disney studios tour review

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Anyone done the Disney Studios Tour through Disney Movie Rewards?

• Thread starter DisEye
• Start date Jun 24, 2019

Mouseketeer

• Jun 24, 2019

Earning My Ears

• Jul 6, 2019

I'm also curious about peoples experience with this... I only have just over 6000 points right now, but 12,000 seems doable in the future if I saved. It looks like there is also an avenue to a studio tour through joining D23 (for less than half the points to join d23 family gold). The major differences that I see are that the D23 tours are only on specific weekend dates and are 2.5 hours, whereas the rewards points tour is during the week during normal working hours, are 2 hours and may be less crowded, and dates may be more flexible?  

• Dec 26, 2019

I have done the Disney Studio lot tour twice (and I live on the East Coast). - The D23 Paid Tour - The Walt Disney Studios Platinum Private VIP Tour For Up To 4 for 25,200 points The tours NEVER take place during the August D23 Expo dates. I've tried twice. There are few differences between the 2 logistically. I'll start with the paid one. D23 Paid Tour ************* The D23 tour was done on Saturday, November 5 @ 9:00am. I'm sure it's changed a little bit since then but the tour was only $80.00 per person (limit 2), Walt's Office was just finished and added to the tour, and it was a tour group of roughly around 30 people. From what I saw, the 2019 tours were once a month, $99.00 a person (limit 2), and still sold out in seconds. It looks like the 2020 tours dropped back down to $80.00, but happen much more frequently. The D23 tours used to only be on the weekend, but now look like they take place on Saturday as well as Monday. After you purchase your ticket, no interaction between you and Disney takes place other than a few e-mail reminders. The tour was slated for 9:00am and there were only 3 or 4 tours that day. They give you the address on where to enter. We each had to show our IDs at the security gate, and I had my D23 membership card on hand (like stated in the e-mails) but I don't remember having to show it. You get your badge for the day and head on in. On Saturdays, the parking lot was empty except for the other tour guests all going to the same location so there wasn't much confusion. From here you all gather in the building right outside the gym and Disney Store . Everyone sits around talking and looking at the things hung on the wall (such as old guest lists with some very famous celebrities signing in on them) until it begins. This 3 hour tour is extremely structured and looks like it'll be even more so next year with start times every 30 minutes for what looks like the first 4 hours of the day. You watch a small video, get a pamphlet, and the walking portion begins. I don't want to spoil anything on the tour, but it's very cool and the 3 hours flies by. Because it was Saturday it wasn't terribly busy, and almost dead at times. If you've done the Sony, Paramount, or Warner Bros. tours (all recommended) it's a bit different because there's not as many sound stages to visit or go through. You walk a LOT of the studio lot outside in the sun and enter just portions of a couple buildings. Being a group of 20-30 or so, there are some areas where they break you up and you just go in smaller groups of 5-10 at a time. This alone eats up a bunch of time because not only do they have to get everyone on your group through, but they're tight on time because there's a tour group right behind you that started 30 minutes later. I think the price is worth it (especially since it's the only easiest way to get onto the lot). At the end you get a (rather large) pin, and time to shop in the Disney Store. There are currently 2 stores there: the Disney Store and the Employee store. When we went, only the Disney store was open. Note that this is just that: a Disney store. Most of the stuff you can get at any Disney Store or ShopDisney.com so I suggest looking it up on your phone as you shop if you're low on luggage space or want to wait for a sale. A corner of the store is merchandise exclusive to that store and that's where all the good stuff is. Most of it is "Walt Disney Animation" shirts, hoodies, polos, etc. You will want to peruse this stuff and not worry about the rest of the store unless they're carrying something that you never see in stock. There's a good chance they'll have it. You leave pretty much on time give or take 15-20 minutes. Disney Movie Rewards / Disney Movie Insiders Points Tour ************************************************************** The points tour used to come in 3 flavors... this is from memory because I can't find anything on Google about the old descriptions Silver was 12,500 points for up to 4 people Gold was 17,500 points for up to 8 people Platinum was 25,200 points for up to 4 people. Now it looks like they got rid of the Silver tour completely and Gold was reduced to the old Silver price of 12,500 points for 8 people. Platinum has stayed the same. From the old wording, the up to 8 people could have been a private tour of 2 groups who redeemed, or up to 8 from your own party. The wording has changed so you might want to e-mail them to verify if it will just be your group alone (which is definitely what you want... I can't stress that enough). I contemplated on saving a ton of points by just doing the Gold tour because it's a huge jump in point redemption, but I'm am very glad I opted the 25,200 Platinum Tour. We opted in right before Disney Movie Rewards became Disney Movie Insiders but I don't really think it affected anything. I recommend you e-mail questions to DMR/DMI before you redeem this. They can answer some questions for you, but not all of them until you actually spend the point. I also recommend you have an idea of the time you want to go if you're coming from out of state. Remember you cannot go during D23 Expo months. You redeem the tour like a normal DMR reward. You'll get an e-mail confirmation that you redeemed the award, it gives you a reference number, and tells you to call a number to get things setup. The tour dates are kind of flexible but require a lot of planning on your party - The private tours were only available Monday through Thursday (NO WEEKENDS) - They ask you when you're looking to go and will give you THREE dates that you can opt in for and they'll see if they can accommodate you - You need to leave at least SIX weeks before the earliest date you choose. This means no spur of the moment planning. We were going for Blizzcon & Dapper Day and this just happened to line up with our dates. We chose Monday - November 4, 2019. This was our only available date while we were there and we told them this on the phone. They said I had to apply for it and they'll get back to me. If it didn't work out we still had 12 months to redeem the tour, but luckily it worked out. After discussing this, they will send you a follow up e-mail with a Microsoft Word document attached that you need to provide the following - Your name - Your DMI/DMR e-mail - Your reward shipping address - Your contact phone number - 3 of the dates they informed you of from the pool of dates you discussed over the phone. Be mindful of how you enter them because these dates are prioritized in the order you put them. - The first and last names of the 1 to 4 people going with you. This part seems pretty concrete. Make sure you know who is going because I don't think you can change it. Everyone needs an ID as well (I'm not how kids work since it was 3 adults), and the name needs to match the ID. They will check. After you e-mail it back, the turn around time is pretty quick. I only entered the one November 4 date in the list of 3 dates and we got it. Please know that your mileage may vary with the date so be early, be certain, and be flexible. You get a congratulations e-mail and an attached itinerary in PDF format with the itinerary on it including - Start Time - GPS Address for parking - Attire (which is really whatever you would wear in the theme park... just be comfortable, especially with shoes) - Guest List (make sure all of the names are 100% correct and match the ID they will be using at the security checkpoint) From here on there is no other interaction with Disney other than a few reminder e-mails all the way up until a few days before the trip. From here the actual tour guide will e-mail you with confirmation, more information, and answer any questions you have if you reply to the e-mail in time. Day of the Tour Platinum Tour ***************************** We were staying at the Grand Californian and took a Lyft from Anaheim to Burbank. This is like an hour drive and very far. That means it's about $50.00 each way before tip, but it was still cheaper than renting a car. Being a weekday meant we also left around 7:30am for a 10:00am tour start. You want to be there much earlier than later due to California traffic, and the confusing nature of a work day on a studio lot. It's better to be early and wait than rejected because you're late. We ended up getting there around 9:00am. When pulling into the entrance indicated on the itinerary, we were greeted by security. All of us showed our IDs (I think even our Lyft driver even though he indicated that he was just dropping us off). He gave us 3 badges, and an extra badge to leave on our dashboard in case he did want to park for a little bit. He instructed us to turn around, and go use a different entrance... which ended up being the same entrance we used during the Paid D23 tour. Our tour coincided with 2 things: 1 week before the launch of Disney+, and 2 days before The Little Mermaid Live! taping that was being filmed on location that coming Wednesday. Needless to say with those 2 events, and it being a working lot day, it was a crazy busy lot. We sat outside on the benched for about 40 minutes watching Little Mermaid Live! celebrities do interviews on the step and repeat no less than 50 feet away up until our tour guide found us and we went to the Commissary. This is where your mileage may vary and where it differs the most compared to the paid D23 tour. The D23 tour is scheduled for roughly 3 hours. They abide by this schedule due to the amount of people, and the structure of the multiple tours going through. The Platinum tour is actually scheduled for 2.5 hours. The 30 minute deduction is probably because there's far less people in the tour group. Well our guide threw all of that out the window when he asked us if we were pressed for time... i.e. if it was ok that we went over the 2.5 hours. We said take as much time as you're willing to give us. Well that meant talking and getting to know each other for an entire hour. He asked us questions, like what our favorite Disney movies are, what parks we've been to, and notably how long it took to obtain 25,200 DMR points. Apparently the average is 6-8 years. He was training someone as well so we had an additional guide who shadowed him and answered any questions we had as well. Our private group of 4 vs the large group of 30 meant we could ask any question we wanted with as long of an answer that we were willing to listen to. We could ask to go in certain places and they'd usually oblige if it was possible. Examples include the Marketing floor, some break rooms, etc. For 25,200 points you get FREEDOM and a very 'wing it' kind of tour instead if it's in the books. We informed him that we took the D23 tour and he tried to venture away from most of the stuff we'd see on that tour other than the big stuff. I don't want to spoil this tour either, but just know that we went to a LOT of places that we did not get to go to on the D23 one. We also spent as much time in Walt's Office as we wanted to until all of our questions were answered... or they were done telling us the multitude of information coming from there. Our guide just kept extending our tour asking us if we were sure we weren't pressed for time and adding new places to show us up until we realized it had been 4 hours and we didn't eat yet. He invited us to eat at the commissary with them (something normally NOT included on the tour), in which we gladly purchased lunch for the both of them. (The food is actually pretty good there by the way). SIX AND A HALF hours later it was time for the tour to end. We got to shop in the Disney Store once again for new Walt Disney Studio exclusive apparel. I didn't see any of the stuff from 2016. Also, the brand new employee store was open and it had a TON of employee (Walt Disney Company) exclusives. We bought so much stuff from there because it's exclusive to there and only there. You won't even get that stuff at a Mickey's of Glendale sale. I'll try to include some pictures later if I remember to take them. After that, we all took a group photo, and he supplied us with an exclusive pin. The pin was exclusive to the DMR tour, but I'm not sure it was exclusive to the Platinum tour itself. It is a completely different pin from the D23 Paid tour. After that we took a Lyft back (and it was rush hour at that time so it was a 1.5 hour drive). I have to repeat, please note here that your mileage may also very. The studio itself could be on extremely busy or on lock down during a work day and you may very well only get the 2.5 hours indicated. There are a lot of factors involved including the schedule of your tour guide themselves. But having taken a structured 3 hour tour, and then a very unstructured 6.5 hour tour... just know that there is a LOT to see at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA. You will never get to see all of it. We do a decent amount of Disney (Premier Passholders, gone to Disneyland Paris, D23 Expo 4 years), and I still learned a lot from these 2 tours. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. I don't frequent the boards often, but hopefully the notifications are intact.  

