Universal Studios Hollywood VIP Experience Review - May 2023

[Nike4000]

Hi I just enjoyed your Universal Trip Report & now I am having trouble finding your DL VIP trip report.
Ill keep searching.

Thanks! The link to the Disneyland post is = https://www.disboards.com/threads/disneyland-vip-experience-review-may-2023.3919953/

 

[Rowlf the Dog]

Hey guys, I'm about to book the VIP Tour during my LA trip in October. But on my prefered day there is only one timeslot left at 11.15 a.m. and so a later start than I would like. As this experience includes the admission to the park as well as the Express Pass, do anybody knows when you get the lanyards? So am I also able to use these perks even before the tour starts? Especially can I book the the early access to Super Nintendo World as an addition to discover it a bit more empty and than use the Express lines with the official park open, before heading to the start of my VIP tour?

 

[Nike4000]

Hey guys, I'm about to book the VIP Tour during my LA trip in October. But on my prefered day there is only one timeslot left at 11.15 a.m. and so a later start than I would like. As this experience includes the admission to the park as well as the Express Pass, do anybody knows when you get the lanyards? So am I also able to use these perks even before the tour starts? Especially can I book the the early access to Super Nintendo World as an addition to discover it a bit more empty and than use the Express lines with the official park open, before heading to the start of my VIP tour?

We got our lanyards when we checked in at the VIP entrance. However, we were within our recommended arrival timeframe. I don't know how early they'll let you arrive. I'd give them a call and ask.

 

[Rowlf the Dog]

We got our lanyards when we checked in at the VIP entrance. However, we were within our recommended arrival timeframe. I don't know how early they'll let you arrive. I'd give them a call and ask.

I'm from Germany, so I try to avoid calls due to time difference, language barrier and costs...

 

[Nike4000]

I'm from Germany, so I try to avoid calls due to time difference, language barrier and costs...

Got ya covered. I just called the VIP Support Team and Jose said that you have access to the park all day and can get your lanyard (and use it) as early as the park opens. The 11:15 am time is when your tour is scheduled. So, based on what Jose told me, you can arrive early, use your lanyard to ride as much as you can, and then meet up for your VIP tour around 11-ish (they say to arrive early for tour check-in).

 

[Rowlf the Dog]

Got ya covered. I just called the VIP Support Team and Jose said that you have access to the park all day and can get your lanyard (and use it) as early as the park opens. The 11:15 am time is when your tour is scheduled. So, based on what Jose told me, you can arrive early, use your lanyard to ride as much as you can, and then meet up for your VIP tour around 11-ish (they say to arrive early for tour check-in).

Thank you so much for your help

Edit: Just booked it for 10/3 - and with the possibility to go to Super Nintendo World before my tour, I still can keep contact with my colleague back home reagrding the merch (9 hours time difference complicate such things).

 

[Nike4000]

Thank you so much for your help

Edit: Just booked it for 10/3 - and with the possibility to go to Super Nintendo World before my tour, I still can keep contact with my colleague back home reagrding the merch (9 hours time difference complicate such things).

Happy to help, hope you have a fantastic time!

Also, please note that some rides have a VIP line that is separate from the Express Pass. So, pay close attention when walking through the queues. I think the Mario Kart ride is like that, but I honestly don't remember. You'll be walking through the Express line and then there will be a little sign that says VIP Entrance or something similar. Very easy to miss.

 

[Rowlf the Dog]

Happy to help, hope you have a fantastic time!

Also, please note that some rides have a VIP line that is separate from the Express Pass. So, pay close attention when walking through the queues. I think the Mario Kart ride is like that, but I honestly don't remember. You'll be walking through the Express line and then there will be a little sign that says VIP Entrance or something similar. Very easy to miss.

Thank you, I will have a very close look at the lines.

 

[ngl]

Thank you all for this helpful information! We just booked for our date in Nov and for 4 of us, only the 11:15am was left too But hoping, as described above, we could get in early. What time would the 11:15am tour wrap up? Is lunch much later? Just trying to figure out the day! Thanks for any information in advance.

