The alarm went off at eight, so I could get an early start towards Universal Studios. Quick breakfast and a goodbye to dad. Smooth subway ride, and then on a tram-like bus from the subway to the park itself. Security was a peach, but someone in front of me had trouble with their tickets, so it took longer than it should have (though we are talking like five-ten minutes, so I shouldn’t complain…)
My whole day was mostly driven by the park’s app, telling me where the waiting time was shortest at the moment. Did all attractions:
- Kung Fu Panda – A nice attraction to start with, roomy and not very long queue. Each seat moves independently.
- Studio tour – Takes an hour to drive around in a tram-like train, and a guide describes different sets where a bunch of their movies have been recorded. Also, a few special effects to spice it up. The sound wasn’t great at all times; sometimes I had to struggle to hear what he said.
- Special effects show – They did demonstrations of different techniques to fool the camera that the stuff is real. Entertaining and interesting.
- Despicable Me – Weee, minions! At the final part of the queue, it was entertainment and quite enjoyable. A spectacular ride as well!
- Animal Actors – See different trained animals perform on stage. Amazing what they can be trained to do.
- Revenge of the Mummy – The single rider line was closed, so I was directed to the general line. That was a mistake. It took about 90 minutes to get through, and about halfway, they opened up the single line again, and they passed me. Didn’t really know what to expect, so when I realized it was a rollercoaster, I got a bit nervous, not a fan of those. But it was more of scary stuff than upside-downs, so I was okay.
- Transformers – Learned from the Mummy to wait for the single queue to open, which probably saved me an hour of queueing. Intensive action in a moving vehicle. Quite fun!
- The Walking Dead – You walk along a path through a hospital with scary stuff happening everywhere. Had a small, frightened girl just in front of me, so she gave me a fair warning when something special happened
- Waterworld – A short story played out in a set in front of a live audience. Water-based show, and the first five or six rows did get wet, a lot! To be fair, those benches were clearly marked! Really fun stuff!
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – Again, I didn’t really realize what this was until I got very close. When the safety bar goes over your shoulder and waist, I get nervous again. But it was all fun! So much stuff happening, hard to keep track of what’s going on. Also, a “faked” free fall is easier to handle than an actual free fall (I would assume). Interesting thing that we boarded the carts while they were moving. Cool!
- Flight of the Hippogriff – An ordinary rollercoaster, but I checked it out before boarding, and I thought I could handle it. The lady beside me was surprised by how short it was.
- Jurassic World – Together with Harry Potter, the biggest and most complex attraction. Going in a boat, you were warned that you were going to be wet. Not too bad, though, and some scary moments. Ended with a really steep drop and a hard brake in the water. That felt in the stomach.
- Simpsons – Got in like half an hour before closing. Really large operation, and still the queue took quite some time. Sitting in a cart and going on a crazy ride. Nice finish!
A long day, mostly spent on the feet between attractions or in line. Going back tomorrow because my ticket allows me to, just to watch the park and its contents, since today has been more about making it to the different attractions.
