I recently had my first VIP Experience at Universal Studios Hollywood and I cannot express how much I loved it. I want to pass on my absolute highest praise for our tour guide Danny B. I want to share how incredibly well organized our day was time wise and I really appreciated how our guide described the rides ahead of time so we could make informed decisions on whether or not to ride. Danny was such a lifesaver being our personal locker while we were on attractions SO I do recommend to not carry too much. He also was incredibly patient with our questions, potty breaks, and most importantly dealing with the kids! It was great having iced water available in a chest at all times for our convenience. Shout out to our parking valets Vince and Juan who made both check-in and check-out an absolute breeze! Thank you all for making my mom Lucia's birthday and my daughter Luna's first time at Universal Studios a magical day! read more

Universal Studios Hollywood VIP Experience - Tours Near Me - Universal City, California

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Very rude workers said I could buy a ticket when I drove from 2 hours away and I knew my pass didn't have blockout days

I can't say enough about this experience! I came with my mom and brother for my mom's 80th birthday. Yes, you heard that right, the Big 8-0! From the moment we stepped inside the VIP Lounge, we felt like royalty. They placed an "It's My Birthday" pin on my mom, and throughout the day, at least 40 employees wished her a Happy Birthday. She felt so special. Our tour guide was Kyle, and he was efficient, friendly, and accommodating. Our group consisted of 12 guests total, which was the perfect size. We first did the rides. I was worried that some might be too rough for my mom, but Kyle was great about letting us know how each ride was and asking if anyone in our group wanted to skip a ride. We did a total of 6 rides -- Jurassic Park, Mummy, Transformers, Mario Kart, and two Harry Potter rides. My mom ended up doing all of them with no issue! The best part is that we didn't have to wait in lines at all, and it was Thanksgiving week so it was a busy day. Then we broke for an hour-long buffet lunch, which is reserved for VIP guests only. The food was delicious, and there were characters like Dracula and Lucy (from "I Love Lucy") walking around and greeting everyone. My mom grew up on Lucy, so getting to meet her was amazing! Next, we did the lot tour on a luxurious tour bus with another group of 12. It took us through the King Kong 3D experience, the Jaws set, and an earthquake simulation, among other cool stops. Fortunately, it wasn't much walking as we were all a bit tired by this point. The full experience was around 6.5 hours, but we were engaged from start to finish. We were extremely impressed with Kyle's coordination of the entire day. After the tour was over, we checked out a few shops and did the Simpsons ride and did the Harry Potter ride again -- since our VIP passes allowed us to continue to skip the lines for the rest of the night. It honestly could not have been a more perfect day! I highly recommend the VIP Experience! read more

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My boyfriend and I attended the RIP Tour for the Horror Nights experience on the 7th of September and I was extremely upset on how poor our experience was. This was our third RIP tour together and for the price and time spent, this year was definitely not it. When we got to the lounge area everyone was nice as usual, however we were placed with a group of 7 who had gone together and another set of 3 individuals. & then there was my boyfriend and I. We were walked towards the buffet area, however we asked our tour guide that we wanted to purchase merchandise in which she did point us to the nearest booth and she went her way & told us about the time we would all be meeting again & to go enjoy the buffet. Which was where it started to go downhill not even 15 minutes into our time being there. The individual who saw us walk with our tour guide was refusing to let us back to the buffet area even though we had walked in already with our group & told us we needed an early wristband when we had our RIP wristband & land yard.. that was a bit bothersome... We got back inside to the buffet area luckily, however most of the food items were scarce..& they were missing items from previous years as well..such as no pizza, mini corn dogs, low on mac n cheese and the trip tip was good that there was just not enough for everyone.. I will add that I did enjoy having a scare actor while we dined which I thought was a nice little touch... We then started our tour after eating & here we go again...I had rushed to use restroom because we had to meet at the designated time, but guess what..the large group needed to go to the restroom when we had already waited for them because they were taking pictures prior to meeting with us..so now we went to the restroom for a break because apparently we were running on their time.. Going through the mazes the group was acting a fool our tour guide didn't see it but other staff did go up to them to tell them not to do certain things to the scare actors..the tour just seemed as if it was theirs and not for what we paid for..we ended up going to the rides that they wanted to go on because the tour guide overheard them..not just that..during the nice cool photo opps that they exclusively had for RIP once again we ran on the large groups' time because they wanted to take multiple pictures...I let the tour guide know that I wanted to purchase a drink which we haven't done so previous years, but I was annoyed and at that point I just wanted a drink..but guess what, we waited in the regular bar..Yes, we weren't told were the RIP bars were located.. Although this time around our experience wasn't the greatest the mazes were pretty good. However, that's a given as it is UNIVERSAL! I would like to suggest that parties larger than 5 should have their own tour guide. Or at least try to match similar ages or something..also please have a nice variety of food for the buffets stocked and please do continue to add actors while we dine that was really nice..I really do hope there is some sort of improvement and I do wish everyone does have a great experience compared to mine this year.. read more

Universal Studios Hollywood VIP Experience - Art the Clown - Tours Near Me - Universal City, California

