Nike4000
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2014
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.
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.
Last edited:
