California Adventure only Annual Pass (Fun Pass) available at Costco starting Sept. 1

[Darkbeer1]

Since we are talking prices, here is the best way to take advantage of the situation.

Let your current pass expire.

Buy the VIP Package at around $350 (yes, I know not cheap and prices is based on surge pricing).

But you start with free valet parking (well, a tip would be nice when you leave)

A light breakfast

A gourmet lunch (think like on a cruise ship with "action" stations.)

The extended tram tour

A personal guide (groups are around 12 or so in size), heck no lockers needed, just give the guide your stuff while you ride when part of the group)

Front of the Line Pass access (Gate A), but unlike the regular FotL pass which limits you to one use per ride, the VIP pass lets you access the same ride multiple times.

Some backstage show access.

Discounts on merchandise.

And then just before you leave, upgrade to a new pass, you will get a credit at the current one day GA ticket, so about $100 towards the new pass.

So let's do some math, and you pick a slower day (prices are guessaments.

$360 up front.

Parking is about $20 (more for Valet, but let's look at regular)

Breakfast would be about $10 in the park per person.

The Gourmet Lunch would be about $30 and does include non-alcoholic beverages.

A few bottles of chilled water and taking drinks from the breakfast and lunch areas, say another $10.

So we are about $300 for a group of four (taking the parking savings and splitting it).

A current Front of the Line Pass with park admission is about $220.

So now we are looking at around $80 for the VIP Experience itself.

I am not adding the credit for the pass, since you could do the same with the Front of the Line ticket (same credit amount).

So depending on the pass you are buying, about $450 for a decent pass for a year, and the VIP Experience for one day.

 

[NobodyElse]

Actually no, in fact, if you go back to the LONG history of Universal Studios Hollywood and the beginning (1915 - 1930), Carl Lamelle (founder) charged admission and a box lunch for a nickel to watch filming, but when they stopped silent productions and went to adding sound, they had to stop that due to needing to keep the area quiet. But for those years, the crowd would cheer for the Hero and Boo the Villain, and the actors loved the added atmosphere to get into character even more.

Then in 1964, the "modern" version of the Tram Tour started, and I remember going multiple times as a kid.

The way it was set up, you paid admission and got in the queue to board a tram, and then made multiple stops including some designed for the guests, such as special effects and make up demonstrations. At the end of the tour, you exited to an area that was shops and restaurants.

In the early years, they added better tour stops (you got off the tram, walked to the few stages used for the tour as a group and then re-boarded a tram as part of the same Group (though it might have been a different tram), a break area (Prop Plaza), which everyone got off the tram and had access to restrooms, shops and a quick service restaurant on the upper level, and then got back in the queue to become part of a new group for the second half of the tour. This allowed the tour to be longer, and give folks a break (and a chance to get into their wallets). Also, since the tour was ALWAYS first, the exit area (now called the upper lot) could open later in the day, and help with labor costs. Also, the first main stop is now the current lower lot, and the building that is now Transformers hosted two main stages, first as two separate shows, then converted to the same show on each stage to increase capacity.

The upper lot grew with a museum, and more shops and restaurants and photo ops. I remember the vending machines that would make a "hot wax" statue right in front of you as a kid for about $1, loved doing that. Also, they had a cheesy Snow Effect (Snow flakes coming out of a squirrel cage) that was a good photo op. Then the upper lot grew with show venues and more photos ops and entertainment.

Well, Universal found they were maxing out the capacity of the tram tour, so we got the first form of FastPass in the industry. Now, most folks were still sent to the Tram Tour first, but on very busy days, they would have the Upper Lot open early, and then hand out return time vouchers to ride the tram later in the day, to keep the main queue waits down, and increase total capacity for the day.

Today, it is the VIP Experience at Universal that gets you the backstage access, as part of its long tram tour, you do get to make stops along the way and get out and explore (the main tour is a one-stop tour that lasts about 1 hour). The VIP tour will allow you to tour a working Studio set (but not actively filming),I have been on the Voice Stage just before the season one year, and they made sure no photos were taken, but they also have done other stages, it depends on what is available. And stop is Six Points (western area), and even allowed to enter some of the buildings, many of which were built as working sets and not facades decades ago.

The Property Department is also a regular stop, where you can walk around the actual warehouse.

The War of the Worlds set is also a regular stop where you can walk the area.

So it is still available, but at the higher price, but similar to what WB offers for there most expensive tour that also comes with a meal.

And yes, Paramount does offer tours to guests.

And then nobody has mentioned Sony, which also does tours in Culver City, and is popular for those Jeopardy/Wheel of Fortune fans. Alas, weekdays only.