Worth the money. Yes you heard right. A theme park that actually meets expectations of its cost! We visited Universal on a Saturday in August, and opted for the VIP package. Price = $380 per person (this may change so I'd recommend checking their website!) and again SO WORTH IT! ok- here are all the questions I had going into my experience that I could not find answers to on the universal site: Is the tour actually 5-6 hours long? Yes, this time covers the extensive studio tour (you get to walk through certain areas, learn about the history, and you visit a prop building!!) an hour lunch, and rides! Spoiler... you end your tour with WATER WORLD!!! And you get sat in the driest area (which was a non negotiable for most folks lol) and if you do want to get drenched, they will absolutely accommodate and seat you in the "wet seats" lol What's this "VIP lounge prior to my tour time?" It's an area located near the entrance, once inside they offer a small breakfast buffet while you wait that includes fruit, yogurt, pastries, and a couple breakfast sandwiches! And coffee, tea, and juice of course! Oh! And they provide disposable ponchos for you to take into the Jurassic park water ride! Do you spend the entire time on the tour bus? No, the tour is about 90 minutes. The bus is air conditioned and they have an ice chest on the bus with COLD bottled water ready for you during the tour! And yes, you can grab as many as you'd like to carry with you throughout the day! Is the lunch good? Dare I say... it was amazing. Think a smaller scaled Vegas buffet. The only downside is that you get an hour for lunch and I could have easily ate for 2 hours! And it's inclusive of drinks as well (non alcoholic) and you have characters pop by! Do your guides eat lunch with you? No they don't, they take you to your restaurant and then set a time to meet them back at the front of the restaurant. Although I wish they did eat with us because we genuinely enjoyed their company! Whats the situation with rides? Firstly, you don't join an "express line", no no, you're a VIP so you get escorted through a specific walkway all the way to the ride! Have bags or anything for that matter that you want held? Your tour guides will hold it for you!!! Also if you don't want to get on a ride, no sweat! You'll just hang back with the tour guides until others are done! (It's not more than 5-10 min of a wait because again... no line, just ride!!) Bathroom breaks? Yep! They factor that in too! Periodically throughout your VIP experience your tour guides will ask if you need a bio break and then escort you directly to the nearest restroom!!! Any souvenirs included? No physical souvenirs but I would say the best souvenir was having your guides take photos for you throughout the day as needed! No awkwardly asking a stranger to take a family or group photo for you lol Overall 10/10 recommend!!!! Once you go VIP you'll ask yourself how you ever did it any other way!!! And lastly, not sure what the "rules" are around tipping but... please consider tipping your guides because they literally play mom and dad for those 5-6 hours and allow you to have a carefree child like experience!! NICOLE AND ANDREW YOU GUYS WERE AMAZING! (I hope you see this review!!) read more

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Universal's VIP experience is an excellent way to traverse the extremely crowded theme park and studio tour offering expert guides and instant access to all attractions with no wait. However, as a film buff the tour is decidedly tilted towards the theme park and as such was not as enticing despite the amazing red carpet treatment. I would have gladly foregone the time spent on the Super Mario and Jurassic Park thrill rides in favor of more time walking the studio back-lot. Again, the entire day was extremely fun and if I were more of a theme park junkie the VIP offering would be a slam dunk five stars. Perhaps Universal should consider offering a separate studio experience in the future. I know Comcast has it in them as they could easily charge 2x more for the privilege. A tight four stars. read more

Really fun place for all ages. Come inside at 8 am if you buy early access pass. Recommend Mario, Jurassic world, Mummy, and Transformers in lower lot, Harry Potter, Minion, Hollywood tour, and more! There is also a water park for kids to enjoy in summer, don't forget to bring your swimming suit and shoes, sunscreen as well. Recommend it! read more

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We decided to finally try the Universal Studios Hollywood VIP Tour Experience. We went during off-peak weekday season so it is slightly cheaper at around $340 includes valet parking and lunch at Moulin Rouge (buffet). You are able to skip the lines at attractions as many times as you want. The VIP Tour guide are so knowledgeable, friendly, and you feel power when you are able to cut the line and stump others who also paid for front of the line. We got some good insight about the rides, Universal as a whole and future projects. The highlight for me would be the actual studio tour where we got to walk on the sets and see structures and really behind the scenes magic. For instance, we were able to go to the prop room and walk the set of St. Denis Medical Show which was really neat. read more

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This was a splurge but for good reason. Have been here so many times from my kid-days...but wanted a "different" experience. I would say, based on the entire day from the moment we drove in to valet parking from the moment we picked up our car (by chance also saw our tour guide Ursula there - so we had another chance to thank her) it was worth every penny. Expectations were high for us SoCal natives and USH certainly delivered. The VIP entrance/check-in was high-energy and welcoming. Kudos to that team for starting our day off with enthusiasm! The light breakfast/snacks were of great variety and just enough to satisfy our hunger before we met our tour guide Ursula and we were then shuffled off to a sorta secret building exit area and then.a short walk to the Waterworld show. Ursula was a major part of our day and she knows her job well and then some! As we were en route, other guides told us that we were "very lucky" to have her as our guide - now we know why! After VIP access to both Super Nintendo World and the Mario Kart ride (we got to bypass the verrrry long queue) our VIP benefits began to become more apparent. We were then led on (and bypassed the "regular" queue) to other attractions: the Mummy, Jurassic World, both Harry Potter rides, Simpsons Ride and Transformers. These were simply "walk-on" for our group. Cannot forget the world-famous tram tour! We had an enclosed single car "cable car" looking bus with cushy seats and bottled water. We also had the opportunity to "de-tram" at various points along the way. Leave it to Ursula to provide interesting information and insight...her unlimited energy and enthusiasm at this point was both appreciated and on fire! (not literally 'on fire' tho haha) The lunch buffet was another highlight and we got to enjoy with other VIP guests in the Moulin Rouge building, which was not accessible to the general public. Food offerings were elevated and tasted great. We had one hour for lunch. Dracula was also making his rounds by stopping at every table (in his deadpan, sorta mysterious aura) which added to the experience. We hopped back on the tram for the final leg of the tour and then said our goodbyes. As a VIP guest, do not forget that you still have unlimited access to attractions for the rest of the day (def worth it IMO)...so show that pass and walk on! Ultimately, this was a very memorable and special experience. If you have time constraints, want more of a personal experience and/or simply want to be considered king/queen for a day, def consider this option! read more

