Universal Studios Hollywood
Tips and Tricks
Let me start by saying that these tips won't work for everyone. A lot of it has to do with location. The key will be to research what is around you and what you enjoy doing to get the most for your dollar.
Our first year here in California opened up a whole new world of things to do and places to visit. Theme parks are a great way to have fun, see new sites, and enjoy a nice summer day. Universal Studios in Hollywood was within 5 miles of our first apartment so we decided to spend the day there.
Universal Studios has a variety of ticket options, which can be found on their website here. At the time that we were visiting there were a few less attractions than there are now and we were able to get the cheap season pass for $89, during a summer promotion. You also had the option to buy a parking pass for $160, if I remember correct. We decided not to get the parking pass and I learned that it has since been discontinued.
Who really enjoys spending a lot of money? I can be pretty stubborn when it comes to pinching a penny in certain situations so I did everything that I could to not spend money when I went out. These are the things that I did to keep it cheap:
1. Park off site = savings (for me) $12 / visit
I wasn't about to spend $16 dollars a day to park in the parking garage at Universal. Current parking rates range from $18 - $35. There were a few places that I had found that had 10 hour parking meters for $4 about half a mile from the main city walk area. A little farther away I could find residential parking and hike up the hill to the park entrance. Now, ride sharing apps like Uber and Lyft have become the norm which can get you right up to the park entrance for under $10 depending on where you live.
2. Leave the park to eat = savings (for me) $10 / visit
There are a few options for food inside Universal Studios. These include Panda Express, Mel's Drive In, Starbucks, as well as the themed Harry Potter and Simpsons restaurants. Knowing that it is much easier to eat what is close, it is no surprise to see inflated prices. Outside of the main theme park, but still within Universal City Walk, there are a multitude of other restaurants. One of these happened to be my daughters favorite, and one of the least expensive, Taco Bell. Planning out my day I knew that I would be leaving the park to go eat at Taco Bell, then either heading home or getting a re-admittance stamp to spend a few more hours in the park.
3. Buying the annual pass = savings (for me) $0 - $6468
This would be dependent on where you live and how much time you have to spend throughout the year. We opted to buy season passes because we got a great deal on them and we lived so close. Most people may find that it is inconvenient to spend that much money if they won't be visiting so often. What's up with the difference in savings? Well, that depends on how often you go. The basic year pass allows for 67 non black out days of fun. If you go only once you aren't saving any money. If you go as many days as you can you can save as much as $6468. For the year that we had our passes I fell somewhere in the middle.
If you take a little time to plan out your visit you can save time, experience more, and just feel good about where you put your dollar.
Have fun.
Who really enjoys spending a lot of money? I can be pretty stubborn when it comes to pinching a penny in certain situations so I did everything that I could to not spend money when I went out. These are the things that I did to keep it cheap:
1. Park off site = savings (for me) $12 / visit
I wasn't about to spend $16 dollars a day to park in the parking garage at Universal. Current parking rates range from $18 - $35. There were a few places that I had found that had 10 hour parking meters for $4 about half a mile from the main city walk area. A little farther away I could find residential parking and hike up the hill to the park entrance. Now, ride sharing apps like Uber and Lyft have become the norm which can get you right up to the park entrance for under $10 depending on where you live.
2. Leave the park to eat = savings (for me) $10 / visit
There are a few options for food inside Universal Studios. These include Panda Express, Mel's Drive In, Starbucks, as well as the themed Harry Potter and Simpsons restaurants. Knowing that it is much easier to eat what is close, it is no surprise to see inflated prices. Outside of the main theme park, but still within Universal City Walk, there are a multitude of other restaurants. One of these happened to be my daughters favorite, and one of the least expensive, Taco Bell. Planning out my day I knew that I would be leaving the park to go eat at Taco Bell, then either heading home or getting a re-admittance stamp to spend a few more hours in the park.
3. Buying the annual pass = savings (for me) $0 - $6468
This would be dependent on where you live and how much time you have to spend throughout the year. We opted to buy season passes because we got a great deal on them and we lived so close. Most people may find that it is inconvenient to spend that much money if they won't be visiting so often. What's up with the difference in savings? Well, that depends on how often you go. The basic year pass allows for 67 non black out days of fun. If you go only once you aren't saving any money. If you go as many days as you can you can save as much as $6468. For the year that we had our passes I fell somewhere in the middle.
If you take a little time to plan out your visit you can save time, experience more, and just feel good about where you put your dollar.
Have fun.
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