I DID THE VIP EXPERIENCE AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS + THIS IS HOW IT WENT
Hey guys, it's Olivia, and welcome back to my channel! For today's post, I wanted to talk about how my VIP experience was at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California. Ever since I was younger, my family and I have always opted for Disneyland, meaning I've never been to Universal. My parents had heard about the VIP experience and wanted to try it out. The starting price is $189, which is definitely on the pricier side, but I thought today I would share with you guys my experience and how everything went down!
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1) OVERVIEW OF THE VIP PACKAGE
My family and I purchased the tickets for four people, and we were able to take around an hour to an hour and a half tour of the studio lots. They brought us in on the set for Cloud 9.0 (I believe that's the show name), some other sound stages and sets (where TV shows and films are made), as well as the set of some other shows currently being made, for example, The Good Place. Afterward, we were able to do a couple rides and afterward, had lunch. We then went to a show and were able to go on more rides. Throughout the whole trip, we were given a guide and you also get to skip through the lines.
2) GOING ON SETS/IN SOUND STAGES
This is my personal opinion, and obviously, my experience is going to be different than other people's experiences, but because I'm a film major (although people might think I would have found this part interesting), I wasn't necessarily impressed with the tour. I'm constantly on sets, whether it be for my own film or someone else's, and nothing really excited me, other than being able to see the set design for Cloud 9.0
I know a lot of people would probably disagree with me and probably found it pretty interesting, but even for my parents, who aren't even huge movie or TV watchers and who didn't major in film when they were in college, they also found it a bit boring.
2) RIDES
This is also one of those things that depend on your personal preference. For me, I prefer rollercoasters and I don't get sick on them, so I enjoy those over any other type of ride. At Universal, I assumed there would be more rollercoasters than there were. I don't know exactly how much there are, but I only went on two of them, and the tour guide said that we would basically be going to almost every ride in the park; meaning there are only a few selections of rollercoasters.
Most of the rides were stimulation rides, meaning you put on 3 or 4D glasses, maybe the chairs are moving; that type of thing. It was fun but I wasn't super thrilled or excited by any of the rides. I personally prefer Disney rides.
3) LUNCH
I really enjoyed lunch. They brought us to an air-conditioned room, which was separated from the other restaurants in the park. They had a really great buffet and one of my friends, who has a severe peanut, nut, and tree nut allergy was also able to enjoy either all or most of the food, minus the desert. The food was super great and I was highly impressed.
4) THE SHOW - WATER SHOW
There were multiple shows that day. I think one of the other options that I didn't do was one about dogs and animals in general on TV(?) but I'm not completely sure. The one we did was a water show. I don't know how to explain it AT. ALL. But let's just say there were acting, water, and fire haha. They were acting in a stadium outside, but also secluded from the rest of the park.
I would say that the acting was mediocre but there was a lot of unexpected moments. My friend and I sat in the splash zone, meaning we got super wet and soaked! I thought it would be a light soak here or there but I got DRENCHED in the water! So if you guys end up going to see this exact show, then make sure you remember that! But the show was fairly enjoyable!
5) HARRY POTTER
I know you guys are probably curious about what Harry Potter World was like. I was too, previous to coming to Universal. It was amazing getting to walk around. Everything had a lot of detail, from the exterior of the buildings to the inside! I would say it was pretty magical! My friend and I wanted to get matching cloaks, but they coasted $115 dollars, I think. I was like OH HELL NO. I'm sorry, but no matter how much you love Harry Potter, you still have to admit that the price is ridiculous.
The wands were also pretty expensive as well. I believe they ranged from 20-80 dollars? Don't hold me to that, but somewhere around that price range. Personally, I thought for me it was a waste of money since I knew I would never use the wand or wear the cloak again.
Other than that, there was a stimulation ride that had a long line just to wait for the lockers. Like I mentioned before, you do get to skip the line, but you can't skip the line for the lockers to put your bag in if you have a bag. I didn't feel like waiting in line just for a stimulation ride since they aren't my favorite, so I don't really know what to say about this ride. I also went on the rollercoaster, which lasted 30 seconds. It wasn't the most fun I've had but it was okay!
6) OVERALL
Overall, I would not go to Universal Studios again. I found it boring, the studio tour wasn't the most interesting for me, the rides weren't super exciting, and overall I would rate my experience a 5/10. However, if you do think that you would enjoy Universal and are wondering if you should get a VIP pass, I think it was worth it. I'm not the most patient person, so if you're like me in that sense, being able to skip the lines is super helpful.
Also, if you take the tour, you get to have chilled water, the bus is smaller so it fits fewer people whereas the regular one is big, yet with compacted seats, and it's super nice inside as well. The tour guides are nice, and the great thing about it is that you can leave the tour whenever you want to go explore on your own. Overall, I found having the VIP pass helpful.