I would rate them

Universal VIP, since you get the same basic experience as Paramount and WB for the same price, but it includes the Theme Park and Front of the Line access inside the Theme Park)

Paramount VIP, then the other two Paramount options (regular and after dark)

Sony, due to its limited amount of some unique things in a historic location.

The WB, opting for the Deluxe (What Universal and Paramount call VIP), and then the "VIP" (aka regular) tour.

I don't like the WB tour for the main reason, they make you lock up your cameras during most of the tour.

When I was a kid, back in the mid 70s, we got to take a field trip to what was then called "The Burbank Studios" which was as I recall a facility shared between Warner Bros. and Columbia. I really enjoyed it, specifically as a contrast to Universal Studios. It seemed like our small group of <30 were the only ones touring (as I remember strictly on foot). It all seemed much more real than the silly canned effects featured on the Uni tour. (Don't get me started on that era when they tried to incorporate those things into TV shows like "The Six-Million Dollar Man.) Oh boy...

 

[Darkbeer1]

Oh come on, don't you miss the torpedo that was going to attack the PT Boat from McHale's Navy. (Torpedo effect is still in the lagoon last I checked). Or the boulders at the start of the Tram Tour going down the Hill, or the Cyborg attack in the same basic area (Battlerstar Galectica ) Or the always burning house that had a couple of different locations.

Or the quicksand pit, now that was a classic!!!

http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/attractions/quicksand.php

Or the train that was going to ram the Tram Tour near Jaws (and the train is still there, but hasn't worked in decades).

 

[NobodyElse]

Step 1: Build an actual working studio, with an undeniable history.
Step 2: Buy some trams, and charge for the tour
Step 3: Profit. (Step 3 is always profit, right?)
Step 4: Add permanent, reset-able effects to demonstrate how things COULD be done when filming an actual project.
Step 5: Ham-fistedly ram said effects into current shows (for more profit?)

Exhibit A:

I rest my case.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

At least Disney tacked Theme Park on the end of the Disney/MGM Studios name when it opened. USH might as well do the same at this point.

 

[Darkbeer1]

At least Disney tacked Theme Park on the end of the Disney/MGM Studios name when it opened. USH might as well do the same at this point.

USH doesn't hide it...

http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/theme-parks/

>>
Theme Park Overview
Get ready for the ultimate Hollywood experience!

Find a full day of action-packed entertainment all in one place: thrilling Theme Park rides and shows, a real working movie studio, and Los Angeles’ best shops, restaurants and cinemas at CityWalk. Universal Studios Hollywood is a unique experience that’s fun for the whole family.<<

IMHO, it became a Theme Park when the Lower Lot was finished (For awhile, the Tram Tour loaded down there during construction of the current Tram Tour loading area), but once they finished up and had Jurassic Park and E.T., it became a Theme Park that included a tour of a working movie studio.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

USH doesn't hide it...

http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/theme-parks/

Directly beneath the blurb you copied and pasted it says Go behind the scenes on a real working movie studio in bold.letters accompanied by some links and bullet points, and this ridiculous photo...

Talk about spin.

So no, they aren't always clear that what visitors will experience at USH is almost always staged, and it's this pretense that turns me off.

Looking at their website I'm reminded again of why I can't help but think of USH as a place specifically designed to attract stupid tourists and take their money. Again, YMMV.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Heck, let's look at the official name of the Walt Disney Studios Paris Faux Tour....

>>Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic<<


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Tram_Tour:_Behind_the_Magic
http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2009/04/

And from a 2014 Orlando Sentinel news article in regards to the Disney-MGM tour in Florida.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...wood-studios-backlot-tour-20140925-story.html

>>The Backlot Tour was designed to show behind-the-scenes action of a working studio that pulled double duty as a theme park.<<

And from the Disney official words...

>>On the Backstage Studio Tour, a two-part adventure, you go behind the scenes of a real motion picture studio. <<

http://www.yesterland.com/backstage.html

So I don't see an issue with wording, when the Paris studio tour was truly "faux", and the Florida version was mostly "faux" and both offered lots of staged sections. Not sure why one Theme Park company it is OK to say, while a different one gets picked on???

Just saying....

 

[Californian Elitist]

Heck, let's look at the official name of the Walt Disney Studios Paris Faux Tour....

>>Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic<<


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Tram_Tour:_Behind_the_Magic
http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2009/04/

And from a 2014 Orlando Sentinel news article...

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...wood-studios-backlot-tour-20140925-story.html

>>The Backlot Tour was designed to show behind-the-scenes action of a working studio that pulled double duty as a theme park.<<

And from the Disney official words...