• Jan 1, 2020

Wow! Thank you so much for the detailed description! It sounds like the Platinum tour is the way to go if I can save up the points. Right now I have almost 16000 so I have a ways to go, but I don't have any plans to be in California for a while so I have some time. I may have questions later but for now you've answered my initial questions. Thanks again for taking the time to write this and for all the information!  

• Jul 10, 2022

Kurayamino said: I have done the Disney Studio lot tour twice (and I live on the East Coast). - The D23 Paid Tour - The Walt Disney Studios Platinum Private VIP Tour For Up To 4 for 25,200 points The tours NEVER take place during the August D23 Expo dates. I've tried twice. There are few differences between the 2 logistically. I'll start with the paid one. D23 Paid Tour ************* The D23 tour was done on Saturday, November 5 @ 9:00am. I'm sure it's changed a little bit since then but the tour was only $80.00 per person (limit 2), Walt's Office was just finished and added to the tour, and it was a tour group of roughly around 30 people. From what I saw, the 2019 tours were once a month, $99.00 a person (limit 2), and still sold out in seconds. It looks like the 2020 tours dropped back down to $80.00, but happen much more frequently. The D23 tours used to only be on the weekend, but now look like they take place on Saturday as well as Monday. After you purchase your ticket, no interaction between you and Disney takes place other than a few e-mail reminders. The tour was slated for 9:00am and there were only 3 or 4 tours that day. They give you the address on where to enter. We each had to show our IDs at the security gate, and I had my D23 membership card on hand (like stated in the e-mails) but I don't remember having to show it. You get your badge for the day and head on in. On Saturdays, the parking lot was empty except for the other tour guests all going to the same location so there wasn't much confusion. From here you all gather in the building right outside the gym and Disney Store . Everyone sits around talking and looking at the things hung on the wall (such as old guest lists with some very famous celebrities signing in on them) until it begins. This 3 hour tour is extremely structured and looks like it'll be even more so next year with start times every 30 minutes for what looks like the first 4 hours of the day. You watch a small video, get a pamphlet, and the walking portion begins. I don't want to spoil anything on the tour, but it's very cool and the 3 hours flies by. Because it was Saturday it wasn't terribly busy, and almost dead at times. If you've done the Sony, Paramount, or Warner Bros. tours (all recommended) it's a bit different because there's not as many sound stages to visit or go through. You walk a LOT of the studio lot outside in the sun and enter just portions of a couple buildings. Being a group of 20-30 or so, there are some areas where they break you up and you just go in smaller groups of 5-10 at a time. This alone eats up a bunch of time because not only do they have to get everyone on your group through, but they're tight on time because there's a tour group right behind you that started 30 minutes later. I think the price is worth it (especially since it's the only easiest way to get onto the lot). At the end you get a (rather large) pin, and time to shop in the Disney Store. There are currently 2 stores there: the Disney Store and the Employee store. When we went, only the Disney store was open. Note that this is just that: a Disney store. Most of the stuff you can get at any Disney Store or ShopDisney.com so I suggest looking it up on your phone as you shop if you're low on luggage space or want to wait for a sale. A corner of the store is merchandise exclusive to that store and that's where all the good stuff is. Most of it is "Walt Disney Animation" shirts, hoodies, polos, etc. You will want to peruse this stuff and not worry about the rest of the store unless they're carrying something that you never see in stock. There's a good chance they'll have it. You leave pretty much on time give or take 15-20 minutes. Disney Movie Rewards / Disney Movie Insiders Points Tour ************************************************************** The points tour used to come in 3 flavors... this is from memory because I can't find anything on Google about the old descriptions Silver was 12,500 points for up to 4 people Gold was 17,500 points for up to 8 people Platinum was 25,200 points for up to 4 people. Now it looks like they got rid of the Silver tour completely and Gold was reduced to the old Silver price of 12,500 points for 8 people. Platinum has stayed the same. From the old wording, the up to 8 people could have been a private tour of 2 groups who redeemed, or up to 8 from your own party. The wording has changed so you might want to e-mail them to verify if it will just be your group alone (which is definitely what you want... I can't stress that enough). I contemplated on saving a ton of points by just doing the Gold tour because it's a huge jump in point redemption, but I'm am very glad I opted the 25,200 Platinum Tour. We opted in right before Disney Movie Rewards became Disney Movie Insiders but I don't really think it affected anything. I recommend you e-mail questions to DMR/DMI before you redeem this. They can answer some questions for you, but not all of them until you actually spend the point. I also recommend you have an idea of the time you want to go if you're coming from out of state. Remember you cannot go during D23 Expo months. You redeem the tour like a normal DMR reward. You'll get an e-mail confirmation that you redeemed the award, it gives you a reference number, and tells you to call a number to get things setup. The tour dates are kind of flexible but require a lot of planning on your party - The private tours were only available Monday through Thursday (NO WEEKENDS) - They ask you when you're looking to go and will give you THREE dates that you can opt in for and they'll see if they can accommodate you - You need to leave at least SIX weeks before the earliest date you choose. This means no spur of the moment planning. We were going for Blizzcon & Dapper Day and this just happened to line up with our dates. We chose Monday - November 4, 2019. This was our only available date while we were there and we told them this on the phone. They said I had to apply for it and they'll get back to me. If it didn't work out we still had 12 months to redeem the tour, but luckily it worked out. After discussing this, they will send you a follow up e-mail with a Microsoft Word document attached that you need to provide the following - Your name - Your DMI/DMR e-mail - Your reward shipping address - Your contact phone number - 3 of the dates they informed you of from the pool of dates you discussed over the phone. Be mindful of how you enter them because these dates are prioritized in the order you put them. - The first and last names of the 1 to 4 people going with you. This part seems pretty concrete. Make sure you know who is going because I don't think you can change it. Everyone needs an ID as well (I'm not how kids work since it was 3 adults), and the name needs to match the ID. They will check. After you e-mail it back, the turn around time is pretty quick. I only entered the one November 4 date in the list of 3 dates and we got it. Please know that your mileage may vary with the date so be early, be certain, and be flexible. You get a congratulations e-mail and an attached itinerary in PDF format with the itinerary on it including - Start Time - GPS Address for parking - Attire (which is really whatever you would wear in the theme park... just be comfortable, especially with shoes) - Guest List (make sure all of the names are 100% correct and match the ID they will be using at the security checkpoint) From here on there is no other interaction with Disney other than a few reminder e-mails all the way up until a few days before the trip. From here the actual tour guide will e-mail you with confirmation, more information, and answer any questions you have if you reply to the e-mail in time. Day of the Tour Platinum Tour ***************************** We were staying at the Grand Californian and took a Lyft from Anaheim to Burbank. This is like an hour drive and very far. That means it's about $50.00 each way before tip, but it was still cheaper than renting a car. Being a weekday meant we also left around 7:30am for a 10:00am tour start. You want to be there much earlier than later due to California traffic, and the confusing nature of a work day on a studio lot. It's better to be early and wait than rejected because you're late. We ended up getting there around 9:00am. When pulling into the entrance indicated on the itinerary, we were greeted by security. All of us showed our IDs (I think even our Lyft driver even though he indicated that he was just dropping us off). He gave us 3 badges, and an extra badge to leave on our dashboard in case he did want to park for a little bit. He instructed us to turn around, and go use a different entrance... which ended up being the same entrance we used during the Paid D23 tour. Our tour coincided with 2 things: 1 week before the launch of Disney+, and 2 days before The Little Mermaid Live! taping that was being filmed on location that coming Wednesday. Needless to say with those 2 events, and it being a working lot day, it was a crazy busy lot. We sat outside on the benched for about 40 minutes watching Little Mermaid Live! celebrities do interviews on the step and repeat no less than 50 feet away up until our tour guide found us and we went to the Commissary. This is where your mileage may vary and where it differs the most compared to the paid D23 tour. The D23 tour is scheduled for roughly 3 hours. They abide by this schedule due to the amount of people, and the structure of the multiple tours going through. The Platinum tour is actually scheduled for 2.5 hours. The 30 minute deduction is probably because there's far less people in the tour group. Well our guide threw all of that out the window when he asked us if we were pressed for time... i.e. if it was ok that we went over the 2.5 hours. We said take as much time as you're willing to give us. Well that meant talking and getting to know each other for an entire hour. He asked us questions, like what our favorite Disney movies are, what parks we've been to, and notably how long it took to obtain 25,200 DMR points. Apparently the average is 6-8 years. He was training someone as well so we had an additional guide who shadowed him and answered any questions we had as well. Our private group of 4 vs the large group of 30 meant we could ask any question we wanted with as long of an answer that we were willing to listen to. We could ask to go in certain places and they'd usually oblige if it was possible. Examples include the Marketing floor, some break rooms, etc. For 25,200 points you get FREEDOM and a very 'wing it' kind of tour instead if it's in the books. We informed him that we took the D23 tour and he tried to venture away from most of the stuff we'd see on that tour other than the big stuff. I don't want to spoil this tour either, but just know that we went to a LOT of places that we did not get to go to on the D23 one. We also spent as much time in Walt's Office as we wanted to until all of our questions were answered... or they were done telling us the multitude of information coming from there. Our guide just kept extending our tour asking us if we were sure we weren't pressed for time and adding new places to show us up until we realized it had been 4 hours and we didn't eat yet. He invited us to eat at the commissary with them (something normally NOT included on the tour), in which we gladly purchased lunch for the both of them. (The food is actually pretty good there by the way). SIX AND A HALF hours later it was time for the tour to end. We got to shop in the Disney Store once again for new Walt Disney Studio exclusive apparel. I didn't see any of the stuff from 2016. Also, the brand new employee store was open and it had a TON of employee (Walt Disney Company) exclusives. We bought so much stuff from there because it's exclusive to there and only there. You won't even get that stuff at a Mickey's of Glendale sale. I'll try to include some pictures later if I remember to take them. After that, we all took a group photo, and he supplied us with an exclusive pin. The pin was exclusive to the DMR tour, but I'm not sure it was exclusive to the Platinum tour itself. It is a completely different pin from the D23 Paid tour. After that we took a Lyft back (and it was rush hour at that time so it was a 1.5 hour drive). I have to repeat, please note here that your mileage may also very. The studio itself could be on extremely busy or on lock down during a work day and you may very well only get the 2.5 hours indicated. There are a lot of factors involved including the schedule of your tour guide themselves. But having taken a structured 3 hour tour, and then a very unstructured 6.5 hour tour... just know that there is a LOT to see at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA. You will never get to see all of it. We do a decent amount of Disney (Premier Passholders, gone to Disneyland Paris, D23 Expo 4 years), and I still learned a lot from these 2 tours. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. I don't frequent the boards often, but hopefully the notifications are intact. Click to expand...

