Teaser..
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We’ve been looking forward to this day the whole trip. Ate scheduled it on January 10 so our visit doesn’t coincide with the holiday crowd. Sobra na akong gigil coz we arrived Dec 30. Biruin mo, 10-DAY WAIT?!
Errday I’d ask her “Ateeeee is it time for USJ yeeet??” Ang tagal ng hinintay ko ha, my patience was already wearing thin! Yes, I am truly the child in our relationship hehe.
Japanese festivities end January 8 so any time between 9 & a day before we leave is the perfect day for us to visit USJ. We tried booking online for January 9, but the Fast Passes were already sold-out so we went with January 10. Perfect! Not too many people & the giblings actually got to ride the Harry Potter adventure THREE TIMES!! (one with fast pass & 2 without – they just walked right through so I suggest you go during the LEANEST season).
But as usual, I’m getting ahead of my story, teehee. Alam nyo naman pag nae-excite ako, tumatalon at walang preno. Henyways, we bought our tickets online from Klook. You can actually buy yours from USJ on the day itself, but I’m a control freak eh. I panic when things are indefinite & left to chance. So I make sure I’m holding on to our tickets by the time we depart, or I’ll go bonkers the whole time worrying & thinking how things can go wrong in so many ways. #nega
Yen 7.9k (inclusive of tax) or Php 3,750 buys you a one-day admission to all your favorite movie-themed rides in Universal Studios Japan! \m/ Attractions include Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Spider Man, Jurassic Park, Jaws, (closed when we visited), Terminator, and a 4D Shrek show. Plus the latest & most popular activity that’s only available in Osaka, Florida & Hollywood (L.A.), The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! <3
Out of the many rides, we just zoned in on the “worthy” ones like The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman (Don’t miss out on one of USJ’s best 4D attraction -experienced from the top of New York City with Spidey who will protect you from villains.) Despicable Me Minion Mayhem (This 3D motion simulator ride just opened in USJ on 21 April, 2017 & lets you in the minion’s crazy world.), of course Shrek 4D theater, and the most popular 4D attraction in USJ, Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey (over & over again), plus all the other walking/riding activities in the very new & exciting Wizarding World of Harry Potter. <3
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Harry Potter World is whole ‘nother dimension. After your ride (or 2), make sure to also visit the towering Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade Village.
Just a short detour.. The video below is the Universal Studios Walk, a short strip that starts as you get off the Universal Station (JR), and extends all the way to the park entrance.
A lot of shops, restaurants, and hotels are situated on both sides, so if you have time (like if you get there early, or are buying the 2-day USJ pass), I suggest you allot a few moments and just enjoy the festive atmosphere before heading on to the main park.
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Kap went ballistic finding another Hard Rock Shop at the USJ walk. Ayan oh, peechur-peechur ng daytime vs. night time. ;)) Hay Honey, how many more souvenir t-shirts will you buy?? Inaamag lang! Suotin mo kaya?
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Or better yet, if you have an extra day to spare in Osaka, just go another time so you don’t waste your park ticket & you can fully enjoy all the sights, shops, and eats the Walk has to offer without rushing.
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Okay, getting back on track..
We contemplated time & again on buying the fast passes (Yen 5.2k inclusive of Tax or 2.5k php each). Tickets alone for the 5 of us already cost almost 20k php. The Fast Pass (good for 4 pre-arranged rides) will cost us another 12.5k php. We asked friends who have been to the park before & they all advised that we purchase fast passes as the line for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter tends to be crazy long. I also considered the cold, we’re going to be standing outdoors in line for over 2 hours at a 4-degree or below temp. No freakin’ way will I subject myself & my family to that. So I just closed my eyes & clicked the BUY button for the Fast Pass. Bahala na, palo sa pwet kung palo! 😛
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We made sure to bundle up & brought extra layers in case the weather gets even colder. Thankful for Coin Lockers inside the park. Otherwise the boys would have had to lug their bulging backpacks around. When using the lockers, make sure you leave/get everything you need in one go before closing as you will be charged every time you open your locker. #truestory
Sobrang nakaka-aliw inside the park so you’ll hardly notice the distance you’ve walked. And we’d stop periodically for merchandise, drinks & food, so it wasn’t as bad as I thought the walking around would be. Buti na lang!
