
Photo by Melinda Johnson of Melinda Jae Photography.
I was so excited to take my family to the Family Forward 2016 media event hosted by Mom It Forward and Universal Studios Orlando, Florida!! The entire trip was amazing, but I’ll begin with our favorite thing, The VIP Experience.
I am a lover of theme parks, I am. The negative excuse from moms that I hear against taking their family to a theme park is the hours of waiting in lines. If this is what keeps you away, then let me introduce you to the VIP Experience at Universal Studios! See Universal Studios like the stars do! We met our tour guide, walked in Universal Studios through a side door, through a lobby, down these stairs and we were in! That’s it! It was Memorial Day weekend. The park was crowded even early in the morning, but we were in in a jiff! It was so exciting!
We had Priority Front of the Line Access to all rides and attractions all day! Our tour guide took us to the hottest rides that typically have the longest waits, and we walked right on. How does this compare to Express Passes you may wonder. Express Passes are great, but when using them you get in the Express Pass line that is typically about half the wait time of the regular line. With the VIP Experience we literally walked up to the beginning of the line at every attraction and got on! The only down time experienced was if you chose to decline a ride! You guys. It was AMAZING!
Our tour guide was fantastic. He had lots of interesting facts, short cuts, and tips to share along the way. For lunch we were treated to Cafe La Bamba which is exclusively for VIP guests. This was my children’s favorite dining experience of the entire trip and believe me, we dined well! They still talk about it!
Photo by Melinda Johnson of Melinda Jae Photography.
We were all seated first and our funny moment happened when our server came and asked if he could take our drink orders. He had no more asked the question when my four year old raised his hand and said, “I want some sweet tea please!” Roars of laughter all around. Will the Texan in the room please stand up! Ha ha!
Imagine the crazy busy streets of Universal Studios on Memorial Day weekend. Then picture walking in here for lunch. It was so calm.
Even with front of the line access, it was wonderful to get away from the crowds for a quiet dining experience!
La Bamba serves some favorites from popular on site restaurants like Mythos’ Salmon Medallions with Pink Peppercorn Butter Sauce and Finnegan’s Baked Cod, and others so you get a taste of other restaurants while also enjoying exclusive La Bamba delicacies.
We all loved the buffet set up so that each person could see the food and choose what looked best.
There was something for everyone! The kids all left full and happy–not always what happens when dining with kids right?
And just look at the dining room. Isn’t it gorgeous. It was hard to believe this was in the middle of a theme park.
The dessert bar was another favorite with everyone. We were all happy we were doing a lot of walking at the park that day since we enjoyed so much great food! 😉
After lunch we walked on as many attractions as we could until our VIP tour was over. Besides what I’ve already discussed, with your VIP experience you will also receive:
- Complimentary Valet Parking (1 Vehicle, Based on Availability)
- Continental Breakfast to start your day
- Reserved Seating at shows* and special viewing areas at Universal’s Superstar Parade
For price more information on the Universal VIP Experience be sure to check out the website and begin planning your VIP trip. You don’t have to be a celebrity but you do get to feel like one!

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