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Walt Disney Studio Tour - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Official D23 Tours of The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank Returning August 11th

D23 is bringing back a long-time favorite tour for members, that being the Official Walt Disney Studios Tour!

What’s Happening:

• D23 Members have the rare opportunity to enjoy a two-and-a-half-hour tour of The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA.
• This exclusive experience includes a visit to Walt Disney’s office suite, Legends Plaza, and the Walt Disney Archives.
• Additionally on weekend tours, an Archivist from the Walt Disney Archives will join the tour and share the rich history of this amazing department.
• Join your D23 tour guide on a stroll through the original Animation building, where beloved animated films, including Cinderella , Lady and the Tramp , and The Jungle Book , were created; see the historic soundstages used for filming such Disney live-action movie classics as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea , Mary Poppins , Pirates of the Caribbean : The Curse of the Black Pearl , and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ; plus explore the beautiful Legends Plaza, which honors those who have made significant contributions to the Disney legacy.
• Many guests will also recognize the exterior spaces on the lot, which have been featured in productions from the Mickey Mouse Club  and The Absent-Minded Professor  to Saving Mr. Banks , Muppets Most Wanted , and ABC ’s black-ish !
• Then, explore the rich legacy and historical collections of The Walt Disney Company during a tour of the Walt Disney Archives. To complete this epic experience, take a tour of Walt Disney’s restored 3H office suite, filled with original furnishings, awards, and items from the master showman’s personal collection. Upon exiting the suite, all guests will receive an exclusive gift to commemorate this memorable experience.
• All guests will also have the opportunity to shop at the Disney Studio Store and Employee Center and purchase items only available on the Studio lot!
• Pricing for D23 Gold Members is $99 for weekday tours or $109 for weekend tours per person, plus a $7 per person processing fee.
• For General Members, pricing is $149 for weekday tours and $159 for weekend tours per person, plus a $7 per person processing fee.
• Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, August 2nd, at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET).
• All guests will be required to wear face masks upon entering the Walt Disney Studio Lot and for the entire duration of the tour.
• Additionally, all guests will need to provide proof of either confirmation that you have been fully vaccinated or a negative PCR test for COVID-19.
• Tour dates are as follows:

GENERAL AND GOLD MEMBERS:

• August 11, August 18, August 25, September 1, September 15, September 22, October 6, October 13, October 20, October 27
• Tours will take place at The Walt Disney Studios at 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Check-in will begin outside the Hyperion Bungalow at The Walt Disney Studios 30 minutes before your tour.
• August 12, August 19, August 26, September 2, September 16, September 23, October 7, October 14, October 21, October 28
• Tours will take place at The Walt Disney Studios at 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., and 10:30 a.m. Check-in will begin outside the Hyperion Bungalow at The Walt Disney Studios 30 minutes before your tour.
• August 20, October 22, November 5
• Tours will take place at The Walt Disney Studios at 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Check-in will begin outside the Hyperion Bungalow at The Walt Disney Studios 30 minutes before your tour.

For more details and to purchase tickets when they become available on August 2nd, visit the official D23 website .

The Official Walt Disney Studios Tour

by Whitney Littlejohn · December 21, 2019

Of all the fantastic places in Disney history, Walt Disney’s “dream factory” in Burbank would prove to be one of the most influential. Tour The Walt Disney Studios exclusively with D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, and celebrate the historic Studios’ milestone 80th anniversary in 2020!

Join your D23 tour guide on a stroll through the original Animation building, where beloved animated films, including  Cinderella ,  Lady and the Tramp , and  The Jungle Book , were created; see the historic soundstages used for filming such Disney live-action movie classics as  20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ,  Mary Poppins , and  Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl ; plus explore the beautiful Legends Plaza, which honors those who have made significant contributions to the Disney legacy. Many guests will also recognize the exterior spaces on the lot, which have been featured in productions from the  Mickey Mouse Club  and  The Absent-Minded Professor  to  Saving Mr. Banks ,  Muppets Most Wanted , and ABC’s  black-ish !

Then, explore the rich legacy and historical collections of The Walt Disney Company during a tour of the Walt Disney Archives, just in time to celebrate the storied department’s 50th anniversary. To complete the epic experience, take a tour of Walt Disney’s restored 3H office suite, filled with original furnishings, awards, and items from the master showman’s personal collection.

We are also excited to announce that as part of the Walt Disney Archives 50th anniversary, all attendees will receive a brand-new gift that commemorates this milestone occasion.Guests will also have the opportunity to shop at the Disney Studio Store and purchase items only available on the Studio lot!

GENERAL, GOLD, AND GOLD FAMILY MEMBERS:   January 27, February 24, March 16, March 30, April 13, April 27

Tours will take place at The Walt Disney Studios at 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. Check-in will begin outside the Hyperion Bungalow at The Walt Disney Studios 30 minutes before your tour.

GOLD AND GOLD FAMILY MEMBERS ONLY:  January 25, February 22, April 25

Tours will take place at The Walt Disney Studios at 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. Check-in will begin outside the Hyperion Bungalow at The Walt Disney Studios 15 minutes before your tour.

• D23 General, Gold, and Gold Family Members may reserve a ticket for themselves and one (1) guest.
• Children under the age of 10 are not able to partake in this experience.
• Children should be supervised. Guests under age 14 must be accompanied by a Guest age 14 or older.
• D23 Members are eligible to purchase  one  Official Walt Disney Studios Tour  each calendar year .
• D23 Members who do not bring their photo IDs and tickets will not be admitted to the event.
• Ticketed Members and guests who do not attend the event forfeit their place as well as all experiences, benefits, and gifts associated with the event. D23 Members must be present or guests will not gain admittance to event.
• Please note, the Walt Disney Studios is a working studio lot. We reserve the right to alter the tour itinerary at any time due to work activity on the lot.  All D23 events are subject to change without notice. There are strictly no cancellations or refunds, and tickets are not transferable.
• Electric Convenience Vehicles (ECVs) will not be permitted inside Walt Disney’s office suite. Guests utilizing a wheelchair will need to transfer to a wheelchair supplied by the Walt Disney Archives.
• Photography is permitted in most locations of the tour, but recording of any kind, including video recording, is not permitted at any time on the tour. Flash photography is not permitted in the Archives or Walt Disney’s office suite.

Gold and Gold Family Members: $80 per person, plus a $7 per person processing fee. General Members; $100 per person, plus a $7 per person processing fee. Click on the link for the chance to purchase tickets.

Thinking about a Disney getaway?  There are still fantastic 2019 bargains to be had and 2020 packages are NOW AVAILABLE TO BOOK! Fill out our form below to get your FREE, no-obligation quote from MickeyTravels.

Are you ready to start planning your magical Disney vacation? Contact me today at MickeyTravels for your FREE, no obligation quote for a Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line or Adventures By Disney vacation! My magical planning services are included at no extra cost. You can find me on Facebook or via email at Best of all my services are absolutely FREE! Get in touch at 843-288-1130, via email at  [email protected]  or follow along on  Facebook  and  Instagram .

Source: D23

Tags: D23 D23 Tours Official Walt Disney Studios Tour

Whitney Littlejohn

Whitney is a wife and mom of 2 princesses of her own. She has grown up visiting Disney World and has turned her passion into a career. When she's not at the parks, she can be found planning her client's vacations with MickeyTravels and sharing advice with readers at MickeyBlog. Please reach out for a free, no-obligation quote at 843-288-1130 or [email protected].

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Kristen Takes the D23 Walt Disney Studios Tour

You might remember that one of the first goals I ever set out for this site was to watch and review every single Disney animated feature , which I did (up until Frozen , if memory serves). I’ve always loved Disney despite my constant criticisms of the corporation itself and one of my lifelong dreams has been to set foot on the iconic studio lot where Walt himself crafted so many iconic works. Fortuitously, when I moved to Los Angeles I ended up being about 10 minutes from the location, but if you want to get on the lot you have to know someone who works there or be a member of Disney’s exclusive fan club, D23.

Thanks to my mom I was gifted with a D23 membership two years ago and had quick enough fingers to secure a spot on their monthly Walt Disney Studios tour. I was FINALLY going to be hang out where Walt and his Nine Old Men worked on Cinderella (1950), and where the fantastic animators created my favorite Disney feature, The Little Mermaid (1989). These tours are pretty small, no more than ten members were in one group and our guide Alana was fantastic! I’ve taken Disney’s in-park tours, like A Walk in Walt’s Footsteps, and was bored by the canned information and general attempt to sell the experience as opposed to the history. Not so here! Alana knew incredibly detailed information on the studio, right down to pointing out fun bits of info based on small items she liked. And if she didn’t have an answer she was committed to asking someone who would.

The Walt Disney Studios themselves are massive, with one of the largest soundstages on the West Coast (Stage 2). Stages 1 is dedicated to Mousketeer Annette Funicello while Stage 2 honors Julie Andrews as it was the location where she filmed Mary Poppins (1964). We weren’t able to go into the stages themselves, but just seeing how large they are is insane. In fact, Alana pointed out Stage 2 is where the Mark Twain Riverboat was actually built, disassembled, and then reassembled in Disneyland itself. It’s a soundstage big enough to build a riverboat, people! We hit all the cursory buildings in the area, including the famous water town, and where the digital effects teams are holed up. Unfortunately we weren’t able to go into any of these places, but hearing the history of these locations was enough. The studios themselves are beautifully manicured and while celebrity sightings aren’t expected, Alana said they do happen as the studio does film several ABC shows.

