If you are planning a trip to Universal Studios Tours, you need to know specific information about the park before you arrive. If you have special needs, you may need more information than usual, & you should contact Guest Services and inform them of your special needs prior to your arrival.

You may purchase tickets in advance either online, or over the telephone. Tickets can also be purchased at Ticket Master Outlets and through travel agents. You may also purchase tickets at the gate. General 1 day admission costs $55, and those under forty eight inches tall are charged $45. Children under 3 are admitted free of charge. VIP Studio Passes are available on a limited basis, and are not available for children under the age of five. The cost for VIP Studio Passes is $149 per person. Annual tickets are also available, at a discounted rate.

Universal Studios Hollywood is located in Los Angeles, California, at 100 Universal City Plaza. This is easily found right off of Highway 101, which is often called the Hollywood Freeway. The park is about ten minutes from the Los Angeles downtown area.

Only paid parking is available. It costs $Ten for cars and $11 for recreational vehicles. You can also get preferred parking, which is closer to the entrance for $17. Free parking is not available on the Universal Studio grounds.

Realistically, it takes a full day to see all of the attractions in the park. However, if you don’t have a full day to spend at Universal Studios Tours, you should purchase the VIP pass, which will allow you to move to the front of the line for all rides and attractions. This cuts down wait times in lines significantly, and allows you to see all of the attractions much faster.

Don’t allow the rain to ruin your parade! The park remains open even when it rains, but if severe weather is an issue, many shows may be cancelled or relocated. In the event that the park must close due to whether, a rain check will be issued. A Universal Studio rain check will be issued if over 1/Eight of an inch of rain falls before 2pm, and it is good for thirty days.

Again, if you have special needs that may need special accommodations, please contact Guest Services by telephone prior to your visit. Some accommodations can take up to two weeks to arrange, so the sooner you contact Universal Studios Tours with your special needs request, the better the staff will be able to serve you.

If you are a regular annual pass holder for Universal Studios Tours, there are sure blackout dates when you cannot visit the park unless you pay for a one day full priced ticket for the blackout date. Not being aware of these dates may cause you problems, so make certain you know when they are!

In 2006, there are no blackout dates during the months of January through June, and no blackout dates in October. Every Saturday and Sunday are blacked out for July and August. Additionally, July 3rd and 4th are blackout dates. September 2nd and 3rd, November 24th and 25th, and December 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st are all blacked out.

Additionally, the park is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If you are a regular annual pass holder, either upgrade to a premium or deluxe annual pass, or avoid the Universal Studios Tours on these dates so that you will not have to pay the full one day price – which costs roughly as much as a regular annual ticket!

Unlike Disneyland, reservations cannot be made for any of the attractions within Universal Studios. However, you can get a VIP Studio Pass, which will allow you to skip many of the lines, and will even provide you with a personal tour of the back lot.

The cost of the VIP Studio Pass is quite affordable – under $300 for two people, and it entitles you to many special perks…you get to see everything, including many things that are not part of the standard Universal Studios Tour, although the VIP tour actually starts with the standard Universal Studios Tour – then it just gets better.

If you are in possession of a VIP pass, you will be allowed to get off the tram and wonder almost the movie sets. You will be allowed to visit the props department as well, which is great fun. You will also be entitled to prime seating at all of the shows, and have the opportunity to meet the cast members after the shows.

If you will be going on a Universal Studios Tour and visiting the theme park, the VIP Studios Pass is definitely the way to go!

If you bring younger kids, aged twelve & under, to Universal Studios, they will probably be most interested in the Nickelodeon Blast Zone. Featuring three attractions in 1, this is one of the few attractions that really appeal to the younger crowd at Universal Studios Tours, so you can expect them to spend a great deal of time there.

Shaped like a huge orange rocket, the Nickelodeon Blast Zone is a big hit. This is a huge play location basically – and it is unlike any playground that your kids have ever experienced. There are three sections of the playground: The Wild Thornberry’s Adventure Temple, Nickelodeon Splash, and The Nick Jr. Backyard.

The Nick Jr. Backyard is the only area in Universal Studios that will be of any interest to toddlers. In fact, it is the only safe place for toddlers. If you bring a toddler with you to Universal Studios Tours, plan to spend the entire day here. Nickelodeon Splash is a water area. Bring a change of dry clothes, because the kids will get soaked here. They can fill buckets of water in a fun variety of ways, create waterfalls, and stand under waterfalls. There are also many mounted water guns to be used and enjoyed.

