What is the VIP Experience at Universal Hollywood?
We’ve been to a lot of theme parks all over the world, so we know better than most that time is often quite literally money. You can quantify hours in dollars and cents when you pay for skip-the-line passes, and with a limited amount of time in each park, we are often willing to splurge for that privilege. We’ve used Busch Garden’s Quick Queue, we’ve doubled down with Universal’s Express Pass, we’ve leveraged Disney’s early morning magic and we’ve even seen Genie Plus through to the other side of its transformation into the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass...but nothing compares to the VIP Experience at Universal Studios Hollywood. At $349 per person on the day we visited (dynamic pricing means this number may fluctuate), this was far and away the most expensive theme park add-on we’ve ever tried. So… was it worth it?
The day started early, with a check-in process that was smooth and welcoming. We received VIP badges that granted us guided access for the first half of the day, which would then transition into Express Passes for whatever was left of the day after the tour had concluded. We also received one complimentary poncho each for use on “Jurassic World: the Ride” and any other attractions with a water component. A complimentary breakfast buffet was waiting for us upstairs, along with coffee, juice, yogurt, and pastries. The staff advised us not to fill up too much, though - there was to be a gourmet lunch later that day, and we were told that it’d be wise to save a little room. We were actually running a little late at the time of check-in, so we didn’t really have the wiggle room to gorge ourselves on breakfast anyway. Our guide for the day was Matt Farren, who brought not just knowledge but personality to every part of the experience. It wasn’t a script—it was a conversation. We appreciated his flexibility and sense of humor, and he kept things moving without ever making us feel rushed. It’s worth noting that Matt has since moved on from the VIP program at Universal, but he remains active in the film industry as an actor, director, musician, and cinematographer. You can find more about his work at mattfarren.com, and we genuinely wish him all the best—he made our day unforgettable.
Above: Matt Farren, our tour guide at Universal Studios Hollywood, did a great job taking us through the twists and turns of production and development of both the cinematic and the "cinemagic" during our VIP Tour!
The VIP Trolley, a luxurious upgrade on the standard Studio Tram Tour, was one of the biggest highlights for us. Unlike the traditional Studio Tour, VIP guests get their own private tram, access to areas the public doesn’t see, and opportunities to disembark and walk around working sets. We visited iconic locations from Jurassic Park, The Thing, War of the Worlds, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. We even got to peek at the still-functioning production set of an upcoming series which is still in development, though for obvious reasons we were not permitted to take any photos or videos in those areas. We still got every moment of the traditional Studio Tour - the Kong: Skull Island simulator, the close encounter with Norman Bates, the flooding effects, and so on - but our tour was more immersive, more detailed, and far more personal than the standard version. Plus, there were no lines and we got as many ice-cold water bottles as our little hearts desired. When you take a VIP Trolley through the backlot, rest assured that it will just be your group, your guide and a lot of behind-the-scenes magic.
After we disembarked our VIP Trolley, we had checked the most time-contingent box of the day and no longer had to stick to a strict schedule. And it wouldn’t be a trip to Universal if you didn’t get a few good rides in! Lines were, as expected, a breeze. We walked right onto the loading platforms for “Flight of the Hippogriff” and “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” with zero wait. Even rides that typically require a locker drop—like “Revenge of the Mummy”—were handled with ease because our guide was able to watch our bags. Though we opted out of a few rides like “Transformers: The Ride 3D” and “The Simpsons Ride” (either because we’d done them before or just weren’t in the mood), we hit nearly every must-do attraction without ever feeling the usual theme park fatigue. As the day went on, our group got smaller; some just came for the Tram Tour leg of the journey, and were anxious to use their badge as an Express Pass elsewhere. Others got a bit more than they bargained for on simulator attractions and had to tap out. But this is where it’s important to remember one of the first things that Matt told us at the beginning of the day—“this tour moves at your pace”. While others were hurrying to attractions that we weren’t as interested in, we were able to meet characters like Scooby Doo and Frankenstein and snap some photos for the memories.
Above: The Waterworld Stunt Show brings some of the film industry's best stunt work to the rusty arena inside Universal Studios Hollywood! Good luck staying dry!
By the time of our forecasted gourmet meal, we had worked up quite an appetite. And the word ‘gourmet’ - used many times over the course of the day - was in no way misleading. Lunch was served in a private VIP dining room, and it was far and away some of the best food we’ve ever had in a theme park setting. Fresh salads, carved meats, pasta salads, shrimp cocktail, and a dessert bar that tested every ounce of restraint. We each received one included alcoholic beverage token as part of our VIP admission - though we were welcome to purchase more drinks if we wished - and the fancy cappuccino from the machine in the corner was, oddly enough, the best coffee that Katie had across our entire twelve-day trip to Southern California. In addition to the absolutely divine food, we also had a surprise in the form of character meet-and-greets in the VIP dining room. Lucy, Gabbie the Cabbie, Dracula and Doc Brown all made appearances around our table, and Dracula even gave Katie a little button for being “dressed to impress” (which is to say, a classic Universal Monsters T-Shirt). These little things may not be as consequential to the average guest, but for us, it was pure Hollywood magic!
After lunch, it was on to the ol’ rusty arena to catch an afternoon performance of the famous “WaterWorld” stunt show from reserved seats—dry ones, for a change. Not only did we have the best view in the house, but we also caught the infamous Seaplane stunt on camera…an increasingly rare occurrence for such a technologically complex stunt! After the show, the actors and stunt performers always stick around for a little meeting and greeting with the fans, so we made sure to snap a couple of photos before moving on to the other attractions left on our list. Matt guided us at a quick but not exhausting pace through each of the upper lot attractions—"The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash” and “Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem”—before descending to the lower level for a particularly wet ride in the front row of “Jurassic World: The Ride”. Super Nintendo World was our final big stop of the day, and while our time there was a bit abbreviated due to our transition into Halloween Horror Nights (more on that in another video), we were still able to enjoy “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge” and a few of the Power-Up Band mini-games before heading out.
The real luxury of the VIP experience is how it lets you breathe. There's no scrambling to make your next Lightning Lane window, no stress about which land to do first, no sense that you're constantly fighting the crowd. Despite the number of attractions that we were able to experience and the relatively quick rate at which we moved through them, we never felt rushed. Jumping directly to the front of every line allowed us to outpace the standard queue and the Universal Express lanes both, and occasionally we would even be walked into the back exit of the attractions just to circumvent any lags in the line. So, was it worth it? For us—absolutely. The price tag is steep, no question, but when you factor in the value of what you get…priority access, private touring, excellent food, exclusive behind-the-scenes access and a stress-free day…it adds up fast. If you’ve got one day to do the park and want to experience it in a truly memorable way, this is a splurge we’d wholeheartedly recommend. But don’t just take our word for it—check out our full YouTube vlog to see the experience for yourself! Thanks once again to Matt and to the entire USH crew for a fantastic day out at the original Universal Studios park!
