Universal Studios: Is It Just Me, or Does It Suck?
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Hello everyone! Let me talk about Universal Studios. I was attracted by all the recommendations from online articles and my expectations were sky high when I visited!
In the end, I was a little disappointed with my experience.
If you're like me and are just a regular tourist (not those who pay big bucks for Fast Passes, nor hardcore fans in the movie universe), then these real experiences might save you some money!
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For convenience of entering sooner at the entrance the next day, I stayed at a hotel nearby the park one night earlier.
- By the way, I came across “Moon River Night Market” nearby at night, feeling amazing!
- There were a lot of delicious food choices there, every choice was yummy.
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The date I visited was March 1st. On the internet, people say it is the "low season".
- But when I arrived at the main gate at 8 am the next day, there were a lot of people already!
- I did my homework in advance, and once I entered the park, I took off towards “Jurassic World: The Ride”!
- And here I faced Universal Studios most classic activity – waiting in line.
- The subsequent “Transformers: The Battle for Cybertron” coaster ride and “Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey” were also full of queues.
- Each attraction had at least hour-long waiting time, yet they only took three minutes or less.
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More importantly, after finishing the rides, I just felt like taking different theme coasters.
- In total, I played only three of them within one day.
- But it seemed I had worked extra tiring hours in my work week already!
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To be fair, although the number of people in Disneyland is also overwhelming, there’s still a very strong immersive experience in the park!
- While visiting Disneyland made me feel like a princess returning home.
- Visiting Universal Studios made me feel like a hardworking employee who went extra miles to earn bread – “baking bricks” (waiting in line) is our mission.
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Considering the mediocre overall experience, so as not to waste my specifically rented magical robe (a kind of Harry Potter-themed clothing), I took lots of photos crazily.
- By the way, the Harry Potter zone in reality looks really nice and the pictures’ effects are great too!
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Real-life tip:
Make sure to pick the off-season and non-holiday days if possible, and don't forget to check real-time queue lines for each attraction through the official App! This will help you save more queue time.- Bring some snacks and water bottle with you yourself! The items in the parks are expensive, use the free water source points you can find.
- Relaxing expectations. Lower, lower, lower your expectations! Otherwise, you'll be disappointed.
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My personal conclusion:- If you go there because you’re emotionally invested in “films” (e.g., love Harry Potter, Transformers), or you go there “to post on social media”, or you simply enjoy thrill rides, then you can try it out.
- Should you seek “immersion atmosphere” (full commitment to the environment), fantasy “theme park atmosphere”, or you want a better “cost-effectiveness level” , I suggest spending money elsewhere～
- (I whisper:) That’s just my personal feeling. If you disagree with me, everything you think is right!
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Just got back. Even without the queues, I didn't find it very fun.
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Haha, I felt the same way. The rides weren't very interesting, and the queues were insane.
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Agreed, it was awful, and the rides were incredibly boring! It was packed with people just trying to get photos. Die-hard fans of the IP might see it through rose-tinted glasses, but for a regular visitor like me, it was just mediocre. It doesn't hold a candle to Disney, and it's not even as good as Fantawild... Am I going to get flamed for saying this?
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After visiting, I also thought Fantawild was pretty good.
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It looks great.
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It was so unenjoyable it actually made me depressed. Such a huge disappointment.
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Seriously, don't go on weekends, haha! I went on a Thursday, got in without queuing, rode the Decepticoaster twice, and other rides were 20 minutes max.
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It was already much more crowded today than on Thursday.
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I booked a makeup & styling session, a travel photoshoot, and rented two outfits. Stayed at the NUO Hotel, used early park admission, bought a set of three Express Passes, and got a 1.5-day ticket. I bought an owl plush and then got chosen for the wand interaction show! The emotional value and overall experience were totally maxed out. The photoshoot pictures turned out amazing. My feet were absolutely killing me, though. Even with my Disney annual pass, it's been a while since I spent a whole day at one park. However, the merchandise really isn't as good as Shanghai Disneyland's. I couldn't bring myself to buy much spontaneously. Still, I ended up buying 2000 RMB worth of products, pretty much forcing myself. After such a great time, I guess the next visit will be after the new land/park area is built.
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Haha, so it seems the main reason we didn't find it fun is because we're poor.
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It's easy to get into Universal, but truly enjoying it has a much higher bar. You really can't understand die-hard fans like us – just standing on Hogsmeade street for a bit can bring tears to our eyes, and the Forbidden Journey is a guaranteed tearjerker. P.S. It's my third year as an annual passholder, and the tears still flow readily.
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Universal Studios Japan is one thing, but I really can't enjoy Universal Studios Beijing.
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It's genuinely boring, lacks atmosphere, and doesn't have much replay value. Plus, it's crowded and the park itself feels small.
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A 400 RMB ticket, and it feels like 399 RMB of that is just for photo ops. Not much actual fun to be had.
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Universal Studios Beijing and Shanghai Disneyland? I think they're both just okay, nothing special.
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If you ignore the IP hype, I honestly think some Fantawild parks are more fun.
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The queues were insane when I went; it just wasn't worth it.