>>On the Backstage Studio Tour, a two-part adventure, you go behind the scenes of a real motion picture studio. <<

http://www.yesterland.com/backstage.html

So I don't see an issue with wording, when the Paris studio tour was truly "faux", and the Florida version was mostly "faux" and both offered lots of staged sections. Not sure why one Theme Park company it is OK to say, while a different one gets picked on???

Just saying....

This.

I knew there was a reason I liked you. Lol.

 

[Darkbeer1]

This.

I knew there was a reason I liked you. Lol.

I should say, of course every company spins to sound that their offerings are the "best", it is part of advertising in general.

But then, Universal Studios Hollywood is still a true, large working movie and TV studio including real backlots.

Yes, both USF and Disney MGM did build some TV studios, but what came out of them, Family Feud, Let's Make a Deal and some Nickelodeon shows, They tried to pretend to be USH and produced tours that was based on the USH version, and both failed short, and both have gone to Yesterland.

But yes, since the tram tour is part of a Theme Park, they are focused on entertainment, and have the staged scenes to make sure the guests are entertained, since TRUE filming is usually known as "Hurry up and Wait", where you have no idea when the next scene will take place. But the USH trams do go by actual filming (when it is happening), and sometimes the Tram host is required to get off the mike and turn off the tram's speakers for a bit. It is also why you have no large outdoor roller coaster, due to the screams. (Jurassic Park was specifically designed with the drop in a tunnel, and facing away from the backlot. WaterWorld sometimes has to eliminate its small firework effects due to actual filming.

But we have mentioned that even back in the 1960's, USH had pre-planned segments such as the Special Effects Shows and added pre-planned stops. That doesn't mean they still don't go down real filming sites like the "New York" streets, Wisteria Lane and many more. You do see the back side of the facades, the outside of many real sound stages, when CSI was filming, plenty of outside work and props, and the stars walking outside multiple times a day next to the tram route.

You drive down the Pirates of the Caribbean areas used in the European section of the Backlot.

You do drive by the real and original Bates House (Psycho), and much more.

Will the tram park and let you watch 2 hours of filming to make 2 minutes of actual content for a TV/Movie, of course not, it is too boring for most. But they do hand out tickets to current shows being filmed on sound stages if you want to sit through that....

And the same is true for the Paramount, Sony and WB tours, you hardly ever see actual filming on the tour, you do get to see the sets and facades, but only when they are not filming at the location, you are rerouted to avoid the area.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I should say, of course every company spins to sound that their offerings are the "best", it is part of advertising in general.

But then, Universal Studios Hollywood is still a true, large working movie and TV studio including real backlots.

Yes, both USF and Disney MGM did build some TV studios, but what came out of them, Family Feud, Let's Make a Deal and some Nickelodeon shows, They tried to pretend to be USH and produced tours that was based on the USH version, and both failed short, and both have gone to Yesterland.

But yes, since the tram tour is part of a Theme Park, they are focused on entertainment, and have the staged scenes to make sure the guests are entertained, since TRUE filming is usually known as "Hurry up and Wait", where you have no idea when the next scene will take place. But the USH trams do go by actual filming (when it is happening), and sometimes the Tram host is required to get off the mike and turn off the tram's speakers for a bit. It is also why you have no large outdoor roller coaster, due to the screams. (Jurassic Park was specifically designed with the drop in a tunnel, and facing away from the backlot. WaterWorld sometimes has to eliminate its small firework effects due to actual filming.

But we have mentioned that even back in the 1960's, USH had pre-planned segments such as the Special Effects Shows and added pre-planned stops. That doesn't mean they still don't go down real filming sites like the "New York" streets, Wisteria Lane and many more. You do see the back side of the facades, the outside of many real sound stages, when CSI was filming, plenty of outside work and props, and the stars walking outside multiple times a day next to the tram route.

You drive down the Pirates of the Caribbean areas used in the European section of the Backlot.

You do drive by the real and original Bates House (Psycho), and much more.

Will the tram park and let you watch 2 hours of filing to make 2 minutes of actual content for a TV/Movie, of course not, it is too boring for most. But they do hand out tickets to current shows being filmed on sound stages if you want to sit through that....

And the same is true for the Paramount, Sony and WB tours, you hardly ever see actual filming on the tour, you do get to see the sets and facades, but only when they are not filming at the location, you are reroute to avoid the area.

USH is definitely not lying about its identity. It's a real-working studio with the biggest backlot in the world, and it is also a theme park. I see nothing misleading about what they promote. Disney uses their backlot all the time.

As I said earlier, I've seen filming while on the studio tour multiple times. The last one I saw was Invasion. They were filming on the War of the Worlds set. We saw actors, huge lights, boom mics, and even the director yelling "Action!" The tourists went crazy. And those boom mics really do pick up the slightest sounds (I once was a double major in film and English and worked with boom mics), which is why Universal has to be careful about what things go where, as you said.