Short Review- It is pricey, but would rather not pay for it during peak season. Enjoyed it and would do it again. Read on if you want more details: Overall if you want to experience the park in one day with some behind the scenes from studio tour to theme park this is the way to go. Super Nintendo World just opened this year and honestly the best way to experience the Mario Kart ride is through VIP. As of right now this is the only way to get exclusive front of line access and not wait 2+ hours each time for a single ride. That being said I have done the Warner Brothers (VIP and regular) and NBC Studio tours. The Universal tour wasn't the best, but wasn't the worst. I could be biased though because I do watch more WB content. Also my group paid more since it was during peak time so the extra $100 also played a factor into the rating. I think off peak season pricing is way worth the value since you get the behind the scenes tour, front of line access, welcome small bites and a private buffet luncheon with non-alcoholic beverages included. The ticket and express pass alone can be $200 for cheapest, but peak time over $300. Plus parking which is $30. With VIP you get complimentary valet parking. The luncheon exceeded my expectations and probably the highlight of the entire time we had with our tour guide. It was a fast hour so don't waste anytime. They had delicious sides from mac and cheese, poke, salads, potatoes, a main entree from chicken tenders and pizza for the kids to pork tenderloin or beef sirloin for the ones with a more sophisticated pallete. Dessert ranged from cheesecake, orange olive oil cake, gelato, crepes and even warmed cookies! So yes $460 for one day at the park is a lot. We spent 7 hours with our tour guide. It can range between 7 to 8 hours with them. The downfall about the tour is that yes it does take a big chunk of your day and you move quickly, but thankfully we went back to some of the places we rushed through since we had the time after the tour. But if you want to separate from the tour you can! Our tour guide went up and down from the upper to lower lot which did take some time away, but every tour is different and can be in different order. read more

My son, Mario's biggest fan, has been asking me to go to Nintendo World ever since it opened so we made the trip for their one year anniversary this past weekend. We did Universal Florida 2 years ago and used a private guide. I did a little research and discovered that the VIP experience was the best way to experience California Universal. I set our tour for 10:45am and then bought early access Nintendo World tickets. The plan was that we would hit up all the nintendo games (apparently not included in the VIP tour) and then enjoy all the rides and more with the VIP tour. A few days before our trip I noticed that the forecast for our day at Universal called for rain. I called and they very nicely switched it all (VIP + early access) to a day earlier which I so appreciated. We ended up with perfect theme park weather (60s) and the day we were supposed to go was super rainy so I really appreciated their flexibility. VIP also includes valet parking. We arrived around 7:45am and valet parked. If i did i again I'd shoot for 7:30am because it takes quite some time to get all the way to Nintendo World. We checked in at the VIP lounge (look for the red carpet) and made our way to Nintendo World. We spent about 2 hours at Nintendo World playing all the games, defeating bowser and rode Mario Kart once. The crowds were manageable and our VIP badge allowed us to skip the Mario Kart line, which isn't possible with an express ticket. At 10:15am we made our way back to the VIP lounge where we enjoyed some breakfast foods (the boys loved the croissant sandwiches) and coffee. We filled up since they told us lunch would not be until 2pm. Then we met our tour guide, Andrew H, who was truly amazing. He was employee of the month last month and I can see why; he made the day so fun and enjoyable! We were with a group of 15, which I worried would be too big, but it worked out perfectly. There were a few rides that didn't interest my boys (jurassic park and mummy), but Andrew gave us another alternative and everyone else was in and otu of those rides within 10 minutes. It was fun to get to know others in the group (many had kids around the same age) and Andrew himself had such a fun personality. I worried the 2 hour studio tour would be boring for my boys, but it was the highlight of the day...and I enjoyed it so much! I learned so much about the making of movies and they did all these fun things to interest the kids (ex: king kong attacking our bus, jaws eating a man). My 8 year old got a little bored maybe the last 20 minutes of it, but I was so glad we didn't skip that part of the tour. I belive lunch is usually a buffet at the lounge, but it's being refurbished right now so they took us to Margaritaville instead. We were able to order anything off the menu (cheeserbugers for the win) + hit up the salad and dessert buffet. Good enough as far as theme park food is concerned. The tour itself ended around 7 (longer day than i expected). We made our way back to Nintendo World for a 3rd time to eat at Toadstool Cafe; Andrew gave us the tip to keep refreshing the app until we got a reservation. We had a great long weekend in LA, but all 3 of us agreed our VIP tour at Universal was the highlight of the trip. If we make it back to Universal I'd do it again and would request Andrew H! read more

