Lo Yarnall ’18

The issue of the class of 2018’s grad night destination was a point of heated debate all throughout the school year. Being at Universal Studios instead of the traditional Disneyland, many seniors felt that they were getting cheated on what is supposed to be one of the most fun days in a senior’s last year of high school.

However, grad night is happening at Universal, and there’s nothing that’s going to change that. So why not make the most of the night? Here’s a list of things to do next Thursday, May 31 at Grad Bash!:

1. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWHP): One of the newest things at Universal, WWHP provides a completely immersive experience into everyone’s favorite fictional universe. This section contains two rides: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, a virtual reality ride and the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster. You can’t go to WWHP without getting a Butterbeer, and rumor has it, frozen Butterbeer is the best. Make sure to stop by Honeydukes to satisfy all your sweet-tooth needs, and for the die-hard fans, go experience Ollivander’s Wand Shop!
2. The Simpsons: One of the best cartoons of all time, The Simpsons, comes to life in Krustyland. This section of the park contains one virtual reality ride, multiple carnival games, and the donuts with pink frosting and sprinkles bigger than your head. If you want a surprise, pick up the phone at Moe’s Bar!
3. Shows and Experiences: WaterWorld is an intense action show, complete with a helicopter water crash. Animal Actors displays to the world just how well trained the animals who play roles in movies are, with species ranging from dogs to birds to monkeys. Don’t worry, they’re well taken care of. Special Effects shows viewers just how the production world gets away with their movie magic. And of course, if you’re tired from walking around the park, take the 45 minute classic Studio Tour around Universal’s backlot to see flash floods, get chased by someone at Bate’s Motel and encounter King Kong or Vin Diesel.
4. Jurassic Park ride: Make sure to hop on the Jurassic Park ride before it is closed for the rest of the year and replaced by Jurrasic World in 2019! This is a classic water ride with eerily-realistic and ginormous animatronic dinosaurs topped off with a big drop guaranteed to soak the riders.
5. The Walking Dead: The newest attraction at Universal is The Walking Dead Attraction, a walk-through horror experience that isn’t for the faint of heart. Actors decked out in zombie costumes pop out of corners and chase viewers through multiple iconic scenes from the popular TV series. Keep your eye on the set pieces as you walk (or run) by – 16 of them are from the actual set of the show!
6. Despicable Me: For all the minion-lovers, this section of the park is dedicated to all things Despicable Me, with the virtual reality ride Minion Mayhem, character meet-ups, more carnival games and a small water park.
7. Other rides: Travelling down the long escalator will bring you upon Jurassic Park and two other rides.Transformers – The Ride 3D is a virtual reality rides that put riders into the heart of the action. The third ride is Revenge of the Mummy, an intense indoor roller coaster.

Other tips:

• Bring a portable charger in case your phone dies
• Download the park map PDF on your phone and save it to the camera roll to avoid carrying around the paper map
• Bring hand sanitizer to avoid being sick at prom
• Have Advil just in case of a surprise headache
• Bring a cinch sack or small backpack to hold belongings while you go on rides