On June 24, Universal Studios Hollywood launched the most exciting new finale to their Studio Tour — Fast & Furious: Supercharged. This high-speed, 3-D adrenaline rush utilizes expansive 360-degree screens and special effects to simulate a high-speed chase of 120 miles per hour. Whether or not you are a fan of the movie franchise, if you are taking the Universal Studio Tour, you’ll want a plan for getting the best Fast and Furious experience. Ready to get supercharged? Here are some tips for riding Fast & Furious: Supercharged and the Studio Tour.
Arrive early for the Studio Tour and Fast & Furious
Summertime combined with a new attraction means peak crowds at Universal Studios Hollywood, but if you manage your time at Universal well, the crowds do not have to affect your experience. Our best advice is arrive early. Now through August 15, 2015, the one-hour Studio Tour opens an hour before the park opening. That means you can be finished riding just as the gates to the park open, allowing you to either ride again, if you still feel the need for speed, or take advantage of the short wait times by hopping over to other favorite attractions in the first hour of the park opening. If you arrive in the first hour of park opening, go straight to the Studio Tour to experience the shortest line of the day.
Make a reservation
If you cannot arrive early, and the ride wait is very long, you can talk to a staff member about getting a reserved return ride time to come back later to ride the Studio Tour without having to stand in the long line. Another way to skip the lines is to buy a Front of the Line pass, which allows you to walk on each ride once, including the Studio Tour, without having to wait.
Choose the right seat on Fast & Furious: Supercharged
Choosing the best seat for the tour will give you the best experience. Both sides of the tour have their advantages. If Fast and Furious: Supercharged is the most important element of the tour for you, then definitely choose a seat on the right side of the tram because that is where all the action is. The right side is also the best viewing of Jaws. If you are taking the nighttime tour, which switches over at 6:30 p.m., then sit on the right side for sure, because that is where all the character experiences are, as well at the Bates motel, Grinchmas and views of the Back Lot streets.
The left side of the tram has its advantages too. The subway scene is much better on the left, as well as the flash flood, airplane crash for War of the Worlds and a few other parts. You can see everything no matter where you sit, but the outside seats offer an unobstructed view of the action taking place on that side. King Kong is great no matter which seat you choose.
Another way to get the full experience is to choose the correct tram car. There are four cars on a tram. We like the second car or the first half of the third car. We usually find that we are positioned well to see what the driver is explaining. The first car is sometimes a little ahead of the action, and the last car is a little far back for our taste. The back half of the second car or the beginning of the third car may be perfectly centered, especially for Fast and Furious. You don’t want to be craning your neck to look behind you.
Touring with children
Children and tadpoles should sit toward the middle of the tram for safety. There is a lot of rocking in many of the attractions. Some of the attractions can be scary for a toddler or preschooler (our toddler, Lily, is still not trusting us that Jaws is not going to get her), so sitting where they feel protected by their parents is also less scary for them. You may need to reassure your little one that what they are seeing is pretend, because it looks very real.
Riding Fast & Furious: Supercharged at night
All of these tips can help you in getting the best Universal Studio Tour and Fast & Furious: Supercharged experience. If you ride the tour in the morning and want to ride again, we recommend getting a reservation to come back in the evening to ride the Nighttime Studio Tour, which is available on select evenings through Sept. 7, 2015. While many elements of the tours are the same, there are a few changes at night that may be interesting to you. If you definitely plan to ride both daytime and nighttime tours, we recommend sitting on the left for the daytime tour and the right for the Nighttime tour. That will give you the best of both worlds. Be aware of the last tram time of the day — it often closes ahead of the park's closing — so you don’t miss out on the fun.
Keep hopping!
