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1. Buy Tickets in Advance - You'll save time and money if you buy your tickets before arriving at the park. If you are worried about lines, consider upgrading to a Universal Express ticket, including Express access to rides, shows, and attractions. 

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2. Arrive early - Make sure you account for your area's traffic and plan on arriving as soon as Universal opens. To ensure you reach the gate as soon as the park opens, plan at least 30 extra minutes for traffic and 30 extra minutes to park and get through security. The park begins to get crowded one to two hours after opening time. 

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3. Plan around crowds - 

Summer, weekends, and holidays are the busiest times to visit Universal Studios. If you can visit during spring, fall, or winter, you'll enjoy fewer crowds. Crowds also increase anytime that kids are out of school.

The Forbidden Journey, Secret Life of Pets, Despicable Me, and The Simpsons are the most popular rides. Their location near the front of the park means they'll get crowded quickly. Try and do as many of these rides as possible before the park gets crowded, or wait until the end of the day. 

The Lower Lot attractions are quiet before lunch. If Transformers, Revenge of the Mummy, and Jurassic World are your priorities, go straight to the Lower Lot, and you won't have long wait times. 

Try The Three Broomsticks for an early lunch or an early dinner. The Three Broomsticks offers Universal's tastiest food in an iconic Harry Potter setting. 

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4. Use Single Rider - If you're OK with riding separately from your party, the Single Rider option will save you a lot of time waiting in line. Single Rider is available in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers, and Jurassic World. 

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5. Don't Miss the Studio Tour - The Studio Tour is always the highlight of a Universal Studios visit and shouldn't be missed. The tour takes visitors to the Back Lot, where movie and TV show backdrops are stored. For example, you can see the town square from "Back to the Future" and the Bates Motel from Alfred Hitchcock's famous thriller. The tour takes about an hour and is an ideal break from walking. It's best to do the tour in the afternoon when lines for other attractions are long. 

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6. Take a Break - It might be too tiring to stay active from opening to closing if it's hot out or you have young kids. Stay at a Los Angeles hotel with parking, and drive back for a quick nap. 

If you want to stay in the park, Kung Fu Panda and the Special Effects Show both have air conditioning so you can cool off. The Wet Zone area in Super Silly Fun Land has 80 water play features for kids and shaded areas for parents. 

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7. Express tickets - Add as an upgrade to the regular ticket. Universal Express™ includes fast-track access to all rides, shows, and attractions (once per attraction).

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8. VIP tour - Lots of additional perks including unlimited fast-track access, behind-the-scenes film studio tour, free Valet Parking, and even some meals.

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9. Don’t Bring Big Bags - Bring as little stuff with you as possible.  For most ‘wilder’ rides, you’ll have to leave your backpacks in a locker.  There is a security check similar to the airports before entering the parks.

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10. Bring Water & Some Snacks - Ideally, take a refillable water bottle and some snacks for a quick lunch (small snacks that can fit in a small bag).

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11. Research Which Shows & Attractions You Want to Do - Be sure to do some research on which shows, rides, and attractions you absolutely don’t want to miss, and concentrate on those first.