My new found friends in Los Angeles were generous enough to treat me and Jobelle with tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood. Mind you, not just an ordinary one-day pass but an all-year round ticket - meaning we could use it to enjoy USH how many times we want that year (this was in 2013). We were aware that this amusement park tend to be crowded on weekends so we planned on going there very early on a Saturday. We dropped by Denny's first to have our breakfast before going to Universal City where the park is located.

 

Transformers The Ride 3D was the newest at that time so we made sure to line up there first before the crowd started. This ride was the one I enjoyed most. It felt like being on the movie itself and acting as one of the transformers. I loved how the 3D effect made me cringed when the robot's saliva splashes towards me or the feeling of heat when there's something burning. My favorite part was the fast downward fall almost crashing to the ground then Bumblebee suddenly emerged saving me from the fall. As in wow, talaga! It felt so real, haha! We were also lucky to find Bumblebee and Optimus Prime hanging outside the ride's entrance and had some pictures taken with them.





The succeeding rides we've tried were Revenge of the Mummy, The Simpsons and Jurassic Park River Adventure. Revenge of the Mummy was kinda 'bitin' for me. I was actually expecting to be scared during the ride but all I can say after was "Yun lang?" I didn't liked the Simpsons Ride because I got dizzy. All those giant 3D images popping in front of my face made me lightheaded and prayed for the ride to just end. I'm not sure if its just me, but it seemed the ride was longer than usual. Jurassic Park River Adventure was chill. Hehe! I thought it was so slow, riding that small boat through the river leading to the cave. Probably it was really designed with that pace so you would enjoy watching the dinosaurs lurking at the sides. Expect to get a little wet on this ride since there's a steep drop at the end of the cave.







The Studio Tour has been interesting as well. This is the signature attraction of the park. You could see the actual sets and movie studios used in movies. All you have to do is ride the multi-car tram which is led by an actual tour guide who can be seen on video screens located on each car of the tram. It was thrilling to know that this is the exact location where famous movies are filmed such as Princess Diaries, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tansformers, Back to the Future, War of the Worlds and many more. Sometimes, you will even be lucky when an actual filming is ongoing. In some parts, you will be able experience reinactments or simulations from scenes of a movie. My favorites are the earthquake scene on the subway station and KingKong 3D where Kong fights the enemies.





Staged shows are also available at the theme park. There's the Animal Actors where you could meet the animals who participated in tv shows/movies. They will entertain you by performing in front of the audience guided by a trainer. Special Effects Show is another one where effects, stunts, illusions and behind the scenes secrets are explained to the audience. The most interesting one is Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular. This show is like watching the movie live. It has stunts with pyrothechnic, flame and water effects, there's even a seaplane crashing and exploding. The actors were very good at what they are doing and I was really entertained. Be careful though when choosing the front seats since they will target to make you wet during the show.



Even roaming around the amusement park has been a fun thing to do. The feeling was like walking inside a television and being part of the movie world. Below are more pictures taken inside the park.

I would love to go back here again. I've read that there are new attractions since the time we went there. There's the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, the Walking Dead Walk, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter where I would really love to try the Butterbeer at Hogsmeade and try out a magical wand at Ollivander's Shop.

No matter how many times I go back to this place, I think I would never get tired enjoying it. The child in me will always prevail. 😄