Last month, after my friend and I visited Austin and San Antonio, we flew to Los Angeles so I could use my annual pass to go to Universal Studios Hollywood again.  This was my second visit after going back in early March after Super Nintendo World just opened.  It was crazy busy back then as it was a sold out day and hoping this time it would be better.

Getting There

Staying at The Moment Hotel, it was a quick 15 minute Uber to Universal Studios Hollywood.  There is a designated Uber drop off and pick up spot on level 7 of the parking garage.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Once we arrived at the ticket gates, it was almost 11am and I thought it would be quick and easy to get in.  First, they said my printed ticket said it was scanned already so we had to line up to get a new annual pass printed.  The lady was having issues printing a new pass because the computer system was down. 

When she said it could be a while before the computers could be up, I asked if I could use my ticket on the app.  It was a yes so when we went back to the gates, the scanner was down for 15 minutes.  When we finally got in, we went to Guest Relations to get my Attraction Assistance Pass (AAP) and the guy said Universal was transitioning to a new program.  In the meantime, getting an AAP would be harder.  It took over 10 minutes of questions until he agreed to give me an AAP. 

By now, it was noon and we finally got to start our day.  We go through Universal Boulevard in the Upper Lot to take a few photos before we do our first ride.  Here is a recap of our day and which area we went to:

Character Encounters

(both Upper Lot and Lower Lot)

I wanted to start off by going to the lllumination area since we didn’t spend too much time here last March.  We saw a Minions character in a photo area and had to have a pic with it.  Character encounters are free and is always a fun opportunity to take a pic with if the line isn’t too long.  We later also took pics with Hello Kitty and Megatron.

The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash

(Upper Lot)

The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash ride was recently opened in April 2021 after a year delay because of the pandemic closure.  I knew this ride was actually wheelchair accessible so I really wanted to do it.  The outside building for the ride and the queue area was very colorful and very cartoony with different animal pets from the movies.

The ride vehicle had a fold out ramp and my friend had to get on first before I could be strapped in.  It was a slow moving ride that slightly spun around so it was an ideal ride for anyone with neck or back issues.  It was also great to see more of the pets from the movies during the ride.

Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem

(Upper Lot)

We then went to Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.  We asked the staff about the ride and they informed us that there is a stationary ride vehicle that does raise up or shake around for those who have disabilities or issues holding on to a safety bar.  We were given a big card stating that we wanted this stationary ride vehicle.

As we were getting on a ride vehicle, we gave the big card to the staff member as my friend lifted me and transferred me into the ride vehicle.  I was going to ask the staff member to make sure we got the correct stationary vehicle but my friend assured me we were on the right ride vehicle.  Of course the ride lifted and started moving around. 

I wasn’t mentally prepared for this ride and had to get my friend to make sure I was secured in my seat and that my body and legs would not flop all over the place.  Luckily the ride wasn’t too crazy, but this mistake could be bad for others if it were to happen to them.  We made sure the supervisor knew about this and she gave us a priority pass which we never ended up using.

Kung Fu Panda Adventure

(Upper Lot)

The supervisor felt bad about the situation and said she would walk us to the closest accessible attraction which was the Kung Fu Panda Adventure show at DreamWorks Theater.  Wheelchair guests were escorted into the theater first and there were a bunch of wheelchair spots in the middle section on the theater.  My friend sat in a theater seat beside me.  It is a short 5 minute show that is in 4D with 3D glasses, wind, water, and rumbling theater seats featuring many of the Kung Fu Panda characters.

Springfield, USA

(Upper Lot)

We then went to Springfield to look around and to see if we should eat at Cletus’ Chicken Shack or at Krusty Burger but they both had long lines.  The giant pink donut was tempting but we wanted regular food.  We figured Toadstool Cafe at Super Nintendo World would be busy but thought we would try anyways.  That means we now have to go to the Lower Lot.

Upper/Lower Lot Transfers

With the park being split into 2 areas, the Upper Lot and the Lower Lot is connected by a few escalators called the Starway.  For those that can’t use that, there is an elevator at the Upper Lot that takes you down to an accessible shuttle bus area to the designated Lower Lot shuttle stop.  This has to be done every time we go between the 2 lot areas.

Jurassic World Cafe

(Lower Lot)

After checking out that Toadstool Cafe reservations are all booked for the day, we wanted to eat at wherever was close by.  We went to Jurassic World Cafe even though it was a bit busy.  Many of the food choices are sold out as there were only a pulled pork dish, burger and fries or salad.  I got the Isla burger and fries for $16.99 and an orange juice.  The meal was good and was large in portion size.

Studio Tour

(Lower Lot)

The meeting spot for the Studio Tour is now moved to the Lower Lot since my last visit.  The accessible tram for the tour came almost right away and a staff member put the ramp out for me to get on the tram and tied my wheelchair down.  I really enjoyed this attraction the last time and was happy to do it again.

It started out the same and as soon as Jimmy Fallon came on the  tv screens with his prerecorded introduction, we were on our way for this 1 hour tour.  I was still amazed at seeing all the movie sets and props used in all the movies. 

My favorite part of the tour were the staged events, which are special demonstrations with sound effects, visuals, and/or motion rumblings.  The 3D King Kong encounter, the simulated flash flood, the Jaws attack, and the high speed car chase were all still amazing.  For some odd reason, the earthquake in a subway station portion of the tour was missing.  A staff member later told us it will be back soon.

Super Nintendo World

(Lower Lot)

We enter Super Nintendo World again to explore the area and take more pictures of this recently opened area.  I was shocked how much quieter this new land was compared to 5 months earlier.  We could move around much easier.  The ride in this area was still over an hour and luckily we used the AAP to get a return time for this very popular attraction.

Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge

(Lower Lot)

Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge opened in February 2023 when Super Nintendo World opened.  The exterior of the ride and the queue area is modeled after Bowser’s castle.  There is even a cool giant statue of him inside.  The pre show area has Lakitu explaining to guests how to use the 3D visors and how the karts work and how to collect points during the ride.

At the boarding area, a staff member takes out one side of the ride karts to make it easier for my friend to lift and transfer me inside the ride.  After the visor is put on, the ride begins.  It was hard for me to use the gun to shoot the enemies but it was really cool seeing all the 3D animated characters racing around.  For a ride based on a high-speed racing franchise, the karts were moving slow.  This was easier for me anyways and I really enjoyed the ride.

After taking a few more pics around the area, it was getting close to closing time of 7pm so we were heading to the exit.  We were debating on either visiting CityWalk or going to the Uber stop to go back to our hotel.  We ended up going home to finish packing as we were flying out early the next morning.

Final Thoughts

Even though I was just at Universal Studios Hollywood just 5 months prior, it was great being at the park again.  Even with issues getting in with my annual pass and getting the AAP for an hour, we had 7 more hours of fun.  I got to go on the wheelchair accessible Secret Life of Pets ride this time and transferred into the Mario Kart ride.

There wasn’t enough time to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, watch the Water World show or visit CityWalk this visit, but I will be back during Halloween weekend next month.  I will be visiting 2 days this time so I should be able to experience everything.  Follow along.