Universal Studios Hollywood VIP Experience Review - May 2023

[Rowlf the Dog]

@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.

Yes, I did the exact thing but it was a bit confusing, most of the CMs weren't of any help and I was very unhappy, but In the end all went well, because it isn't the same procedure as the normal early access without VIP.

So I try to recap my day for a better understanding:
The sheduled time for my tour was at 11.15a.m., Early Entry was at 9a.m.
As I had read that they let you enter the park half an hour before Early Entry and you should be there at least 1 hour before this to be in front of the pack, I was at the park at 7.15a.m. But as I didn't have a park ticket and the booking confirmation was not enough, I could not enter the line for Early Access. I asked three cast members, two didn't have a clue and one send me to Guest Relations, who couldn't help me at all. I think the 5th CM in general (second one at Guest Relations) than said to me: "Wait at the VIP entrance, they will open it in 30-60 minutes" So I waited and waited and got really upset as the time went on and on: I could not enter the line for Early Entry at all and more and more people arrived: Goodbye good spot for Early Access and hoping to make it at all. Than at 8.30 (75 minutes later) they did open the VIP door, but after check-in and mentioning the Early Entry, they send me on my way through their back-door / the entrance to the VIP-lounge from the park.
I was in the park at 8.37 and was under the first 50 people at the "rope" inside the park (so the extra entrance was a great help), where they started to check for your Early Entry tickets about 8.50. I was unter the first 10 people inside Super Nintendo World (rope drop experiences at WDW are paying off) and because of my VIP lanyard I could also jump the line and was the first on the ride. I think I rode it 3 times, exploring the land and did some shopping during the one hour, and than with rides on Jurassic Park and Mummy make my way back to the VIP-lounge 20 minutes before the start of the tour.

Long story short: Ignore all usual tips for Early Access, go directly to the VIP-entrance, but no need to be there earlier than 30-45minutes before the official Early Entry time (VIP does not open earlier) and tell them during VIP check-in that you have booked it, use this park-back-door and directly line up with the pack inside the park.

 

[Auntof2]

Yes, I did the exact thing but it was a bit confusing, most of the CMs weren't of any help and I was very unhappy, but In the end all went well, because it isn't the same procedure as the normal early access without VIP.

So I try to recap my day for a better understanding:
The sheduled time for my tour was at 11.15a.m., Early Entry was at 9a.m.
As I had read that they let you enter the park half an hour before Early Entry and you should be there at least 1 hour before this to be in front of the pack, I was at the park at 7.15a.m. But as I didn't have a park ticket and the booking confirmation was not enough, I could not enter the line for Early Access. I asked three cast members, two didn't have a clue and one send me to Guest Relations, who couldn't help me at all. I think the 5th CM in general (second one at Guest Relations) than said to me: "Wait at the VIP entrance, they will open it in 30-60 minutes" So I waited and waited and got really upset as the time went on and on: I could not enter the line for Early Entry at all and more and more people arrived: Goodbye good spot for Early Access and hoping to make it at all. Than at 8.30 (75 minutes later) they did open the VIP door, but after check-in and mentioning the Early Entry, they send me on my way through their back-door / the entrance to the VIP-lounge from the park.
I was in the park at 8.37 and was under the first 50 people at the "rope" inside the park (so the extra entrance was a great help), where they started to check for your Early Entry tickets about 8.50. I was unter the first 10 people inside Super Nintendo World (rope drop experiences at WDW are paying off) and because of my VIP lanyard I could also jump the line and was the first on the ride. I think I rode it 3 times, exploring the land and did some shopping during the one hour, and than with rides on Jurassic Park and Mummy make my way back to the VIP-lounge 20 minutes before the start of the tour.

Long story short: Ignore all usual tips for Early Access, go directly to the VIP-entrance, but no need to be there earlier than 30-45minutes before the official Early Entry time (VIP does not open earlier) and tell them during VIP check-in that you have booked it, use this park-back-door and directly line up with the pack inside the park.

This is SO helpful, thank you very much! I totally would have gotten there as early as you did and been spazzing and freaking out at not being let in the early entry line (and would have driven my husband crazy in the process).

 

[Auntof2]

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.

Fabulous intel, thank you!! I totally would have cut it closer than 30 minutes, will definitely add buffer time to get back. Now to pick which day to go!

 

[Rowlf the Dog]

This is SO helpful, thank you very much! I totally would have gotten there as early as you did and been spazzing and freaking out at not being let in the early entry line (and would have driven my husband crazy in the process).

I was on my own, but yes I was driving myself crazy Have fun

 

[manicmonkey]

Are you able to go to the lounge when you first check in or not until the 30 min before your tour? Ours isn’t until 10:45 and we were hoping to eat a little earlier.

 

[Steven G]

Are you able to go to the lounge when you first check in or not until the 30 min before your tour? Ours isn’t until 10:45 and we were hoping to eat a little earlier.

in my experience, they will allow you to do so, however, they will encourage you to explore the park instead.

it may depend on how busy they are.

 

[Nike4000]

Are you able to go to the lounge when you first check in or not until the 30 min before your tour? Ours isn’t until 10:45 and we were hoping to eat a little earlier.

Like @Steven G said, you can, but they'll encourage you to wander around the park a bit. The lounge area isn't huge and there will be other groups trying to eat and gather. It gets crowded quickly.

Don't expect a full continental breakfast in the lounge. There were a few options and not in mass quantities. Plus, it took a bit of time for them to restock.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Thanks again for this thread, Nike4000, our family of 5 did this tour in late Jan thanks in large part to your post. We were already a little tired from long days at DL so we didn't arrive super early. We had a 1:30 timeslot which I think is one of the latest ones. We got to the park around 10 or 10:30, went to the lounge to eat first and then headed to the park. We did a few rides before having to come back, including 2 rides on MarioKart. I said this elsewhere but everyone should be aware that even with VIP, it took us 25-40 min to get from start to finish on MarioKart. Sometimes there was just a ton of waiting in the in-between rooms. It is also a long trek to get to the land in the first place!

We had a really great time but I am going to say I felt a bit disappointed by the long studio tour. I'm sure sometimes it's more exciting than other times. We drove by the little Europe set used in The Good Place, one of my fave shows ever, and i didn't take pics b/c the guide said we would get a closer look later - by that she meant we would drive by it again, not that we would get out and I misinterpreted. The props warehouse, my kids described as "looking at a bunch of chairs" LOL. Anyway. I think also maybe partly we didn't gel with our guide terribly well. We ended up leaving the group after eating at Moulin Rouge and just doing our own thing.

 

[Nike4000]

@lilsonicfan - I'm thrilled to hear that you and your family had a great time! Sorry the tour wasn't to your liking, I can totally understand why.

 

[Steven G]

Thanks again for this thread, Nike4000, our family of 5 did this tour in late Jan thanks in large part to your post. We were already a little tired from long days at DL so we didn't arrive super early. We had a 1:30 timeslot which I think is one of the latest ones. We got to the park around 10 or 10:30, went to the lounge to eat first and then headed to the park. We did a few rides before having to come back, including 2 rides on MarioKart. I said this elsewhere but everyone should be aware that even with VIP, it took us 25-40 min to get from start to finish on MarioKart. Sometimes there was just a ton of waiting in the in-between rooms. It is also a long trek to get to the land in the first place!

We had a really great time but I am going to say I felt a bit disappointed by the long studio tour. I'm sure sometimes it's more exciting than other times. We drove by the little Europe set used in The Good Place, one of my fave shows ever, and i didn't take pics b/c the guide said we would get a closer look later - by that she meant we would drive by it again, not that we would get out and I misinterpreted. The props warehouse, my kids described as "looking at a bunch of chairs" LOL. Anyway. I think also maybe partly we didn't gel with our guide terribly well. We ended up leaving the group after eating at Moulin Rouge and just doing our own thing.

