“This post is in partnership with Universal Studios Hollywood. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.”
Happy Wednesday, guys! I’m finally sharing all the details from our Spring Break family trip to California and I hope you’re ready for the full recap! I’ll be posting our family vacation in a series of posts and had to kick it off with our favorite attraction of all – Universal Studios Hollywood!
Ironically, I saved this visit for our last day and wasn’t sure if the girls + my hubby would enjoy it as much as the other places we visited, but Universal Studios Hollywood was hands down their favorite theme park attraction! Marli loved riding the rides with my husband and let’s just say the girls both had some fan girl moments when they met their favorite characters.
The theme park was multi-leveled and so nicely laid out with plenty of space to actually walk. I know that sounds silly, but as a mother who frequently uses a stroller to push my girls around, there’s nothing more frustrating than crowded spaces in crowded places. And while we’re on the topic of things important to moms, every single bathroom I went into was clean, spacious, and had a diaper-changing station. Yes! My hubby and I loved how many dining options there were in the theme park. From sit down places to spots for quick bites, they had it all!
I wanted to share some of our favorite attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood for children under 5 + a few tips that helped make our family trip stress-free.
SHOP MY LOOK
TIP #1 : WHEN TO GO
We visited Universal Studios Hollywood on the Sunday leading into California’s official Spring Break schedule so I think that helped a bit with crowds. Compare your calendar to Cali’s school schedule so you can plan ahead! I also think visiting the park during the week would make it less crowded. Since we were coming from Newport Beach (about 30-40 minute away), we made our commute early to avoid traffic and get early access into the park. If you’re visiting with little ones, it’s definitely better to start early because it was super packed by the time we left (around 430pm).
TIP #2 : PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE
I can’t stress this enough – purchase your tickets online! Not only will you avoid the lines, but it will give you early access into the park (1 hour before general entry) and depending on which pass you get, you can save up to $10 by purchasing online rather than at the gate. Our passes were the Universal Express which allowed us express access to each ride, attraction and seated show. These tickets were a bit pricier than general admission, but I HIGHLY recommend this for older groups and/or if you plan on going during peak seasons to avoid lines for all the rides.
Before entering the theme park, we walked through Universal Studios Hollywood CityWalk and it was definitely worth checking out! There were a TON of restaurants and shops to visit. They even had a movie theatre! My hubby loved all of the great dining options. The girls fell in love with the angel wings artwork by Kelsey Montague which made for the perfect photo op. Look at how tiny Matea is!
TIP #3 : ASK FOR CHARACTER MEET & GREET SCHEDULE
Once inside, grab a map and speak with one of the employees about character meet & greets. (Make sure to ask an attendant wearing the black uniforms – not the employees in the stores. He/she should have a printed schedule with all the info.) The website is great, but I wanted to inquire specifically about Hello Kitty, Poppy, Branch, Curious George, and Dora. The rep I spoke with told me exactly when and where to look for them which helped a ton!
TIP #4: PACK & TOW
I made sure to pack all the essentials for the girls – snacks, milk, juice, diapers, wipe, etc. But what I DIDN’T bring was our stroller. Thankfully, they offered single & double stroller rentals. If you have little ones (5 and under), I highly recommend getting one even if they insist on walking. Trust me, they will get tired at some point and worst case, you can use the stroller to store your bags. The double stroller rental is $25, but if you only need a single stroller, it’s $15. They also offered lockers for $8-15 depending on how much space you need. I’ve raved about this diaper backpack, but this was one of my favorite purchases for the trip. I was able to clip the straps onto the stroller and go hands/back free. Yay!
MUST-SEE ATTRACTION #1: ANIMATION STUDIO
The all-new Animation Studio Store featuring Hello Kitty is a must see! They opened a few days before we arrive in California and it was such a treat to see the store. From stationery to accessories, apparel, and collectibles, all their merchandise is exclusive to the theme park. They also had a Build-A-Bow display we we could customize our own bow and a dessert bar with s’mores, cupcakes and caramel apples. Sounds yummy, right? But the best part of the store opening was Hello Kitty herself! Not kidding – the girls shrieked when they saw her. They STILL remind me daily of how soft she was when they hugged her. Look at Matea’s face – they were practically BFFs at this point. Haha!
