140: Universal Studios Hollywood Review

Go Mouse Scouts | Visiting Disneyland and Disney World with Kids | A Fan Podcast Bringing you Disney Park Tips & Family Fun!

Megan & Kris took a trip to the "Dark Side." We visited Universal Studios Hollywood and had a blast! (Don't tell Mickey Mouse.)

Listen as we talk about our first experience there after 20 years and our children's first visit.

Trip Review of Universal Studios Hollywood

In this trip review of Universal Studios Hollywood, we touch on the following topics:

Preparation

We pretty much prepared for this the same way we prepare for our Disneyland trips. We packed our lunch and snacks and everything else we thought we'd need. We should have packed a change of clothes for Kit though…

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We were in complete awe! This place is amazing and all-encompassing down to the smallest detail. We can see how it's giving The Mouse a run for its money. And teh butterbeer is so delicious!

Olivander's Wand Shop

Ginny got to participate in this experience and got to have a wand "pick her." We were a little apprehensive when she was singled out since she has a condition called selective mutism, but she did very well and the Wand Maker was very good with her even though she couldn't talk.

Back Lot Tram Ride

This has changed a lot since we visited last and it's definitely not kid-friendly. The King Kong and Fast & Furious portions were terrifying for our kids, and Kit said, "I never want to go on that again."

Animal Actors Show

We actually visited this show twice. It was a very fun and educational show involving trained animals. Very family friendly and had some wonderfully humorous moments.

We mentioned how Megan's sister, Rachel, trains dogs and actually uses dogs to herd sheep. Check out this video on what she does! It's very interesting.

Super Silly Fun Land

We mainly visited the playground and water play area which we weren't prepared for. Kit got drenched and we had to figure out what to do with him.

Waterworld Show

We loved this show, especially Teddy and Kit. It was a great stunt show with action on the water and some fun surprises.

Final Thoughts

This park isn't really a place for families with young children. There's really not very much that young kids can do, ride-wise, other than the Dumbo-style ride in Super Silly Fun Land. It's better to visit when your kids are a little older. It's more aimed at teens, tweens, and young adults.

Our favorite things were the shows we experienced and how they handle their rider swap. In fact, if Disneyland adopted this method, it'd be a lot better for families.

Conversations with Kit

Kit talks about how he liked the trip to Universal Studios Hollywood.

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