TraciIs a Universal Orlando VIP Tour Worth It? My Experience
If you’ve ever looked at the price of a Universal Orlando VIP Experience and wondered, “Is it really worth it?”—I completely understand.
I wondered the same thing.
After experiencing a VIP tour myself, though, I can tell you this: it’s about so much more than skipping a few lines.
Starting Our VIP Day
Check-in was incredibly easy and smooth. We met at the front of the park, received our VIP badges, and were walked over to Café La Bamba for a buffet breakfast.
After breakfast, we met our VIP tour guide and started making our way through Universal Studios Florida.
And that’s where the experience really started to feel different from a normal park day.
Behind the Scenes at Universal Studios
One of our first stops was MEN IN BLACK: Alien Attack.
Instead of simply walking through the regular queue, we were taken downstairs and had the chance to see the aliens up close. It’s one of those little behind-the-scenes experiences I still talk about when telling people about the tour.
We also walked through Diagon Alley, where our guide pointed out little secrets and details that I probably would have walked right past on my own.
That’s one of my favorite things about travel in general. I love finding the details and hidden things that aren’t always obvious at first glance—and the VIP tour gave us plenty of those moments.
We also experienced Revenge of the Mummy before making our way toward the Hogwarts Express.
From Universal Studios to Islands of Adventure
We were brought to the front of the line for the Hogwarts Express and traveled from King’s Cross over to Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure.
Once there, we experienced some of the park’s biggest attractions, including Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, located inside Hogwarts Castle.
We also rode Flight of the Hippogriff and, of course, stopped to enjoy a Butterbeer.
Now, I should probably mention that I’m not a huge roller coaster person. 😂
Some people in our group experienced Jurassic World VelociCoaster and The Incredible Hulk Coaster.
Me?
I happily let them enjoy those.
And that’s another thing I liked about the tour. I never felt like I had to ride something just because the rest of the group wanted to. There was still plenty for me to enjoy.
Lunch at Mythos Was an Experience on Its Own
Midday, we stopped for lunch at Mythos.
This wasn’t a quick theme park lunch.
We were treated to unlimited nonalcoholic drinks, one alcoholic drink, an appetizer, a main dish, and dessert.
The food was absolutely delicious.
Based on what we ordered and received, I would estimate the meal alone was easily around an $80+ value per person.
When you’re looking at the overall cost of a VIP tour, I think it’s important to consider everything included—not just the ride access.
How Much Did We Actually Get Done?
Our VIP day ended around 5 PM.
By that point, we had experienced both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, ridden several major attractions, enjoyed behind-the-scenes experiences, eaten breakfast and a full sit-down lunch, and learned little details about the parks from our guide.
And we still had time left in the evening to go back and explore anything we may not have gotten to during the tour.
For me, that is where the value really became clear.
Could we have tried to do all of that ourselves?
Maybe.
But we would have spent a lot more time standing in lines, figuring out where to go next, and trying to move efficiently between two parks.
Instead, we spent our day actually experiencing Universal.
So, Is the Universal Orlando VIP Tour Worth It?
For me?
Absolutely.
Universal’s VIP Experience is not inexpensive, but compared with some other theme park VIP experiences, I didn’t feel the cost was unreasonable for what we received.
We covered two parks.
We avoided some seriously long waits.
We had behind-the-scenes access.
Breakfast was included.
We enjoyed an incredible multi-course lunch.
And we experienced more in one day than we probably would have been able to accomplish on our own.
I don’t think everyone needs a VIP tour every time they visit Universal.
But if you have limited park time, want to experience as much as possible, are celebrating something special, or simply don’t want to spend a large portion of your vacation waiting in lines, I absolutely think it’s worth considering.
My Biggest Tip Before You Book
Don’t look at the VIP price and compare it only to the cost of a regular park ticket.
Look at the entire experience.
Think about the meals, the time saved, the attractions you’re able to experience, the guide, and the behind-the-scenes access.
For me, those are the things that made it worth it.
Planning a Universal Orlando Vacation?
VIP may be perfect for your trip—or there may be another way to plan your Universal vacation that makes more sense for your budget and travel style.
That’s where I can help.
I can help you compare your options and plan a Florida vacation around how you actually want to travel.
Ready to start planning? Let’s talk about your Universal Orlando vacation.