Back Stage Magic June 2016 - Mini Trip Report - Finally Back to Finish Up

[hilarys]

I really have taken the plunge. My Goddaughter and I are going on the DIS ABD Dec 2018. We are so looking forward to it!! We are east Coasters so we are adding on a preday and a post day. Too early to book flights yet but I am hoping that we leave early and arrive early so that we can assimilate better than we did the last Cali trip we did the last time.
I have a couple of questions for you.
1). Is it possible to do the Universal VIP tour and be back to the hotel by the dinner?
2) What would you do on the afternoon/evening of arrival? We will have either traveled the night before to the town that the airport is in and my Goddaughter will have worked all day. Maybe even until 10 or 11 pm. She works retail and we will have a better idea of what her schedule during the month of December will be. We will probably fly out of Norfolk, Richmond or even Regan or Dulles depending on the better flights and stops.
3) What transportation would you use to and from universal?

Thanks in advance for the information

You are going to have a great time. It is such an awesome trip.
I am guessing that for your pre-days you are staying at the Loews Hotel. We stayed at the Universal Hilton so our pre-day was very easy logistically. We were done by dinner time and ate at the Hard Rock right outside the park. Are you asking about being back to the hotel by dinner for the first night dinner? That dinner usually starts pretty early, but I still think it would be possible. The official part of our VIP tour was done by mid-afternoon maybe 3:30 or so. We stayed a few more hours to hit a few shows and ride some of our favorite rides again. It isn't too far from USH to the Loewe's hotel so travel time isn't too bad unless you are travelling during commute hours. We had our car for the pre-days, but I think Uber would be the easiest and quickest option to get back and forth to USH. Depending on what time you arrive on your initial day, I would head over to the Grove for fun people watching and shopping. Also the big farmer's market complex would be fun. If you were renting a car, I would recommend a drive up the coast to Malibu to see the coast line. You could have an early dinner somewhere in Malibu (using Uber) if you want to see the coast.

 

[sayhello]

I really have taken the plunge. My Goddaughter and I are going on the DIS ABD Dec 2018. We are so looking forward to it!! We are east Coasters so we are adding on a preday and a post day. Too early to book flights yet but I am hoping that we leave early and arrive early so that we can assimilate better than we did the last Cali trip we did the last time.
I have a couple of questions for you.
2) What would you do on the afternoon/evening of arrival? We will have either traveled the night before to the town that the airport is in and my Goddaughter will have worked all day. Maybe even until 10 or 11 pm. She works retail and we will have a better idea of what her schedule during the month of December will be. We will probably fly out of Norfolk, Richmond or even Regan or Dulles depending on the better flights and stops.

Thanks in advance for the information

The thing I always tell people for the day of arrival is to stay up as close to your normal bed time as possible. It really helps you adjust to the time change. The other thing I suggest is getting out & walking. As @hilarys suggested, check out the Grove, which is fun shopping, a lot of walking/people watching, places to sit if you want/need, etc. You can also check out the Hollywood & Highland Center, which is adjacent to the Lowes. More shopping/dining/people watching. I wouldn't schedule anything, just see how you feel, and check out the area.

Sayhello

 

[wdw1014]

My husband and I are doing the ABD Backstage Magic tour in June of 2018. I was wondering if you can use Disney Gift Cards at the gift shops at Disney Studios?

 

[hilarys]

My husband and I are doing the ABD Backstage Magic tour in June of 2018. I was wondering if you can use Disney Gift Cards at the gift shops at Disney Studios?

Good question, I don't know the answer. You may want to pose this question as a new thread to see if others who have been on the trip know the answer. You are going to have a great time, it is truly an amazing trip. I am currently listening to "The Disneyland Story" by Sam Gennaway on Audible. If you have not read it, I would highly recommend it. It would make a great pre-read for the trip. I consider myself pretty familiar with Disneyland and I am learning so much from this book. It makes me want to take this ABD trip again.