Bobby was an amazing tour guide and like the thorough reviewer said, the VIP experience is so worth the money! It was beyond hot the day we went and Bobby made sure we kept to the shade and had plenty of opportunities to get refreshed with drinks and breaks. We rode every ride in the park and the tour of the studios was so fun! Thanks Bobby for making a birthday celebration extra special with your knowledge, kindness and enthusiastic demeanor. We loved our day so much! read more

This is a pricey experience, but it was so worth it! We arrive to our free valet (otherwise $50) and, after going through the park security (same line for all patrons), we go to the VIP Lounge area (which has its own review page; see more there). We receive our free ponchos (for the Jurassic Park ride), VIP Lanyard, and instructions to meet Cassie V. upstairs around 10:00. It's currently about 8:30, with the park opening at 9:00. We check out the lounge, grab a cappuccino and walk around the open parts of the park (kind of like the rope drop at Disneyland). We walk around a virtually empty Harry Potter land (Hogsmeade), and were able to take some great photos! Before heading back to the lounge, we were able to go on both Harry Potter rides and the Secret Life of Pets, thanks to our lanyard! We meet up with Cassie, who is great, and she tells us the plan for the day. We enjoy the VIP Studio Tour in a private, air conditioned trolley, complete with a cooler full of water bottles for us. We hit all the regular spots on the tour, but we also get to go to some other areas not available to the traditional tour; we also get to get off the trolley and walk around in some of the areas and go into the prop warehouse. Cassie is friendly, super informative, and very polished with the many, many stories she told on the tour. As we head back to the park, Cassie gives options for all the rides we were scheduled to go on. We had a little extra time before lunch and were going to go on a ride Jim G, and I had already hit in the morning and didn't need repeating. I mentioned that we might hit up the Irish pub nearby and Cassie suggested that we bring our drinks with us to lunch, since the free buffet included with our meal doesn't serve alcohol, but it is 100% acceptable for us to bring a drink from another place. Super pro tip! We enjoyed our lunch at Moulin Rouge, which is only open to VIP Experience guests (they have their own page; see review there) and hit some more rides. It was a very cool feeling to not only be guided to the front of the Express Line with Cassie, but in some cases, she took us through the Single Rider Line and moved us to the front of that line so that our waits were very, very minimal. The only place we really needed to wait was in the Mario Kart ride. We still cruised through the Express Line, but then everyone goes into a large group in the "pre-show room," so then we were in the herd waiting. Ultimately, I think it took us 20 minutes to get onto the ride, as opposed to the 75 minute wait posted outside. Cassie helped us to choose prime spots on certain rides (the very back of the Jurassic Park ride to avoid getting wet, for example) and gave great recommendations for watching shows, grabbing snacks, and enjoying parts of the park after our tour ended. We were with her from about 10am until close to 6pm. If we were to do this experience again, I would 100% request Cassie V. and if you're thinking of doing this experience, I would suggest you request her! read more

The VIP experience, while super expensive, was super fun to do at least once. It was such a cool experience. It includes multiple food opportunities, an extended Hollywood Studios backlot tour, and even getting on rides in front of the fast passers. You start off with a free mini breakfast buffet while you wait for your tour guide to come meet you. The food was decent but nothing special. Of course I'm not a breakfast person so yeah. We enjoyed sitting on the balcony and watching people entering the park while we ate. Then we went on the backlot tour and as a special treat, we were allowed to get out of the vehicle and walk around some of the sets, the props storage, and even a set of a show still airing now! Then we had lunch and the food there was OOOH. So good. I cannot stress enough how good it was and it's only open to people there with the VIP pass. Also while you ate characters came in and took pictures with people which was really cool. After that it was rides rides rides! We even got into the new Super Mario World and that is where our tour guide left us. Our tour guide was super cool and we had a lot of fun the whole day. He was funny and seemed to really enjoy his job. I wouldn't do the VIP tour every visit, but I'm definitely interested in checking it out for Florida one day to see what they do for a place that's so much bigger! read more

The tour that never ends and I mean that in a good way. Lol. For my son's 21st birthday, I decided to surprise him with a VIP experience for the new Nintendo World. I heard that the wait time for that one ride alone was 2-3 hours. VIP Benefits: - Valet parking - Breakfast lounge before the tour. This will also be the place where you will meet up with your group and tour guide - VIP allows you to be at the front of the line at every ride - One hour buffet lunch at Moulin Rouge - Air-conditioned VIP Trolley for the back-lot tour where you are allowed to get on and off for pictures Downside to a VIP tour: - you cannot stop to take pics with any of the characters - you can't go off on your own to buy stuff or things to eat or drink (we had to go back for some Harry Potter Frozen Butterbeer after the tour ended) Our group couldn't ask for a better tour-guide. Dom was well-versed in all things movie-related. She made us all feel comfortable and kept us laughing at every moment. She went above and beyond and always had a perky, fun personality. You can tell she truly loved her job. If we had to wait for others, she made sure we stood under some sort of shade. I really appreciate that she took the time to explain what to expect for each ride in case it's not for you. Our tour started at 10:30am and by 6:30pm we decided to split from the group and go off on our own since my son wanted to spend some time at Nintendo World. VIP is pricey (more costly on peak days) but it is worth every penny if you're looking to save time and get on all the popular rides. You know what the best part for me was?? Getting all those dirty looks when you skip to the very front of the line. Hey, I used to give those jealous looks. Yeahhh babyyyy...VIP!!!! read more