The Wild Thornberrys Adventure Temple is an extensive playground. While here, you will have foam balls flying through the air all over the place – the kids are able to shoot and throw them, and since they are made of soft foam, they are safe. The kids can also meet many characters here, including the Rugrats and Blue’s Clues Characters. The attraction is located on the upper lot, and is open everyday that the park is open. If you don’t want your child to get wet, avoid this attraction altogether, because with all of the water flying almost and being dumped, there is really no way to avoid getting wet. If your child is too young to enjoy the attraction by themselves, you will be getting wet as well.

Overall, this is the only attraction that younger kids will enjoy at Universal Studios Tours. As a parent or guardian, you should expect to spend most of your time here, and you should never leave your child unattended. This is not a place to drop your kids off for the day while you go enjoy other attractions. Instead, use the buddy system with other responsible adults in your party – one should stay with the kids, while the other adults go enjoy the attractions, and relieve each other often so every person has fun.

If you are looking for fun, thrills, & adventure, Universal Studios is the area to go. There are rides that will thrill you and rides that will scare you senseless. From caves to the air, there is something to please all of the thrill seekers out there.

Start your day with Revenge of the Mummy. This is a psychological thrill ride that is unlike anything you have ever experienced. This is a roller coaster ride in total darkness. Traveling at a very high speed, you will have many terrifying creatures jumping out at you. If your heart is still beating and you think you can handle more, your next stop should be Jurassic Park: The Ride.

Jurassic Park may seem a bit tame after Revenge of the Mummy, but it is still great fun, and there are still many thrills. This ride entails you riding a raft which is slowly being cranked up. Dinosaurs of various breeds appear out of nowhere while you are going up. Suddenly, you and your raft are falling quickly downhill, and the ride ends with a huge splash that leaves you soaked! Make sure you bring a change of clothes, because you will want to move on to Back to the Future.

Back to the Future will have you riding in a car like the 1 on the movie. The scenes from the movie literally come to life, and many people experience motion sickness…so if you are prone to motion sickness, you may want to skip this one. Other attractions not to miss if you enjoy thrills include Nickelodeon Blast Zone, Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula, the Special Effects Stages, and Shrek 4-D.

If you get scared easily, you may want to avoid these thrill rides and attractions. They are also not recommended for very young children, pregnant women, or people with heart conditions. People with anxiety issues should avoid these attractions as well. There are many tamer rides and attractions that can be enjoyed in the park if the thrill seeking rides aren’t suitable for you.

The purpose of going to the park is to have fun. If the thrill rides and attractions scare you to the point where it isn’t fun anymore, than they should be avoided. Don’t enable others in your party to coerce you into visiting the attractions that scare you too badly. Again, there are many attractions at Universal Studios Tours that are suitable for those who aren’t comfortable with the thrill seeking rides – so don’t think that you can’t have a good time without getting scared senseless!

When planning your Universal Studios Tours break, you may wish to stay at a hotel that is within walking distance of the park. There are only two hotels within walking distance, and they are both world-class hotels that are highly recommended.

The Universal Sheraton Hotel is located at 333 Universal Hollywood Drive. The hotel has served visitors to Universal Studios since 1969, and it is known as the Hotel of the Stars. The hotel literally sits on the back lot of the studio.

Featuring 436 guest rooms and suites, the hotel often has many famous guests. There is no telling who you might run into! Although it is in walking distance of Universal Studios, the hotel staff believe that everyone should be treated like a star, and therefore, complimentary tram rides to the park are offered.

The guest rooms feature high speed Internet access, air conditioning, an alarm clock, cable television, and a coffee maker. Hotel services include a valet service, a business center and business services, a car rental service, a concierge service, and room service. There are 21 meeting rooms on the property, as well as a lobby lounge and the Baja Beach Club Poolside Lounge.

The Hotel of the Stars is the most popular hotel to stay at, but if there are no rooms available, you should consider the Universal City Hilton Hotel. The Universal City Hilton is located at 555 Universal Hollywood Drive. The Hilton offers guests fine dining in several on site restaurants, and has several lounges on the property as well. The hotel features a health and fitness center, a business center, and deluxe room accommodations. Each guest room at the Universal City Hilton features a view of the Hollywood Hills, including the San Fernando Valley and Universal Studios.

These two hotels are highly recommended by Universal Studios due to their close proximity and the high level of quality guest amenities and service. Because of their popularity, you should book your trip well in advance, and make sure that you make any special requests for additional amenities or services at the time that you make your reservation.

