Reviews Archives - Laughing Lindsay

Warner Bros Studio Tour Hollywood Review

November 20, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

On my most recent trip to California, I was able to take the Warner Bros Studio Tour! Today I’m doing a little review of that experience.

Warner Bros Studio Tour

As I mentioned in my Walt Disney Studios Tour review, there are three big studios in Burbank: Disney, Universal Studios Hollywood, and WB. On this trip I was lucky enough to fit in all three! Having already posted my review of the other two, it’s finally time for the Warner Bros. one.

While there are several tour options here, I did the standard tour due to time constraints. I would love to return for a longer tour some day though. It’s $73/adult and has several time slots available most days. It’s advertised as 1 hour guided tour and 2 hours self guided. I spent around 2.5 hours in total here. So, that’s not far off.

Guided Backlot Tour

Following a brief introductory video, the groups are split up and paired with their tour guide for a 1 hour backlot tour. This was hands-down my favorite part of the experience. It was so neat to see where lots of popular movies and shows have been made over the years. Abbott Elementary was filming while I was there and we got to drive past their elementary school facade. The new show Pitt was also filming. In fact, we had to be quiet near its building because the red light was on, indicating it was actively filming. So, that was super neat!

The tour guide drives you around the lot on a golf cart. However, you get off at various points to explore a little. We got to see houses used for Pretty Little Liars (including the garage and the church). We also got to see the houses used for Gilmore Girls, as well as the famous gazebo and place used for Luke’s Diner. It was neat to spot the bank from Gremlins as well.

We drove by the studios used for Friends and The Big Bang Theory! We even drove through the shop where they make walls and other wood items! It smelled great!

Friends

This experience is ideal for any fans of the show Friends. Phoebe’s guitar is on display in the lobby! There’s a set photo opportunity after the guided tour. There’s also a Central Perk Cafe where you can actually get a coffee and something to eat! I got a pizza cone thing, a Phoebe drink (cookies and cream), and Rachel’s trifle without meat (chocolate version). I enjoyed eating those items in a replica of the sitting area of the cafe. There was also some costumes worn on the show to look at. After eating, another golf cart took me to get a picture of the fountain used in the show!

The Big Bang Theory

This tour is also great for fans of the show The Big Bang Theory. They had another set photo opportunity for the show as well as costumes on display. It was cool to see the apartment come to life!

Harry Potter

There’s a whole section dedicated to the Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts films. It was cool to see the spot under the stairs that was Harry’s room. It was also great to experience that after visiting Universal the day before. Plus, we could see Hogwarts from the WB lot!

Game of Thrones

There’s currently a small section showcasing some costumes and props used on the series Game of Thrones. I took pictures of all of that to show my husband since we watched that show together and he’s read the books.

Exclusive Merch

There’s a gift shop in the lobby of the main building that you see when you arrive and leave. So, I recommend shopping there at the end of the tour so you don’t have to carry stuff around. I purchased a Warner Bros Studio Tour shirt to mark the occasion. There’s additional exclusive Friends merch at the Central Perk Cafe. If you spot something there you like, you should get it as I didn’t see much of an overlap.

Is the Warner Bros Studio Tour worth it?

I really enjoyed this tour. It was definitely worth the $73. In fact, I wish I’d had more time to do the longer tour. If I ever return, I will be booking one of the longer tours. The guided backlot tour felt a little rushed and too short. So, I’d love a longer period of time on the lot. I think the tour is most enjoyable for people who like or are at least familiar with the shows featured. I actually started watching Friends for the first time to prep for this tour and I am glad I did so.

So, have you ever taken this tour? What did you think?

Walt Disney Studios Tour Review with D23

November 13, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

During my trip to California in September, I was able to take the official Walt Disney Studios Tour presented by D23! Just in case anyone was considering taking this tour, I thought I would do a review.

Walt Disney Studios Tour

Have you ever wanted to see where the magic is made at Walt Disney Studios? Thanks to the D23 fan club, you can! They are currently offering walking tours of the campus to members! I was very excited to do this tour and to walk around the campus where lots of things have been dreamed up and created!

Animation Building

The tour begins in front of the Hyperion Bungalow. Then, the guide goes over some general history of the Disney Company and the property. Gradually, you work your way over to the Animation Building. Once in the building, the tour guide walks you through the building and goes over several popular Disney films. There’s lots of artwork on the walls to correspond with this walk and talk about the company’s history. While it was interesting and nice to remember some childhood favorites, I think something interactive would have been nice here. In fact, a video showing how the films were created may have been nice. Nonetheless, it was neat to walk those storied halls.

