Free And For Me

My family is pretty active. Surprisingly enough, we have not visited Universal Studios together.

I have not been to Universal Studios Hollywood since I was a child.  My daughter had not been since she went on a leadership trip to plan for her senior prom that was held at Universal Studios, and my son had never been.

For about the past year, my son has been asking to visit Universal Studios so he can ride Jurassic World the ride 2019.

As soon as we entered the park he was directing us to the new Jurassic Park ride Hollywood as if he was a regular visitor.  Thank goodness we had express passes because with all of the excitement he was feeling he needed to get through the line as quickly as possible.

As he rode fearlessly on the water ride I could not believe he put his hood on to avoid getting wet!  Are you kidding me?  In scorching hot temperatures, I would think he would have welcomed the water, considering we he was the only person wearing a hoodie on this HOT day.

All that mattered to him was that he was going to finally experience Jurassic World. When it was all said and done, he said he loved it!  If it were up to him he would have ridden it numerous times.  Since this was his first Universal Studios Hollywood visit, I wanted him to experience everything.

As we were exiting the lower level, where Jurassic World is, a dinosaur made its way through.  I do not know dinosaur names.  All I know was it looked incredibly real.  It looked so real, my daughter questioned it.  Mind you she has been on the fence as to whether or not they ever existed.

Riding Jurassic World was the initial highlight but there are so many attractions that we enjoyed.

I could not get enough of Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride.  We rode it twice and could have ridden it a third time.

We also enjoyed The Simpsons Ride.  This was an experience in itself.  We liked waiting in the last portion of the line and entering what seemed like an elevator.  The ride was so real.

When it comes to real Transformers 3D was very realistic.  I felt like I was in a real-life battle.

Riding all of those rides were fun, but just as riding Jurassic World was on the top of my son’s list of things he wanted to ride.  Water World was next.   All day he insisted we go to Water World.  The first time we went to the gate, we were late.  Late was about five minutes before the show started.    The person the was working the gate suggested we come back for the 7:45 pm show.  He said it would be best because we would get to see the lights and fire better.

We made sure we returned to the gate early. As we made our way to the stadium seats, my son sat in the front row the soak zone.  The rest of us were not going to leave the park soaked in the night air.  He was on his own with that.

The Universal employee at the gate was right.  The show was incredible at night.  I am glad we were late for the earlier show.  The lighting effects were awesome!   Also, my son was drenched.  That was a perfect way to end the day.

It did not matter the length of time it had been since we all had visited Universal Studios or if we had been at all, we had a great time.    Our day was filled with fun rides and attractions, especially Jurassic World!

Aside from the main attractions, Universal Studios has events.

On the heels of the successful launch of its new mega attraction, “Jurassic World—The Ride,” Universal Studios Hollywood kicks off its next Running Universal program with the JURASSIC WORLD Run. The two-day event begins on Saturday, November 16 with a 5K, along with the all-new 1K Kids’ Raptor Run, and continues on Sunday, November 17 with the first-ever 10K run.

To experience the ultimate “runner’s high,” participants can register with the Play All Day package, which invites JURASSIC WORLD fans to run it, then ride it.

On your mark, get set, go: the JURASSIC WORLD Run takes fitness buffs, runners and walkers alike (of all fitness levels) on 5K and all-new 10K run, both geared towards guests ages 5-years and older, while the all-new Kids’ 1K Raptor Run targets those between the ages of 4-years and 12-years.

All participants will receive a collectable Finisher medal; those who complete the 5K and 10K runs will receive an exclusive Challenge medal. The JURASSIC WORLD Run will conclude at the Universal CityWalk finish line and feature a lively celebration at the 5 Towers Stage.

As part of the event, participants will venture through areas of the new thrill ride, including the iconic JURASSIC WORLD arches. As guests wind their way through the historic movie set backlot, they will also have the unique opportunity to enjoy a series of fun photo ops set up along the way, including JURASSIC film props, and one with Blue, the beloved Velociraptor from the JURASSIC WORLD movies.

The JURASSIC WORLD 5K Run begins at 6 a.m. on Saturday, November 16, followed by the Kids’ 1K Raptor Run at 7:30 a.m.  The program begins at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 17.

Registration is now open will fill up quickly as space is limited. Click here to register and to learn more about the Standard, VIP and Play All Day packages available.

The JURASSIC WORLD Run continues Universal Studios Hollywood’s “Running Universal” series, which launched with the sold-out Minion Run in May 2019. These unique runs offer participants unprecedented access to sprint their way through Universal Studios Hollywood and parts of Universal Studios’ historic backlot, made famous in more than 8,000 movies and television shows.