 

[wdw1014]

Good question, I don't know the answer. You may want to pose this question as a new thread to see if others who have been on the trip know the answer. You are going to have a great time, it is truly an amazing trip. I am currently listening to "The Disneyland Story" by Sam Gennaway on Audible. If you have not read it, I would highly recommend it. It would make a great pre-read for the trip. I consider myself pretty familiar with Disneyland and I am learning so much from this book. It makes me want to take this ABD trip again.

Thanks for the reading recommendation. We are actually driving from Central Illinois and this would be just perfect to listen to while driving. We are both really looking forward to this adventure. I will start a new thread and try to get an answer to my question!

 

[Amw1064]

Where would you suggest staying if going 2 days early? Doesn't sound like the Loews area? Up by Universal or are there hotels near the Grove area?

 

[hilarys]

Where would you suggest staying if going 2 days early? Doesn't sound like the Loews area? Up by Universal or are there hotels near the Grove area?

If you plan to go to Universal Studios then I think it is great to stay at the Hilton, very easy access to the park. If you want to stay near the beach - look for options in Santa Monica. There are also quite a few places in the Westwood/Beverly Hills area that are in much nicer areas with a lot to see around them. We have stayed at the Beverly Hilton before and it has a fun retro vibe. It really depends on what you want to do during your pre-days.

 

[Amw1064]

If you plan to go to Universal Studios then I think it is great to stay at the Hilton, very easy access to the park. If you want to stay near the beach - look for options in Santa Monica. There are also quite a few places in the Westwood/Beverly Hills area that are in much nicer areas with a lot to see around them. We have stayed at the Beverly Hilton before and it has a fun retro vibe. It really depends on what you want to do during your pre-days.

We are going straight to Santa Monica Beach after airport and then heading to hotel in the afternoon. Will stay there a few days and do all the Hollywood attractions. We do plan on going to the Grove one evening and a Warner Brothers tour one of the days. Had planned on staying at the Loews or around there but people are scaring me off with that area. So then I started thinking maybe Universal area or down by the Grove.

 

[hilarys]

We are going straight to Santa Monica Beach after airport and then heading to hotel in the afternoon. Will stay there a few days and do all the Hollywood attractions. We do plan on going to the Grove one evening and a Warner Brothers tour one of the days. Had planned on staying at the Loews or around there but people are scaring me off with that area. So then I started thinking maybe Universal area or down by the Grove.

The Loews is a very nice hotel and certainly convenient home base. I just don't like the immediate area. It is not "unsafe" it is just very tacky touristy. To me it has kind of a "Times Square" vibe. I would much rather be in a more scenic area like Santa Monica (which is also quirky) or Westwood/Beverly Hills. Or if you were going to Universal one day, the Universal Hilton. I wrote the cautioning words, because I don't like the area (NorCal native and 4 years of college in SoCal and I had never been to the "walk of fame/chinese theater" area until the ABD) and because I had the sense that some people on our ABD had the misinterpretation before the trip that they would be staying in a "glamorous" area which it definitely is not. We were very happy with the Loew's hotel itself and it is convenient having restaurants connected and the area is not "unsafe" just pretty tacky when you are walking around the extremely touristy part.

Happy to help with any other questions

 

[Amw1064]

The Loews is a very nice hotel and certainly convenient home base. I just don't like the immediate area. It is not "unsafe" it is just very tacky touristy. To me it has kind of a "Times Square" vibe. I would much rather be in a more scenic area like Santa Monica (which is also quirky) or Westwood/Beverly Hills. Or if you were going to Universal one day, the Universal Hilton. I wrote the cautioning words, because I don't like the area (NorCal native and 4 years of college in SoCal and I had never been to the "walk of fame/chinese theater" area until the ABD) and because I had the sense that some people on our ABD had the misinterpretation before the trip that they would be staying in a "glamorous" area which it definitely is not. We were very happy with the Loew's hotel itself and it is convenient having restaurants connected and the area is not "unsafe" just pretty tacky when you are walking around the extremely touristy part.

Happy to help with any other questions

Thanks so much. I get it now.