The vip studio tour is different almost every single time. Sure, there are a bunch of things that you will almost always do, but they definitely mix things up all the time. This is partly because of filming restrictions. For example, one time we spent at least 15 minutes at The Good Place and the surrounding area. Other times we miss it entirely.

as Well, which soundstage, if you visit one at all, is almost always different. in the past there were other warehouses youcould go into other than the prop one. One time we actually went to the second floor of the prop warehouse.

there were definitely ones that were better than others.

 

[bavarian princess]

Thanks for this thread, Nike4000 An thanks to all the others who contributed. The information is super helpful.

A bit of background: We are a party of 4 (my boyfriend and his Italian parents who don't speak English and myself) and we are coming over from Germany/Italy to celebrate my boyfriend's 40th birthday with a 2 weeks trip to California/Nevada/Utah. When I realized that June is a busy month in the US due to summer school break I thought we should rather do the VIP tour than "just" the express pass. Plus the day we are going to Hollywood Studios is my boyfriend's actual birthday. Unfortunately, the earliest time available on that day was 10:15am.

I am excited but also a bit anxious because I want the day to be fun (perfect ) for all of us but especially for my boyfriend. Is there anything I should be aware of, consider regarding the tour? I don't mind calling ahead of time if there is something I should ask for. I am a WDW "expert" but I have no idea about Universal Studios Hollywood and would appreciate any input.

Thank you very much in advance!

 

[Steven G]

The biggest thing about the tour, is that you are in a group of between 12 to 16 people total, including your group. So you are tied down to the slowest person in the group as well as your entire group preferences. As well, if there is something that you specifically want to see or do, you should ask your guide in the morning. The guide will do their best to accommodate all requests. In general, the guide already has a plan and order of things to do, but can adjust.

If people in your group don't speak English, you can contact them to see if they can do something for you, not sure what the options are.

You can enter the park when it opens and explore the area, and return back to the vip area to start your tour, so the tour starting at 10:15 shouldn't be a problem, if you want to come earlier. you will get the VIP lanyard when you check in, and can use the express pass feature even before the tour begins.

 

[bavarian princess]

The biggest thing about the tour, is that you are in a group of between 12 to 16 people total, including your group. So you are tied down to the slowest person in the group as well as your entire group preferences. As well, if there is something that you specifically want to see or do, you should ask your guide in the morning. The guide will do their best to accommodate all requests. In general, the guide already has a plan and order of things to do, but can adjust.

If people in your group don't speak English, you can contact them to see if they can do something for you, not sure what the options are.

You can enter the park when it opens and explore the area, and return back to the vip area to start your tour, so the tour starting at 10:15 shouldn't be a problem, if you want to come earlier. you will get the VIP lanyard when you check in, and can use the express pass feature even before the tour begins.

Thank you so much for the reply. I did not know how many people will be in the group but max 16 is not bad at all My future in-laws really want to do the studio tour and the show since this is "typically Hollywood" to them We took them to WDW last year and they loved it, especially the rides. That is why I think they will enjoy Universal Studios as well, even though they don't speak English. At least I hope so.

I believe the studio tour & show is always in the afternoon and the morning is spend on rides?

 

[Steven G]

Thank you so much for the reply. I did not know how many people will be in the group but max 16 is not bad at all My future in-laws really want to do the studio tour and the show since this is "typically Hollywood" to them We took them to WDW last year and they loved it, especially the rides. That is why I think they will enjoy Universal Studios as well, even though they don't speak English. At least I hope so.

I believe the studio tour & show is always in the afternoon and the morning is spend on rides?

the studio tour could be at any time of the day. They actually have quite a few tours going, so they spread it throughout the day. I’ve had it be first thing, right before lunch, and after lunch, or even final thing of the day.