Universal Studios Hollywood’s Enhanced ‘VIP Experience’ Touts Exclusive Guided
Theme Park and Studio Tour with Unlimited Front-of-Line Ride Privileges, Unprecedented
Behind-the-Scenes Access to Movie and Television Sets, Including the Legendary
Prop House, and Gourmet Lunch Prepared by Universal’s Award-Winning Executive Chef
Universal City, California--Universal Studios HollywoodSM puts the illustrious world of movie-making magic within arm’s reach ofguests visiting from across the globe via the theme park’s enhanced “VIP Experience,” offering exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the world’s largest movie and television production studio, an expert Studio Tour Guide with unlimitedfront-of-line privileges on all rides and attractions, entry to areserved VIP Lounge, and a gourmet lunch prepared by the theme park’s award-winning Executive Chef, Eric Kopelow.
Redesigned “VIP Experience” trolleys usher intimate groupson immersive excursions of Universal’s prolific production lot foran insider’s look through Hollywood’s proverbial red curtain. The celebrated experience caters to guests from around the world and is available in a variety of languages, including Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish and English and shines the spotlight on the glamorous world of movie making, motivated by three words: lights, camera, action.
A full-day adventure, the “VIP Experience” provides guests with a rare, up close and personal peek at the movie making process by accessing areas of the Studio lot typically restricted to authorized movie production personnel. Another exciting component affords “VIP Experience” guests the possibility of seeing stars as they stroll about, given the volume of ongoing movies and television shows currently shooting on the lot.
The “VIP Experience” invites guests to disembark the trolleyand walk through several television sets currently being used in the production of such shows as NBC’s “Parenthood,” FOX’s“The Mindy Project” and “Chelsea Lately” on E! EntertainmentTelevision. The tour also takes guests, both on foot and via trolley, through the Studio’s historic backlot sets made famous in over 8,000 movies and television shows.
Along the backlot’s incredibly realistic New York Street, guests will be able to stand at the site where such blockbustersas “Transformers” and “The Sting” were filmed. At the famedCourthouse Square, time might stand still as guests take in the locale made famous in “Back to the Future” and “To Kill A Mockingbird.” For a jaunt across the Atlantic Ocean without ever leaving the West Coast, guests can stroll along the cobblestone streets of Little Europe, the filming site of such favorites as “The Pink Panther” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” while a turn onBrownstone Street will place guests at the doorsteps ofmemorable scenes from the comedy, “Bruce Almighty.”
Equipped with LED monitors, the trolley also features clips from movies filmed on the lot to add context to correspondingsets visited.
The “VIP Experience” is helmed by knowledgeable Studio Tour Guides, whose personalized commentaries enhance the insightful tours with anecdotal storytelling on the Studio’s rich100-year history, celebrity trivia and current production schedules.
The immersive experience also includes a visit to Universal’s famed Edith Head Building, which houses both theProperty Warehouse and the Costume Department. Built in 1915, the “Prop House,” as it is commonly referred to among Hollywood insiders, is one of the largest of its kind in the world. The 130,000 square-foot, four-story facility contains an eclectic assemblage of over 400,000 singularly unique itemsrepresenting virtually every set dressing and handheld articleever created, and the Costume Department features a diverse collection of over 800,000 articles of clothing, costumes, accessories and jewelry required for any production spanningacross the annals of time.
A visit to the Studio’s Sound Department will introduce “VIP Experience” guests to the intricacies of film and television sound post-production and the various techniques applied in dubbing, sound mixing, Foley sound effects and ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement).
An elaborate gourmet lunch, prepared exclusively for “VIP Experience” guests by Universal Studios Hollywood’s award-winning Executive Chef, Eric Kopelow, adds to a full day of indulgence. Served in a private restaurant with an attentive wait staff in the theme park’s picturesque Parisian quarters, the experience features a choice of indoor dining, complete withtables draped in fine linen and cloth napkins, and al fresco dining amid a relaxing setting with a spectacular view overlooking the backlot and the mountains of San Fernando Valley.
The mouth-watering lunch includes an ever-changingseasonal menu with such fare as penne pasta with garlic Alfredosauce, shrimp scampi, beef sirloin with demi-glace, Portobello mushrooms with barley, soft shell crab with lemon butter and Ahi and yellowtail sashimi. Specialty, gluten-free and healthy, child-friendly menu items are also available. Tempting, freshly prepared desserts round out the dining experience.
The “VIP Experience” features unlimited front-of-line privileges and reserved seating at Universal Studios rides and attractions, including the park’s new thrill ride, “Transformers™: The Ride—3D.” The “VIP Experience” also includes complimentary continental breakfast in a private VIP Lounge andvalet parking.
Reservations are available online atwww.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com or by calling 818-622-5120. Private “VIP Experience” tours and gift certificates are also available.
Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A.SM, includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour; the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex, the Universal CityWalk Cinemas, the “5 Towers” state-of-the-art outdoor concert venue, and the Gibson Amphitheatre concert and special event arena. World-class rides and attractions include the critically-acclaimed and award-winning mega-attraction, “Transformers™: The Ride-3D,” the intense, award-winning ride, “King Kong 360 3-D” on the famed behind-the-scenesStudio Tour, “The Simpsons RideTM,” “Revenge of the MummySM —The Ride” indoor roller coaster and “Jurassic Park® —The Ride.”
