1 Day Universal Studios w/ 4&7 yr old

[DreamtheImpossible]

Hi everyone!!!!

My family and I are going to Disneyland/Universal the weekend after Thanksgiving. (I know, I know......But it's the only time we can go.)

My plan is to add a day at Universal for Black Friday -- the ONLY thing my kiddos really want to see is Mario! (Of course!)

But, how would you recommend maximizing time? Will it be as swamped as Disneyland usually is?

Also, what do you recommend for getting from Anaheim to Universal for a family of 4?

Give me all your tips, tricks, musts, and what to avoid!!!

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

Are you planning a split stay, or just a day trip to Universal?

We were doing split stays for a couple of years with our DD. We would usually do a “full” day at Disneyland, then in the evening, transfer to Burbank so we’d have a full day at Universal the next day. It helps a LOT to plan on avoiding traffic with a later evening transfer. Under good conditions it’s an hours drive, but if you go any time there’s traffic, you can easily double that. We typically just do an Uber/Lyft XL. Easy to get, reasonably priced - just make sure you compare the prices when you’re requesting a car because Ubers surge pricing in LA can vary by a large amount.

Definitely get early entry tickets for Nintendo world (about $20?), and use that time specifically for Mario Kart, and then explore the world after you’ve ridden the ride.

Definitely think about getting the power up band for the kids.

We haven’t gone during holidays, but we did go during one local school district break and it was pretty bad. But if the primary goal is Nintendo World, and you have early entry, you should be able to see everything you want to see. Unless of course your kids are lily my DD, and you end up spending 2 hours in the Dino Playland….

 

[DizneyLizzy]

Exciting! We did USH on a Sunday in July, so I was expecting crazy crowds, but it really wasn't bad. Here are my thoughts.

1. Pay for the early entry into Super Mario World.

2. If you pay for early entry, you need to be towards the FRONT of early entry to make it worth it. Our Lyft dropped us off at 6:17 for a 7 AM early entry opening, and there were already three families lined up behind each turnstile. Do not arrive any later than 45 min before early entry. We didn't run; other people did, so we were far from the first group into the land, but we still walked right onto the Mario Kart ride at 6:56 AM. We got off the ride, and the posted wait was only 30 minutes, but we skipped a re-ride in favor of playing the games and meeting the characters before wait times grew.

3. My kids are 6 & 9, and we only bought one Power Up band. My 6 year old was more interested in meeting characters and my 9 year old wanted to play the games, so my husband and I divided and conquered. My 9 year old played all 3 games before 8 AM. The games are fine, but the whole reason to play them (I learned from a dad in line, it's not well advertised) is to get 3 keys (you get a key for winning each game) and the 3 keys will get you into Bowser Jr's castle for the bonus game. The bonus game makes the entire thing worth it. I didn't do it, because my 6 year old wanted to rope drop Harry Potter land, and I took her there, but my husband took my 9 year old into the game, and he said it was literally like stepping into a video game. It was really really cool.

4. By the time my husband and son finished the Bowser Jr game, it was about 8:30. At that point, they left the land because they said it was insanely crowded. We enjoyed the rest of the park, which was completely empty compared to SMW, until about noon when we decided to take a break. We came back around 4:30 that afternoon to re-ride a few favorites. Lines were pretty short by that time.

5. Maybe it's because we went on a Sunday, but by 5 PM, the line for the Mario Kart ride was only 90 minutes (it had been over 300 during the day), so my recommendation would be to get up early and do what you can in the first hour, and then maybe revisit (if you want to) during the last hour of operation.

I hope this helps! I was really nervous about our day at USH, because I was a total newbie, and I thought visiting on a Sunday in summer could be a disaster, but we had a really nice time. Good luck!

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

Exciting! We did USH on a Sunday in July, so I was expecting crazy crowds, but it really wasn't bad … the line for the Mario Kart ride … had been over 300 during the day

Wow! I’m hoping you meant the rest of the park wasn’t crowded! Otherwise, the parks have gotten you really desensitized to wait times!

 

[DizneyLizzy]

Wow! I’m hoping you meant the rest of the park wasn’t crowded! Otherwise, the parks have gotten you really desensitized to wait times!

Ha! I meant the rest of the park. We high tailed it out of SMW once early entry was over!

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

Ha! I meant the rest of the park. We high tailed it out of SMW once early entry was over!

 

[Rex1993]

We were just in Universal Hollywood two weeks ago. It was crazy busy and crazy hot. My kids are a little older but they had zero interest in Mario land so we didn't go there. What I can tell you is that with those ages you really should make sure to also hit the Secret Life of Pets ride. The line is a ride in itself and the ride was just great! The Minions ride was also fun but not anywhere near as good as Secret Life of Pets.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

We were just in Universal Hollywood two weeks ago. It was crazy busy and crazy hot. My kids are a little older but they had zero interest in Mario land so we didn't go there. What I can tell you is that with those ages you really should make sure to also hit the Secret Life of Pets ride. The line is a ride in itself and the ride was just great! The Minions ride was also fun but not anywhere near as good as Secret Life of Pets.

SLoP is my DDs favorite ride in all the parks - ROTR is a close second. Universal really outdid themselves on the queue. It’s the only one where we will often let people pass us, so we can watch a little longer.

 

[Rex1993]

It's fun to see people get towards the end of the line and start looking at eachother asking, "is the ride a walkthrough?" The line at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is amazing as well.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

If you are going on Black Friday, I highly recommend getting both the early access pass for Mario Land and the single-use Express pass. We did that last week and we were able to ride every ride in the park with minimal waits. Get one power band per child, they are what make the land fun. Grab the QR code to get on the waitlist for Toad's Cafe on your way in and go there for a nice lunch away from the chaos. Yes, these additions all add up, but the alternative was my friend's day. She arrived after regular Rope Drop, and only rode the Mario Kart ride once after waiting 2 hours, Jurassic World after waiting another 2 hours, and the Mummy ride. The theme park tickets aren't cheap, but spending extra on these bonuses makes for two vastly different experiences. I also recommend staying at either the Universal Hilton or Sheraton, as they are walking distance to the park and make hitting early entry much easier.

 

[DreamtheImpossible]

Thank you everyone SO MUCH for the advice!!!! We are definitely going to get the Mario bands as well as the mario early entry.

I will hit up SLoP and Minions right after we explore SMW, those are things my kiddos are interested in. The things MOM is interested in, we may miss -- but, as a millennial, I can't let my little child heart go without seeing Hogwarts.

 

[sjmac42]

As for getting there, a rental car would be the best option. Public transport will be 2.5 to 3hrs each way, rideshares aren’t an option without child seats and a tour may limit your time in the park.