it’s happening, all within a fifty-foot walk. It’s miraculous planning.
Reasonable cost
Bestie Boo is taking her family of six to Disney World next summer. She’s in over six thousand with just hotel and tickets. She hasn’t gotten anything to eat or a single souvenir yet. Universal Hollywood, in comparison, sold me “Buy a day Get a day” tickets this fall so we could go to Universal Studios once at Halloween and once at Christmas. For $100 each… BIG difference.
Less time commitment
Because they lack the sheer size, and the number of theme parks, of Disney, it is much easier to use Universal as a long-weekend trip. This is very attractive to me, for example, because I can “do” Universal without using an entire week’s vacation time, or budget. That being said, we have done an entire week at Universal Orlando with the three kids in their teens, and nobody was bored for one minute.
Thrill rides
Speaking of your teens…the thrill rides at a Universal park are absolutely off the hook! There are entire lands in Universal Studios that I won’t go on a single thing because they are outside of my comfort zone, even on Christmas. There was still plenty for me to do, believe me, while they screamed their lungs out, which made it the perfect trip for our family.
It’s All About The Movies
I have to mention the history of Universal Studios somewhere in this blog!
They remain a premiere movie studio, creating and producing multiple films each year across different genres. If you are a movie buff—like me—Universal (especially Hollywood) is like visiting the Holy Land. To walk where the stars walked, to be this close to movie props and different things that were used in the movies is very exciting, and makes it worth the price of admission for me. Just walking down the themed streets on both coasts makes me look around to find “Easter eggs” and clues about what movies and tv shows were filmed in different areas. It’s a blast for a movie junkie.
What to know about Universal Orlando
Size
Let’s say for a moment that we are driving to Universal Orlando. We park in one of two unbelievably large parking structures, and walk almost a mile to the entrance to a theme park. Along the way, in the Downtown district, we can have a drink, a nice meal, some crazy donuts or go see a movie. From one theme park to another is a short walk, or take a train from one Harry Potter area to another. My family has done a fair job exploring both parks in one day without having to take a break or move the car—it’s that compact. You will be exhausted at the end of the day, but part of that is the screaming and laughing from the attractions.
Hotels
The better option, by far, is to stay at one of the hotels located at Universal Orlando. Their value options are wonderful hotels at a very reasonable rate, and from the hotels they will transport you to and from the parks. Their high end hotels offer a benefit that is unmatched anywhere, and is worth every penny. Unlimited front-of-the-line access at every ride and show.
You read that right—you go through a separate entrance at every ride that takes you directly to the front of the line. This perk for their hotels, branded as Loews properties (https://www.loewshotels.com/universal-orlando) is incredibly wonderful, and super useful for someone trying to maximize their ride time and minimize waiting in line. Using this line pass makes it possible to chop your vacation down by about half the length, and when you combine it with missing an hour wait line during the year of the summer, it’s a bargain at any price!
Multiple parks
Universal Orlando opened with just Universal Studios, then adding Islands of Adventure, giving them two theme parks through the 1990’s until today. They added their own water park at an additional price, several years ago, which is worth an entire day of your time. The biggest news is that they are currently building Epic Universe, their third gate, which should be absolutely spectacular when it bursts onto the scene. When you add all of this together, you can see that Universal Orlando is battling mightily to be a destination resort, not just the “two day add-on” some people used to consider it for their Florida vacation.
What to know about Universal Studios Hollywood
Size
I’ll be honest with you…it’s pretty small. Easily walkable for a full day, you’ll be tired but not crawling back to your car (in yet another huge parking structure). To expand, Universal Studios Hollywood had to go down the side of a canyon, which area you reach by taking the longest escalators of your life, but it did add considerable size to the park. With only a handful of “official good neighbor” hotels, Universal Studios Hollywood doesn’t have any dedicated hotels, and you will have to drive to the gate from most area hotels.
Although only one park, it’s jam packed with a number of different attractions and adventures that you can participate in, including shows, a water park play area for kids, and rides of every type. The areas, or lands, are extremely well designed and are quite immersive. I’m not a Simpsons person, but I absolutely respect the theming of that section!
Surrounding areas
What Florida could never, ever reproduce is the area surrounding Universal Studios Hollywood. The history, the unbelievable neighborhoods, other movie and television studios, the location near the actual, real Hollywood, makes a visit to Universal Studios Hollywood an absolute requirement for anyone interested in the industry. Just driving through the Hollywood Hills is worth the trip, not to mention visiting the Hollywood sign and the neighboring Planetarium! You can’t beat this location for it’s historical significance in American pop culture.
The Tour
I saved this for last, to be honest. At first, I had Hollywood first, and then Orlando, but I switched it. Because The Tour is that important. The Tour has kept me going back to Universal Studios Hollywood for over thirty years now, and why I will always return. The Tour is about an hour, and you ride in an open air type of tram car with about a hundred other movie fans. The tour has changed so much over time in what it shows and what it includes, that I am mesmerized every time I do it.
The narration by (mostly) a live person gives you great information about what movies and television shows have been—or are being!!—recorded at every part of the studio lot. The tram goes right by live studios that are often in use. It brings you down the western streets that were in countless movies in the early days, and shows you the actual Psycho house, for example. You drive straight through actual movie sets, and can see the transformation of certain areas when it was used for different movies. The Studio Tour is the penultimate for movie lovers. If that is you, you absolutely have to visit Universal Studios Hollywood at least once.
Benefits Of Going For The Holidays
My kids loved Santa…up to a certain age. But sitting on the Grinch’s lap and telling him what you want for Christmas—PRICELESS!!! Seeing Frankenstein and his Bride chasing a guest wearing a Mummy t-shirt on Halloween weekend—PRICELESS!!!
We’ve been on both coasts for both Halloween and Christmas seasons, and the decorations are fantastic. Both coasts offer extremely famous Halloween theme nights (additional cost) called Halloween Horror Nights, that many people visit on a yearly basis, because it is the ultimate Halloween for teens and adults. We’ve seen a portion of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as well as holiday-themed characters on both coasts, and enjoyed some lovely themed snacks and beverages. These theme parks pull out all the stops to make visiting during the holidays extra special, and I highly recommend that you choose your favorite holiday and spend it at Universal. Or your favorite Tuesday! These theme parks are absolutely top-notch, high quality entertainment for people of all ages every day of the year!
Now, I’ll be going…The Tour leaves in fifteen minutes.
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR!!
Thank you for reading all about Christmas at Universal Studios!!
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