Universal Studios Hollywood is both the hottest and coolest place to be this summer. With the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Jurassic World — The Ride, Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! and the opening of Super Nintendo Land in February 2023, there is a lot of excitement at Universal Studios Hollywood. And you’ll find that you are not the only one excited about these new additions, which means you need to know how to manage summer crowds at Universal Studios Hollywood to have a great day in the park. Here are our tips for a well-planned day along with tips to beat the heat.
How to Beat the Heat and Manage Summer Crowds at Universal Studios Hollywood
Arrive Early!
We never get tired of doling out this advice because it is so important. Arrive early. Try to be at the park when it opens. LA freeway traffic is awful in the morning, so if you have to take the freeway, allow extra time for rush hour traffic. Allow 30 minutes to park and walk to the gate. Universal has increased security with bag checks and metal detectors. Sometimes the turnstiles open earlier than scheduled, so it pays to be there early. If that happens, the Wizarding World is open before the rest of the park opens. Knock out those rides before heading to the Lower Lot at official park opening.
Hit the Lower Lot in the Morning for the Shortest Lines
The morning hours offer the shortest lines of the day, especially in the Lower Lot. There is usually no line, or very short lines, for the first hour for Jurassic World — The Ride, Revenge of the Mummy and Transformers: The Ride-3D. You can hop on those rides first thing and get the Lower Lot done for the day if you hit them early. We like to hit Jurassic World and then The Mummy to cool off. Your wet clothes can keep you cool for some time as you head up to the Upper Lot. Other fun things to do in the Lower Lot include meeting dinosaurs and Transformers. Sometimes the Lower Lot does not open as soon as the park opens, and if that's the case, hit Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey first before attempting to head down to the Lower Lot.
Once Super Nintendo Land opens in the Lower Lot, it could change the flow of park guests. The land will initially open with a reservation system.
Maximize Your Time with a Touring Plan
Many guests head straight to the Wizarding World first thing, and we can’t blame them (the Wizarding World gets us toadally excited too!). But if you arrive at opening, we recommend heading to the back of the Wizarding World for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride and then hitting Lower Lot immediately after. You can complete all the rides in the Lower Lot pretty quickly and then head back up the escalators to the Upper Lot attractions and return to the Wizarding World later.
If you wait until the afternoon to hit the Lower Lot, you will have the longest wait times of the day, whereas Harry Potter lines can stay consistent or even get shorter. Even if the Lower Lot is open right away and you head straight there and find that Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey has a 45-minute wait when you come back, you'll have saved time. The time savings you acquired not waiting for the three rides in the Lower Lot compared to the afternoon wait times for those three rides still puts you ahead.
When should you visit the Wizarding World? Any time is good — we often find ourselves coming and going throughout the day since it is so centrally located. We like to hit it before the park officially opens, then leave and come back for an early lunch, and then again later in the day to do our shopping, explore and have fun with Wizarding World wands once the ride wait times are long throughout the rest of the park. The Flight of the Hippogriff can have short afternoon times. Forbidden Journey does have a Single Riders line, but it does not walk through the castle. You definitely want to walk through the line that takes you through the castle (the regular queue or with Universal Express) at least once if you are a fan of the movies or books!
Diehard Harry Potter fans will want to experience every inch of Hogsmeade (including the restrooms), so if you have some wizard wannabes in your family, budget about three hours of your day in Hogsmeade to really see and do it all. Be sure to hop over to our Superfan's Guide to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hollywood for the must-see details. If ride lines are over an hour, budget more time accordingly. You do not want to waste short morning wait times while you're exploring. Hop back in the afternoon when the park has longer lines so you can take time to enjoy the Wizarding World.
While both rides in the Wizarding World accept Universal Express, the Ollivanders wand pairing ceremony does not. Just keep your eye on that wand pairing wait time. It is consistently long right after opening and during that first hour of operation (closer to an hour wait). It seems to take a dip around lunchtime and dips further in the late afternoon/early evening (think more like 10 minutes). The shortest wait of the day is an hour or two before park closing. So don’t feel the pressure to get in line for the wand pairing first thing. It should mellow out. If you are visiting on a busy holiday weekend, you can expect longer lines than on other days.
Several tools can help you maximize your time at Universal Studios Hollywood. Frequently check out the wait time signs located throughout the park to get a sense of where the shortest lines are, use Single Rider lines (especially for the second time you ride Forbidden Journey) and use Child Switch to save time if you have a little one. We recommend using the afternoon to hit the Studio Tour and shows when you need a rest. Kids will enjoy having some water playtime in Super Silly Fun Land to beat the heat.
Virtual Line Pass
Universal Studios Hollywood has been introducing virtual lines for some experiences during busy times. A virtual line can allow you to enjoy other aspects of the park instead of spending hours waiting in a long line for popular shows and attractions. The new Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! ride offers a virtual line at times. If it runs out, keep checking back in the app at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. as more could be released throughout the day.
To join a virtual line, be sure to download the Universal Studios Hollywood app before you visit. Once you enter the park, check for any virtual lines and reserve your place. You cannot hop in a virtual line until you have entered the park. The Secret Life of Pets ride also has a kiosk to collect a virtual line space. It looks like a subway pass machine and is located to the left of the ride entrance.