After seeing several buildings with prominent history we actually went into a location where all the history is stored…or at least a portion of it. If for no other reason I stress visiting the Walt Disney Studios lot purely to check out the archives. As Alana laid out, Disney is the only movie studio that documents and retains nearly everything associated with them and makes it available to researchers or employees (guess I should write a Disney book on something!). It’s sad that Disney’s head archivist, Dave Smith, passed about a month ago because he really made the archives the dream of every Disney fan out there. Before you enter the archives there’s a great series of displays in the main building. Currently there’s a 50th anniversary tribute to the Haunted Mansion and they have an original Bride animatronic! You can also see a fun tribute to the various Mickey Mouse costume characters at all the Disney parks in honor of the Mouse’s 90th anniversary. Suffice it to say, some of those early costumes were nightmare fuel.

But, to the archives! The minute I walked through the door and saw the Redhead animatronic from Pirates of the Caribbean , I was in love! If the world ended tomorrow, the archive room would be the place I’d spend my days. In just a small room is a dearth of Disney history, and it’s really just a fraction of the 5 million items Disney has in storage lockers throughout Southern California. We only got to spend about 15 minutes in this room and I feverishly consumed everything I could. Since Pirates has been changed the room doesn’t just include the Redhead but the original bride auction banner; items from the original Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (which pleased both the Disney and Twilight Zone fan in me); several Tiki Room items. What took my breath away, though, were all the books. Every book on animation, the Disney company, Walt himself, is packed into bookshelves. There are even huge binders holding just photos of Disney and the parks. Seriously, let me sit at a table and just read every book in there and I’ll be happy! We also got to see and hold Walt’s Oscar for his 1958 True Life Adventure, White Wilderness .

After bidding adieu to the archives – seriously, leave me here! – we made our way to Walt’s office. Walt’s office goes hand-in-hand with the archives since it was Dave Smith who went into the Big Cheese’s office after Walt died and took photos of everything, hoping to retain a memory of it for future use. Within the last two months the office has become a tour stop with everything either being an original piece of Walt’s furniture or a replica. We saw both Walt’s formal office, which you can see recreated in the 2013 Disney feature Saving Mr. Banks , and his private office. Seeing the two facets of his personality – the side he showed to VIPs and the side he showed when he wanted to relax – is stark. It’s amazing how accurately the office was recreated, right down to drycleaning the original curtains that hung in Walt’s office in 1966; they were so smoky they had to be severely cleaned. Alana pointed out a ton of amazing items in just this space alone and it’s like stepping into a time capsule. The Kem Weber-designed airline chairs are fantastic if for nothing more than they apparently fetch a hefty price at auction. We also got to see a replica of an animator’s studio from that time, though you aren’t allowed to walk through it like the offices.

From there we took a deep dive through the ink & paint department, looking at every stage of production required to craft an animated film (much of which is now irrelevant with the rise of CGI). We saw a bevy of beautiful artwork, though you are stuck in a string of hallways with people coming and going to work. We also took a stop into Disney’s underground tunnels, Utilidors for those who live in Disney World. These areas don’t have the wow factor of the Archives or Walt’s office, mainly because you’re staring at artwork and/or aren’t allowed to wander. Thankfully, Alana kept things moving and was able to make everything feel conversational; she wasn’t reading from a script, folks.

The tour ends at the Disney Legends Plaza, the studios’ equivalent to the Walk of Fame. Next to the Archives I could have spent time just running from handprint to handprint. It wasn’t enough to see the handprints of Walt’s Nine Old Men; I was more surprised by how many classic film stars are represented. Several of them, unfortunately, aren’t represented via handprints because they passed. Instead they’re memorialized with plaques, but there were still plenty of names to see: original Snow White voice artist Adriana Caselotti, Haley Mills (her hands and mine are the same size!), Fred MacMurray, and David Tomlinson are just a few I caught. You can also take some fantastic photos of the main studio building which has the Seven Dwarfs acting as pillars. Not sure how I feel about that. As someone who lives nearby I can say this area looks beautiful at night. (Night tours are presumably offered and I’ll be keeping an eye out!) You aren’t allowed to hang out on the lot after your tour, but you can shop in the employee store – which actually has items not available anywhere else – or have lunch in the commissary if you’d like.

I love Disney so maybe I’m wearing rose-colored glasses but I was so in love! The studios are everything I imagined and more. If you’re a fan and want to see the archives then you HAVE to find a way to visit. D23 members can enter to win these contests every month and it’s worth the stress. The guides know their stuff and craft a wonderful environment. This is the ultimate tour for Disney nerds.

General Information , Journeys in the Disney Vault

Studio Tour , Walt Disney

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Kristen Lopez View All

Film Editor at TheWrap. Author of the book "But Have You Read the Book: 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films," put out by TCM and Running Press. Book 2, focused on disability in film, comes out via Applause Books in 2025.

3 thoughts on “ Kristen Takes the D23 Walt Disney Studios Tour ” Leave a comment ›

You made the trip come alive and gave me feelings of awe and jealousy. The attention to history is admirable and important to the legacy of creativity. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for reading, Patricia!!

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Walt Disney Studios

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Review Highlights

“ First off you do not enter Buena Vista Street to see you actually enter off the Alameda entrance. ” in 3 reviews

“ ***** But just like the Parks & Resorts, one will need to make a reservation through D23 to take the Studio Tour or attend Studios events. ” in 5 reviews

“ Exploring the handprints in Legends Plaza , walking through sound stages where so many timeless movies were filmed, Walt's office... ” in 3 reviews

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500 S Buena Vista St

Burbank, CA 91521

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Came here through D23, personal tour of the lot basically with only two of us in the tour group. Having toured WB and Universal, there were some expectations and, while some things exceeded then, others did not. The tour itself is a tour of, mostly, the entire lot, but is done in a way that takes you through the animation process. You're taken to student buildings on the lot, from where inking to and cells were created, to drawing and concept, to the animation itself. You're taught how the original animation was created, how much time and legit it went into creating seconds worth of film, and the history of the different films. You learn about the origins of Disney itself, the original studios, ideas for the theme parks, as well as a trip to Walt's office. Later in the tour you pass by the different stages and get an idea of what was filmed in each one. At the end of the tour, you're let loose into the Disney store and the employee store where you get the employee prices for that day. It would have been fun to walk the sets, if they were available, like you can at some of the other kits, but that wasn't available with the tour. Overall though, very informative and great if you're a fan of Disney

See all photos from Justin J. for Walt Disney Studios

Let me start this off by saying the studios aren't open to the public but I've been here as a guest and must say this is a beautiful studio. You get the feeling that everyone is proud to work here. Wish every Disney fan could visit The Walt Disney Studios. It's an amazing place.

Entrance to The Walt Disney Archives.

TWDC Studios D23 events are FUN-tastic providing plenty of entertainment, food, and shopping. These events are for all guests. 3 months, 3 events in 2023 Oct - D100: D23 Royal Anniversary Ball Nov - TWDC Studio Tour Dec - Light Up The Season (Tree lights) All were 5-Stars. ***** But just like the Parks & Resorts, one will need to make a reservation through D23 to take the Studio Tour or attend Studios events. Happy party time during the Season for a Reason!!

See all photos from Randy L. for Walt Disney Studios

Finally got to do a D23 tour and it was a great experience overall. This is honestly perfect for any Disney fan, but I feel even more so for the Disney fan history buffs. The tour started promptly on time and was 2.5 hours. Our tour guide was Jon, he was extremely personable and knowledgeable. There were 2 scheduled photo opportunities during the tour, but of course you were allowed to take plenty of pictures the entire time. Definitely be prepared to do a lot of walking and stopping, there aren't too many opportunities to sit throughout the tour. It was really fun going through some of the buildings, learning all of the fun facts, and hearing behind the scenes information. Of course, the most exciting part of the tour was being in Walt's office. As other reviews have stated, it was very surreal and emotional. Once the tour is over, you have the opportunity to shop at the studio store and employee center. I had a great time and am definitely excited to come back with friends/family. Highly recommend for all Disney fans that have the opportunity!

I feel so honored that I got to do the Disney Studio Tour. I'm a Disney Geek, as I like to call it. But really, I'm more of a freak - totally obsessed. And this tour was the best studio I've ever done! My less Disney-fied friend said he enjoyed it but wasn't as over the moon as I was. But if you are a Disney person, and have a good guide, it's life changing. Our guide was Jonny and I can't gush enough. He knew everything Disney. I thought my knowledge was good but I pale in comparison. There was someone with special needs in our group and he was so patient, answering every question he had. The tour is typically 1.5-2 hours and we were on the tour for a bit over 3 hours! So many questions and comments, but Jonny handled it all with grace saying kind things to the guy and engaging with him. I don't want to ruin all the details for you, but it was so interesting and cool to be where so many cool Disney things happened. You do get to go into Walt's office which is exactly as he left it! Even the books have never been touched so you'll see that all the bindings are not nicely lined up. I actually had tears come to my eyes being a room where so much magic happened. It was all SO cool. They have a huge parking lot and you get so much attention as the groups are only 8 people. You have to be a part of D23 to get access to the tour, so join and go!!! Disney People --- You will NOT regret it.

*Review of the studio tour* I'm a casual Disney fan but my sister, who's a big Disney fan, really wanted to go on the tour but not by herself. I ended up accompanying her (she paid for my ticket so why not? lol). Pretty organized tour with a little bit of everything. Huge props to the tour guide as she was super informative even giving relevant tidbits based on her own experience of working in the film industry for many years. My sister and other guests in the same group were in awe from beginning to end. For me, I was fascinated during the majority of the tour but I was beginning to tap out especially in the last 30 minutes lol (the tour is approximately 2 hours long). An exhibit-style walking tour for the most part. Would've been cool to have inside access to the studio lot sound stage rooms but proprietary reasons forbade it I'm guessing. Overall I'll say that this is a great tour if you have prospects of working here or simply seek the exclusive opportunity of walking around the studio campus (under supervision of course) while learning its bountiful history.

See all photos from Gillian A. for Walt Disney Studios

If ever you have a chance to step on the Walt Disney Studios lot, just do it! The magic is in the details here. You don't even need to be a big Disney fan to appreciate it. The holidays are especially charming. Do note, if you attend for special events the guest parking will likely be Gate 3 off of Riverside not the gate off Buena Vista. Don't miss the Company Store where you'll find special deals and one of a kind Disney items.

