BONUS BLOG: My Universal Studios Hollywood VIP Experience
A view from the VIP Lounge - Christian Pizarro | CP Personal Training
10-Minute Read
If you read my last blog entry, I talked about the Hilton Universal City Hotel, a short walk from the front gates of Universal Studios Hollywood. I couldn’t post about Universal without mentioning my experience at the park! If you’re a theme park lover AND a fitness fanatic, you may want to keep reading because this will be a fun and informative entry. Part one will focus on my experience at CityWalk, the entertainment district of the complex. Part two will review the VIP and overall experience at the two-level park. I will wrap up with part three, incorporating the health and fitness aspect of going to this and other theme parks and resorts.
To read more about my fitness experience at the nearby Hilton Universal City, click here.
At CityWalk
CityWalk is Universal’s equivalent to a Downtown Disney or Disney Springs, a shopping and dining district that’s free to enter and supplements the theme park complex. Again, it is only a seven-minute walk from my hotel, so getting there was a breeze.
The shopping was convenient. I purchased gifts for my cousins at the Super Nintendo World Store without carrying them throughout the park. Stores dedicated to the Raiders and Dodgers and an official Universal Studios store were also on the property. But let’s face it: you go to CityWalk to eat!
You can go one of two ways: find healthier options like the salmon at Bubba Gump’s (only over 770 calories with rice and broccoli), or go all out and dine where your heart desires without worrying about calorie counting. I leaned toward the latter for dinner on night one, ordering the mushroom risotto paired with a Thrilla in Vanilla shake from Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. It was rich in flavor and not ideal for my diet. However, when you eat on vacation, you might as well chow down like I did. While we are on the topic of treating yourself, get a Voodoo Doughnut while you’re there. I am a fan of the ODB: a raised donut with chocolate frosting, chocolate sandwich cookie crumbles, and a peanut butter drizzle. Heavenly.
Here’s a great point: a healthy relationship with food means being okay with treating yourself and hopping back to your regularly scheduled plan tomorrow or after your trip. You should not feel bad eating something sweet or high in fat or calories. It will not affect you long-term, provided you return to your regular eating pattern.
A view of Super Nintendo World and the Lower Lot from the escalators connecting the Upper and Lower Lots - Christian Pizarro | CP Personal Training
At The Park
As mentioned previously, I splurged on this trip by purchasing the VIP Experience. This semi-private guided tour included front-of-the-line access with your tour guide to all the rides and attractions with Universal Express Unlimited access after leaving your guide for the day, an extended Studio Tour with yours and one other group on a private tram, a light breakfast, and a gourmet lunch buffet with character encounters. I received a lanyard that included the Express pass upon check-in. Free valet parking also comes with the price, but I did not require it. All experiences start before noon, but half will begin with the tour and the other half with the rides.
From the moment I met with my tour guide and group (shout out to Sara!!!) in the VIP Experience lounge, I felt like an A-list celebrity. After check-in and a light breakfast filled with sandwiches and pastries, I was personally approached and greeted by Sara, and she asked me if I had specific requests for attractions and any limits. Of course, the recently opened Super Nintendo World was at the top of my list. Branded hand sanitizer and a poncho (for the Jurassic World ride) were also available.
We started with the rides, going from the easy-coasting Secret Life of Pets ride to my favorite, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. If you have not been here, the park is split into two levels: the Upper Lot and the Lower Lot. They are separated by multiple escalators that seem like rides, themselves. The best part was entering the recently-opened Super Nintendo World in the Lower Lot without a reservation and going straight onto the ride. The only major attraction of the land, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, was a fun experience regardless of the lack of speed and dips. Think Men in Black: Alien Attack at the Orlando park. One key point of this experience is that you can skip whichever rides you want or break away from the group until the next ride. After a previous experience on the Jurassic World ride, famous for its over 80-foot drop at the end, I kindly passed on that one.
After the rides, all VIP groups ate at a private gourmet lunch buffet. Anything you can think of, they had. If you were a picky eater, pizza and chicken tenders with fries were on the menu, and those were just as tasty as the delicious beef tenderloin at the carver station. No one will go hungry, but this is where you control what to eat. If you went on the rides first, fill up to increase your energy. If you took the tour first, do the opposite if you plan on riding the higher-thrill attractions. In addition, we had some character visits, including Lucille Ball, Doc Brown from the Back to the Future movies, and Count Dracula himself.
Our VIP Studio Tour trolley in front of Soundstage 40: Home to Quantum Leap. - Christian Pizarro | CP Personal Training
Next was the VIP Studio Tour. We met with another group and rode on our own personal (and comfortable) trolley with free cold water bottles. You are regularly on a tram connected with three or four other groups of park-goers and open to the elements. We started with the traditional route, including a Fast and the Furious section and a 3D King Kong encounter. Also added to the tour were buildings from the “Jupiter’s Claim” set of Jordan Peele’s horror film, NOPE. For park guests, the tour lasted about an hour. For us, it was another hour with VIP-exclusive experiences, including a visit to the first floor of the prop department (no pictures allowed), a stop in front of the famous Back to the Future clock tower, and the newest experience: stepping onto the Quantum Leap reboot set. Even though I’ve been on film sets before, this was still cool to check out.
We capped off our guided portion with center-of-house seats to the Waterworld Stunt Show, far enough away from the splash zone with a full view of the set. Afterward, we did whatever we wanted, including hopping back on some rides with our Express Unlimited passes. I spent my time returning to Super Nintendo World, interacting with the space, and earning rewards using my “Power-Up” band sold separately and the Universal Studios Hollywood app.
The Health and Fitness Aspect
It would be an understatement to say we walked a lot: 19,908 steps in my book. Whether you have the VIP experience or not, be prepared to be on your feet for most of the day. Make sure to wear comfortable tennis or walking shoes in the parks. Some athletic sandals are okay, as well.
Caloric intake-wise, you can either go the “enjoy and not worry” route or the “I’ll treat myself but will still watch what I eat” way. Both are perfectly fine and won’t ruin your progress. Remember, you are on vacation and can relax and have fun, which brings me to my next point: mental health impact.
Sometimes, you need a trip like this to unwind and have fun. Planning can be stressful and expensive, but once at the resort, you can relax and be more outgoing. The work calls can wait. I love going to places like this because of the escape from reality and the nostalgia it brings. That’s why Orlando is one of my favorite places to escape to because when you step foot in those parks, it’s like being taken to a land far away and far from your worries. You may spend a lot at the parks, but the memories are all worth it, whether traveling alone or with a group.
Just posing in front of the famous Back to the Future clock tower - Christian Pizarro | CP Personal Training
Conclusion
I wrote this entry as a supplement to my LA-based experiences. Was there much fitness information? Some, but not much. Life can be stressful, and stress can be detrimental to our health. This trip may be something you would like as a way to release stress. Everyone has their way of decompressing, but if you are in LA or near a theme park, I recommend this as one.
Have you been to Universal Studios Hollywood? What are some of your suggestions to do in the area? Have you gone to a theme park like this as a way to combat stress? Let me know your experience in the comments below.
VIP Experiences start at $379 per person per day and include park admission, VIP valet parking, unlimited express pass, light breakfast, gourmet lunch buffet, and expert-guided tour including the backlot. For more information, click here.