Universal Studios Hollywood VIP Experience - My 21 Year Old Son thinks he lives in Nintendo World - Tours Near Me - Universal City, California

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We visited Universal Studios Hollywood and booked the VIP experience tour on 5/15/22. We visited Universal Studios numerous times before, but this was our first time with the VIP. Overall experience was really good. When we arrived, we checked in through a different door. We then were escorted upstairs, where we could enjoy breakfast/ brunch. The pastries selection was great and sufficient enough. The seating area was also nice and overlooked the entrance of the studio. After that, our tour guide explained what our day would look like. Me and my kids were joined by other guests, with a total of 12 guests. We then walked to the studio tour and sat on a private bus, where we also joined another group. So the total at this time was 24 guests. Then the studio tour began. What was amazing was that we were able to stop in different spots, and our tour guide was able to take our pictures. The downside of this was that we were seated close to other guests, and I felt that the non-VIP studio tour tram seating was much more spacious. And I was the only one with small kids, the other ones are mostly couples I would assume were on their honeymoon, which (again this was completely just my feeling), were not as child friendly. The reason I booked the VIP was so that my curious children would be able to ask questions and feel like some other guests were annoyed. After this studio tour, we were having our lunch in the private area, which, to my surprise, was elegant and served great quality food. It was a decent selection of American, Italian, and French cuisines. Each table had a beautiful rose arrangement, and FRANKENSTEIN came out to greet guests from table to table. This was amazing! Our tour guide was amazing. He was very friendly, and he mentioned that if we wanted to ride a specific ride multiple times, just to inform him, he could make it happen. my kids did want to ride Mummy and Jurrasic more than one, but again, since I felt the other guests were not as welcoming, I didn't ask. I lost my phone in the restroom, and my tour guide was so nice and made a phone call to lost and found, grabbed my phone while we were enjoying lunch, and gave the phone back to me. That was such a great service and BLESS HIS HEART. At the end of the tour, I thanked him and gave him a $100 tip. I wasn't sure how much I should tip since it was my first time, but I thought for 1 adult, 3 kids, and the trouble of getting my phone back to me, it was reasonable. So to recap: PROS: Valet parking included. Stops in different locations during the studio tour. The tour guide will take our pictures. no line in ALL the rides. The tour guide will hold on to our belongings when we were on the rides. Never-ending water bottles were supplied to us. After the VIP tour ended, we were still able to use Front of the Line for ALL the rides. CONS: Small seating in the Studio Tour bus. Not small children-friendly. No shopping time. No time to buy signature snacks/ drinks. No time to take pictures with the characters. I would love to book the VIP tour again in the future, when me and my extended family are visiting. I figured it would be really VIP when the whole tour guests were my kids, nephews, and nieces. Other than that, I think the Front of the Line pass would be sufficient enough so that my kids have ample freedom to do other things. read more

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Tiktok told me about the VIP experience. I figured why not. This was a vacation to splurge. It was fun sitting on the balcony for breakfast. Breakfast was ok. Lunch was better. I wanted to eat dinner there too but they said no only once. boooooo Our tour guide did a good job. You could tell he liked being a tour guide. The backlot tour was cool. we got to get out and walk around. I could tell the other non vip people driving by were jealous. mwahahah. VIP pass helped us get to all the major rides. Then we got to ride whatever we wanted the rest of the day. It would have been difficult to get through all the lines in one day even though it was a small park. But you could just get an express pass. VIP was worth the price but wouldn't do it more than once. read more

I'm so glad we splurged when we went to Universal Studios instead of waiting in all the lines. After you check in you will have access to a breakfast options, tea, coffee, and water. Make sure to grab some water bottles (included) on the way out. Our tour guide Cassie V was excellent. Make sure to request her specificaly. When I heard the other tour guides compared to her she was much better, not that they were bad but she was just excellent. So if you are purchasing this you know you will get front of the line access. Totally worth it, but the little extras are nice too. Valet parking made it easy to get in and the buffet lunch was impressive too. A bit pricey, but you certainly will get what you pay for. read more

I want to say that our tour guides were amazing. On the VIP tour when you do the actual backlot tour, you will have two tour guides. I had Mike, and Bianka (with a K) for the backlog tour, but for the upper lot (My tour guide was Bianka, with a K.) there's a lot of nostalgia and history at Universal Studios Hollywood. And I enjoyed myself. I'm glad I got a chance to finally go on the VIP tour! read more

Absolutely amazing! I normally do Universal Studios with an express pass, but I wanted to try the VIP experience. I was not disappointed. We started at 11AM and ended around 5 pm. They provided breakfast and lunch. You could tell the food was high quality. The ambience in the restaurant was comfortable. We even meet Lucy from I Love Lucy there and got to take a pic. Our tour guide Kyle was great! He was funny, informative, and upbeat. The only complaint I had was about the other guests that we were on the tour with. They were a party of six, and our tour was about 25 minutes delayed because they showed up late. In addition, they kept talking to each other very loudly, and me and the other guests had a hard time listening to the tour guide. read more