 

[ngl]

Thank you all for this helpful information! We just booked for our date in Nov and for 4 of us, only the 11:15am was left too But hoping, as described above, we could get in early. What time would the 11:15am tour wrap up? Is lunch much later? Just trying to figure out the day! Thanks for any information in advance.

Reposting to see if anyone has any information!

 

[Rowlf the Dog]

Reposting to see if anyone has any information!

My tour isn't before October, but I can try to update here after my visit

 

[Phatscott25]

I recently completed a tour (8/16) that started at 9:15 so I can't speak to an 11:15 but can give you a frame of reference. Our tour started promptly at 9:15 and ended around 4:30pm. So my guess is that an 11:15 tour would end around 6:30pm. Our lunch was at 11:45am and they do stagger them throughout the day so yours would likely ~1:45pm. They do have a pretty nice spread to enjoy before the tour starts as well so they (and I) recommend arriving to the VIP lounge 30 minutes prior to your tour start time in order to enjoy that.

As for getting in early, your tour ticket will get you into the park at open and you will be given your VIP lanyard then. So even though your actual tour hasn't started yet, you can enter the park and enjoy express benefits using it in the park until your actual tour begins.

As for a detailed review, the OP pretty much nailed it so I really don't have anything to add. I will say that everything the OP said is completely spot-on. The tour was an amazing time and the highlight of our nine day trip which included Hollywood, a beach day, Knott's, and Disneyland. You will have a wonderful time and I couldn't imagine visiting the park again without VIP. Have fun!

 

[GaryDis]

Thanks for the great review and discussion.

We’re considering booking this for early December. Google maps is currently showing drive time from the Disneyland Hotel between 1 hour 10 minutes and 2 hours 10 minutes for a 9am arrival time (picking Nov 2 arbitrarily, since I don’t think they’ll be any more accurate for December dates as of today).

So what happens if you miss your arrival time slot? We can go later if that’s a better strategy. FWIW, we’ll be driving to the Disneyland Hotel from Joshua Tree the day before, and will be doing DLP and DCA the two days after Universal.

Are Google’s predictions reasonable?

EDIT: It appears the only time slots available for us are 11:15 or 11:30, which raises a different question, is it worth it? I remember seeing a different thread discussing that, so I’ll look there as well.

 

[bbeagle]

It appears the only time slots available for us are 11:15 or 11:30, which raises a different question, is it worth it? I remember seeing a different thread discussing that, so I’ll look there as well.

A benefit of a 11:15 or 11:30 time slot is if you're driving from Disneyland to Universal on a weekday, leaving at 9:30-10am will allow you to miss rush hour and driving will take about an hour.

If you get an earlier slot like 9:15, it's probably best to leave at 5:00am to beat rush hour, arrive around 6:00am, get breakfast somewhere near Universal and go into the park early.

No matter what time you get, you have the option of going in early.

An early or late tour will last the same - about 6 hours.

 

[Steven G]

If you have an 11:30 start time, there is nothing stopping you from coming in early. If you check in at the VIP desk, they will give you your VIP passes which function as a unlimited express pass, until the tour starts, just make it back to the VIP area about 15-20 minutes before your tour starts.

 

[AndrewC]

You could also stay over at the Hilton right across the street from Universal for a night and then move over to Disneyland Hotel after that. Then you could get up at 8am or something, be down at Universal by 9 or so and spend a couple hours in the park doing whatever you want to do with your VIP credentials before meeting back at the lounge and joining the tour. To me the tour is very worth it, great lunch, expanded back lot tour, etc.

That said, I would always invest a couple hours extra outside of the tour, I normally do after, but before works too. You could easily do the new Mario ride two or three times PLUS wonder around the Nintendo area all before your tour even started. You are the ONLY ones that get to jump the line down in Nintendo land, the normal express pass does NOT get you that access yet.

 

[tweetykl]

We are excited to do this right before Christmas. I have one question, will they hold packages for you? We have an 11:30 tour and want to get wands since it is our first time. Just debating what bag to pack so that the wands don’t get in our way.

