Universal Studios Hollywood and autism – is that possible you ask? Yes it is. I don’t know about your school system but ours has cut summer so short it nearly seemed like we didn’t get one at all. This holiday season we’re trying to plan things on smaller scales, since a two-week vacation isn’t something we can do with kids on the spectrum, anyway. We had a great time at Universal Studios with our kids, with some simple forward thinking and management. Because let’s face it, when you’ve planned this trip for months, you don’t want to spend all your time in the hotel room.
Pose for a commemorative group photo, either with your own camera or with the park picture people. I’m sure you’re asking yourself, why? Don’t you know how much those things cost? There is a very good reason. Two of our kids have gotten lost or separated from us at a theme park in the last 6 years. If your child goes missing, the first questions they will ask are: What do they look like and what are they wearing? I know it doesn’t seem plausible that you wouldn’t remember but when you’re panicked memory can go right out the window. I’m sure you’re saying, “aha – I have pictures on my cell phone.” Yes, so did we, all from Halloween. Not terribly helpful at that moment unless you’re looking for a 4 foot tall Darth Vader. We’ve known parents who’ve written their cell phone numbers on the child’s arm or on their clothes but with so many water rides these days that can fail, too. We always give the kids one of our business cards to put in their pocket, because even soggy, it’s still readable.
Study the Map of the Park before you go. Universal Studios Hollywood is deceptively huge. You will take the longest escalator ride of your life to get to the lower level – about 10-15 minutes depending on how busy it is. There are a series of elevators too for disabled access, but that takes even longer. Plan your rides and shows based on that map. Our kids always insist on a new map every time we go, so we figured we may as well use that to our advantage.
First stop Guest Relations – Universal Studios has a special assistance card much like the one at Disneyland. The way it works is you take the card to the ride, have them scan it, and they will give you a return time. When you come back, you get to skip the line and walk in. Because they have such a nice balance between shows and rides you can get the card scanned first, then see a show and hit the ride right after.
Fussy eaters can be a problem. Universal has all the traditional American diner food. There are a couple of places that have more exotic choices but it’s mostly limited to hamburgers, fries and desserts. Our problem was that the restaurants ran out of fries and substituted tatter tots instead. It’s not that my kids won’t eat tater tots, French Fries were advertised on the menu and that’s what they wanted. And if your child is on the spectrum, you know exactly what we are talking about. If you have dietary challenges, fear not, you can exit and reenter the park with a hand stamp and dine at any one of the many restaurants at Universal City Walk. They have everything from fast food to sit down dining.- I want to see celebrities!
There are never any guarantees but if you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of an actor, your best chance of seeing a real celebrity is to go on a weekday – and not during the summer. Why? Network TV shows and studio feature films are all union productions and it’s extremely expensive to shoot on the weekend so they only do it in extreme circumstances. The very best time to catch a glimpse of something going on is to go on a weekday from January through March because that is TV pilot season, almost every available stage and production space on the lot is booked during that time. During the summer, believe it or not, most of Hollywood takes a break called the Summer hiatus, and the studios are at their slowest. - What kind of Ticket do you want? Universal Studios has several kinds of tickets. Their biggest promotion is, “buy a day, get the rest of the year free.” Take note of the wording, “rest of the year” which is great deal if you buy your ticket in March, but not so much in October. Even though we asked for the promotional ticket at the booth, we were given the regular day pass. We found out later at guest relations that the promotional tickets are only available through online purchase. The guest relations people were very courteous and happy to convert the ticket on the spot.
- You may get wet, be prepared. Bring swimsuits and a change of clothes. Super Silly fun land is a mini water park play area. They have changing rooms and lockers available. If you need to accompany your child, be sure to bring stuff for you too. Also, the Jurassic Park Ride and the Water World show afford lots of opportunities to get wet. Jurassic park is 100% guaranteed to leave you soggy. It is such a foregone conclusion that Universal Studios provides a FREE locker station next to the ride. The ride came into being before the advent of $700 cell phones and $2,000 consumer level cameras so we’re sure this was the result of many pieces of water logged ruined equipment being brandished angrily at management. It’s best to hit these rides earlier in the day so you have time to dry off in the sun. The near by Jurassic Park Shop also sells ponchos for the less adventurous. To repeat, do NOT take anything on the ride with you that can’t get wet. We mean that, now.
- The Studio Tour is long. It can be 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on what’s going on at the lot that week. There are no stops or potty breaks so be sure to hit the bathrooms conveniently just before the tram boarding station. If the line is really long, you may have to send search parties for a pee break again before you board.
- Take note of show schedules. Also look at the number of shows because not every show has the same number of performances. Show times will be posted outside the entrances of each show.
- Know when it’s time to go. This is the hard one for us and I’m sure it is for you too. When you spend over $400 just to walk through the gate, you don’t want to leave after a few hours; only you know when enough is enough. There are a couple of things you can do that offer some respite if they get over stimulated. Leave and return? Of course, this would only work if you’re staying at the nearby Hilton or Sheraton. The City Walk has several nice sit down restaurants that are quiet. If you know what their limit is, you can arrive early and plan for a break to get some quiet time and then return.
But at the end of the day, relax and have some fun. After all, that’s why we went in the first place. And we both got to see “work” through the wondering eyes of our children, which reminded us both why we got into this industry. It was kind of cool. Be sure to check out our review of Universal Studios Hollywood including reviews from Kennedy, Alex and Bella.
How Autism Friendly is Universal Studios Hollywood?
My mother would book a motel near the park, and pack a laundry basket with food ( 2 days worth plus snacks). It was cheaper to bring food, plus, there’s no surprises like food restrictions. She would also follow a schedule:
1. Eat and go to the park as soon as it opened
2. At noon: go back to the motel to eat lunch and take a 2 hour nap (or quiet time).
3. Return to the park and stay till closing.
4. Eat out (because sometimes you need hot food) and return to the motel.
She told me that by everyone talking naps, you wouldn’t have the dreaded tired fussy kid (or adult) problem at the end of the day.