There was a long queue outside the park. Good thing we've already purchased our tickets online so we went straight ahead to the turnstiles. First stop was the the Studio Tour. We rode a tram that went around the studio's backlot where various movies and TV series were shot. The "general purpose" sets are composed of building facades that they can transform depending on the film's needs - from an Old West town to the famous streets of Manhattan to the outskirts of Paris!
We also saw some of the more recognizable sets like the pretty houses of the Desperate Housewives, the Bates Motel from Psycho, the lake house from The Great Outdoors, the plane crash set used in War of the Worlds and the oh-so-quaint village of Whoville from How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
A portion of the tour showcased the coolest cars used in the Knight Rider, Magnum PI, Back to the Future, The Flintstones and of course, the Fast and the Furious franchise!
One of the tour's highlights was the King Kong: 360 3D experience. We entered a cave that brought us to Skull Island where a dinosaur almost had us killed if not for the mighty King Kong rescuing us. Luckily, we all survived to tell the tale. Hehe. Another highlight would be the special effects demonstration of a flash flood and an earthquake that looked and felt so incredibly real! Need to capture that on video next time!
We then found ourselves in the middle of Krustyland aboard a virtual roller coaster ride. It started with a couple of drops and swerves, then Sideshow Bob unleashed a wrecking ball that wre-e-ecked the tracks and made the ride go completely haywire! It was fun and funny and it got my favorite family on it! What's not to love?! The souvenir shop is designed after Springfield's Kwik-E-Mart. The store employee didn't look anything like Apu but he kinda looked like Lard Lad. Hehe. And yes, they're selling Lard Lad donuts! How cool is that?! We were also able to meet Marge and Homer outside the store! Starstruck me! Haha. :)
The Transformers: The Ride 3D would have to be my (and probably everyone else's) favorite attraction in USH! We waited more than an hour in queue - walking around NEST and pressing every useless button I could get my hands on. Hehe. But it was worth all the wait (and buttons pressed)! We were basically transported into a torn down city, right into the dead center of a war zone between the Autobots and the Decepticons, dodging missiles and explosions. I was utterly impressed with the visuals, the special effects and the motion simulator that brought the film to life! I seriously wouldn't mind waiting in line just to experience the action all over again!
But if I am to consider a ride's scream factor, the Revenge of the Mummy would be it! This indoor roller coaster ride was mostly pitch black, leaving us uncertain on what to expect. It just dropped and turned in high speed, with mummies popping out of nowhere and beetles crawling up the sides. Yikes! It got me holding on to the handle bars for dear life, screaming like a girly girl! Haha.
The Jurassic Park ride was really fun, too. But when the dinosaurs started to turn to us for a tasty snack, the guides had to cut our tour short for an emergency evacuation! What started out as a rather peaceful nature cruise ended with a vertical drop straight down a death-defying plunge! We stepped out of the ride completely soaked! A welcome "refreshment" on a fairly hot day. Haha.
Another "wet and explosive" attraction is Waterworld based on the 90's movie of the same name. It is a live show with a cool and rusty set. Actors perform numerous stunts, the effects were nothing short of jaw-dropping especially when a full-scale plane crashed right before our eyes! We were seated in the "wet zone" so we started feeling kinda disappointed when the show was nearing its end and we're still dry. But as if on cue, a jet ski sped away and created a huge wave that hit us right smack in the face! We were drenched! And that's more we like it! Haha.
While we were walking around the park, we were lucky enough to see Sponge Bob and the Minions! They were so crazy cute!
We finished off the night at Universal City Walk where we immersed ourselves in the lights, the colors and the boutiques. We all had so much fun and we'll definitely be back soon! Say, next week? Haha.
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