If Universal Studios is a half day park...

[KandyM]

what should we do with the other half of the day?

We are spending one week in the area in February 2016. We'll stay near DLR and we'll have a rental car. Family is myself and my DH, DS19, DS15, DD11. Our main focus for the trip is Disney and we will probably get 5-day tickets. So we have two extra days to plan out. One will be a sleep in, shop, and maybe sightsee or beach day depending on the weather. The other extra day will be Universal but I've read a lot about it and I think I agree with those that recommend it for a half day. So, what should we do with the rest if that day? What is near that area or somewhere in-between there and DLR that would be good to do on our way back?

 

[sheetz]

Even with low crowds it's still hard to see all of USH before 3pm so there's not a whole lot of time left to do something afterwards. The Griffith Observatory is usually open late. You can also see a movie at the El Capitan Theatre. Madame Tussaud's wax museum is open late. Lots of shows and sporting events, depending on your dates.

 

[endy]

Last time we went DS16 and I got there just after opening and didn't finish until 7ish. Then we walked around City Walk and had supper, by then it was likely 9ish before we headed out. This was in August tho so not sure how much lighter the crowds are in Feb.

 

[Chris9ty]

following...looking into spending a day at Universal

 

[bramble4]

Universal was only a half day for us personally, but may be different for others. We were done in 4-5 hours and then ate at Bubba Gump's. I agree with the recommendations that a PP gave! The wax museum is always fun. We hit The Grove/Farmer's Market one evening and enjoyed! The kids also loved hiking to the Hollywood Sign, although we only went half way up the trail. Griffith Observatory is also a good idea!

 

[kateandy08096]

We will be going to Universal first week in april and was told we would need a front of the line pass so Im thinking of just doing the VIP experience since food is included

 

[Coffee50]

The subway is across the street, & it's one stop to Hollywood & Highland (Chinese theatre, Madam Tussaud's, El Capitan, etc.)

In terms of Universal being a half day park, I don't necessarily agree, but I guess it depends on the individual.

I think it's easy to spend the entire day there. There could even be attractions you'd want to do more than once!

You're paying for the entire day, make sure you get your money's worth!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We were at Universal a couple of weeks ago and we spent more than one day. We got into the park the first day around 10:30 a.m. and left around 9:00 p.m. We went in for a second day at 9:30 p.m., had a long lunch at Citywalk around 1:00 p.m., then went back into the park until 4:00 p.m. We didn't have front of the line passes, so some lines were up to 45 minutes. We had never ridden Transformers and wanted to do it twice. Same with Minions. We did the Studio Tour twice because they have some different effects after dark. We also wanted to see the Fast and the Furious section more than once. We did several rides on The Mummy because it's awesome! Once was enough on Jurassic Park because we got soaked. We wanted to do The Simpsons a second time but the line was long and we didn't feel like waiting. We saw the Waterworld Stunt Show once. We didn't do Shrek, The Special Effect Stage, or the Animal Actors show. We took lunch and ice cream breaks and didn't rush around the park. It has some nice theming and interesting details. I wouldn't want to blow through it in 1/2 a day. At a less crowded time, we could do it in one day and not feel rushed. With only 4-5 hours, you would definitely have to skip several attractions. The Studio Tour alone takes about 45 minutes, plus whatever time you spend waiting in line.

 

[AussieCaribou]

I would have to agree that Universal can take much more than a half day dependant on crowd level and what you are interested in seeing/riding. We went in mid December last year and spent from 10am to 4pm in the park. By the time that we walked through the shopping area, we were at the car by 430pm. The other thing to consider is the traffic. We were staying at Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park) and it took us nearly 2 hours to travel from universal to the hotel. I have always found that driving in LA and region always takes a lot longer than my gps originally tells me.