Asia/LA Theme Park Trip

[daltma10]

End of year I will be going away for 6 weeks, mainly to visit theme parks. Some I have visited, some have not. Any advice for the theme parks I have not visited, if you have to go about it a different way to the other parks.

Visited: Universal Singapore, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Universal Hollywood, Knotts

Have not visited: Fuji-Q Highland, Nagashima Spaland, Universal Japan, Shanghai Disneyland, Universal Beijing, Happy Valley Beijing, Leofoo Village Theme Park, Gyeongju World, Six Flags Magic Mountain

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

• Universal Singapore has recovered fully from the covid shutdowns and is in full swing. Minions land is rumoured to open by Christmas - however many spaces outside of the park in the Resorts World area of Sentosa are under redevelopment so you may need to go farther afield from the park to complete your day (there's plenty of other sentosa attractions to occupy the day though!)
• After visiting earlier this year, I could honestly skip the Tokyo Disney parks on a repeat visit - Unless the additions since your last visit warrant a return. The crowds and the cost are simply too high right now.
• Universal Hollywood - if you've never done it before, I highly recommend doing the USH VIP Tour. While it is a bit pricier (and you should book further in advance to secure your spot) the inclusions do make it great value for money, and the experience is incomparable to visiting with a normal day-ticket.
• Knott's. Love this park. could spend multiple days just soaking the atmosphere. Enjoy it!
• Fuji Q and Nagashima - we missed these on our most recent trip to Japan. Travel times were prohibitive, so if you do plan to go, would recommend staying nearby and arriving the day before your planned visit. End of year will be winter, and from what I recall, the potential for bad weather may see the park close attractions unexpectedly, so bear this in mind.
• Universal Osaka - staying on property was great here - and Port Universal was a great little hotel a short stroll from the front gate. Express 8 pass sorely needed during busier periods. USJ has some of the most restrictive ride restraints i've encountered, so if you're tall, have broad shoulders, carry a little extra weight around the midsection or are otherwise outside the average japanese build (long legs for example) you may not fit on certain attractions. Test seats are everywhere and cast members will ask you to try at the entrance if they think you may not fit. The park has advertised opening times, but frequently opens much earlier - sometimes more than an hour before. It depends on crowds. If you want to ensure you can enter nintendo land and\or harry potter, you either need to arrive insanely early to ensure you get in early enough to get a free timed entry spot, or alternatively there are upcharges like the express 8 which include guaranteed entry times.
• Can't give any advice for China parks as I haven't been yet - but can advise you to drink and brush teeth with bottled water only
• Six Flags Magic Mountain - The current park operating calendar states that the park is closed from December 30th and doesn't show a reopening date, (though I would presume this just hasn't been loaded yet). I'd recommend going on a weekday as weekends are insanely busy with locals and passholders (check the calendar to make sure its open the day you want to go). The Platinum Flash pass has been necessary for us on our last two visits, and makes for a far more pleasant day. Going in winter you are far more likely to encounter ride closures, so do your research on what will be available ahead of time to see if it is worth going...

[Baconjack]

Doing a similar trip but around Japan after finishing up uni, between end of November and early December. 

From my research Fuji Q and Nagashima are open during winter and are not packed but I’m expecting weather to affect ops of certain rides, fair dinkum because it will be cold. You could fit Fuji q in easily - bus ride from Tokyo drops you off in the morning then stay the night nearby, I’m doing that then heading south to Nagoya. Nagashima probably requires going to Nagoya the previous day, staying the night around there, going to the park, staying another night, then leaving next morning. At least that’s how I’m doing it.

USJ from what I am reading is packed during the end of the year - so get the express pass (you’ll need it to do anything in Harry Potter or Nintendo) - only doing a repeat visit for Nintendo and Jaws as I missed out on that last time. Same thing goes for Tokyo Disney(Sea) - but I’m not forking out money for fast passes there and instead have a list of rides that are non negotiables that I will get on during the day. (Eg: big thunder, haunted mansion, and splash are top of the list for Disney, and journey, Indy, and tower of terror for disneysea). Spending a day at each of these as I don’t have the time for multi day visits.