The VIP Experience at Universal Studios Hollywood is one of the best things to take part in whether you are a local or visitor to LA. But fair warning - if you don't love and appreciate films, don't bother taking this tour! I have been going to USH for years and finally made my way to this tour. I booked it a few weeks in advance at the parks because, as a pass-holder, you do not get the discounts online or over the phone, they have to do it onsite. The day I chose had a regular price of $379 and I paid $225 with a gold pass. I arrived around 10:15am and was sent to Jurassic Parking for the free valet parking. The VIP entrance is between the turnstiles and customer service areas, I was greeted by a friendly doorman and checked in at the counters. Then you're sent up to the VIP lounge for free breakfast, a place to relax, and free water bottles, hand sanitizer, poncho, and face wipes! You also have the option to go to the park and use up whatever time you have. My tour was at 11:15 so I did not have too much time to explore (not that I needed to!) Breakfast consisted of croissant sandwiches, pastries, oatmeal, hardboiled eggs, yogurt, coffee, tea, and juices. I ate both croissant sandwiches, one with ham & cheddar, the other salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, and greens. The salmon was my favorite but both croissants were soft and fluffy! I only ate the raspberry cream cheese danish which was delicious! The coffee was not too good though and the orange juice tasted great! Around 11 our tour guide Zan gathered the group and we were off! Our lunch was at 2:20 and backlot tour was after that so he took us to all the rides where we were given express lane entrance, the longest we waited was maybe 5 minutes through Secret Life of Pets because the regular line joins the express line. We were also given reserved seating for Water World, right in the middle bleachers for the perfect view! While on the tour, Zan (or any tour guide) offers history, insight, and facts about the park, rides, and more! He will even point out easter eggs on some attractions. When lunch came, he gave us a meeting spot and time, we had an hour for lunch. The lunch buffet is inside the Moulin Rouge building in the French Pavilion, a quaint and fancy-ish place compared to the rest of the park! I chose to sit on the outdoor patio which is beautiful and we had great weather for the day. I was SHOCKED at how amazing the food was! I did not expect the usual "theme park food" but did not expect it to be as good as it was. They have a huge array of salads, appetizers, main items, desserts, and drinks. I ate the following: prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe - a classic and great pairing with fresh juicy fruit and salty savory prosciutto ahi tuna poke - surprisingly fresh and tasty, just a bit too salty from the soy sauce lobster risotto - made with langoustine instead of lobster, but it was still delicious! Creamy and rich risotto with big chunks of langoustine tri-tip - a bit tough but cooked well and juicy cheese assortment - obviously the best addition to any buffet chili ginger salmon - probably my favorite, tender and moist salmon with a slight sweetness and kick! pizza - it was okay, nothing to rave about cucumber salad - fresh, crunchy, delicious! chocolate chip cookies - these rest on a warming tray to stay gooey, but they are slightly over-baked to begin with cheesecake - great flavor, slightly sweet and slightly sour, just wish the crust was thicker fruit tartlet - fresh fruit, great custard, and a crispy cookie like pie shell Coffee was also much better here than the VIP lounge gelato - do not miss it! They have it in an awkward place at the buffet so people miss it (even the chef mentioned that) I chose the cherry and vanilla flavors, both were so creamy and rich and delicious! We met back with our tour guide and went off to the studio tour, and this is the sole reason for my visit! It was absolutely incredible!! We joined with another tour group and their guide Chris was just as amazing as Zan, offering tons of information while on the bus and getting off to walk around Brownstone street, town center/courthouse, the airplane crash from war of the worlds, and the classic sets where we see the monster movies, pirates, the good place, and more! The bus goes on pretty much the same route as the usual tram seeing Amityville, King Kong, Wisteria Lane, Fast & Furious, the subway earthquake, and more. But it's definitely a more intimate experience and comfortable! After the tour, we had a few attractions left - Zan took us to Forbidden Journey which we did not have time for earlier, then let us go to either explore the park, use our express passes for rides again, or seeing Kung Fu Panda and the Animal Actors show. I opted for Animal Actors and by then it was about 6:30. Since the park closed at 7 I did not have time to really stay and go through the rides again but again, it's fine since I have a pass. read more

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This was one of my bucket list items n I'm so glad we finally did it! :D You get free valet parking ($50 normally)...VIP entrance to the lounge is right next to the main gate, the VIP lounge is nice and roomy, breakfast buffet is included n they also have bottled water for you to grab to go and phone charging stations...The lounge private restrooms are clean and spacious Your tour guide will gather your group and start going on rides, you will get to do most if not all the rides (express entrance), Super Nintendo World/Mario Kart included :) Then to the lunch buffet!!! To me this is the best part of the VIP Tour...It's like a Vegas style buffet, I'd pay top dollars for this buffet anywhere cuz it's that good lol After lunch, you get to go on the studio tram tour but on a private VIP bus, it's very comfy n part of your tour is on foot and you get to take pix on the actual set of some of your favorite movies! You also get to see part of the props department...The tour concludes after the Water World show (or maybe another show) The VIP tour is about 7.5 hours total...The ticket is definitely on the expensive side but considering what you get out of the whole experience it's definitely worth it After the tour guide takes their leave, you still have unlimited express access to every rides and shows until the park closes The only "downside" is that since you are on a schedule, you don't get to shop or buy snacks while you are on the tour, you will have to do that on your own time, maybe not a downside but more of a FYI :) read more

