Looking for the best secret tips for Universal Studios Hollywood? You’ve found the right post!
Planning a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood can feel overwhelming, especially if you want to avoid the crowds and make the most of your day.
In this post, I’ll share five secrets about Universal Studios Hollywood I learned during my recent visit.
Even if you’re planning your first visit, these tips can be helpful!
This post is all about 5 secret tips for Universal Studios Hollywood to make your visit more fun, as well as time and cost-effective.
Secret Tips for Universal Studios Hollywood
1) It isn’t just Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge that’s open during Early Entry
One of the best-kept secrets about Early Entry at Universal Studios Hollywood is just how many attractions you can experience before the park fully opens.
Unlike Universal Studios Orlando, there are no on-site hotels. Therefore, there is no “free” perk of Early Entry for on-site guests.
However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enter the park early. Unfortunately, it is at an added cost ($20-$30 per person + tax).
Purchasing an Early Entry ticket (on top of your regular Universal Studios Hollywood ticket) will allow you to enter one hour before other guests.
Many visitors opt for Early Entry just to ride Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge before the crazy crowds in the Super Nintendo World.
We managed to ride this within the first 15 minutes of Early Entry, so we had 45 minutes later.
Most rides aren’t open during this time, however I was pleasantly surprised to discover that another popular land has rides that are open during Early Entry: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmede!
That’s right; the Harry Potter rides were open during this time (both rides being walk ons, as most people were at Super Nintendo World):
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
- Flight of the Hippogriff
And if you want to explore Hogsmede without crowds (to cast spells with your wands, look around or take photos), this is the perfect time. For most of Early Entry, Hogsmede was desolate!
The next time we visit Universal Studios Hollywood, we’re tempted to book Early Entry just to enjoy the peace at Hogsmede.
2) The Harry Potter Rides at Universal Studios Hollywood Are Better Than Orlando
Okay, so Universal Studios Orlando obviously wins when it comes to choice. When Epic Universe opens, there will be THREE Harry Potter lands at Universal Studios Orlando (with SIX rides).
At Universal Studios Hollywood, there is only one land (Hogsmede) and two rides.
These rides (Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff) are duplicates of the Orlando attractions – with one major difference: they’re better than the Florida versions!
To find out more, check out this recent post: Ranking the Universal Harry Potter Rides: Best to Worst in Hollywood and Orlando
This proves that quality can be better than quantity!
3) You may not need Express Pass to ride a lot of rides
As someone who usually uses Express Pass at Universal Studios Orlando, I know how well the system works.
However, purchasing Express Pass at Universal Studios Hollywood is less cost-effective than Orlando for two main reasons:
- There is only one small park, so Express Pass doesn’t allow you to skip the lines for as many rides.
- You can’t get it included with a hotel stay (you can get Express Pass for “free” if you stay at a Premier Hotel at Universal Studios Orlando).
So, we decided against splurging on an Express Pass, and prepared ourselves for a lot of time queueing!
Surprisingly, the wait times were very short. (For reference, we visited on December 9th and 10th, 2o24 – a Monday and Tuesday – so it was not super busy).
No wait time was over 45 minutes (that’s including Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge), and most rides had wait times of 5-25 minutes long.
Unless you’re visiting at a super busy time, it may not make sense to purchase an Express Pass, if the Standby Queues are so low!
Also, remember that you can utilize Single Rider Lines (that may be able to save time).
Single Rider Lines may be closed at times, but you can often find them at:
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
- Jurassic World – The Ride
- Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride
- Transformers: The Ride 3D.
4) You can mobile order on the Universal Studios Hollywood app to save time!
If you’re visiting Universal Studios Hollywood, it helps to have the app. Not only to check ride wait times, but also to mobile order.
If you want to avoid long waits, it can be worth ordering on the app instead.
However, if you want to make modifications to a meal or if you have food allergies, you might be better off ordering at a counter instead.
