Universal Question

[mom2aredhead]

This may sound like a dumb question to people that have been there before, so I will apologize in advance.
Looking at the list of attractions (and the very brief descriptions) on the website, it seems to me that a lot of the attractions are "sit in front of a screen" experiences (Like Star Tours) rather than an actual "ride" (like Indy). My husband and son are not fans of the "virtual" rides, so I am trying to decide if its worth spending a day over there and doing that tour, or spending less time and (slightly) less money and just touring Warner Brothers and spending the rest of the day in Hollywood or at the beach.

 

[WTFetus]

I love Universal, and I recommend your family head there at least once if you've never been there before. A few rides are "virtual" but a ride like Transformers is a lot more interactive than Star Tours. I'd say out of the 5 major rides, 2.5 are "virtual" and 2.5 are real.
For the real ones, Jurassic Park is amazing and my favorite ride in the park. It's pretty much a more intense Splash Mountain. There is also the Mummy ride which is also a real rollercoaster and very awesome.
The virtual rides: Transformers like I said earlier is cool, and The Simpsons isn't bad either.
The 0.5 comes from the studio tour, another fun thing to experience at least once. It's a real ride in the sense that you're riding around in the tram and looking at the scenery, and it's virtual as they have the King Kong ride during the tour.

 

[Thumper_Man]

DW and I did USH last year and I agree with most of what the previous poster said. Want to add that Transformers is also part virtual ride, part real ride. Its a lot like Spider Man at Universal Orlando. The car takes you from screen to screen, and there are props throughout the ride to give it that Indy feel that you describe. This became one of our favorite rides.

Another plus for us was City Walk. Lots of shopping and good places to eat. They actually had some live entertainment going on while we were there last time.

I personally think it's worth it and look forward to going again this year.

 

[ronandannette]

The only ride that I'd consider to be truly "virtual reality" is the Simpsons, but it is by far the most awesome one of theses I've ever experienced. The rest are actual rides - moving cars on tracks with various 3-D components and they are super-intense!! The King Kong part of the Backlot Tour totally blew me away...I was almost actually scared! The parts of the Tour where they show how special effects are done was incredible too. Although we've only been to USH once we became instant fans. I would definitely go again (and again) if we ever plan a return trip to SoCal for theme parks.

P.S. Hollywood is incredibly seedy; not a sanitized, wholesome experience like US or DL at ALL! You might not want to plan for an entire day around there.

 

[mom2aredhead]

P.S. Hollywood is incredibly seedy; not a sanitized, wholesome experience like US or DL at ALL! You might not want to plan for an entire day around there.

We spent a night at the Loews Hollywood Hotel last trip and did a lot of the Hollywood touristy things over 2 days. Dolby theater, Hollywood Hills tour, Walk of Fame, El Capitan - I have to say we really enjoyed it. However, we're from NJ and live in NY now, so I guess "seedy" is relative LOL!