What a way to enjoy Universal Studios! Not only did we get to walk around the sets, props dept, free valet, breakfast, and awesome buffet lunch...the fact that we didn't have to line up for any rides and even went ahead of express lines was super awesome. Our guide Janae also was super wonderful helping with bags and offering to take pictures and provided so many interesting facts about the studio! Totally worth the extra but be warned that you might be spoiled by this experience!! read more

Universal Studios Hollywood VIP Experience - Tours Near Me - Universal City, California

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Definitely worth the money which I think was $430 Here's how I break it down: 1. Regular entry with express line was about $230 2. Breakfast which is included would cost you about $30 3. Lunch which is included would be at a minimum $60. Yes it's a pretty nice spread. Plus no need to tip. 4. Super Mario World you'd want to pay $20 for early access. There's no other expedited access available 5. Self parking is $30 Right there you're at $140 in savings Then you need to decide if the following is worth about $60: 1. A guided tour. No need to think about what to do next 2. No BS waiting for a table at a restaurant 3. Included valet parking. Yes, its MUCH closer to the park 4. Special buses for VIPs for the Studio Tour. Regular buses are 4 lengths long and hold 160 people. The VIP buses are climate controlled, and you are combined with another tour, so that's about 20 total. 5. The ability to get ON AND OFF the buses during the studio tour. Not only did we walk around the outdoor sets for photo ops and such, but got to walk through one of the giant costume warehouses. Very cool. Our guide was great. Her name is Michelle. You can request her. But honestly, all the guides are fantastic. Its definitely expensive, but when you add everything you get up, its very worth it. It just depends how valuable your time is really. If you get a multi-day pass for a cheap price, and don't mind waiting in lines, then this may not be for you. If you are trying to see everything in the park in as short amount of time as possible and not having to worry about anything, in my mind, this is totally worth it. read more

My friends came all the way from China to see me here and they only have one day here at Los Angeles so we decide to go to the vip experience at universal studios together. They all bought the ticket for 12:30 and I remembered clearly I choose 12:30 on my phone as the time of entrance. I don't know why when I got the ticket, it became 9:30. I called the phone number choosing the universal vip tour line, but I waited for 1 hour from 10am to 11:05 am and nobody answered. I sent our email again nobody responded. The other day I called and explained the situation. Finally someone answered, but she was so mean she just said there's nothing she can do. It is not my fault. Maybe because just when I was buying the ticket, the time is out? It should have notified me the time is out, instead of processing my order. I feel so disappointed about the service here. It is the no-responsiveness for the 500 dollars ticket make me sad. read more

I went back and forth for months trying to decide whether or not to purchase the VIP tickets and finally decided to try it, despite the price (which, when you really add up all the other costs for going to the park, isn't much more money). This was so worth it, I don't ever want to do it any other way. You walk directly into all of the rides, you eat at a gourmet VIP only restaurant and WOW was the food good, and you get VIP exclusive experiences in the private Studio Tour, which has air conditioning on the bus. But above all of that is the absolutely personalized service from the tour guide. Prince showed an extensive knowledge of the park, rides, tips and studio information. But he also went out of his way to get to know everyone in the group and their preferences. He was respectful, professional and entertaining. read more

I did the VIP Experience for my birthday. It was worth every penny. I would definitely go again. The Tour Guide, Nic is incredible. He was friendly and accommodating to everyone in the group. He would stop every so often to ensure that we stayed together as a group, explained the rides and gave everyone a chance to opt out on anything. He was knowledgeable about everything that we asked about. He held our bags during the rides. He waited for me by the exit as I was the last one from the group to leave from the Super Nintendo Ride. Got a chance to visit the prop department and walk around the War of the Worlds area during our BackLot Tour. I would love to have Nic again as a Tour Guide when I go back again. read more

Awesome tour with great tour guide. We've been here several times over the years. VIP Experience at Universal Studios Hollywood is a must. I wrote a separate review for lunch at Moulin Rouge and the starting experience at the VIP Experience Lounge. The entire adventure was fabulous and we had a great time. Each visit turned out a bit different, depending on the host/tour guide. This time, we had Austin tour us. He's very passionate and was with the group for the entire duration. Excellent service. Bus was very clean with free bottled water in the cooler too. Austin greeted everyone in the refreshing lounge and then took us downstairs to the streets as he walked us around a few blocks. The blue VIP bus was waiting for us at one of the amusement park locations. Our group took up half the bus and another tour group hopped on to join us. It was perfect to fit total 24 people onboard. Both tour groups had a tour guide. Driver was patient. The bus took us all around the back roads, warehouse studios, and movie setting locations. Place was huge! The groups got off and stopped at several popular sights to look around and listened to the tour guides speak. After a few hours, the bus ride ended. Groups broke off to their own destinations and followed their own agendas. Tour guide Austin brought us over to enjoy a few rides before going to lunch at Moulin Rouge. More rides at the amusement park after lunch and towards the end of the early evening. It was definitely a full time commitment with lots of walking. Although some rides malfunctioned or didn't work when we got to the lines, the experiences were still very enjoyable and positive. Always prepare for the unexpected. They offered to get us back onto the rides at a later time on same day (optional). Weather was gorgeous and heat wave haven't arrived. Austin was extremely patient and resourceful. He always waited until all headcounts were accounted for. We are indeed a fan of all VIP Experience tours now. Great times. Beautiful photos and memories that will last a lifetime. We will be back again for the next tours in a few years. Thanks to all the wonderful staff members for leading the way! Very much appreciated. Great job! Excellent experiences. read more

