Universal Holiday VIP Tour
8/18 | Maggie Ballantyne
In December 2021, I decided to sign up for the Universal Holiday VIP Tour. I had never participated in a VIP Tour through Universal Orlando, and I will spoil the ending now by saying I am SO happy I did. The cost for this tour started at $69.99 with pricing being date-based. You do need park-to-park tickets for the date of your tour in order to participate as park admission is not included in the price.\
My report time to the lawn in front of the stage and Rip Ride Rockit was 5 pm, and as soon as I arrived there was a very quick, very smooth check in process. This year the tour groups were capped at 15 participants, up from 12 in 2020, to allow for appropriate social distancing. At check-in we each received our schedule for the evening. We were very surprised to learn the tour was actually going to be 6 hours, not the 4 we saw advertised! I suggest grabbing an early dinner before checking in as we were not prepared for the longer time commitment.
Our first stop on the tour was the Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s. We had a great front row seat because we checked in early. In hindsight, I wish we had grabbed food and ate it while we were waiting. It would have saved us from being hungry while also guaranteeing a good parade spot. The parade includes some of your favorite characters from the parks, new floats, balloons, and of course, ends with the big man himself: Santa! It was a fantastic way to kick off the evening.
After the parade concluded, groups gathered with their assigned guides and started to follow their respective schedules. The first stop on our schedule was what I was looking forward to most: the reserved seating at The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular! This show during normal park hours has wait times exceeding several hours, so it was nice knowing in the evening I would have guaranteed admission and did not need to waste time in line during the day. This rendition of The Grinch exceeded all my expectations. It was just perfect! The Grinch was hilarious, Cindy-Lou Who was sweet as could be, and the town of Whoville had me walking out of the theater with the Christmas spirit in my heart. Our reserved seats gave us a great view, the music was fun and easy to sing along to, and while the show is a condensed version of the movie you might be used to, all the best quotes are included.
Keeping with the theme of the Grinch, our next stop was the meet and greet with The Grinch at Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-Pendous! Here we enjoyed Christmas cookies, a hot cocoa bar with all the fixings including hot fudge, peppermint, marshmallows, etc., and an exclusive meet and greet with the Grinch himself. He made each interaction incredibly personal and if you live for character interactions like I do, the entire tour was worth every penny just for this interaction. It was my favorite part of the evening! I presented the Grinch with an onion, which he loved, although he did give me a hard time about how sparkly my outfit was.
We had a little downtime after this. The Holiday Tribute Store is tentatively on the schedule, but it was closed this particular evening. I had visited earlier that day in the park just in case and I am glad I did. If I had not been able to experience this special shopping experience, I would have been disappointed. This downtime was a great opportunity to take pictures with the giant Christmas Tree in the New York area with no crowds, learn about the Universal Christmas legend Earl the Squirrel, and take in the Christmas décor. When it was our turn to meet Santa, we walked to the Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon building, went up to a rooftop overlooking Hollywood Rip Rockit, and waited for our turn! I was scared of Santa as a kid (hahaha), so I have none with him. I was excited to meet him and pictures were printed for us on the spot. We also received an additional surprise gift! After meeting Santa, we headed back to the theater for a private Q&A with The Who’s from the Grinchmas show. This experience is not available to the public and was fantastic! They were entertaining, hilarious, and I found myself laughing for most of the show.
Once the Meet & Greet concluded, we headed over to Hogsmeade for a private viewing of the Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle Show. The shops also remained open so we could browse without the crowds either! It was so nice to take in Hogsmeade during the holidays without many people around. Harry Potter fans will rejoice since normally this area is crowded no matter what time of day or season of the year.
Even with this “brief” summary of the tour, you can see it was a jam-packed evening. While the tour does take place in Universal Studios AND Islands of Adventure, our guide did take us backstage through some short cuts. Nevertheless, it is lots of walking, so wear good shoes!
Overall, I am happy I took part in this experience. The meet and greet with the Grinch, reserved seats at the show, a private showing of the castle show, sweet Christmas treats, and an exclusive Q&A with The Who’s made for an unforgettable night leaving me wanting to deck the halls and enter the holiday season full of cheer.
If you are interested in visiting Universal Orlando during any time of year, I am happy to provide you with a complimentary quote. Just email me at maggie@wishesfamilytravel.com. Please follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wishesfamilytravelmaggie