The busy season hit like a freight train last week, so I missed a week of blogging. This is the time of year when everyone wants to escape cold, snow, and rain, so travel agents stay very busy in the winter. I'm caught up now, just in time for our Marvel Day at Sea group cruise next week! I'm really excited to tell you about last year's Universal Hollywood trip today, because new details of Universal Hollywood Fan Fest Nights came out this week! When I heard about this event, I thought it would be similar to how Disneyland does After Dark - one theme per night. With Star Trek, Back to the Future, Dungeons & Dragons, Nintendo, and One Piece highlighted, what's a geek to do? We live so far away, we could only pick one.
But no, Universal continues to blow me away and just released the details of ALL THEMES EVERY NIGHT! This is set up more like Halloween Horror Nights, with the different experiences spaced throughout the park. AND there's a Fan Fest Nights VIP tour? I AM SO IN. So let me tell you about our VIP experience at Universal Hollywood last May!
The Universal Hollywood non-private VIP tour is the best way to experience Universal Hollywood, in my opinion. When you consider that the ticket price includes your park admission and Unlimited Express Pass all day, it's really a very reasonable price. You have your own VIP entrance to the park, and start with a continental breakfast in the VIP lounge, and also includes a private lunch. We were surprised by a visit from Dracula at lunch!
The best part of ALL is that you get a bigger backlot tour, where you even get to get off the bus to explore sets. This is subject to change based on production schedules, but we were able to explore the "Little Europe set"and learn about all the different studios and movies that had used that area. There is another "town square" area that is very recognizable that we were not able to visit on this day because of filming. We also got to walk through a prop warehouse and a sound stage!
I'm reading William Castle's memoir, Step Right Up! I'm Going to Scare the Pants Off America! right now and I had to chuckle when he mentioned being hired out to Universal and how their backlot was full of tiny bungalows and looked like a country club. Some of the original bungalows are still there and are still used as offices! I wish I'd taken a photo of those.
We also got to spend a little more time getting photo ops than the regular backlot tour. The Psycho house was my favorite. And finally, the big excitement of this trip was FINALLY SEEING SUPER NINTENDO WORLD! This trip was about a year after this area opened, and at the time, the only way you could ride Bowser's Challenge as many times as you wanted was by doing the VIP experience. That said, our tour started at 11, and Super Nintendo World is the last area you visit on the tour, so we only had time to ride it once. Having experienced that, I would always suggest getting the earliest VIP tour time possible so you have time to use your Express Pass before the park closes for the day.
Just as Disneyland is smaller than Walt Disney World but still completely different, Universal Hollywood is tiny but mighty! We definitely wished we had booked a second day, because while the VIP tour was awesome, spending a lot of time on the backlot meant we didn't get to as many of the regular attractions as we would have with a regular ticket. We're so excited to get back this May for Fan Fest Nights! Fan Fest Nights is a special ticketed evening event, separate from daytime admission. There are many options for tickets, so contact me for help navigating the perfect package! Also, check out the Inside Universal blog for a preview!
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