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Ok 7 of us 4 adults 3 kids were lucky enough to experience the VIP on Easter 2022. All I can say is AMAZING! We arrived at 8:30 and Valet parking was included. A private entrance with a great breakfast waiting to begin at 9:00am. Our tour guy was Peter. At first we all weren't sure we needed a tour guy but oh YES we did. Peter is AMAZING. So informative and just a FUN guy. He has been working there for 40 years. Did we sure score with the best guy. We had the best day and wow what an amazing buffet lunch. So so so good. NO wait at all on each and all rides all day. The wait times were any where from 50-65 minutes so that was great. We had special VIP seating for all the shows too. Again GREAT. Yes this is not inexpensive but WELL WELL WELL worth the cost. I would never go to Universal without having Peter be our VIP guy. read more

Universal Studios Hollywood VIP Experience - Tours Near Me - Universal City, California

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The VIP experience itself was awesome, the food they provided was awesome and the staff was so friendly. I am honestly here wanting to give praise to my tour guide Victor. When buying experiences like this, the customer experience is something that I pay close attention to, and Victor went beyond that. Can't wait to come back! read more

Totally worth every dollar. We literally walked right onto a ride that showed a 240 minute wait. Made the whole day some much more enjoyable. Sit down lunch experience was restful in the middle of the day. I'll never go back without VIP experience, thanks Larry. read more

We experienced the VIP tour with our tour guide KD today. It is worth every dollar!! You start off with a decent relaxing breakfast. Then they take you on the studio tour in a nice air conditioned tram. It felt more intimate with only ten of us and KD. She took us to all the rides and up to the front and best seats. We had a great decent quality buffet lunch. After over six hours with KD, we were off on our own with our VIP passes still to use. The experience and pampering make it great. But our tour guide KD definitely added to the experience and made the day perfect!! Please don't forget to tip your tour guides!! read more

We just came back from the VIP experience at Universal Studios Hollywood. We had experienced this same tour pre-Covid shut down. Unfortunately a few things have changed on the tour due to them not wanting to gather people at the indoor areas like before. With that said, our experience this visit was absolutely wonderful! Mostly because of our tour guide Matthew. He went above and beyond for everyone on the tour. He had several ladies (8) on the tour that were reluctant to bring their bags and drinks on the rides, so Matthew offered to hold EVERYONES belongings! He honestly looked like a human coat rack while holding jackets, purses, and drinks, with not one complaint. He was smiling the entire time even though it was hot and all of that on top of the heat had to be overwhelming. I HIGHLY recommend if you do the VIP experience that you request Matthew as your guide. He is all about doing whatever he can to make your visit amazing. Thank you Matthew for such a wonderful visit! SIDE NOTE..... TIP YOUR TOUR GUIDES!!!! They earn it, especially Matthew! read more

We went on the VIP tour yesterday and it was an absolute blast! You get a light snack/lunch before you begin and an amazing meal later in the tour. We rode every ride and had great seats to the WaterWorld show. What truly makes this experience phenomenal are the tour guides. We were fortunate enough to have Kyle, who was just a hoot! We laughed the entire time and my husband bonded with him over their shared love of Halloween Horror Nights. When you consider the price of a ticket, plus express pass, plus the meals and drinks provided, this is an excellent value!! Thank you Kyle for being such a rockstar! read more

Went on the tour on 5/4/23. I took the VIP your 20 years ago and loved it. I could not wait to take my wife. Arrived to find a standing-room-only crowd in the lounge. When our guide arrived, our group had ten people in it. We rushed through the different attractions having time to go on five rides. Then the "executive chef" meal was an average-quality buffet, like Golden Corral, on a sound stage. Next, we combined with another group for the lot tour, increasing our group's number to 26. After that, it was like being herded through the lot. No time for pictures, no time to explore the lot. Just an overcrowded tour bus with people asking if this was really what they had paid $389.00 a piece for. Go enjoy the park on regular admission plus the express pass. You will have a much better time. read more

Greg was our VIP tour guide today, we are very happy and thankful with his help. Greg was super nice, helpful and patient with our family. Thank you Greg read more

First off, I have to say, our tour guide for our 8pm R.I.P. HHN tour with Angela was so much fun. I've only done one other VIP tour, and that was during the day, so I had to take my family on the R.I.P. tour. Angela was helping our group the entire night with fun facts about each house, the scare tram, extras that our tour offered, the meal, getting to know all of us, and what to do if we got separated from the group. What I appreciated was how she made sure everyone got a chance to be either at the front, middle, or back of the group for each house, and asked ahead who got scared easily and who was pretty relaxed about the experience. She didn't just take us on the tour or get us hyped before each house. She would talk with anyone in the group on the way there, and we could always find her after a house, because she'd be dancing with a fellow VIP guide. She even checked in with me before we went up or down a hill, knowing my joints cause problems for me at unexpected times. The food was also amazing, which was part of the tour. Thank you, Angela and to everyone at the VIP lounge. You made my night amazing. read more