Wait Time Alert and Show Reminders
You can set a Wait Time Alert for rides and a show reminder for shows. It's possible that shows could open a virtual line. If not, set reminders before shows so you don't miss them. We recommend setting a reminder in the app for 60 minutes before the showtime you want to see.
For rides and experiences, such as Ollivanders, you can set a Wait Time Alert in the app for when the attraction reaches an acceptable, shorter wait time. You can even practice this at home. You'll get an alert on your phone when the wait time drops to your preferred time!
Universal Express Tickets
If you can afford a Universal Express ticket, your day will be stress-free and you can access each ride once without having to wait or worry about a touring plan. But the passes are not inexpensive. You can buy a regular admission ticket upgrade at the box office in the park. It is a gamble to wait to purchase until your visit though. Universal Studios Hollywood only sells 10 percent of park capacity as Universal Express, so buy in the morning before it sells out.
The price to upgrade in the park varies based on the day and crowd level. The price may go up with demand! You can get a hoppin' deal on all Universal Express tickets and regular tickets through your favorite froggy friends at Undercover Tourist. It's hard to know in advance how much it will cost to upgrade in the park. We've seen the upgrade price hit $130 on a busy summer day. If it is important to you to have Express access, then it is safest to buy in advance. If you really want to ride again and again, you can upgrade to Unlimited Universal Express inside the park.
Go on a VIP Tour
If this is your one chance to see and do it all, spring for a VIP Experience (psst ...you can save when purchasing through Undercover Tourist). This is the easiest way to break from the summer crowds at Universal Studios Hollywood. You'll get front-of-the-line Unlimited Universal Express access to all rides and seated shows, plus a private tour of the Backlot. You'll gain entry to areas other guests can only dream about. Your food and valet parking is included. Plus, you get your very own theme park entrance!
Single Riders Line
The Single Riders line is one of our favorite way to skip the lines at Universal. You can use it for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in the Upper Lot and for the rides in the Lower Lot. Team members may close these lines from time to time if they get too long.
How to Stay Cool
Universal Studios is the hottest place to be this summer — literally hot — so don’t let the sparkling snow on the rooftops in Hogsmeade fool you! The Southern California sun is strong. Start out your day by slathering on the sunscreen. Wear light-colored clothes, hats and sunglasses, and bring a swimsuit for the kids for the water play areas. If you are really sensitive to the sun, you can bring an umbrella for additional shade.
You can plan your attractions based on the heat of the day (the day will be at its hottest from about 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.). When you are hot and feeling low on energy, a seated show sounds very welcoming.
WaterWorld offers a way to cool off by getting wet if you sit in the soak zones. You may find that the front, left side of the center bleacher section (when facing the water) is the wettest.
The Studio Tour offers a shaded and misted line. The tour itself guarantees one hour of sitting in a shaded tram. You will get drops of water on you from time to time — but just enough to refresh you.
Jurassic World — The Ride ride offers a guaranteed soaking. But that line will get long quickly on a hot day. There are Cool Zone stations around the park that have giant fans blowing cool mist on guests. They are surprisingly refreshing. Some ride and show lines offer misters.
You can always cool off with a frozen treat such as a frozen Butterbeer or an ice cream-covered sticky toffee pudding in Hogsmeade, a Squishee in Springfield USA or a Felonious Float from Minion Café in Super Silly Fun Land. You will find plenty of ice cream and shakes (and many other fun Universal treats) in the park to help beat the heat.
Mommy Frog and I love the new tropical adult drinks at Isla Nu-Bar. You can find the bar in front of Jurassic World — The Ride. When we use the souvenir cups that come with the drinks, it takes us back to our summer vacation.
Plan Your Meals
Whether or not you are a Harry Potter fan, you will enjoy the pub food in the Wizarding World. It is really tasty. We suggest an early or late lunch at the Three Broomsticks. The foods and drinks in the Wizarding World are surprisingly good and come in generous portions. They say the Great Feast feeds four, but six people (especially if some are tadpoles) could easily share it. The best time to get in without a wait is early when they are transitioning from breakfast to lunch.
If you plan to eat dinner in the park, be sure to check out the restaurant closing times. Some restaurants close early. We recently had our hearts set on some pizza at Luigi's and some nachos at Bumblebee Man’s Taco Truck. But we found out a little too late that they closed early (two hours before park closing). The restaurants post their hours in advance on in-park signs, so do your research earlier in the day. At the end of a long, hot day, you do not want any surprises.
The security equipment in front of the park makes for a long walk from the exit to the CityWalk restaurants. A long walk on tired feet and with a hungry belly does not sound good at the end of the day. But if you park in regular parking, you’ll likely be walking through CityWalk anyway. Just plan ahead for dinner so you don’t miss out. You don't want to be making decisions about eating in or out of the park with low patience and hungry kids.
Managing Summer Crowds at Universal Studios Hollywood
Most summers, the crowds start to pick up about the second weekend in June and drop off toward the end of August. With the opening of Super Nintendo Land in February, many families will be visiting Universal Studios Hollywood in spring and summer.
Have more tips for beating the heat or managing the summer crowds at Universal Studios Hollywood? Share them in the comments below, along with any questions you may have!
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Keep hopping!