My Bae will forever be my cutie baby. She made tyaga the queue just to get hold of this minion popcorn container. ;)) You can only buy it in one designated place (near the entrance), btw. Good thing she got her King Bob agad since we noticed it closed early evening.
It has been our custom to eat Turkey Leg at every theme park we’d visit. Ever tender, tasty & juicy! <3
I’m telling you, it’s never-ending eating when you enter a theme park! Everything just looks so yummy! Plus food puts me in a very good mood, napapa-indak talaga ako sa saya. Lookee..
We thought of getting 2-day passes but I’m glad we stopped at one. USJ is relatively small compared to the US counterparts and slightly bigger than Singapore’s version.
A whole day is just right since it was lean season when we went. We were able to be thorough & check out the entire park at a leisurely pace. Make sure you plan ahead, strategize with the fam, and mark the attractions you want to experience starting with the more popular ones first.
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The more or less 30k we shelled out is super worth the entrance to Wizarding World alone, and I’m not saying just for the rides ha. The entire Harry Potter world itself is so beautiful, especially with the cold weather, feel na feel talaga ang winter scene with the snow-capped roof. It’s simply magnificent! I think it’s where we spent most of our time in the park. We’d force ourselves to go to the other areas of the park just to cover all our bases, but we’d always find ourselves back to this magical land hehe. The spell worked, we were truly enchanted!
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Before heading out, I really suggest you look over the map provided at the USJ website so you can familiarize yourself. Every moment counts lalo na sa mga popular attractions. You don’t wanna get bogged down for 3 hours or more waiting in line just because you headed off in the wrong direction upon arrival at the park.
Even with our Fast Pass, we headed to Harry Potter World as soon as we got there.
Make sure you visit each & every themed shop after the ride. You can easily spend half a day in this area. I’d come back in a heartbeat (and spend the same amount of money) just for the Wizarding World alone. <3
But I’d ride this ONCE lang. As you can see for my candid reaction, I was concentrating & willing myself to keep my puke in HAHAHAHAHA kaya pikit-mata! The ride was dizzying that I had to close my eyes & swallow my barf lol. Sorry for that graphic image. ;)) I swear, as soon as the ride was over, I ran to the nearest restroom & spilled my guts out. So warning, DO NOT RIDE WITH A FULL STOMACH!
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Mga mare, hindi lang sa Entrance at Fast Pass nagtatapos ang gastos nyo. Once inside the theme park, you have no choice but to eat at any the 18 available major dining establishments within (hong doh-meh, wala talagang lusot!)..
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Louie’s N.Y. Pizza Parlor/Pizza & Pasta (New York), Azzurra di Capri/Italian (New York), Finnegan’s Bar & Grill/Irish (New York), SAIDO/Japanese (New York), Park side Grille/Meats & Grills (New York), Beverly Hills Boulangerie Cafe/Cafeteria (Hollywood), Pink Cafe/Fast Food (Hollywood), Mel’s Drive In/Fast Food (Hollywood), Studio Stars/Cafeteria (Hollywood), Amity Landing Restaurant/Fast Food (Amity Village), Boardwalk Snacks/Fast Food (Amity), Lost World Restaurant/South American (Jurassic), Discovery Restaurant/Fast Food (Jurassic), Happiness Cafe by Coca Cola/Japanese Curry (San Francisco), The Dragon’s Pearl/Chinese (San Francisco), Three Broomsticks/Tavern (Harry Potter World), Snoopy’s Backlot Café/Fast Food (Wonderland), Hello Kitty’s Corner Café/Fast Food (Wonderland).
Sure, you can go out & eat at one of the many restos at The Walk outside the park (which is not actually cheaper, so what’s the point), but part of the charm of the eateries inside the park is the theme diba. #YOLO So make sure you bring plenty of moolah with you (especially if you have kids) as it’s gonna be one long series of munching after another. ;P
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Because we were so enthralled with the Wizarding World, we decided to be witches for a day & eat at the Three Broomsticks. A Tavern that serves British dishes such as Fish & chips, Shepherd’s pie & HP world-famous Butterbeer! <3
Because we are heavy eaters, we ordered THE FEAST which comprised of..
Roasted chicken, ribs, veggies & corn. We also got a side order of Shepherd’s pie & salad to add -because #tomguts . Ubos!
Make sure you take plenty of photos for memories of your stay! <3 We sure did. Print view, back view, side view -mehehe!