USH truly is a unique theme park, and there's nothing like it in the country. The park sometimes gets hate for no apparent reason, specifically from people who have either never been or haven't been in years. It's very strange.

I'm interested in the park's/studio's expansion. I'm looking forward to the new soundstages going on the lot. Speaking of soundstages, I'm still really upset with Universal for removing Soundstage 28 from the lot. As a buddy of mine always says, not only was it a big part of Universal history, it was a big part of Hollywood history. It was very historic, and now it's gone.

One thing I wish Universal would work on is their merchandise. I really can't stand the design with all the ride characters. I wish they'd put the iconic fountain on the merchandise. I bought this sweet, 90's-era USH denim jacket from someone on Etsy, and I wear it every time I go to the park. It's very simple, with the USH fountain stitched on the back and "Universal Studios Hollywood" stitched on the front and back in multiple colors. I always get compliments on it and people ask where in the park I got it from, of course to which they're disappointed when I tell them it's an old jacket that I bought from someone else.

Regarding USF, DHS, and WDSP, I think the major and maybe the only reason they failed as studio parks is because there was no established studio before the theme park, unlike USH.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Ugh, I also miss Studio 28 (The Phantom of the Opera original stage). But the back story is that the building was failing apart and would have had to be totally rebuilt/retrofitted, and they looked at the costs, and decided that it just wasn't worth it (Dang Bean Counters), and came up with the new plan to add it to the Theme Park (Stage 28 wasn't used much lately for multiple reasons, so another reason why they decided to tear it done).

As for merchandise, I have some of the old stuff, and yes, nowadays the strict inventory, watching the sales via computer, and the push for "generic" park merchandise, not just Universal, but Disney, Six Flags, etc. A lot cheaper to buy in bulk and sell it in multiple locations. Alas, just a part of life and its changes.

I was lucky to spend some serious time at the lot in the last year working, so of course, I can't say much about that specific work, but the current park execs do care, but they also have to keep their bosses and shareholders happy, just like Disney and other parks.

Good thing, the Big boss, Comcast sees a lot of value in the Theme Parks, and is willing to invest in them, unlike some of the previous owners of Universal.

As for the "faux" tours, it started with Universal Studios Florida opening in Orlando, and then Disney rushing to open its Disney-MGM Studios as direct competition. Alas, the original versions of both fell short of the mark. Plus both had dreams of making them low cost true production facilities, which we found out also failed. Yes, some production is still done on both Resort properties, but it has turned into secondary things, and not a main focus as originally planned.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Yeah, Disney's merchandise sucks as well, for the most part.

 

[Darkbeer1]

This thread made me think of the "Backlot River Tour - The Magic Behind the Camera" from MGM Grand Adventures Las Vegas in the 1990's.

http://themeparkuniversity.com/extinct-attractions/mgm-grand-adventures-3-backlot-river-tour/

What a crazy ride that was....

Here is a 10 minute video of the attraction

 

[Darkbeer1]

Heck, why waste your time at one of the big 4 Studio Tours in LA County.....

Heck, here is the tour everyone wants to go on....

http://www.discoverlancaster.com/members/qvc_studio_tour.asp

 

[Phroobar]

This thread made me think of the "Backlot River Tour - The Magic Behind the Camera" from MGM Grand Adventures Las Vegas in the 1990's.

http://themeparkuniversity.com/extinct-attractions/mgm-grand-adventures-3-backlot-river-tour/

What a crazy ride that was....

Here is a 10 minute video of the attraction

Scary comment made at 7:35 mark.

 

[Stevek]

Scary comment made at 7:35 mark.

I caught that as well...possibly quite prophetic.

As for the river guide/host...turrible. The ride, turrible.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Scary comment made at 7:35 mark.

I know, but not sure if that would take the thread in the wrong direction.

But if I needed to support someone, I would pick this former QVC Host...

http://profoundlydisconnected.com/

 

[Darkbeer1]

If anyone deserves support, it is Mike Rowe and his “Works” foundation.


He is fighting for the next generation of employees that will become the next engineers, the folks that will build, repair and even design new rides and attractions. Yes, they will do the “Dirty Jobs” that need to be done.


OK, his type of “education” aka Trade Schools don’t offer Safe Spaces, instead they learn how to build and design safe spaces that contains the rides we all look forward to. (Aka the safety fences for Roller Coasters, etc.).


Just like I support both time and money for “Give Kids the World” (Think the Ronald McDonald’s House for Theme Parks), I also support Mike Rowe Works in my charity donations.


They are both great causes and have very little overhead, since a lot of the support comes from companies that support the causes.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

So a DCA only pass. Crazy