Suite 3H: The Offices of Walt Disney

I think the real highlight of this tour is getting to see Walt Disney’s office. The have painstakingly restored the office to reflect how it looked when Walt was alive. It was surreal to be in his office and imagine him dreaming up the theme parks that I love so much. It was also very odd to see so many ashtrays around the office. However, he (and many others at the time) were heavy smokers.

Legends Plaza

After touring Walt Disney’s office, we headed off to Disney Legends Plaza! It was so neat to look around and spot the handprints of many well-known folks.

The Archives

Next up, we visited the Walt Disney Archives in the Frank G Wells building. It was so cool to see historic pieces of the company. For instance, we got to see the desk where Walt worked on Snow White! The real cherry on top was getting to hold an Oscar! It was the real Oscar the company won for “White Wilderness”! Everyone got to hold and take a picture with the Oscar. So, that was awesome!

It Ends in the Gift Shop

Our tour wrapped up by walking around the lot a little more. We got to see the famous water tower and then came around the front of the lot again. Like a good theme park ride, we ended at the gift shop, aka Walt Disney Company Store. I will admit, it was neat to be able to purchase exclusive merchandise not available elsewhere. I may have bought a shirt to prove I was there.

A Word on Scheduling

There are three big filming studios in Burbank: Universal Studios, Warner Bros., and Walt Disney! So, it’s easy to visit the area and hit up all three in one trip. The tricky part though, is getting a ticket to Walt Disney’s tour. This tour is offered for D23 members on the events page. They add tours a few months at a time and only a few months in advance. I booked my September tour on July 19th. Also, the schedule for the tours appears almost random. I noticed previous months offered Wednesday tours on the third week of the month. So, I planned my whole trip around that and got lucky when the schedule came out with the third Wednesday being an option!

Also, my afternoon time slot had me sitting in rush hour LA traffic trying to get to Anaheim. So, if it’s an option, I’d recommend staying in Burbank (I liked the Hilton LA/Universal City Hotel) or pick a morning tour.

Is the Walt Disney Studios Tour worth it?

Currently, the site mentions that Walt Disney’s office is closed for refurbishment and the tour has a discounted price to reflect that. I paid $156 ($149 + $7 servicing fee) for this tour and thought it was expensive. However, as a once in a lifetime experience, it was worth it to me. It allowed me to geek out and fully embrace being a Disney adult. However, if you are having trouble getting a ticket or it’s out of your price range, I understand that too. It’s great for any Disney parks/animation fan, but the average person might not enjoy it enough to warrant the high price tag. I thought it was a lovely afternoon that I won’t soon forget.

Walt’s Main Street Story Tour at Disneyland Review

October 23, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

While at Disneyland last month, I finally did Walt’s Main Street Story Tour! So, I thought I would do a review on the experience to help others decide if it’s worth the expensive price tag!

Walt’s Main Street Story Tour

This is an add-on walking tour that I have been wanting to take for years! However, the price and tour length kept me away until this trip. I decided that there was room in my schedule and it was the perfect way to end this trip.

You can book this tour online ahead of time, but I didn’t do that. Instead, I waited until the day of to see how I felt. Thankfully, they still had slots available for me to do the tour. I don’t think I’d recommend that approach to larger groups or if this is something you really want to do. Thankfully, it worked out for me though. This tour costs $160/person and lasts approximately 90 minutes.

Upon checking in, they ask for your drink preference since a bottled water or soda is included in the tour. They also give you a special pin with your name on it (seen in the image above) for the tour. You are also given an ear piece to better hear your guide on Main Street, U.S.A.

Main Street Facts

The tour begins with a walking tour of Main Street, U.S.A. Our tour guide pointed out neat little things about how the street was built. Unfortunately, I feel like social media had spoiled most of what he had to tell us. I did enjoy learning about the street lamps and what our tour guide believes is the smallest hidden Mickey on property. No, I won’t spoil the tour by sharing the facts here. Sorry.

Walt’s Apartment

Following the discussion of the park’s beginnings, the group is led up to Walt Disney’s apartment over the firehouse. This is the real reason for the tour and why I had been wanting to take the tour ever since I learned it was a thing. I know I took a picture of the lamp in the window on my first trip to Disneyland 10 years ago. So, it was surreal to finally be in the apartment.

Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos in the apartment. Disney did coordinate for one of their photographers to take some pictures of us in front of Walt’s couch/bed as well as in front of the lamp and window. The photos were uploaded to our accounts with free downloads.

Relaxing on the Patio

After taking in the apartment, the tour heads out to the private patio. Again, no photos were allowed here. Disney gave each guest a cookie (lemon shortbread, I think) decorated specially for the tour. My cookie is shown in the Instagram post above. There were even a few gluten free ones for the guests who needed them. They also gave us the beverages we previously chose. I got a bottle of water. Then, we proceeded to sit and enjoy the refreshments on the patio. It was a nice, relaxing moment.

