Originally Posted By mousegrl We're staying in San Diego the last part of June. I have never been to Universal and would really like to take my 10 old son there. Would the drive from and to San Diego be too much for one day? It's gonna be just my son and I, so no sharing of the driving. If we go, say, on a Friday, would the traffic be horrible, or would a Sunday be better? (June 24th). What about crowds? Is it worth it to get the front of the line pass? My son will not do the most intense rides. We're mostly interested in the tram tour, Back to the Future, and the shows. Or would it be better to skip going and go when we go to Disneyland over Thanksgiving? Thanks for any advice!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo San Diego to Universal is doable, but you are probably looking at about 2 - 3 hours in the car each way. If you can squeeze it out when you are at Disneyland, that is probably better. As for intense rides, this is not really an issue for Universal Studiosas the Mummy and Jurrasic Park are really the only traditional style thrill rides (and again not too much).USH is really about the Tram Tour and Shows.
Originally Posted By mousegrl Thanks! I guess I'll squeeze it in during my Disneyland trip. I just hate to give up any Disneyland days! Thanks again.
Originally Posted By mrquisp Definitely wait until your Disneyland visit to go to USH. It is too hard to make it to and back from USH to San Diego in one day. You are probably looking at 6 hours driving time combined. BTW, you might want to check whether Back to the Future is still open. I know that Florida closed theirs and I think that Hollywood will be next or already had.
Originally Posted By barboy "I guess I'll squeeze it in during my Disneyland trip." That might well be a big mistake--trust me as I know where I speak on this matter. I have driven all up and down So. Cal going from San Diego to Anaheim to Studio City to Santa Monica a few times over(coincidentally, I will be doing it again in 1 week when I pick up a friend in La Jolla and then head up to Universal for the day and then drop him off near "Old Town" late at night so he will be close to the airport for an early morning flight out of SD.) You will most likely find Disneyland Resort over Thanksgiving crowded to the point of mass frustration all the way to crowded beyond your wildest imagination--- thus, you will need as much time as you can get to devote to Disney. Remember, even from Anaheim it still takes 3 hours( + or - 1 hour)for a round trip going up to Studio City depending on traffic patterns. Considering the amount of driving needed, go to Universal on a Sunday because Fri. traffic could hurt you coming and/or going besides late June is high summer season and there will be significant crowds whether on Fri. or Sun.(I would think Sunday would be just slightly busier than Fri--- but I just don't know--they're probably very comparable though). "My son will not do the most intense rides." Well given that, maybe it might be wasteful to purchase the front of the line access considering there are few attractions at USH(compared to DLR). Presumably Mummy and Jurassic park are off the table so that will free up time for other attractions like the "people eating" tram tour. This will(obviously) be one FULL day for you two but you can pull it off if you are fairly energetic and enthusiastic. Good Luck!
Originally Posted By NYthrillseeker I'm not an expert on the freeways of California being an Eastcoaster, but I can tell you that many years ago I was staying in San Diego with friends of mine. We woke up early one morning and drove to Six Flags Magic Mountain (north of LA in Ventura) and got there by 9am, had the entire day, and made it back to San Diego at a decent time, so I believe Universal is doable. Btw, I would have preferred Disneyland or Universal, but at the time I wanted to see the actual 'Walley World' of National Lampoon's Vacation fame. Six Flags was alright, nothing to get too excited about.