 

[Brandonius]

Last week our family of 4 enjoyed a fun-filled day at Universal Studios Hollywood (5/20/2023). We upgraded to the VIP experience and we can honestly say we'll never visit Universal Studios without doing the VIP tour. It was AMAZING!

When we booked the tour, we had to select a time. We chose 9:45 am because we were spending the two prior days at Disneyland (you can read my Disneyland VIP Experience review HERE) and wanted to sleep in. The night before we switched hotels from Disney's Grand Californian Resort to the Hilton Los Angeles /Universal City because we wanted to be close to Universal. Since our hotel was a 5 minute walk from the entrance to Universal Studios, we slept in and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at our hotel. The tickets said to arrive about 30 minutes before our reserved time, so we walked over shortly after 9.

After getting through security, there is a separate check in area for the VIP experience to the right of the ticket booths and it was fantastic. A Universal employee took my tickets, handed me our VIP lanyards and ponchos, and told me our guide would be Patrick T. We were then sent upstairs to wait for our tour to start. OMG! Upstairs there was a small but well stocked buffet of breakfast foods, drinks, water bottles, and comfy couches & chairs to relax on. Had I known the level of food that would be available (the stuff we read said "snacks"), we would have skipped breakfast at the hotel and just eaten in the VIP lounge. It was plentiful and very tasty.

About 10 minutes before our tour was supposed to leave, a man came around asking if we were in Patrick T.'s group (I include "T" because there is another VIP guide named Patrick). We confirmed, he introduced himself, and then told us to meet him on the patio outside. After gathering the rest of the group, 12 guests total, Patrick T. laid out the plan for the day = rides, rides, and more rides; then lunch; then the studio tour, more rides if we have time, and finally the Waterworld Stunt Show. Let me tell you - he NAILED that plan. That is exactly what we did!

We started off going all the way down the escalators to the lower area and hit the rides there. Yes, we visited Super Nintendo World and used the VIP entrance to the Mario Kart ride. All the while Patrick T. was telling us all sorts of tips and tricks to maximizing our Super Nintendo World experience. Things like - look for the "M" on the walls for special stickers. Or, to find the hidden lookout with binoculars and zoom in on things to earn extra bonuses. He talked us through the Power Up bands you can buy and how to use them. My son & I had purchased bands at Universal City Walk the night before, so we were already collecting coins as soon as we stepped into Super Nintendo World!

We rode on just about every ride you'd want to go on - The Mummy, Jurassic World, Harry Potter, Transformers, everything. No waiting, straight to the front of the line with our VIP lanyards.

Eventually, around 12:50, we ended up at the Moulin Rouge where we had a completely private, all-you-care-to-eat buffet lunch. The food was fantastic! Best meal we had on our entire trip - by a mile! I ate more chocolate chip cookies than any 1 person should eat. Did I mention that the cookies are sitting on a warming tray so they're fresh, warm, and soft? Sodas, lemonade, water bottles, whatever you wanted to drink was available. Bathrooms were limited - only 2 for the entire group, but we made due. The entire buffet lunch is included in the VIP experience price. Totally worth it for the high quality of food and the ability to escape the crowd. Dracula & Lucy Riccardo stopped by to say "Hi" while we were eating.

After lunch we made our way to the tour. Did we go on the normal tram with everyone else? Oh no - we went on a special air conditioned trolley that had ice cold water bottles available in a cooler. We merged with another tour group, so there were 24 total guests. Our guide Patrick T. took the mic and gave a FANTASTIC tour for the first half. The trolley stopped a couple of times along the route and we were able to get out and explore. In the Downtown/Brownstone area, we got to walk around touch the buildings, and surrounding elements while Patrick explained how they swap out the bricks to get the desired location appearance. We walked around the grassy area outside of the courthouse from Back to the Future. Another stop was "Wisteria Lane" from Desperate Housewives. Yup, we got to look in the windows and see that they're just facades, trample the grass, and stand under the shade trees while we learned about some of the tricks used to make neighborhoods look different or bigger on film. My favorite stop was at the Edith Head Prop Warehouse, where we got to walk around the warehouse and see different things that were used in numerous shows & movies.