Is Walt’s Main Street Story Tour worth it?

As I said above, it’s $160/person and it takes approximately 90 minutes to do this tour. I think it’s probably too expensive or time consuming for the average theme park goer. However, it’s the ultimate treat for any Disney parks fan to see Walt’s apartment. It was probably a one and done experience for me, given the high price. I’m glad I did it though. I’m also glad that I did this on a solo trip, so I could geek out by myself.

So, have you taken this tour?

Super Nintendo World Early Access Review

October 3, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

I was recently able to experience the Super Nintendo World Early Access at Universal Studios Hollywood in California. If you are considering purchasing this add-on, then this review is to help you decide if it’s worth it.

Super Nintendo World Early Access

Super Nintendo World is the newest addition to Universal Studios Hollywood. When it first opened, it was very busy and could be difficult to gain entry to the land. So, Universal started selling tickets to this early access experience that grants people an extra hour in the land prior to the park’s opening. While it is easy to come and go in the land now, an extra hour in the land sounded good to me. So, I decided to try out the experience for myself.

Good for First Time Visitors

This was actually my very first time visiting this park. So, it was nice to follow the crowd around the park and down the escalators to the lower lot. However, just know that this leisurely walk isn’t for sightseeing the rest of the park. I came back afterwards to take in things that I had passed in a hurry and I recommend others do the same.

What can you accomplish?

During my extra hour in this land I was able to walk around the entire land and take lots of pictures without people standing in the way. Additionally, I was able to ride the one ride in the land – Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge! I also was able to meet the characters that often have long lines. I met Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Peach! There was time to play a few games, but it wouldn’t have been enough time to play them all at this point. So, you can accomplish a good bit during this extra hour since the land is much less crowded than during the day.

Is Super Nintendo World Early Access worth it?

If you have visited the land previously, it’s probably not worth it. However, if you have one day to explore the park (like me), then I think it’s totally worth the extra $20-30/person. Also, if you are a big Nintendo fan or just enjoy immersive theming, then this is definitely worth it. Have you ever done this add-on experience?

Haunted Williamsburg Ghost Tour Review

September 4, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Now that spooky season is upon us, I thought I would do a little review of the Haunted Williamsburg Ghost Tour that my husband and I did back in May.

Haunted Williamsburg Ghost Tour

Colonial Williamsburg has a couple of different night time add-on activities you can experience. On my most recent visit with my husband, we decided to try one out. We did the Haunted Williamsburg Ghost Tour! While there are other un-official tours, we decided to book the official one.

This is an hour-long candlelit walking tour of Colonial Williamsburg held at night. It’s the only ghost tour that gives you access to the buildings since it’s the only official ghost tour! On our tour, we got to go inside three historic homes. We got to learn the historic significance of each home as well as hear about unexplained happenings at each home.

Note: I will try to keep this review spoiler-free for anyone looking to book it so you can hear the stories from your tour guide.

George Wythe Home

Upon meeting up with the group at the Market House, our guide led us over to the George Wythe House. Being from southwestern Virginia, I was excited to see this house at night. My husband and I toured it in the daytime last year, so it was nice to see it in a different light. On the nighttime tour, we stayed downstairs and heard about the backdoor seemingly locking itself! I will say, being in a really old house at night with only a candlelight to see things made it creepy.

Peyton Randolph House

Next up, our guide led us over the Randolph House. Supposedly, it is the most haunted house in Colonial Williamsburg. That just means that it has the most stories about people experiencing something un-explained here. While we didn’t actually see any ghosts on this tour, we did hear something weird in this house. It sounded like footsteps. We think it was someone in the tour group walking or bumping into something, but everyone denied doing anything. So, who knows! Our tour guide had lots of stories to share about odd occurrences at this house, including some of her own.

James Geddy House

Lastly, we headed over to the Geddy House. I honestly don’t rightly remember much about this house. We did have another tour guide join our group at this point and he told a spooky story about the house. Honestly, I didn’t get much in the way of spooky vibes in this house, but that’s just me.

Haunted Williamsburg Ghost Tour Overall

This was my first ghost tour, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought it was neat to learn about these historical homes and to see them at night. I thought it was a nice touch that our tour guide was dressed in colonial garb and used a lantern/candle to lead the tour. Overall, it was a nice way to spend an evening. If nothing else, it’s a great way to walk off the hearty dinner we enjoyed!

This tour is great for anyone with an interest in the supernatural or spooky stuff. I think someone who doesn’t believe in ghosts but likes history could also enjoy this tour. I don’t think it’s good for kids though. They recommend it for ages 8+ but I think it should probably be more along the lines of 12 or 13, personally. Also, it is a full one hour walking tour. So, keep that in mind if you or a loved one can’t handle that.

Have you ever done or would you take a ghost tour?