See all photos from McKenzie S. for Walt Disney Studios

My sister really wanted to go on the Walt Disney studio tour back in Fall 2022. So she purchased the D23 Duo Gold membership so she could have a better chance of booking a studio tour once the new dates came out for Nov and Dec. I like Disney. However, I'm not the kind of person who would willingly shell out a lot of money for a Disney experience. But because she really wanted to tour Disney studios, I went along as her companion. The entire studio tour lasted about 2 hours. Our guide was really nice and courteous :) ! But because the studio lot is pretty small, I felt like there wasn't a whole lot to see. The highlights are mainly Walt Disney's office and Pluto's Corner. The employees were setting up props outside for "Beauty and the Beast" live. We also got to hold one of the 20+ Oscars that Walt Disney won in his lifetime :D ! A real Oscar is pretty heavy! At least for our small hands! But other than that, I personally didn't feel like it was worth the money we paid for the tour. Even with D23 membership, there wasn't a huge discount for the studio tour tickets and we still had to pay about $99 per person, which I think is pretty steep for a super simplistic and "no frills" studio tour. For what we actually saw, i felt like it really should have been 1/3 or 1/2 the price we paid. They do hand out collector pins at the end of the tour though :) ! I just went on the Warner Bros classic studio tour earlier this month and found it to be SO much better, much more reasonably priced, and a LOT more to see :) ! I would recommend saving your money for that studio tour instead ;) !

See all photos from Michelle L. for Walt Disney Studios

Joined D23 this year as I heard they were doing Walt Disney Studios tours again - the first year since the pandemic. I signed us up for the D23 Studio Tour as my birthday gift to myself this year! Our guide was Linda and she was fantastic. During our initial "getting to know you" that she did with our group, I let her know that I was former WDW cast from the Main St/Adv Ops team and had been jonesing to take a studio tour at Disney since our adventures at Warner and Paramount after our move to Southern California. Disney does not take you inside any soundstages or sets like the Paramount VIP Tour, but they do take you all around the studio lot, inside an exhibit by the Archives, exhibits on all three floors plus the basement of the old Animation building, Legends Plaza and the grand prize - walking through Walt's office. I have to admit, as a former cast member from the old days (79-85) being in Walt's office brought a little moisture to my eyes. Linda gave us plenty of time in all the spaces to take photos and just take everything in plus she was super-informative and entertaining. We finished up at the Studio Store which has a lot of merch that you can only get at the Studios - I scored three new t-shirts: Walt Disney Studios, D23 Gold Member and Disney 100 (none of which are on ShopDisney or at World of Disney in Downtown). Fantastic experience for any Disney fan!!

This was a wonderful treat! As long as I've been a D23 member, I never downloaded the app and knew all the things we can attend! This was the 1st event since the pandemic and it was such a wonderful treat to go to the Walt Disney Studios, walk around, shop, and see the 50th anniversary of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. The Studio spoiled us with the absolute best popcorn I've ever had at a theater and that included the fancy Dasani water bottles. :) Me and my daughter walked along Mickey Avenue and Dopey Drive where Walt's beautiful children would ride their bikes and enjoy Sunday's when there weren't any employees there. It was just serene. It meant so much to us because they don't give tours at the Studios to the general public, so it surely was special! The seats were so velvety and comfy and they even rock! All the employees treated us respectfully and gave us individual attention; something that was very important to Walt. I'm happy to see it's still an important aspect to their customer service. If you're not a member of the D23 club, I would invite you to join, and you can even join for free! And, you'll even meet some fellow Disney Peeps!

See all photos from Marie-Angeline F. for Walt Disney Studios

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DATE Announced For Return of the Exclusive Walt Disney Studios Lot Tour!

By Jordan-Paige Sudduth 2 Comments

A very special Disney tour is finally returning!

It’s back!

Disney offers many types of VIP tours throughout their parks. Some of them returned in late 2021 and others returned earlier this year . And now, another popular tour is finally returning — The Walt Disney Studios Official Tour!

D23 has just announced that their wildly popular Walt Disney Studios Official Tour is finally returning from August 11th,2022 through November 5th, 2022 for D23 Gold and General members. We knew the tour would be returning this year, but Disney hadn’t announced an exact date…until now !

The tour will cost $99 on weekdays and $109 on weekends for Gold members and $149 on weekdays and $159 on weekends for General members . Tickets will go on sale on August 2nd at 10AM PST (1PM EST).

The tour lasts 2.5 hours and guests will be able to see sights such as Walt Disney’s office suite, Legends Plaza, and the Walt Disney Archives . On weekends, a Disney Archivist will join the tour to offer additional commentary.

Find out more about the tour and grab your tickets on the D23 website . If you are not a D23 member yet, it’s free to sign up for a General membership and $99 per year for a Gold membership.

While you’re in California, be sure to stop by Disneyland and see what’s up! You can check out the new snacks and desserts we’ve seen recently, and ride Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage which has FINALLY reopened !

As always, check back with DFB for all the latest Disney news.

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Have you ever been on the tour? Which part would you look forward to the most? Let us know below!

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August 1, 2022 at 2:40 pm

awe shucks… from the headline, I was hoping there was a return to the back lot tour that used to take place at the Florida Studio’s lot. The action of the Catastrophe Canyon sequence was one to remember, and I am so upset that the next generation will not be able to enjoy this groundbreaking attraction. So much was lost when the Fl. Studios became a thrill park instead of a working studio.

April 13, 2023 at 8:46 pm

It says sold out as of abril 2023… any chance they will re-open? Does anyone know?

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One of the Most Popular & Exclusive Disney Tours is Returning This Month

One of Disney’s most popular tours is returning in August.

However, unlike Disney’s VIP tours , this tour doesn’t take place in one of Disney’s parks. If you live in California or are visiting the state so you can hop into Disneyland or Disney California Adventure , don’t miss the opportunity to visit The Walt Disney Studios for their returning tour !

D23 Gold and General Members can enjoy The Walt Disney Studios Official Tour from August 11th through November 5th  this year. Weekday tours will be $99 for Gold Members and $149 for General Members , while weekend tours will be $109 for Gold Members and $159 for General Members .

You can book your tour starting at 10AM PST (1 PM EST) on August 2nd. 

This two-and-a-half-hour tour will take guests through Walt Disney’s office suite, Legends Plaza, and the Walt Disney Archives, and will be joined by an Archivist on weekends to provide additional commentary. All guests must be masked during the tour, and either show proof of full vaccination or have a negative PCR or rapid test before the tour begins.

For more information on the tours, you can check out the D23 website . Aren’t eligible to buy tickets for the tour? You can sign up for a General D23 membership for free! If you want to become a Gold member, it will cost $99 per year, but it comes with plenty of benefits such as exclusive merchandise and early access to special events.

While you’re in California, don’t forget to check out the newly reopened Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in Disneyland , and don’t miss these two nighttime shows before they leave the park later this year .

Keep an eye on AllEars for all the latest Disney news.

Here are 7 things you HAVE to do on your first Disneyland trip!

What would you be most excited to see on this tour? Let us know in the comments below!

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Private transportation, backstage parking and skipped lines: What it's really like on a Disney VIP tour

As once smirked by "The Lion King's" villainous lion, Scar, "Life's not fair, is it?"

You see, even though all are welcome in the happy place that Walt built, not everyone waits in the same lines to ride Dumbo or Space Mountain. In fact, some barely wait in lines at all.

There's a way to experience Disney World without a hot trek through the parking lots or long waits for rides, but with perfect fireworks-viewing areas reserved just for you and with almost zero advance planning required. And on top of that, there's a way to get all-day access to a Disney expert with pockets full of pixie dust and keys to backstage shortcuts, who can guide you and troubleshoot any problems that arise.

This magic isn't a fictional fairytale or reserved for A-list stars. All of this (and more) is available to anyone willing to pay for the very real Disney VIP tour guides.

This small army of top-tier magic-makers is employed by Disney and can be spotted around the parks in their signature plaid vests whisking small groups of very fortunate guests into back entrances and to the front of the lines.

For more TPG news and deals delivered to your inbox, sign up for our free daily newsletter .

After waiting several hours to straddle a banshee and ride Avatar Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom, you may be desperate to know how you can have one of these Disney "magicians" whisk your group out of the sun and into the fun.

While I've done the three-hour wait to ride a banshee myself, I've also now experienced the magic of not waiting. Here's how the Disney VIP tours work and exactly how much magic you can actually squeeze out of the day when you say goodbye to the long waits.

Related: These are the best hotels at Disney World

What's a Disney VIP tour?

A private Disney VIP tour is kind of like having your own assigned Mouseketeer and personal set of keys to the kingdom.

While I'm sure they could give you a more traditional tour of Disney World if that's what you wanted, it's really not exactly a tour.

When you are on a Disney VIP tour, you've got your own official Disney guide who can plan your day, serve as your own unlimited human FastPass, drive you to and from your Disney resort and from park to park with cool and efficient backstage parking. Most people who buy a Disney VIP tour do it to skip the bulk of the lines and experience as much of the parks as possible in a short amount of time. This is why TPG's founder Brian Kelly purchased the VIP tour with his nieces and nephews for a one-day visit to Disney World.

But it's not just the quicker ride access that is special. Even before you know you need it, the guides can also make bottles of water, rain ponchos and Mickey bars seemingly appear out of thin air.

These tours must be booked for a minimum of seven hours and you can have up to 10 people on the tour for the same hourly rate. Just don't have an 11th person because then you need a second guide and your cost doubles.

Related: What it costs to visit Disney World

What we did on our Disney VIP tour

We gathered up exactly 10 Disney-loving friends and family members and booked a seven-hour VIP tour.

In the end, we went a bit over those initially planned seven hours as we had a few more things we wanted to do when the original time limit expired. In total, our tour was about eight and a half hours from start to finish.

We lost about 15 minutes on the front end when we couldn't find our youngest daughter's MagicBand as we were walking out the door and then had some forms to sign when we met up with the tour guide. In hindsight, we should have skipped looking for the band and done the forms in advance. We also lost some time for lunch -- more on that below.

Counting transportation to and from our resort and the transfer between the two parks, we spent probably a little over an hour in transit. That means we had a bit under seven hours of true park experience to work with that translated into 16 attractions.

