10 Universal Studios Facts and Tips #DM2Orlando #Spon

As part of our Despicable Me 2 Adventure (Trip paid for by Universal Studios. Full disclosure at the end of post), we were given the VIP tour with a Universal Studios Tour Guide. Our tour guide was Jessica and she knew a LOT of interesting facts about Universal Studios. I’m going to share the 10 Universal Studios facts that my family found the most interesting.

10 +1 Universal Studios Facts & Tips

1. Two Parks.

Universal Studios Theme Park has 2 separate parks. Universal Studios is all about movies. All the rides are based on movies. Islands of Adventure is all based on books. In some cases, the books have been made into movies, but the rides are based on the book. 

2. Hidden Signatures.

At Islands of Adventure, there are huge cartoon drawings on either side of the street on Marvel Super Hero Island. The artist asked if he could put his signature on the drawings and he was told no, but instead the artist hid his signature into each cartoon. 

Here is one of the hidden signatures.

3. Suess Landing

There are no straight lines in Suess Landing. Everything is curved or on an angle. We tried to find a straight line and we couldn’t.

4. Saving hurricane trees.

In Suess Landing, there are a lot of trees that look like they have been through a hurricane and that is because they have. Universal salvaged trees that have been through hurricanes and would have been destroyed.

5. Upside Down Coaster

The Incredible Hulk coaster in Islands of Adventures takes you upside down 7 times. That’s many chances to lose my lunch! No one in our party was brave enough to ride the Hulk ride, so we don’t know first-hand how crazy those 7

6. Twister on DVD

Twister was the first movie on DVD and is a ride in the New York section of Universal Studios. Twister….Ride It Out simulates a real twister while you stand on the side and experience it. Jessica let us stay after the ride was over and watch how they put the scene back together for the next group of riders.

7. Harry Potter Ride & Celebrities

The Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey ride has a secret celebrity entrance built into it. You may have a celebrity riding next to you and you wouldn’t even know it. But they do miss the stand in line which goes through the castle and sets up the story for the ride. It is part of the experience and a must-see. There is no express pass for this ride, but it’s DEFINITELY worth the wait.

Here are 2 photos from the line.

8. Brand new Transformer’s ride

There is a new Transformers: The Ride 3D that is a simulator, but the entire car also moves up and then moves down again and unless you know about it, you don’t feel it. It’s also in 3D!! We did get to ride Transformer’s before it was “officially” open and it was AWESOME!! I do get queasy even on the simulator rides and this one I could handle. It was more fun than scary and I really felt like I was in the middle of a Transformer’s movie. The best part was coming face-to-face with Optimus Prime at the end. Don’t miss this ride. It’s in Universal Studios and you can’t miss the big Transformer on top of the building.

9. Despicable Me’s Minion Mayhem

Minion Mayhem is not a ride that takes you through either of the movies. It was created as a separate entity. You don’t need to have seen the movie to understand the ride. They brought back most of the original actors to do the voices for the ride also. It is also a simulator ride and my 9-year-old who does not like most rides, LOVED the Minion Mayhem ride.

10. Butter Beer is a MUST!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter sells Butter Beer and it’s a must try. It tastes a bit like butterscotch, but not heavy on the butterscotch taste. That’s just the closest thing I can use to describe it. We tried it in the frozen form because we heard that if you stir the liquid form it can froth over the cup and make a mess. We were also pretty hot and the frozen Butter Beer was refreshing. There is no alcohol in it, so it’s safe for the kids. I suggest you get it in the souvenir mug. My kids love to drink out of the mugs at home.

+ 1 Bonus: Spiderman Meet & Greet

11. Spiderman is always at the shop across from the Spiderman ride. If the park is open, you can meet Spiderman.

The best thing about Universal Studios is that each of my kids (and I) found something we wanted to do. There were rides and experiences based on either books or movies we love and everyone left the park feeling satisfied. I have 2 kids who love the scary rides and 2 who don’t and we all found something we enjoyed.

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Disclosure: All of my expenses were covered by Universal Studios for this trip. (I did buy the plane tickets for my older 2 children, but all other expenses covered.) No other compensation was received. This post is one of 2 required posts. The information and all opinions are 100% my own.