To Locals: How long to US from HoJo

[msr709]

How long would a bus tour take to get to Universal Studios from HoJo? Anyone done this, please let me know. (Not looking to rent a car) TIA

 

[Grog]

Not a local, but since I went from DLR to USH just a couple of months ago I figured I could add to this. If you are talking about a city bus, that I can't help with. If you are talking a tour bus such as Airport Bus or VIP Tours (which we took, and is located right down Harbor not far from HoJo) it took us about 50 minutes to get there in the morning and about 2 hours to get back due to rush hour traffic. Considering that we were very underwhelmed by USH and the time spent sitting in traffic, we wish we had stayed and just spent a day looking through the shops in DTD, laying by the pool, etc.

 

[msr709]

Grog, thanks for your input and could you elaborate on your comment about "underwhelmed" by USH? I've been USF several times and LOVED it but being that my SIL has not seen it I figured we'd give USH a try but if its such a disappointment I'd rather not. Its our first time at DL and we'll be there for 6 days and we do have a 5-day hopper, I just figured we'd do something away from DL on the Saturday (since everyone says its soo busy) but I really don't want to spend the day travelling (I was going to set up to go to San Diego Zoo until I found out that its a 2 hour drive). What would you suggest? TIA

 

[Grog]

It's been six years since I last went to USF, but I felt that USH wasn't as good and didn't have as much to do. The backlot tram tour was really good (took about an hour) and Jurassic Park was a really cool ride, but other than that I felt a little let down. T2:3D, which was a continous show at USF when I was there last, only had three showings at USH. ET had closed about three weeks before and we didn't know about it. I guess part of my problem was that I, like you, did a six day trip with a five day Disney hopper and wanted to do something on the "off" day. I did my trip to USH on day five and after four days of DLR it was like a whole other world. No themeing in the ride lines, employees (I won't call them CMs) with a less than stellar attitude, food not quite up to what I had been used to over the past few days, etc. One reason I've heard for USH not having a large number of rides is that it was a studio first and the theme park was built up around it, not leaving much room for rides, shows, etc. One thing we wish we had done was left the park a couple of hours earlier and explored Citywalk more (USH version of DTD). We only had about twenty minutes there due to having to catch our shuttle and there looked to be a lot of cool shops to browse. If you do decided to go you may want to keep that in mind in case you get tired of the park early.

 

[msr709]

I've just visited USF this past summer and it was WONDERFUL, I stayed onsite and got the "front-of-the-line" pass with my hotel key and it was worth every penny. I looked into the USH site and did find it lacking, its 3 times as small as USF since USF has Islands of Adventures (which is great, don't miss it next time you have a chance to go). I know with the tour bus the time is cut short but the park doesn't appear to need more than a few hours to do. I thought of CityWalk also, I love the one in FL. Well thanks for your insight, I still haven't decided what to do but will keep in mind what you have told me. I was also thinking of maybe going to Soak City/Knotts Berry Farm since its so close. Decisions, decisions. . . Thanks again for your time.

 

[ilovemky]

i agree--the drive time, etc to Universal will severly cut into your day and the traffic will make you really crabby! altho' i am strictly a disney person, i guess i would have to suggest knotts since it is a lot closer and you would be able to get more for your money there than at universal. it is NOT like florida--anyone who tries to compare them will be sadly disappointed.

bev

 

[msr709]

Posted by Ilovemky
i agree--the drive time, etc to Universal will severly cut into your day and the traffic will make you really crabby!

LOL!! It's almost as if you knew me personally That would definitely make me crabby! Thanks for the input!!

 

[dianedisney]

I don't know where you are staying but we rented a car for one day, costing $14.00 before taxes and they delivered to our hotel and we dropped it off there too. Hassle free and we could pick how long we wanted to stay at US. We ended up staying 3 hrs longer than expected because of the US City Walk area that knocked our socked off. It was really cool. We bought the VIP passes and thought it was well worth it. We didn't have to stand in line for any attraction and got a free park photo with each pass. It was so nice not having to worry about lines just got to walk right in.