Thanks so much for sticking around and I'll see you guys very soon!
XOXO,
Olivia
1) OVERVIEW OF THE VIP PACKAGE
My family and I purchased the tickets for four people, and we were able to take around an hour to an hour and a half tour of the studio lots. They brought us in on the set for Cloud 9.0 (I believe that's the show name), some other sound stages and sets (where TV shows and films are made), as well as the set of some other shows currently being made, for example, The Good Place. Afterward, we were able to do a couple rides and afterward, had lunch. We then went to a show and were able to go on more rides. Throughout the whole trip, we were given a guide and you also get to skip through the lines.
2) GOING ON SETS/IN SOUND STAGES
This is my personal opinion, and obviously, my experience is going to be different than other people's experiences, but because I'm a film major (although people might think I would have found this part interesting), I wasn't necessarily impressed with the tour. I'm constantly on sets, whether it be for my own film or someone else's, and nothing really excited me, other than being able to see the set design for Cloud 9.0
I know a lot of people would probably disagree with me and probably found it pretty interesting, but even for my parents, who aren't even huge movie or TV watchers and who didn't major in film when they were in college, they also found it a bit boring.
2) RIDES
This is also one of those things that depend on your personal preference. For me, I prefer rollercoasters and I don't get sick on them, so I enjoy those over any other type of ride. At Universal, I assumed there would be more rollercoasters than there were. I don't know exactly how much there are, but I only went on two of them, and the tour guide said that we would basically be going to almost every ride in the park; meaning there are only a few selections of rollercoasters.
Most of the rides were stimulation rides, meaning you put on 3 or 4D glasses, maybe the chairs are moving; that type of thing. It was fun but I wasn't super thrilled or excited by any of the rides. I personally prefer Disney rides.
3) LUNCH
I really enjoyed lunch. They brought us to an air-conditioned room, which was separated from the other restaurants in the park. They had a really great buffet and one of my friends, who has a severe peanut, nut, and tree nut allergy was also able to enjoy either all or most of the food, minus the desert. The food was super great and I was highly impressed.
4) THE SHOW - WATER SHOW
There were multiple shows that day. I think one of the other options that I didn't do was one about dogs and animals in general on TV(?) but I'm not completely sure. The one we did was a water show. I don't know how to explain it AT. ALL. But let's just say there were acting, water, and fire haha. They were acting in a stadium outside, but also secluded from the rest of the park.
I would say that the acting was mediocre but there was a lot of unexpected moments. My friend and I sat in the splash zone, meaning we got super wet and soaked! I thought it would be a light soak here or there but I got DRENCHED in the water! So if you guys end up going to see this exact show, then make sure you remember that! But the show was fairly enjoyable!
5) HARRY POTTER
I know you guys are probably curious about what Harry Potter World was like. I was too, previous to coming to Universal. It was amazing getting to walk around. Everything had a lot of detail, from the exterior of the buildings to the inside! I would say it was pretty magical! My friend and I wanted to get matching cloaks, but they coasted $115 dollars, I think. I was like OH HELL NO. I'm sorry, but no matter how much you love Harry Potter, you still have to admit that the price is ridiculous.
The wands were also pretty expensive as well. I believe they ranged from 20-80 dollars? Don't hold me to that, but somewhere around that price range. Personally, I thought for me it was a waste of money since I knew I would never use the wand or wear the cloak again.
Other than that, there was a stimulation ride that had a long line just to wait for the lockers. Like I mentioned before, you do get to skip the line, but you can't skip the line for the lockers to put your bag in if you have a bag. I didn't feel like waiting in line just for a stimulation ride since they aren't my favorite, so I don't really know what to say about this ride. I also went on the rollercoaster, which lasted 30 seconds. It wasn't the most fun I've had but it was okay!
6) OVERALL
Overall, I would not go to Universal Studios again. I found it boring, the studio tour wasn't the most interesting for me, the rides weren't super exciting, and overall I would rate my experience a 5/10. However, if you do think that you would enjoy Universal and are wondering if you should get a VIP pass, I think it was worth it. I'm not the most patient person, so if you're like me in that sense, being able to skip the lines is super helpful.
Also, if you take the tour, you get to have chilled water, the bus is smaller so it fits fewer people whereas the regular one is big, yet with compacted seats, and it's super nice inside as well. The tour guides are nice, and the great thing about it is that you can leave the tour whenever you want to go explore on your own. Overall, I found having the VIP pass helpful.
Thanks so much for sticking around and I'll see you guys very soon!
XOXO,
Olivia
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