Edited July 22 by Baconjack

[downunder]

If you ride X2 at Magic Mountain, try and do the inside seat, the outside seat was quite unpleasant (not that it would stop me riding). That was a while ago, but local friends say it's still rough. Post Christmas was super busy when I visited at that time. I agree, Flash Pass is very wise.

Concur with previous post, Knotts is my happy place. It will be equally smashed after Christmas.

[Brad2912]

15 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

If you want to ensure you can enter nintendo land and\or harry potter, you either need to arrive insanely early to ensure you get in early enough to get a free timed entry spot

 

7 hours ago, Baconjack said:

you’ll need it to do anything in Harry Potter

Just a slight amendment to these - timed entry to HP at USJ has not been in place since Sept last year. Whilst the express passes still give you a time to enter, there is no gate or monitoring whatsoever, so you can come and go as you like.

express pass 7 is highly recommend however. USJ is ridiculously busy even when it’s “quieter”.  With DK world opening within SNW sometime prior to end of year, it will get even more crazy and you may find the only way to access it will be with a express pass 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

7 hours ago, Brad2912 said:

 

Just a slight amendment to these - timed entry to HP at USJ has not been in place since Sept last year. Whilst the express passes still give you a time to enter, there is no gate or monitoring whatsoever, so you can come and go as you like.

express pass 7 is highly recommend however. USJ is ridiculously busy even when it’s “quieter”.  With DK world opening within SNW sometime prior to end of year, it will get even more crazy and you may find the only way to access it will be with a express pass 

Just a slight amendment to this - As at June, timed entry to HP was an active option in the app, however it was not in use every day. We visited on a 1.5 day ticket, and entry was restricted on our first (half) day in the afternoon, but not the following (full) day when we had our express pass.

The terms and conditions on the USJ website do specify that the timed entry requirements depend on crowd conditions, so if the area is important to you, the Express will guarantee you entry.

Quote

lf you have not purchased an Area Timed Entry Ticket: Advance Booking or received one with a Universal Express Pass, you will need to get an Area Timed Entry Ticket through our official app on the day of your park visit.

* Depending on crowd conditions, you may be able to enter without an Area Timed Entry Ticket:Advance Booking or Area Timed Entry Ticket.

*Important to note that USJ releases express passes in date blocks, so keep an eye on the website to ensure you buy them as soon as they become available. With DK opening later in the year, they may go quickly.

[Brad2912]

9 minutes ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

The terms and conditions on the USJ website do specify that the timed entry requirements depend on crowd conditions

The USJ website also hasn’t been updated in some ways for years. It still says you just wear a mask at all times too. 
 

10 minutes ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

We visited on a 1.5 day ticket, and entry was restricted on our first (half) day in the afternoon

Interested in how it was restricted? Did they bring out fencing and gates and you had to scan a timed entry pass get in? If so, that would have been the only day in the last 12 months that was implemented. I read daily trip reports at USJ on another site and you are the first to have mentioned it in any way since this time last year. 

Did you try to access the area, or just assume you couldn’t enter as there was no timed entry available in the app? 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Like Nintendo, cast were stationed at the entrance pathway behind the stones with an umbrella and handheld barcode scanners.

You read daily trip reports? wow.

[Brad2912]

5 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

Like Nintendo, cast were stationed at the entrance pathway behind the stones with an umbrella and handheld barcode scanners.

You read daily trip reports? wow.

Not in full, but they pop up and i read them often. 
 

must have been a super busy day, but now I know they still employ that I’ll alter the advice I give to people, I’d honestly never heard of it happening at all recently 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Yeah we read a number of different sources and some assured us it'd never happen again, and others cautioned that 'as long as its an active option in the App, they can switch it on in surge periods'. 

We thought it was odd because the full day we had in park felt busier.