Other hotels are available within driving distance of Universal Studios Tours, but if possible, you should plan to stay at 1 of these fine hotels. Again, the proximity to the park and level of quality service cannot be topped. You may also be able to get a special rate on Universal Studios tickets at the Concierge’s desk of either hotel.

While visiting Universal Studios Tours, you should pay a visit to the Hollywood Ticket Outlet booth. You can do more than purchase tickets to great shows; you can also request free tickets for many of the shows that are currently being filmed. Note that the shows are limited to the ones that enable studio audiences.

There are other services accessible at the Hollywood Ticket Outlet booth as well. These include upgraded park tickets, visitor information, and foreign currency exchange. The Hollywood Ticket Outlet is located by the Blues Brothers stage inside the park, and it is open during the same days and hours that the park is open.

Depending on when you visit Universal Studios, and what is going on at that time, you may be pleasantly surprised to find some really great deals – or to find yourself sitting in the audience of your favorite television show! Talk about sneak previews! Even if you don’t plan to purchase any tickets, make sure that you stop by the Universal Studios Tours Hollywood Outlet booth to see what is being offered that day.

Universal Studios is a great deal of fun – for most people. However there are some who simply will not enjoy a day at Universal Studios Tours – young children specifically. If you are planning a vacation to Universal Studios, you should take the height requirements into consideration – or you could end up having a miserable time.

First, you must be forty-8 inches tall to ride Revenge of the Mummy. You must be forty six inches tall to ride Jurassic Park, and you must be at least forty inches tall to ride Back to the Future. If you or your child do not meet these height requirements, you will not be allowed on the ride. There is a measuring stick that is used in the queue for each of these attractions.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can get by if you are just a half inch below the requirements – you can’t. These height requirements are in place to ensure your safety, and park staff members are trained to adhere strictly to these rules. Just a tip – high heel shoes won’t get you in either. At Universal Studios, they’ve seen it all!

If you will be near Universal Studios on your next business trip or holiday, you should without fail make time for a Universal Studios Tour. This will not only provide you with a day filled with fun & excitement but you will also get a behind the scenes look at what it really takes to produce the Movies that we all wait anxiously to see.

If you are really interested in the world of movie making, don’t miss the Universal Studios Tour. The tour takes about 1 hour, and you will visit the sets of many famous movies and television shows. You will see the stars dressing rooms, and you may even run into a star or two along the way, or get to see an outdoors filming session in progress.

The Special Effects Stage, located inside the park, is another attraction you won’t want to miss. Here, you will learn how Hollywood creatures are made, how sound effects are produced, and how visual affects are designed and implemented. This is an interactive attraction, and it only takes about thirty minutes to go all the way through it. Even though it doesn’t last long, there is a lot of information to be learned here – quickly! The interaction with the visitors makes this one of the most popular attractions at the park.

For the most exclusive and personalized look behind the scenes, you should definitely consider purchasing a VIP Studios Pass. This pass costs under $150 for one person, and it is worth every penny! This will entitle you to a private tour of Universal Studios, and you will be allowed in areas that standard tour visitors won’t see. You will also have the right to move right to the front of the line for all rides and attractions with the VIP pass. VIP passes can be purchased online, by telephone, or at the park – but they are limited to a sure number of VIP passes that are issued per day, so get yours as soon as possible.

Universal Studios is more than an amusement park, it is an interesting and wonderful learning experience that you will never forget – no matter what age you are. The next time you watch an action movie, you won’t think ‘how did they do that?’ You will already have some idea as to how those special effects were created! You may even get so much out of your Universal Studios Tour experience that you think of ways that you could have done it better!

Have you ever dreamed of sitting in the audience of your favorite television shows? Now you can – at the Universal Studios Tours TV Audience Booth. This could be the opportunity of a lifetime, but you need to move fast.

Make your way to the TV Audience Booth inside the park. Find out what shows are filming on that particular day, or for other days when you will be at the park. The tickets are free, but there is limited availability, and not all shows will be filming everyday. You can often find out the filming schedule for shows by calling ahead. With that schedule, you can plan your trip to coincide with the filming of your favorite shows.

What better way to spend part of your Universal Studios Tour vacation? You can see what is going to happen on your favorite television shows well in advance. You can even make a game of it! Don’t tell you friends that you were in the audience, and place bets as to what is going to happen later in the series!