Here's how the time on our Disney VIP tour played out.

• 10 a.m. Official start time.
• 10:19 a.m. Depart Disney's Wilderness Lodge for the Magic Kingdom.
• 10:26 a.m. Clear security through side-gate entrance with no line and park in a backlot to the side of Main Street, U.S.A.

• 10:29 a.m. Officially walk into the Magic Kingdom.
• 10:33 a.m. Watch a cavalcade (aka a mini-parade) as it passed by the castle.
• 10:40 a.m. Try to ride Pirates of the Caribbean, but it was down and would stay down much of the day.
• 10:49 a.m. Ride No. 1 -- Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
• 10:56 a.m. VIP guide got waters for everyone and "pixie dusted" my youngest with Dole Whip since her favorite ride, Pirates, didn't work out.

• 11:09 a.m. Ride No. 2 -- Splash Mountain.
• 11:35 a.m. Ride No. 3 -- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
• 11:55 a.m. Ride No. 4 -- Haunted Mansion.
• 12:19 p.m. Ride No. 5 -- Peter Pan's Flight.
• 12:26 p.m. Bathroom break and hunt for hidden Pascals near the "Tangled"-themed bathrooms at the request of my daughters.
• 12:49 p.m. Ride No. 6 -- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
• 1:03 p.m. Ride No. 7 -- Mad Tea Party.
• 1:21 p.m. Ride No. 8 -- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
• 1:42 p.m. Ride No. 9 -- Space Mountain.

I ordered lunch in the Disney app by 1:10 p.m. but it wasn't actually ready until about 1:50 p.m. We weren't all done eating until about 2:10 pm., so while some in the group kept riding rides during that time, it also was a pretty inefficient part of the day for those who were scouting for tables and waiting for food. Waiting 40 minutes for chicken fingers and fries and fighting for a table isn't a great use of time when you are paying for a guide by the hour.

• 2:17 p.m. Depart for Hollywood Studios.
• 2:39 p.m. Arrive at Hollywood Studios and park in backstage parking near Tower of Terror.
• 2:56 p.m. Ride No. 10 -- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
• 3:11 p.m. Ride No. 11 -- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.
• 3:57 p.m. Ride No. 12 -- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.

• 4:21 p.m. Ride No. 13 -- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
• 5:02 p.m. Ride No. 14 -- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
• 5:28 p.m. Ride No. 15 -- Slinky Dog Dash.
• 5:44 p.m. Ride No. 16 -- Toy Story Mania!
• 6:24 p.m. Arrive back at Disney's Wilderness Lodge.

As you can tell by some of the time gaps between rides, you don't always have a zero-minute wait to ride. Some rides, such as Runaway Railway and Rise of the Resistance, still had a bit of waiting involved.

At other times, such as with Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Aladdin and more, you essentially got to walk right up to the start of the ride.

It's worth a mention that we didn't need to compete with thousands of other guests at 7 a.m. for a Rise of the Resistance boarding pass, as one ride without a pass is included with the tour.

The VIP tour is really at a huge advantage right now as waits for most rides on this day were over an hour. And since FastPass has not yet returned to Disney World, there weren't many others in the FastPass line.

The guide, Annie, and I chatted about what we would do next and adjusted plans on the fly.

As the afternoon Florida rain came and some attractions were temporarily unavailable, we'd adjust plans again. When she'd pose a ride that we didn't want to do (like "It's a small world"), it was no big deal and we kept on going to the next thing. She was available to go on rides with us (which was really fun as she knew some awesome "secrets") and she was also available to skip the ride and do other things while we rode, such as order water or hold a bag.

While we did our tour during the day, the tour guide can let you access special, reserved VIP viewing of fireworks if you do it in the evening. And while we only went to two parks in one day, you can go to all four if you want. It's essentially your time to use however you please.

Related: Why you might want to think twice before a theme park trip right now

What does a Disney VIP tour cost?

Here's the bad news. A Disney VIP tour costs $425 to $750 per hour, depending on the season. And that's on top of your park admission tickets, which aren't included withe the tour.

There's no way to know exactly what your tour will cost without calling 407-560-4033 or working with a Disney vacation planner as we did. You can only book the tours 60 days in advance and they do sell out, so plan ahead. Remember, you need to book at least seven hours, so the minimum price for a Disney VIP tour will be $2,975 for up to 10 people. You can do a tour for up to 10 hours, so while the minimum price is $2,975, a 10-hour tour in super peak season could set you back a staggering $7,500.

On our July date, the tour was $550 per hour and we spent a total of $3,850 on the initially planned seven hours. (And sadly, this did not code as a travel charge, so use the credit card that awards you the most on everyday spending -- I went with my Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to earn 2 miles per dollar on the charge.)

With our added time, the grand total came to $4,675 before the tip. That's $467.50 per person on our tour, if you want to think of it that way. ( In terms of the tip, while it is at your discretion, this is a Disney position that can accept cash tip. It's common to go with 15 - 20% of the amount of your tour or tip the equivalent of one hour. )

While not all 10 people did every single ride, I'm going to assume they did here for simpler math since they all had the opportunity.

At $467.50 per person, given that we did 16 rides, that's kind of like spending $29.21 per "FastPass" access. That's not exactly a fair way to look at it as there were plenty of other perks to the tour including the door-to-door transportation, awesome insider knowledge from the guide herself, etc., but it's a decent starting point.

Additionally, throughout the tour, our group was given about 25 bottles of water ($3.50 each), 10 Mickey bars ($5.50 each), 10 rain ponchos ($12 each), one stroller rental ($15) and a cup of Dole Whip ($5). We were also each given a special Disney VIP tour pin which you technically can't buy, but we'll put the price at about $12, which is in line with the cost of other Disney pins.

The retail price for buying those goodies on your own at Disney is around $402.50, or $40.25 per person. If you factor that out of the total cost, the cost for quick access drops a little from $29.21 to $26.70 per person per ride.

Obviously, if you didn't stop for lunch, started right on time and moved at a quicker pace than our group, then you probably could have a higher ride total. You could even start right in the park if you don't want transportation and squeeze in more rides that way, too.

Related: These are the best restaurants at Disney World

But our goal wasn't to rack up ride totals for the sake of impressive math, it was to enjoy the heck out of the rides we love the most with the friends and family we've missed too much over the last year and a half. And while you could argue using time getting picked up and dropped off at our resort was a waste, with 10 people ranging from 6 to 70 years of age, it sure didn't feel that way.

Bottom line

There's absolutely no way we would have done those 16 rides in eight and a half hours on our own. Given what crowds and wait times were like at Disney during our trip , it's unlikely we would have done half that number on our own. Even if we had, it wouldn't have been predominately the headlining rides.

It's not necessary to spend a small fortune on a VIP tour to have a great time at Walt Disney World.

I've successfully been to the park dozens of times and never before had a Disney VIP tour guide at the ready. Timing your visit during the less busy days, being at the park when it opens (which is before it says it opens), doing rides during fireworks and close to closing time are also great ways to pack more attractions into your day without spending more money.

However, right now with the high crowd levels and no other FastPass options, if there was ever a time to rally a group of friends and go for it on a planned upcoming trip, there's no doubt the VIP treatment dramatically increased the enjoyment factor for our group.

LA Dreaming

eat sleep pLAy

How to Tour the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank

Have you ever dreamed of getting to tour the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank? This is one of the hardest studios in Los Angeles to get to see. There are only three studios that offer tours that anyone can buy tickets for. Those studios are Paramount , Sony and Warner Bros . The main ways that you can tour the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank are through D23 Events, Disney Movie Insider Rewards, and Adventures By Disney.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and buy something, I will earn a small commission from the advertiser at no additional cost to you.

What is D23? It is The Official Disney Fan Club! Earlier this year I attended the D23 Expo which I highly recommend. You can be a general member for free or a gold member for a price. For $99.99 a year, plus shipping and taxes, you can join the club. There will be a few free member events throughout the year but most activities require you to spend more money to attend. However, if you really want to tour the studio you’ll most likely find the price tag worth the investment.

At least two times a year club members can purchase tickets to tour the studio. This tour always sells out though so you do have to pay close attention to when it goes on sale. The best way to stay informed is to check the D23 events page on their website often. The pricing starts at $99 and goes up from there. Pricing is more for general members (the free membership), and it is more expensive for weekend tours as well. You can find tickets and available tour times through the D23 event page when availability permits.

What does this tour entail? According to the D23 website, you can expect a 2 and 1/2 hour tour which includes a visit to Walt Disney’s Office and the archives.

Disney Movie Insiders Rewards Program

Did you know that you can earn points for watching Disney movies in theatres and by purchasing Disney Movies on DVD and BluRay? Once you create an account with Disney Movie Insider Rewards and start earning points you can redeem them for great rewards. One of the rewards is to tour the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. This reward costs 12,000 points so it will take a while to earn enough.

  View this post on Instagram   It was all started by a man with a dream and his mouse #WaltDisney #MickeyMouse #disneystudios #waltdisneystudiosburbank #waltdisneystudios #burbank #visitburbank #disney #disneygram #disneylife #disneyphotography #disneyig #disneyfan A post shared by Michelle Mink (@la.dreaming) on Jul 12, 2019 at 9:01am PDT

Adventures By Disney

Adventures By Disney is a way to travel while having Disney take care of everything. There is a four-day tour of Los Angeles. This experience gives you access to the park in a unique way and provides a tour of the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. You even get to tour Imagineering. These trips and experiences with ABD can be very pricey but you certainly get some spectacular experiences. You can see pricing and details here .

Interested in checking out other Disney places in LA? Check out my Guide to LA For Disney Fans .

About The Author

Michelle Ares is the founder and creative director of LA Dreaming. I have a passion for Southern California and love sharing my adventures and experiences with you. I love to travel, find new places to check out, and watch movies. You can follow me on Instagram @la.dreaming

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The Official Walt Disney Studios Tour Available For D23 Gold Members

On Saturday September 9th, D23 Gold Members (and Gold Family Members) have the rare opportunity to enjoy a two-and-a-half-hour tour of The Walt Disney Studios. This exclusive experience also includes a visit to Walt Disney’s office suite and Archives.

