Universal Studios Hollywood, Part II
Woman in the Middle | March 22, 2017I can remember going on the tram ride at Universal Studios when I was quite young and it was the ONLY thing to do there. I still enjoy the tram ride and so does the rest of my family. We made sure to go on it the first day we were at Universal Studios. The ride lasts about an hour, so keep that in mind when thinking about meals, bathroom breaks, and small children.
The ride now includes two interactive parts that are like a ride, which were very enjoyable. The rest of the ride is about showing off the back lot, sound stages, and sets. You experience a real but fake rain storm and flash flood, as well as a gas explosion with real fire and a shark attack.
The fire is surprisingly close and hot!
And then comes the shark!
It was a hot day, so we decided to enjoy a frozen butterbeer and a cauldron cake. Again, the girls thought the butterbeer was divine and I thought it was very sweet. The cauldron cake was delightful, and really looked like a cauldron. I thought it was a must if you love chocolate. But, together with the butterbeer it was just too much sugar for me all at once.
This photo doesn’t do the cauldron cake justice. It was dipped in chocolate on the bottom and even had four little chocolate legs to stand on.
The afternoon of our first day, we looked at a wait time board and discovered that the line was just 10 minutes long for the Forbidden Journey ride. Oh boy, after missing it that morning due to technical difficulties, we were excited. We hurried over and got in line. The odd, and totally weird thing about this ride is it doesn’t have anywhere for you to put your belongings. If it doesn’t fit in your pocket, you have to get a locker (which you have to pay for) to put your things in. I have no idea what the designers were thinking. Needless to say, the locker room is madness with folks trying to find an open locker tangling up with folks trying to get their belongings after the ride. Really, madness!
We didn’t have this problem as Hubby and I went through the line to see the various displays along the way (which was worth it, BTW) but we weren’t planning on going on the ride. I read in many places that the ride was a motion sickness nightmare and I was not interested in testing my internal fortitude, after a close call the last time I rode Space Mountain at Disneyland. So, we gathered up the girl’s purses and such and went off to the shop while they rode the ride. There we waited and waited, saw the folks come off the ride we had been in line with, and waited and waited some more. My mom-sense told me there was a problem and I was just trying to figure out what to do to find them when Eldest and Youngest finally appeared. It seems the ride almost got the better of Youngest and she had to wait for a while near a conveniently placed trash can before she was sure all was well and she could move again. So, if you have issues with motion sickness DO NOT GO ON FORBIDDEN JOURNEY.
Eldest had her eyes open for most of the ride and said it was pretty good, but she felt it was practically designed to make you sick. Not on purpose, but just because they don’t have the technology quite there yet. If you feel you will do OK on the ride, she said it was pretty cool. Youngest said she was glad she now knows what the ride is all about but will never go on it again. FYI, they have a single rider line, to make waiting go a little quicker, but if you go in it you will miss the displays along the way. Save that for your second time going on the ride.
On our second say in the park, our main goal was to eat lunch at the Three Broomsticks. We managed to catch it at just the right time and there wasn’t too much of a line. Unlike breakfast, each lunch item has a separate price and they do not come with a drink. Three of us opted for the Shepard’s Pie and Hubby got the Fish and Chips. I am afraid I didn’t pay much attention to the prices, but they were in the $13 to $16 range. Drinks were $3.95. Everything was tasty, and a decent portion size. My only complaint is that my drink, pear cider, was a little weak.
This is my Shepard’s Pie with Salad and pear cider to drink.
Hubby’s Fish and Chips with tarter sauce
After exploring HPW some more, because we couldn’t get enough of it, We walked about other parts of the park and went on the Jurassic Park ride. It was fun and, because it was once again a hot day, we didn’t mind getting wet. Protect your belongings, however, as they will get wet, too.
There is an area at Universal with a Simpson’s theme. Not surprisingly to anyone familiar with that show, it had a whole lot of places to eat. We stopped and two of us got ice cream and two got a giant donut with Oreo cookie crumbles on top. Yum!
Before we left, we got a photo with Frankenstein, capping off a fun getaway to Universal Studios Hollywood!
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