As we walked around, we spotted Scooby Do, Doc from Back to the Future, Spongebob, and our friend Curious George. I think Matea was taken back at how big George was in real life. Haha! For any of you coffee (or tea) addicts, there is a huge Starbucks across from the Animation Store (behind George’s head in the photo). I’m basically fueled by their iced coffee so this was much appreciated.
MUST SEE ATTRACTION #2 : DESPICABLE ME MINION MAYHEM
We spotted a ton of minions roaming the theme park and grabbed this one for a photo. Again, Matea was just wondering where his other eye was. Haha! I will say that taking photos with all the characters was SO easy! I think because there were SO many of them at the park, the lines weren’t outrageously long which is awesome because we all know how antsy kids can get. There was a ride for this attraction, but Marli didn’t want to go on it. Parent tip: make sure to look for ride signs! They’ll give you all the ride details (i.e. height limits, level of intensity, waiting time, etc) so you know if your little one can ride it.
MUST SEE ATTRACTION #3 : SUPER SILLY FUN LAND
Right next to the Minion Mayhem was Super Silly Fun Land – a fun little escape for the kiddos with tons of carnival games and a fun playground to play at. This was also a good chance for my hubby + I to as well as plenty is seats for parents to take a breather. They also flew on the Silly Swirly Fun Ride and the girls really enjoyed it.
MUST SEE ATTRACTION #4 : KRUSTYLAND (FOR OLDER KIDS)
We walked through Krustyland before heading downstairs for the 2nd half of the theme park. The girls don’t watch The Simpsons, but the attraction is definitely a sight to see! Full of carnival games, character sightings from Springfield, and a thrilling ride, this place really attracted a large crowd. My hubby and I felt like the girls were still a little too young to hang out here, but we’ll definitely take them back when they get a little older.
Going down to ground level was a sight to see! It took several escalator rides to get there, but I had to snap a photo of the amazing view from the theme park. I think the bottom level was more geared for older kids/adults, but we still had a blast checking it out! We spotted Dora Explorer right away and Marli gave her a huge hug!
MUST SEE ATTRACTION #5 : JURASSIC PARK
Then, we were greeted by a gigantic dinosaur from Jurassic Park! After the short introduction, visitors could take a photo with it. Unfortunately, no bribing could convince Matea to participate so this photo was as close as I could get. The park also had a river raft ride with a waterfall drop at the end. Marli braved it with my hubby like a champ! While Matea and I waited for them, we hung out at Dino Play, a little play area for little ones.
MUST SEE ATTRACTION #6 : TRANSFORMERS (FOR OLDER KIDS)
We were up close and personal with Megatron, the evil Decepticon from Transformers, and I think my hubby had a fan boy moment. LOL Bumblebee and Optimus Prime were also scheduled to appear at a later time for photo ops. My hubby wanted to ride the 3D ride so Marli once again braved it with him. He was so shocked she didn’t cry. In his opinion, there were a lot of graphics and more on the intense side to just make sure your little one is ready to handle that.
MUST SEE ATTRACTION #7 : WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, this attraction is nothing short of magical (literally). The amount of detail put into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was incredible and our visit into Hogwart Castle was amazing. There were tons of shops, entertainment, and rides for the family to enjoy including the Hippogriff roller coaster ride and an adventure to the Forbidden Journey. As you can see, this attraction brought in huge crowds!
MUST SEE ATTRACTION #8 : WATERWORLD
Sadly, we missed Universal’s #1 rated show because Matea was so tired at this point, but I’m still putting it on the list because who wouldn’t enjoy an action packed show full of special effects and stunts? If you’re planning on going anytime soon, check the schedule for updates since they are temporarily closing it on April 23rd to work on improvements.
Our very last “celebrity” sighting was probably the icing on the cake for the girls. Dreams were made during our trip to Universal Studios Hollywood, guys. I give you Poppy & Branch! If you saw my Instastories, you saw how excited the girls were. Matea would NOT stop hugging Poppy and even whispered something in her ear before saying bye. Kinda wondering what she told her. 🙂
So many memories were made on this vacation! We had the best time at Universal Studios Hollywood and can’t wait to take the girls back next year. Hope you found these tips + attraction suggestions helpful for your family! Let me know if you’ve been before and what your favorite attraction was. As always, thanks so much for reading, loves!
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