Although you can mobile order at Universal Studios Hollywood, the system is not currently as sophisticated as Disneyland and Disney World’s systems, if you’re familiar with those.
Wondering where you can mobile order? Here is a list of dining locations that allow guests to mobile order inside the Universal Studios Hollywood park:
Upper Lot:
- Cletus’ Chicken Shack – Springfield
- Krusty Burger – Springfield
- Lard Lad Donuts – Springfield
- Luigi’s Pizza – Springfield
- Cocina Mexicana – Production Plaza
- Mel’s Diner – Production Plaza
- Power Up Cafe – Production Plaza
- Hollywood and Dine – Hollywood
- Minion Cafe – Minion Land
- Mummy Eats – Transformers Metrobase
- Three Broomsticks – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Hogsmede)
Lower Lot:
- Jurassic Cafe – Jurassic World
- Panda Express – Transformers Metrobase
5) The Escalators that Everyone Complains About Offer Stunning Views of the City
If you’ve ever been to Universal Studios Hollywood, chances are you’ve heard the groans about the park’s iconic escalators, known as the Starway.
Yes, they’re long, and yes, there are a lot of them, but these moving staircases are not boring (although they may sound that way).
Universal Studios Hollywood is built on two different levels: the Upper Lot and Lower Lot, and to travel between them, you’ll need to use the Starway escalators (and you’ll need to spare 7-8 minutes to get from the Upper Lot to the Lower Lot, and vice versa).
So, why is this not a super annoying waste of time?! The views!
As a tourist who hadn’t visited Universal Studios Hollywood until last year, I was blown away by the scenic views of LA!
If you get the chance to see sunrise or sunset here, you won’t regret it!
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Secret Universal Studios Hollywood tips
How much does it typically cost to go to Universal Studios?
Are you wondering ‘how much does it cost to go to Universal Studios Hollywood?’.
The main four costs to factor into this are:
- Universal Studios Hollywood tickets – One-day tickets typically cost $109 – $154 + tax for adults, and $103 – $148 + tax for children. (You can find more information on Universal Studios Hollywood tickets here).
- Food at Universal Studios Hollywood – a lot of adult meals are under $20, and kids meals tend to be under $15.
- Merchandise at Universal Studios Hollywood – You can expect typical theme park pricing here – e.g. $30-$40 for most t-shirts, around $60 for hoodies etc.
- If you need to book a hotel – two of the most popular partner hotels within walking distance of Universal Studios Hollywood are: 1) The Sheraton Universal Hotel and 2) Hilton Los Angeles-Universal City (I stayed here and thought it was a great hotel).
Once you’ve budgeted for these things, you can roughly work out how expensive it is to visit Universal Studios Hollywood.
How many days do you need in Universal Studios Hollywood?
I would recommend 1-2 days to visit Universal (2 if you’re visiting at a busy time, or want to take it slower).
Some authorized Universal Studios Hollywood ticket sellers have offers where you can get 2 days of tickets for the price of 1.
What rides to go on first at Universal Studios Hollywood?
I’d recommend heading to the most popular rides (especially Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge) first, before the crowds reach their peak for the day.
What do I need to know before going to Universal Studios Hollywood?
Planning is key! Plan where you want to eat, which rides you want to prioritize and if you want to see a show (WaterWorld is an AMAZING stunt show that SHOULD NOT be missed!).
How to save money at Universal Studios Hollywood?
There are a number of ways, but here are a couple of key points:
- Visit at a non-peak time & skip the Express pass.
- Look for discounted tickets at authorized sellers for the best price.
How to skip lines at Universal Studios Hollywood?
The only “surefire” way of skipping lines at Universal Studios Hollywood is to purchase Express Passes. You can see more information in this post.
Ta Ta For Now
Do you have any Universal Studios secrets and tips? Please share them in the comments 🙂
This post was all about 5 secret tips for Universal Studios Hollywood to make your visit more fun, as well as time and cost-effective.
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