Universal VIP Experience Photos (160!) and report About This Page:

[nbodyhome]

MouseSteps - Non-WDW Content

This was a GREAT tour and I highly recommend it!!! I got to walk around the set of the Bates Motel, one set area from Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.

[bradk]

did you actually walk around wysteria lane? quite a few changes from when i took it. no hot soundstage? i wanna go back and take it again. hopefully when i hit disneyland later this year if that happens.

i also wouldn't exactly call what disney and universal have synergy. it's more like if one studio has a resource that someone else needs, they'll make it available for a price (if it's available that is). universal actually makes any of those street sets available for private functions too.

also interesting to note.. as i understand it (they didn't explain it on the tour), that cleaver house isn't the original. the original was torn down but was recreated for the spinoff movie/series 'still the beaver'

also, that anubis-like statue i believe is from the revenge of the mummy portion of the tram tour, where the tunnel starts spinning around you to disorient you.

[nbodyhome]

Yes, the Mummy - thanks! I actually liked that portion too, but it was at the end of the tour and I didn't write everything down that we did.

We didn't walk around Wisteria Lane - but about 4 or 5 other places (props, that one POTC set, the Bates Motel, etc.) . The Cleaver House didn't actually look exactly like I'd seen it online, so no wonder about that! Thanks! There was no filming being done that day, since it was a weekend. Each tour will be a little different, and I know that it would be different going on the weekend vs. the weekday.

I find it interesting about Universal/Disney also though that - unlike WDW, if you want to book a DL package, they may ask you if you want to add on other parks like Universal! So they do work together out there to some degree, unlike here. It was a little mind-bending to me that Wisteria Lane and POTC were on the Universal lot, I'm just so used to Uni and Disney being completely separate here (no matter the reason for Disney using the Uni soundstages).

[lauren-roxy]

Great photos and sounds like a pretty fun tour to take!!

[nbodyhome]

Originally Posted by lauren-roxy

Great photos and sounds like a pretty fun tour to take!!

It was a lot of fun, thanks!!! I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[Deb Willis-Woods]

Your pictures are so great. Makes me want to plan a trip up to US. I have been more times than I can count but I've never taken the VIP tour. I just might have to splurge the next time and do that. It looks really interesting and obviously worth the $$. Thanks for sharing.

[nbodyhome]

Originally Posted by Deb Willis-Woods

Your pictures are so great. Makes me want to plan a trip up to US. I have been more times than I can count but I've never taken the VIP tour. I just might have to splurge the next time and do that. It looks really interesting and obviously worth the $$. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks! That was my first time to go to the California park, and I wouldn't go any other way. I think it is well worth the splurge, especially with everything it included! And it was a really fun day.

[Splash_Lover]

I would love to take this tour next time I go. I love universal but did not go last time as we have a 5 yr old and not really young person park. I love seeing the changes that have taken place over the years since I first went. Then, you got on the tram as you entered universal and there were no rides just shows. The first time you had a chance to be filmed in a scene from adam-12. When I went in 1990, the big show was Star Trek. They had kitt from night rider that would talk to you. When I went in 1998 what a difference with the rides and shows.
the spinning tunnel on the tram tour was originally a scene out of the six million dollar man from the sasquatch episode.

[Joy J]

I loved reading your report and looking at your photos. It brought back a lot of memories from when we did the tour and some changes too of course. Back then, we got to clamber all over the Crossing Jordan set. We ended up taking some rather unusual photos of "dead bodies." It was amazing how realistic those "corpses" looked.

Joy

[bradk]

http://bradk.smugmug.com/photos/23690078-L.jpg http://bradk.smugmug.com/photos/23691606-L-1.jpg http://bradk.smugmug.com/photos/23690224-L.jpg

as corpse examples...

i'll be doing the vip tour again in april

[nbodyhome]

The Crossing Jordan set was closed (I think the show was cancelled?) But each time, it's something new.

I don't know if I'll get there in March when I'm in CA. I would love to do it again, so we'll see!

[Joy J]

Great photos Brad!

Joy

[tdandboys]

We wanted to do this, but we couldn't afford it. Thanks for sharing.