The trolley still did the usual tram things, like Jaws, Earthquake, etc., but it was just a nice small group of us instead of a big impersonal tram. This was the first time that I'd taken the studio tour that I really enjoyed that part of the experience. Maybe it's because I'm older, or maybe it's because it was totally personalized to our small group. Either way, it was loads of fun.

After our trolley tour came to an end we hit a couple of more rides that we had missed in the morning, like the Simpsons ride. We also rode a few rides that Patrick said were not nearly as fun - like The Secret Life of Pets ride. Not exactly exhilarating or anything, but a fun time to sit down and look around.

Finally, we made our way to the Waterworld Stunt Show where we had reserved VIP seats in the best part of the stadium. We could see everything! Loads of fun & we didn't get wet at all!

After the show, we met up with Patrick for one last time. We tried to tip him, but he refused it. His knowledge and personality had more than earned a tip and I will figure out some way to get him his money.

The day wasn't over though! It was around 5pm or so and we still had our VIP lanyards. You see, unlike at Disneyland where the VIP experience ends when the guide is done, at Universal you get to use your VIP badge for the rest of the day. So, my son and I made our way to Super Nintendo World while my wife & daughter headed for Harry Potter. We rode Mario Kart multiple times in under 30 minutes while the ladies just kept walking on to the Harry Potter ride. It was freakin' amazing! Want to go on a ride? Sure, just show your VIP badge, skip the line, and walk on. It was the best thing ever!

I said it earlier, I won't go to Universal Studios without a VIP experience booked. In fact, my wife & her sisters are going to the Universal Studios in Orlando later this year & they've already booked the VIP experience for their trip. It's money well spent!

Speaking of money, how much did it cost? Grand total for 4 adult VIP tickets was $1,716. We tried to tip Patrick T. $200, but he wouldn't take it. I highly recommend Patrick T. as a guide. I keep referencing his last initial because there is another tour guide named Patrick.

That's about it. I'll answer any questions you have about the day. I'm sure I'm leaving important details out.

Quick edit - we did not get to try the food at Toadstool Café in Super Nintendo World because it was booked all day for a private event. We ate dinner at places around the park and it was nowhere near as good as our VIP lunch.

Patrick T. is a rockstar. I worked at the park for a little while, and he's the guide we always send celebrity guests with or anyone high profile. Sounds like you enjoyed him too!

 

[Auntof2]

Thank you, I will have a very close look at the lines.

@Rowlf the Dog just checking in to see if you did the early access Super Mario and then the VIP tour later in the day? Would love to do the exact same thing in 2024 and wondered how it went.

 

[AndrewC]

@Rowlf the Dog just checking in to see if you did the early access Super Mario and then the VIP tour later in the day? Would love to do the exact same thing in 2024 and wondered how it went.

I had some friends in October do this. They were able to swing by the VIP entrance/lounge as soon as the park opened for early access for Nintendo world. They got their credentials and then were able to head down to the world and jump the line for the ride (as of October ONLY VIPs can jump the line, front of the line etc doesn’t get access). I think they road it twice during that extra early hour, wandered around the world for a bit, and then made their way back up towards the front gate to hang in the lounge and eat a light breakfast (they usually have some fruit, juice, and pastries and stuff for vip guests). Then I showed up about 15 minutes before our scheduled tour start time of 10am. Ironically we headed to Nintendo world first and did the ride, they didn’t mind doing it a third time, lol.

I actually recommend this since the tour doesn’t give you time to explore the worlds, they just hit the attractions. You usually do have an hour or two towards the end of the day where the tour breaks up and you can go on your own to do anything (of course still using your credentials) so there *is* time to see the shops and stuff in Harry Potter area and Nintendo, but I would recommend showing up early too, especially if you have a 10am or later departure time.

I’ll caution to leave probably 30 minutes to get back to the lounge from the Nintendo lower lot area. It takes at least 10-15 min to make your way back up to the front gate where the VIP lounge is, and you’ll likely want to use the restrooms at the lounge before departure, and they WILL leave at your scheduled time *on the dot.* If everyone in that departure group is there five or ten minutes early, they will even depart early.