Back in December, we decided to spend one day at Universal Orlando (I know, don't tell Disney on me). Because we only had one day, I decided to try out their 1-day, 2-park VIP tour experience. We did not do the private tour (which would be private for your group and is more customizable), as the non-private option was much cheaper since there were only 3 of us. This experience is a 7-hour tour and includes the following:
Priority access to all rides and attractions including The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man®, TRANSFORMERS™: The Ride-3D and all of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ attractions
Exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences in the parks (subject to availability)
Complimentary valet parking (one vehicle, based on availability)
Reserved seating at shows (excludes live performances during Mardi Gras and Mannheim Steamroller during the holidays)
Complimentary continental breakfast and lunch
Universal Express Unlimited ride access at participating rides and attractions throughout the rest of the day (during normal park operating hours)
Exclusive VIP Experiences lanyard and credential
Discounts at select Universal Orlando owned and operated merchandise locations in the theme parks and CityWalk
The price for the tour varies based on the date. For our December 2022 date during winter break, we paid $449.99 per person. Before we jump into the tour details, let's backtrack a little and talk about Universal's Express Pass options, which are a cheaper alternative for skipping the line than the VIP tour experience.
Universal Express Pass: Universal Orlando offers two express pass options that you can purchase by the day. The Universal Express Pass allows you to skip the line one time per ride at participating attractions. The Universal Express Unlimited Pass allows you to skip the line an unlimited number of times at participating attractions. The problem with these is the at participating attractions part. Some of the most popular rides do not allow skip the line access with Express Pass, including Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, VelociCoaster, and the Mummy (this was true during our stay, participation can change and I believe the Mummy is actually available for Express Pass holders at the time of this post). Hagrid's had 2-hour+ wait times when we were there and that was the ride I wanted to go on most. For rides that are included with Express Pass, we generally had around a 15 minute wait or less when we used Express Pass in the past.
Tip: If you stay at a Universal Orlando Premier Hotel (Loews Royal Pacific, Hard Rock, and Loews Portofino Bay), you automatically get Express Pass Unlimited included with your stay. You just use your room key to access the rides.
MY BIG MISTAKE: I booked our stay at Hard Rock Hotel so that we could get the Express Pass Unlimited. However, I decided last minute to just book the VIP experience for the day, so it was a total waste of money for us to stay at Hard Rock. The VIP experience includes an Express Pass Unlimited, which you can use for the remainder of the day after your tour, and also includes valet parking at the parks. Had I known that we were doing the VIP tour earlier, I would have just booked Dockside or Surfside and saved money on the hotel. TBH, I didn't think the rooms at Hard Rock were that nice anyway.
THE VIP EXPERIENCE: Now on to the tour itself. You book a start time when you book the tour. You head to Universal Studios first and go to the VIP tour check-in, which is to the right of the main entrance gates when facing the gates. From here, they will get you set up and then send you over to Cafe La Bamba to eat breakfast and meet your group/guide. You are not supposed to show up at the time of your tour - you are supposed to show up early so you can eat breakfast and then start the tour around the start time you booked. We didn't get that memo so only arrived like 15 minutes early, oops.
When you get to Cafe La Bamba, you are seated with others that will be in your tour group for the day (remember, we did the non-private tour). The vacationistas lucked out and were grouped with another family with similar goals - go on as many thrill rides as possible. Breakfast at the buffet was pretty good. You can grab a cappuccino and there are plenty of bottled waters for you to take as you embark on your day. The guide stopped over to meet everyone and find out our goals for the day (thrill rides for us!). The guide also measured the kiddos' heights and tells you which rides they won't be able to go on (if applicable).
After breakfast, we were on our way! The guide will ask for input throughout the day but mostly curates the itinerary. If you are placed with others that have different goals, this could definitely affect your tour experience so keep that in mind! With the guide, you walk right on to the rides, as long as they are open and running. The only caveat is you can only do each ride one time. The guides are kept in the loop the minute a ride goes down (which happens a lot) and can detour you if that happens. The other great thing is that many of the rides at Universal use a locker system for belongings. We never had to fuss with this because our guide just held our bags for us!
Here's the morning itinerary that we took on our tour:
The first thing we did was head over to King's Cross station and take the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure. The guide recommended doing Islands of Adventure first as it can get even busier as the day goes on.
After getting off the train, we were in Hogsmeade! Our first ride was Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. This ride is worth all the hype!
Next, it was over to the castle and through the VIP stairs to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
Then it was over to Jurassic Park to ride VeloiCoaster. Unfortunately, this was a 51" ride so the little vacationista couldn't ride. I stayed back with her and we hung out in the gift shop/food court area, which also had dinosaurs on display.
Next it was over to The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man - this is a motion-based 3D simulator ride.
Skull Island - the Reign of Kong was next.
The Hulk was up next, but the little vacationista couldn't ride (54" requirement) so we just hung out at a table and relaxed.
Then we cut through a secret area to get back to Universal Studios Florida.
We headed back to Cafe La Bamba for lunch. Lunch was a buffet and was pretty good. There were plenty of options, even for the little vacationista. After lunch, we were ready for an afternoon of rides:
We tried to go to ET but the ride went down right as we arrived. So we headed over to the Simpsons ride, another indoor simulator.
We tried to go to Men In Black next, but same issue as ET (ride went down right as we arrived).
Then it was over to Diagon Alley to ride Escape from Gringotts.
Afterwards, we headed over to the Revenge of the Mummy (some cool backstage areas with this ride)
Then to Transformers, another indoor simulator ride.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit was next. This is another 51" height requirement, so the little vacationista and I hung out on the lawn next to the ride.
We ended with Race through New York with Jimmy Fallon. After the ride, you end on a private balcony overlooking that area of the park, which was pretty cool!
Throughout the tour, our guide gave us tons of fun tidbits and we had a great day (thanks, Alec)! After the tour, we stayed to watch the parade in the VIP viewing area before heading back to the hotel.
WAS IT WORTH IT? For us, I would say absolutely! We only had 1 day and wanted to check out both parks with the main goal of thrill rides. We were able to ride 13 attractions, including Hagrid's, which was honestly my main reason for booking the tour. We also lucked out because the family we were paired with was awesome so it made for a great day! I would absolutely book this again and just book a cheaper hotel to make up some of the cost. If you have a bigger party, you may want to price out the private VIP tour option as that might only cost a little more per person and offer more flexibility in your itinerary.
Would I book it if I was doing multiple days at the park? Probably not. In that case, I'd just book a premier hotel with the Express Pass Unlimited, and run over to Hagrid's during early park entry hours. Cause, you have to ride Hagrid's....
Comentários