Join your D23 tour guide on a stroll through the original Animation building, where beloved animated films (including Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, and The Jungle Book) were created; see the historic sound stages used for filming such Disney live-action movie classics as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mary Poppins, and Pirates of the Caribbean : The Curse of the Black Pearl; plus explore the beautiful Disney Legends Plaza, which honors those who have made significant contributions to the Disney legacy. Many guests will also recognize the exterior spaces on the lot, which have been featured in productions from the Mickey Mouse Club and The Absent-Minded Professor to Saving Mr. Banks, Muppets Most Wanted, and ABC’s black-ish!

Then, explore the rich legacy and historical collections of The Walt Disney Company during a tour of the Walt Disney Archives and Walt Disney’s restored 3H office suite, filled with original furnishings, awards, and items from the master showman’s personal collection. Upon exiting the suite, all guests will receive an exclusive pin to commemorate this memorable experience.

Guests will also have the opportunity to shop at the Disney Studio Store and purchase items only available on the Studio lot!

DETAILS Tours will take place at the Walt Disney Studios at 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. Check-in will begin outside the Hyperion Bungalow at The Walt Disney Studios 30 minutes before your tour.

D23 Gold and Gold Family Members may reserve a ticket for themselves and one (1) guest. The cost is $75 per person (plus $5 processing fee). Tickets will go on sale on Friday, August 11, at 10 a.m. PT. Please check here for ticketing link and additional details .

Click Here for your FREE no obligation quote !

Ready to experience Disney for yourself?   There are still fantastic 2017 Summer and Fall packages to be had.  Click here   or send an  email  for a FREE, no obligation quote with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.

Want more help planning your next Disney vacation? As an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, my goal is to help you plan the Magic your way.   I create customized itineraries, book advanced dining and FastPass+ reservations, monitor for discounts for your vacation, and much much more! And did I mention that my services are   FREE ? Get in touch toll-free at   1-800-454-4501 , via email at   [email protected]   or follow along on   Facebook .

Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.

Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.

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Hollywood Studio Tours

Which are the best.

This post covers the most enjoyable movie studio tours in and around Hollywood.

With so many historic studios in the area, it might be difficult to pick just one to visit.

Taking a studio tour is one of the top things to do in LA .

• Studio Tours
• Celebrity Homes Tours
• Ways to Save on Tours
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• Tips from Locals and Travelers

Disclosure:  While our recommendations are always unbiased, we may receive a small share of sales through some of the links below at no cost to you. See the  full text .

STUDIO TOURS

Interestingly enough, there are quite a few differences between the tours offered at each studio, and that should make it easier to figure out which tour best fits your expectations.

Ticket prices vary from $62 per person to literally thousands of dollars.

However, 3 of the tours, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, and Universal Studios are included for free or at a lower cost in several tourist attraction passes. 

It's also worth noting that the length of these tours can run from roughly an hour to almost a week.

With all of that said, let's start talking about what each movie studio offers with their tours.

• Warner Bros.
• Sony Pictures
• Universal Studios
• Paramount Pictures
• Adventures by Disney: Disney Backstage

At the bottom of this post , we share some thoughts and opinions from members of our Los Angeles Travel Tips group on Facebook.

Our group comprises roughly 9,000 locals (like our tour guides), tourists, returning visitors, and newbies to LA.

You don't need to be a member to read the posts, comments, and recommendations.

WARNER BROS. STUDIO TOUR

Below is a summary of our post on Warner Brothers Studio tours , where we also provide tips on planning your trip.

If you're in the market for a somewhat normal tour on the backlot, this might be one of your best bets.

In addition to seeing movie sets and sound stages from some of the most notable movies in film history, you'll also have the opportunity to enjoy a few specific activities.

  While on this movie studio tour, you'll be able to re-create a famous scene from the hit television show Friends , climb aboard Harry Potter 's broomstick, and even create your own Batmobile.

Warner Bros. even offers an interactive sound stage that explores the entire process of making a film from start to finish.

At three hours in length, this tour is probably the longest duration of all of the options in Hollywood.

• $70/adult | $60/child
• Availability: Thursday - Monday
• Hours: Every half hour from 9 am - 3:30 pm
• Duration: 3 hours
• Available in both English and Spanish
• Click here for more information .

TIP: This tour is included for free with the purchase of the Go City Los Angeles Explorer Tourist Pass .

You can also combine this tour with the Universal Studios tour using the combo deal below!

With an overall score of 4.5 out of 5 stars , it's fair to say that this Hollywood studio tour is very well rated ( read reviews here ).

Some guests have gone so far as to suggest that this trip is worth every single penny.

Visitors were typically very happy with their tour guides, referring to them as both friendly and informative. 

SONY PICTURES STUDIO TOUR

This might be the most affordable movie studio tour in Hollywood, and it's also one of the most historic. Do note, that is is a walking tour.

While on this tour, you'll see the sound stages where they recorded classics such as The Wizard of Oz and superhero flicks like Spider-man .

Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to see where Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are recorded.

Although they don't make any promises, there's always a chance that you'll run into someone famous on this active studio back lot!

They also offer a premium tour which includes transportation via golf cart, access to the Sony Museum, a free souvenir photo, a complimentary beverage, and lower prices at the Sony Studio Store.

Tickets 

• $55 per person | $150 for the Premium tour
• Availability: Monday – Friday at 10:30 am, 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm
• Duration: 2 hours

Tip: Admission is usually included for free with the purchase of at least one Los Angeles tourist pass .

With an overall score of 4 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor, it's clear that this is a pretty popular Hollywood studio tour.

Customers really appreciated the opportunity to see several historic filming locations and learn a lot about the process of making a movie.

Although some reviewers were unhappy that this is a walking tour, others simply appreciated the opportunity to see where film history was made.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS TOUR

This is where things get interesting, as Universal Studios has essentially made their tour one of the services offered at their amusement park.

In other words, you need to buy a ticket for Universal Studios Hollywood in order to experience this studio tour.

Clocking in at only one hour in length, this is definitely the shortest studio tour available. Check out this video of Stephen Spielberg giving a tour of the site.

In addition to seeing the back lot, you'll also experience attractions such as the Jaws ride, King Kong 360 in 3D, Bates Motel and Fast & The Furious : Supercharged.

Although it will cost more to take this tour, it's worth noting that your ticket lasts all day and guarantees access to all of the rides. 

• $119-$139/adult | $109-$129/child
• Availability: Daily from 8 am - 6 pm
• Duration: 1 hour
• Click here for ticket information .

TIP:   Universal Studios Hollywood is included for free with the purchase of a tourist pass. Read about all the opportunities for deals in our full post .

Despite the higher price tag, this movie studio tour has still received quite excellent ratings ( read reviews here ). The overall Universal Studios Hollywood experience has a score of 4.7 out of 5 stars .

A few visitors have even suggested that this trip around the studio is worth the price of admission.

Although most customers feel that the ticket price is a bit high, even the critics can't deny that they had a blast. 

PARAMOUNT PICTURES STUDIO TOUR

Unlike the other movie studios, Paramount Pictures offers three different studio tours.

The main tour is 2 hours long and covers quite a lot of ground on the backlot.

However, if you want to experience more, their VIP tour lasts for 4 ½ hours and includes access to several additional areas.

The VIP tour also provides a gourmet lunch at a unique location in the studio.

Alternatively, you can also choose a 2 ½ hour night tour that reveals a lot of historic locations such as notable theaters and original film vaults.

No matter which option you choose, you'll learn a lot about the history of Paramount.

• $65 for the studio tour | $215 for the VIP tour
• Availability of Studio tour: Mon-Fri, every half hour from 9 AM - 3:30 PM
• Availability of VIP tour: Mon, Wed, Fri at 9:30 AM
• Duration of Studio tour: 2 hours
• Duration of VIP tour: 4 ½ hours
• Click here for additional information .

Reviews for the Paramount Pictures Studio tours are very positive, averaging a rating of 4 ½ out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor. 

Some visitors referred to the excursion as a movie buff's dream, while others were just impressed with how much they learned and discovered.

Some reviewers indicated that Paramount alters the tour slightly depending on the season, ensuring a nice variety of topics and locations to cover no matter when you decide to buy a ticket.

ADVENTURES BY DISNEY: DISNEY BACKSTAGE

You had to figure that Disney was going to be a little more expensive, but the actual cost of this week-long experience might shock you.

To be fair, the package includes meals and accommodation at both the Loews Hollywood Hotel and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.

This Disney backstage adventure includes a tour of the Walt Disney Studios & Archives, an Imagineering tour, a Hollywood walking tour, and a tour of the Jim Henson Company.

Most of these tours are only available via this week-long package. The entire itinerary takes six days to complete, and it will keep you busy with plenty of fun activities from start to finish. 

• $4,999 for Adults | $4,749 for Children
• Availability: 2-4 times per month
• Duration: 6 days
• Hotel accommodation included
• 11 Meals included
• VIP Disneyland ticket included

As you can probably imagine, the testimonials for this experience are quite positive ( read reviews here ).

Some guests even noted that they made friends with their tour guides and continue to stay in touch with them to this very day.

Additionally, customers also appreciated the opportunity to see some behind-the-scenes areas that bring the history of Walt Disney to life.

One visitor even suggested that this trip allowed them to become kids again as they explored secret and wonderful locations at the happiest place on earth.

COMBO DEALS

If you're looking for a better price on these tours and other activities in Hollywood, you might want to consider one of the following combo packages.

Studios like Warner Bros. and Universal often work with tour companies to provide their services at lower prices.

There are several options to mull over, and almost all of them provide additional tours and services.

If you plan on spending more than one day in Hollywood, these combo deals are definitely worth a look.

GO CITY LOS ANGELES ALL-INCLUSIVE PASS

There's a reason that this is one of the premier attraction passes in Los Angeles.

In addition to offering access to a variety of notable locations, they also provide admission to some studio tours.

In particular, you can enjoy the Universal Studios tour, the Warner Bros. Studio tour and (sometimes) the Sony Pictures Studio tour with one version of this pass or another.

The Warner Bros. Studio tour is currently only offered with their Explorer Pass, and you'll need to purchase at least a 3-Day All-Inclusive pass to get admission to the Universal Studios tour .

Given that this tourist pass also supplies tickets to Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott's Berry Farm, it's fair to say that the Go City Los Angeles All-Inclusive Pass could be a real bargain.

• $109 for 1-day pass
• $164 for 2-day pass
• $284 for 3-day pass
• $344 for 4-day pass
• $374 for 5-day pass
• $434 for 7-day pass
• $99 for 2 choices
• $119 for 3 choices
• $144 for 4 choices
• $154 for 5 choices
• $189 for 7 choices
• This attraction pass is available every day of the week
• Includes up to 3 movie studio tours

Read our post comparing the different tourist attraction passes available in Los Angeles.