 

[roypar]

If you do decide to go to Universal I would seriously think about renting a car. I'm not a big fan of public transportation here in So Cal. You can set your own times and even go exploring if you get tired of Universal. Hollywood Blvd is only ten minutes away, and you could check out the Kodak theater where they film the Academy Awards. It's also right next to the Chinese theater.

I will admit that Universal here in Hollywood isn't as good as Florida. Some of the shows are pretty good though. Backdraft and Waterworld are two that come to mind that you can't see in Florida. I think. I've only been to IOA, so I'm not sure. Normally I'd say the Backlot tour is worth going on, but if you're going on a Saturday that would mean that most of the films and shows won't be filming that day. Right now they're currently filming Spider-man2 on the New York set, and the tram will take you right by it. And sometimes you may be able to see celebrities walking around. Someone told me about this incident where Jim Carrey stopped a tram and gave them his own guided tour of the studio. That would never happen in Florida.

Also if you do decide to rent a car you could spend half of the day at Universal and go at nighttime to Knotts. During the summer, Knotts sometimes has a promotion going on that if you come to the park after 5 it's only 19 dollars. To me that's the only time I'd go. Although the Chicken restaurant at Knotts, is a definate must. You don't have to pay for admission to the park to eat there, so if you just want to try their chicken you could.

The only problem with renting a car though is that traffic is very tricky on a Saturday. There are pockets that get heavily congested at certain times of the day. Mostly where there are freeway intersections. There have been some weekends though,where I've driven around the whole day and not encountered any traffic. But if you leave at around 9 in the morning and go back anytime after 7 you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[ilovemky]

Yes a car is much easier to set your own hours, but if you are not from so cal and do not know the roads, traffic etc I think it would be a nightmare and might ruin your whole vacation. I do not like driving up there and i was born here! but your call, just do not get the impression that you can just hop in your rental car, breeze up to universal on a straight shot from disney with not a care in the world. it sadly won't happen that way! just remember, whatever you do, relax, and enjoy!

 

[msr709]

Renting a car is definitely out! We don't want to drive on vacation, I'd rather not see USH if it means the best way to get there is driving, I've heard horror stories of friends that have tried driving around that area while on vacation and they spent more time getting lost than enjoying their vacation. I want to relax and enjoy and driving in traffic is the last thing I want to do. Thanks to all your inputs, we're probably try Soak City or Knotts.

 

[ilovemky]

I think that you are smart to avoid the driving!

You might be able to get a tour bus trip to USH if you still want to go, but knotts is alot closer--no freeways to travel

 

[DancingBear]

I'm not a native, but had relatives in Costa Mesa and have good friends in Redondo Beach, have driven around SoCal many times with no real problems.

That being said, USH is a long way through LA and up and over the hills. I might rent a car and see:

--The beach! Newport Beach perhaps?

--The Queen Mary and the Spruce Goose in Long Beach.

--Wayfarer's Chapel (designed by Frank's son Lloyd Wright) on Palos Verdes peninsula.

--An Angels' game.

All these are very accessible from Anaheim.

 

[Hojoanaheim]

The most poplular tour to Universal Studios is by Pacific Coast Sightseeing. They depart the hotel at 8:30 AM and make a brief stop at their bus depot. The tour bus departs the depot at about 8:45 AM, and the bus trip to Universal is about 45 minutes (depending on traffic). The tour provides about 8 hours at Universal.

 

[msr709]

Thanks to all for your replies.

Hojoanaheim, can I make arrangements for this tour from HOJO? 8 hours at Universal sounds more than enough time, I can see most of USF in 8 hours! LOL! TIA

 

[Hojoanaheim]

Reservations for the tour can be made 24 to 48 hours in advance at the hotel front desk, or you may book on-line with Pacific Coast/Coach USA at http://www.tour-west.com/sightseeing.cfm?tour_category_id=3 .

 

[msr709]

Thanks for the link Hojoanaheim!