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You can order the world-famous drink Butterbeer at the Pub, but it’s more fun buying it from the stall outside.
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Butterbeer, a trademark of Harry Potter is a non-alcoholic sweet drink that has spirits similar to cola! *burp Comes in either hot or cold. Symepre pa kahit noisy na kami, cold pa rin forevermore.
Because we love souvenirs, we got the Butterbeer served in a plastic mug at around 500 php. The stein would have been cuter but it cost almost 2k php so nevermind. 😛
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Mailap ang swerte sa OTL ko when it comes to carnival games. Olats lagi hahaha! Sabi ni Kap: “Sweetheart, lutong makaw ito, ibibili nalang kita ng manika. Lugi tayo dito!” Me: But Honey, the little kid WON an Elmo, how hard can it be?? (see video below)
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Some guys have all the luck -but not my Kap, it seems, when it comes to carnival games, LOL! Bili nalang daw kami!
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We were among the last to leave at 7pm which was the closing time. We missed the Christmas tree lighting 2 days late, sayang. But we were happy to see the superb light show displayed right on Hogwarts Castle. Sobrang nasulit ang ginaw at nginig namin kakahintay. 😉
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Super thankful to IRENE for giving us these colorful raincoats. Ang mahal if we had to buy from the park itself. And hassle naman if payong. So these kept us safe from the rain & wind. Thank you Irene ILY!! :-*
Can’t wait to visit Hogwarts again this December. Double the cold in the US daw so dapat triple the thermals!!! @_@
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Bilibit or not, heading in, I really contemplated on renting a wheelchair kasi akala ko mababaldado ako kakalakad buong park.
Instead, what I did was whenever I’d get tired, or when Kap & the kids want to ride an attraction I don’t particularly find amusing (like the Flight of The Hippogriff & Jurassic Park WET Ride), I’d stay in one of the cozy cafes like this Hello Kitty Corner Cafe that’s scattered throughout, and just wait for them there.
We must’ve gone around the park 3 times! Thus, hangry kaming lahat. I specifically requested for pizza that night. Nagsawa na ako sa laging kanin, so they humored me. They always do naman kaya they are the perfect travelmates lol. Sila ang lugi sa akin kasi financier lang ako na sobrang pabigat. 😛
Had dinner at one of the restos in City Walk as the park was already closing & we had to leave whether we liked it or not, boo! </3
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Kap found Roma-Ken for me, a Japanese-Italian eatery. Win-win coz I got my pizza, and they got the rest. ;)) 2.5k php, not bad considering The Walk was a tourist spot.
Just another day in the life of the GOppets. <3
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Went home early as it was freezing cold, plus we have another long day again tomo at the Osaka Aquarium. Signing off now world. GN! :-*
6 Comments
WHAAAAAAAATTTT? You can buy the USJ fast pass from KLOOK?????? When I was trying to buy it online via USJ website panay Japanese characters, di pa uso KLOOK-KLOOK (2 years ago) and no English trans-lay-syen!!! OR baka may Klook Klook na noon di ko lang alam? LOL
Anyway, this post makes me want to go back to USJ. Harry Potter is my favorite ride! Awwww mahilohin ka pala?!? Si Franco ganyan din. Hugggggggssss to you!
March 2, 2018 at 11:07 amGraabe meding. Hilong talilong talaga ako as in gumegewang ako maglakad pagbaba ko ng ride hehehe.
March 2, 2018 at 11:22 amHi Ms. Jane!
March 4, 2018 at 4:23 pmPareho pala tayo, we were there three weeks ago, hilong-hilo rin ako sa ride na yan at nakapikit ako, noong sinubukan kong i-open mata ko eh saktong me malaking dementor sa harapan ko hahaha! Pero if ever we go back sa USJ eh I will still ride this just for the experience of walking inside the Hogwart’s Castle again 🙂
Thanks for sharing all your travel adventures with the GOppets!
Hi Cel! 🙂 Thank you so much for appreciating. And yes, like you, I would definitely try it one more time hahaha.
March 5, 2018 at 8:07 amOh no! Heading to USJ pa naman kaso preggy ako. So magpictorial nalang ako no? hehehehehe
March 12, 2018 at 4:17 pmHomaygas dear wag ka siguro muna sumakay. You are correct, hanggang pictorial ka nalang muna hahaha! 😉
March 12, 2018 at 4:19 pm