TRANSPORTATION COMBO PACKAGES

If you're looking for transportation to and from each movie studio tour, the following services are available.

The advantage of these combo deals is that you won't have to pay for parking, gas, or car rental in order to visit each location.

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included with each package.

Take your time and enjoy the studio tour without having to worry about anything else!

• Not currently available as of January 2024

CELEBRITY HOMES TOUR COMBO PACKAGES

These combo deals provide both a celebrity home tour and a movie studio tour.

Each option includes transportation not only around Hollywood but also to and from the studios.

While some of these services use a mini-bus, others drive you around town in a luxury sedan or an SUV.

Each company offers both hotel pickup and drop-off.

Expect these outings to last for between 6-8 hours on average.

• Warner Bros. Studio Tour & Movie Star Homes Tour (Starline Tours) - $119/Adults | $99/Children
• Alternatively, we offer our own self-guided celebrity homes tour .

This might be a good way to save even more money if you don't mind doing a bit of driving around Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

TIPS FROM LOCALS AND TRAVELERS

While we provide the details of what each tour offers, costs, and other information, here you can see what members of our Los Angeles Travel Tips group on Facebook have to say.

There are plenty of fans of the Warner Brothers tour.

And some enjoyed Paramount as well.

If you have to choose only one, between Warners or Paramount, these members’ insight may help.

Universal Studios received mixed reviews. Some people felt it was a waste of time and money.

On the other hand, Issa had a fantastic time, so much so that she wrote a very long post detailing her time there and how to make the most of your visit.

Take a look at our Los Angeles Travel Tips group for more recommendations, opinions and advice.

You don't need to join to read comments, but if you do join you can post a question regarding the studios!

RELATED POSTS

• Top Things to Do in LA
• TV Show Tapings in LA
• Things to Do in Hollywood

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A Review of the Star Wars Guided Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Even though we still have some time to wait for the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, there are already so many Star Wars attractions, characters, and entertainment that can be enjoyed at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. What you may not know about is Disney offers a Star Wars Guided tour is a way to take your Star Wars experiences to a whole new level. We recently enjoyed this tour. Catch all the details below.

1 – Star Wars Guided Tour

The Star Wars Guided Tour is a relatively new option that is offered six days a week (it is not offered on Sunday) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The tour features all of the Star Wars action that can be enjoyed at the park. The six-hour tour covers a lot of attractions, entertainment, characters, and more and has exclusive perks that make it compelling for guests. The cost of the tour is $99 with tax for both children and adults (DVC Annual Passholders and Disney Visa members currently receive a 15% discount). Admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios is not included and must be purchased to take part in the tour. The tour begins at 8:00 am (which is usually an hour before park opening), which means you’ll get a jump on your day at the park. Upon check-in, you’ll receive a tour lanyard with your name on it and an audio device that you’ll wear during the tour so you can easily hear the tour guides. Two tour guides offer Star Wars history, tidbits, and secrets, that enrich the experience.

2 – Star Tours-The Adventure Continues

The first stop on the tour is Star Tour-The Adventure Continues. You’ll hear the history of how Disney and George Lucas began their partnership with this attraction. We learned a lot about the attraction. Since the park was not open yet to day guests, we spent considerable time in the queue area where our tour guide pointed out many Easter Eggs and secrets. Next time you’re in the queue, be sure to look at the numbers on some pipes. One has the date of Harrison Ford’s birthday, and another has the birthday of James Earl Jones. We also learned why other numbers were chosen throughout the queue area—all had a significance of some kind. It was great to learn more about the attraction from the knowledgeable tour guides. Finally, we were able to ride the attraction with no wait.

3 – Star Wars : Path of the Jedi

Our next stop was to watch the short film,  Star Wars : Path of the Jedi. This attraction is helpful for those who may not know much about the Star Wars film series. It retells the movie saga (through the Last Jedi) and hints at what to come. This attraction operates seasonally and was not open today guests the day we took our tour. So, for that day, it was the only way to be able to view it.

4 – Star Wars Launch Bay

Our next stop was at Star Wars Launch Bay. By now the park was open to day guests, and each of the Star Wars characters had wait times of about 15 minutes. Our tour group was split up into three groups, and we rotated, visiting the characters. Since the tour gave us VIP access, we didn’t have to wait to meet the characters. We met Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, and BB8. These character greetings are always fun, and it was great to meet all three characters in the same amount of time you would meet only one.

After the character greetings, we watched the short film in the Launch Bay Theater: Meet the Makers. This short film focuses on the filmmaker’s experiences. Recent updates include interviews and clips from Solo: A Star Wars Story. We expect the film to be updated later this year as we get closer to Episode IX.

Next, we toured the props of Star Wars Launch Bay, while our tour guides gave us more history and secrets behind the props and items that are in there. While you can certainly tour this area on your own, I did learn a lot more about the items that gave me a greater appreciation for what goes into the Star Wars films.

5 – The March of the First Order

We were then taken to the spot where the March of the First Order begins. Included in the tour is the ability to march behind the Storm Troopers. After they passed us, we fell in behind them and walked up Hollywood Blvd. It was the closest thing we’ll get to be a part of a Disney parade! We then were taken to a special viewing area where we had a prime location to watch the stage portion of the show.

6 – Lunch at Backlot Express

Next, we were guided to Backlot Express. Because we had given our order when we checked in earlier in the day, our lunch was brought out to us just after we arrived, which saves a lot of time. We were delighted to find some gifts waiting for us. We received a commemorative placard, a Star Wars Name tag (which can no longer be purchased), and a Star Wars drink stein—Darth Vader. The drink steins offered rotate, but you’ll always get a Star Wars character stein. We were also treated to two Strom Troopers coming to check our identifications and interact with us. We were able to get photos with them. Finally, we were treated to Star Wars churros as dessert. Currently, the Star Wars Guided Tour is the only way to get these churros. They are not available for purchase anywhere at Walt Disney World and only available in the California parks. It’s another tour exclusive!

7 – Walt Disney Presents

After lunch, we went to Walt Disney Presents, where we were able to see the model for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and learn more about the upcoming project. We can’t wait for the land to open!

8 – Star Wars: Far, Far Away

Next, we arrived promptly for the stage show, Star Wars: Far, Far Away. Again, we had a prime viewing location, which we didn’t have to wait for. This show lasts about fourteen minutes and is a must-do for any Star Wars fan visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

9 – Jedi Training: Trails of the Temple

We then went to the courtyard of the replica of the Chinese Theater at the center of Hollywood Studios. Star Wars premiered at the original theater back in 1977. Families that had children who were taking part in the Jedi Training Academy left for their appointed show. The children were guaranteed a spot for the training, and the parents had a reserved viewing location. The Jedi Academy has always been popular, and having a guaranteed spot can be very important to families who want to make sure their Padawans get to experience the Academy. On the day we visited, the spots had been filled, and there was a waiting list. This is another tour perk for guests. Guests of the tour who don’t have children taking part in the Academy were free to go. I really liked how they scheduled the day to end with the Academy. Those not participating had the entire afternoon and early evening to enjoy the rest of the park.

10 – Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular

Finally, the day ended with reserved prime viewing of the nighttime fireworks show Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular. I observed regular day guests lining up for good spots an hour before the show. This is not necessary with the tour. You’ll be instructed when and where to return, and you’ll have those guaranteed great spots, giving you even more time to enjoy the park.

11 – Tour Exclusives

We’ve discussed what you receive on the tour. Here is a list of the exclusive benefits that you will get with this tour:

• Star Wars history, facts, and secrets, from knowledgeable tour guides
• VIP access to attractions and characters (no wait—you jump the line)
• Guaranteed Jedi Training Academy for children 4-12 years old
• A reserved prime viewing area for March of the First Order, Star Wars: A Galaxy, Far, Far Away stage show, Jedi Academy Training, and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular nighttime show.
• March behind the Strom Troopers in March of the First Order
• Star Wars churro—at Walt Disney World, it’s the only way to get it!
• Commemorative certificate
• Star Wars name tag (these can no longer be purchased)

I was very impressed with our tour guides. Not only were they knowledgeable, but they also did a fantastic job of keeping nearly 40 people together and on task. We arrived at our destinations on schedule. In particular, we arrived perfectly for the March of the First Order and the Star Wars: Far, Far Away show—we only waited about one to two minutes for these to start. They were also very helpful answer questions.

12 – Saved Time

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the tour is the amount of time you’ll save, and that saved time should be a factor if you are considering this tour. You’ll get to start your day 30 minutes before park opening (unless there is Extra Magic Hours). You’ll jump the lines for characters, and you’ll save a lot of time since you don’t have to arrive early for prime viewing at March of the First Order, Star Wars: A Galaxy, Far, Far Away stage show, and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular nighttime show. Lunch is also brought to you almost immediately upon your arrival, again saving more time since even with Mobile Ordering, you’ll wait for food. After the morning portion of the tour, you’ll have plenty of time left in your day to enjoy the rest of Hollywood Studios. You can save your three FastPasses for the afternoon and enjoy everything else the park has to offer. And again, since you don’t have to arrive early for fireworks, you’ll have more time in the evening to enjoy the park.

13 – Final Recommendations

The Guided Tour is perfect for the ultimate Star Wars fan. You’ll get to experience every Star Wars attractions and entertainment with special access and benefits. You’ll get unique and exclusive benefits (listed in #11) available only to Guided Tour guests that you can’t attach a cost to. Whether this is “worth it” or not really depends on your goals while visiting Hollywood Studios and how big of a Star Wars fan you are. Yes, you can do almost everything on the tour on your own, but you should consider the exclusive benefits and the amount of time you’ll save on the tour. Like most of what Disney does, this tour is run well, has exclusive content, and is a real treat for any Star Wars fan. Call 407-WDW-Play to make your reservations.

Editor’s Note: The Disney Company provided us with a complimentary pass to the Star Wars Guided Tour. However, as always, the thoughts and opinions contained in this article are entirely our own.

For a no obligation, FREE Quote on a Disney vacation package, please contact our travel partner Magical Vacation Planner at 407-442-0227 (407-442-0215 for Spanish). You can also request a FREE quote online by Clicking HERE.

Chad & Cindy Nykamp