The major draw of a VIP tour, for me at least, is the much-more-extensive extended Studio Tour. During a VIP tour, you take a smaller, fancier trolley, and you can stop and get out to explore areas in the backlot that aren’t usually open to guests. That day, I found myself standing in Hill Valley from “Back to the Future,” in the exact spot where Biff gets a car full of manure, the same area that doubles as the town square in Ed Helms’ new show “Rutherford Falls.
After the Studio Tour, we headed into Hogsmeade, to explore the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. When you buy an Express Pass, you get access to a fast lane for ride queues, but our passes got us front-of-line access to that express lane, walked onto the ride by the tour guide. Then, it was lunch, an extensive buffet with cheese and charcuterie, fresh fruits and vegetables, pasta, a carving station, a crepe station and all the desserts in the land.
VIP tickets cost $300 each and come with front-of-line access, breakfast, lunch, bottled water throughout the day and valet parking. On the same day, you could buy a park ticket for $100-$150 depending on the day, an Express Pass for roughly another $100 and regular parking for $30 or valet for $50. It adds up to almost the same cost as a VIP ticket, and that’s before buying anything to eat or drink.