Jeremy Nolen
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2017
- Messages
- 41
Part 3 of 4 - part 4 will address dining, shopping, and general observations
USF more or less met my preconceived expectations going in - i.e., it's pretty similar to Disney's Hollywood Studios, with more rides/attractions but a similar lack of theme and messy, jumbled layout. The fingerprint readers here seemed even less reliable than the ones at IOA the previous day, and even though we had less than 20 people ahead of us in line at park opening, getting through the turnstiles took an absurdly long time, maybe 10 minutes? We had similar problems at the Hogwarts Express a couple of the times we rode it, and it was a frustrating experience, especially since the entire purpose is for Universal to guard their profit margins by preventing the scourge of people sharing multi-day tickets.
The entry area is not particularly well themed (I think the idea is that it is supposed to look like the actual Universal Studio grounds in California, but it is kind of flat and doesn't photograph very well) compared to IOA, and it just kind of dumps you into the park without a transitional experience.
USF, much like DHS, is a lot more charming in the early morning and in the evenings, with its large expanses of hot concrete and 'fake urban backlot' design concept. The area stretching from Springfield to 'fake San Francisco Waterfront) is a half-circle that is easy to navigate, but the main area of the park (fake NYC, Chicago, Hollywood, etc.) is pretty confusing and leads to a lot of cross-traffic collisions, even on the relatively low-crowd days when we were there. I imagine the experience on a packed, hot summer day would be pretty unpleasant, especially if you had small kids and/or a stroller.
The main area has a lot of rides and attractions, including the very good Rock-It and Mummy coasters, the Minions and Transformers 3D ride simulators, the Virtual New York attraction, Shrek 4D, and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. The rides are, like IOA, extremely high quality and very fun, although most are geared for 'thrill seekers' as opposed to the calmer rides at WDW. That's an improvement for me and my daughter, who love intense rides, but not as much fun for my wife and son who don't enjoy roller coasters or the intense 3D simulator type rides.
Apart from the rides, the main park area also has character meeting opportunities (Simpsons, Scooby Gang, Hello Kitty, etc.) and a number of scheduled street performances. We caught the Blues Brothers, some kind of construction worker drum performance, and a couple of other shows. Since we were really looking for them or waiting around for them, these were a nice bonus and definitely gave the park a needed 'atmosphere enhancement.'
Springfield is a real treat for Simpsons fans, and is full of funny details and easter eggs from the TV show. It also photographs very well with all the bright colors. The Kodos carnival ride is worth it, just for the running commentary from Kodos (or is it Kang?) and the Krustyland ride simulator is both funny and thrilling.
The tail end of the park is a bit of a waste of space - the MIB ride (which we skipped as it had a surprisingly long line when we got there) and the horrifying-sounding 'Fear Factor Experience', which I can't imagine why anyone would subject themselves to.
This brings us to the real showcase of the park - Diagon Alley. It's truly magical - extremely well designed and laid out, tons of stuff to explore and discover, spot-on theming, and it is still 'convincing' even when crowded at mid-day, thanks to the tall, overhanging buildings and the fact that it is supposed to be a dense, crowded city street. We spent a lot of time here casting spells, poking around the shops, and watching the 'tales of Beedle the Bard' performances. Lastly, this also contains the Escape from Gringotts ride, which is the most technically impressive ride/attraction I've ever experienced.
So, overall USF would get a pretty weak recommend from me, but the addition of Springfield and Diagon Alley bumps it up a lot in my estimation. I didn't enjoy it as much as IOA but would still rank it above Disney Hollywood Studios.
Next, and last - Dining, Shopping, and Photo Ops!
USF more or less met my preconceived expectations going in - i.e., it's pretty similar to Disney's Hollywood Studios, with more rides/attractions but a similar lack of theme and messy, jumbled layout. The fingerprint readers here seemed even less reliable than the ones at IOA the previous day, and even though we had less than 20 people ahead of us in line at park opening, getting through the turnstiles took an absurdly long time, maybe 10 minutes? We had similar problems at the Hogwarts Express a couple of the times we rode it, and it was a frustrating experience, especially since the entire purpose is for Universal to guard their profit margins by preventing the scourge of people sharing multi-day tickets.
The entry area is not particularly well themed (I think the idea is that it is supposed to look like the actual Universal Studio grounds in California, but it is kind of flat and doesn't photograph very well) compared to IOA, and it just kind of dumps you into the park without a transitional experience.
USF, much like DHS, is a lot more charming in the early morning and in the evenings, with its large expanses of hot concrete and 'fake urban backlot' design concept. The area stretching from Springfield to 'fake San Francisco Waterfront) is a half-circle that is easy to navigate, but the main area of the park (fake NYC, Chicago, Hollywood, etc.) is pretty confusing and leads to a lot of cross-traffic collisions, even on the relatively low-crowd days when we were there. I imagine the experience on a packed, hot summer day would be pretty unpleasant, especially if you had small kids and/or a stroller.
The main area has a lot of rides and attractions, including the very good Rock-It and Mummy coasters, the Minions and Transformers 3D ride simulators, the Virtual New York attraction, Shrek 4D, and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. The rides are, like IOA, extremely high quality and very fun, although most are geared for 'thrill seekers' as opposed to the calmer rides at WDW. That's an improvement for me and my daughter, who love intense rides, but not as much fun for my wife and son who don't enjoy roller coasters or the intense 3D simulator type rides.
Apart from the rides, the main park area also has character meeting opportunities (Simpsons, Scooby Gang, Hello Kitty, etc.) and a number of scheduled street performances. We caught the Blues Brothers, some kind of construction worker drum performance, and a couple of other shows. Since we were really looking for them or waiting around for them, these were a nice bonus and definitely gave the park a needed 'atmosphere enhancement.'
Springfield is a real treat for Simpsons fans, and is full of funny details and easter eggs from the TV show. It also photographs very well with all the bright colors. The Kodos carnival ride is worth it, just for the running commentary from Kodos (or is it Kang?) and the Krustyland ride simulator is both funny and thrilling.
The tail end of the park is a bit of a waste of space - the MIB ride (which we skipped as it had a surprisingly long line when we got there) and the horrifying-sounding 'Fear Factor Experience', which I can't imagine why anyone would subject themselves to.
This brings us to the real showcase of the park - Diagon Alley. It's truly magical - extremely well designed and laid out, tons of stuff to explore and discover, spot-on theming, and it is still 'convincing' even when crowded at mid-day, thanks to the tall, overhanging buildings and the fact that it is supposed to be a dense, crowded city street. We spent a lot of time here casting spells, poking around the shops, and watching the 'tales of Beedle the Bard' performances. Lastly, this also contains the Escape from Gringotts ride, which is the most technically impressive ride/attraction I've ever experienced.
So, overall USF would get a pretty weak recommend from me, but the addition of Springfield and Diagon Alley bumps it up a lot in my estimation. I didn't enjoy it as much as IOA but would still rank it above Disney Hollywood Studios.
Next, and last - Dining, Shopping, and Photo Ops!
