The Universal Holiday Tour is back for the 2023 season at Universal Orlando Resort. The tour has been offered over the last few years, so we were excited to see it returning again for 2023. Our experiences have varied over the years, so let’s get started and see what’s offered on this year’s Holiday Tour.
Universal Holiday Tour 2023
Check-in starts at 5:30 p.m. and guests should arrive no later than 6:15 p.m.
The check-in area is located between the Hard Rock Cafe and Universal Studios Florida, where you will scan your park ticket.
Once you’ve checked in, you will stand in line to get a wristband and then get grouped with a tour guide.
If you arrive early, you will be waiting in this area until almost 6:30 p.m., so bring some snacks and drinks. There is no food or drink available to purchase in this waiting area, so be prepared.
Our tour guide was amazing and had such a positive and enthusiastic attitude. She really got the group excited for the whole night and explained everything that was planned out for us.
Our first stop of the night was for a showing of the Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular.
After the show, our tour guide gathered us and took us over to Universal Studios Florida to ride Illumination Villain-Con Minion Blast.
The park was still open at this time, but our group was taken through Express to enter the attraction. This is a much better choice than last year, which was Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.
After Villain-Con, it was time to meet Santa! The meet and greet with Santa is exclusive to the Universal Holiday Tour and is not available to park guests. Santa can be seen in Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s, but the only way to meet him is on the tour.
Santa is located in the upstairs VIP area of Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon. As always, meeting Santa is a magical experience. You can get photos and video with him here, but unfortunately, there is not a Universal photographer available. In 2021, a photo was taken and printed right there, and given to you to keep. Last year, the photographer gave you a card so you could view the photo later.
This year, a Team Member will use your camera to take a photo for you. Even though including a photo isn’t necessary, it does feel like one thing that has slowly been taken away from the tour.
On a positive note, the experience with Santa has improved over last year. There was plenty of time to sit on the couches and rest while other families were meeting with Santa. It did not feel rushed like it did last year, so this was a better experience.
After meeting Santa, our guide took us over to the Hollywood section of the park to Cafe la Bamba for some light bites. In previous years, the snacks have been in Circus McGurkus with the Grinch, so guests could eat cookies and meet the Grinch. Due to the refurbishment, there have been modifications to this part of the tour as well as the Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast.
After a short walk to Cafe la Bamba, we were given about 40 minutes to relax and eat.
Last year, the food options were fantastic and justified the price. This year, we have nothing good to say about the food.
There were chicken bites (left over from Halloween Horror Nights), fries, and “White Christmas Pasta.” Not only was this selection of hot items small, but it was also unappealing in looks and taste.
There were some fruits and veggies available, as well as bottled soft drinks and water. We enjoyed a few fries and some olives.
The tour does clearly state that these are “small bites” and not a meal, but to go from last year’s selection to this might be the biggest downgrade we’ve ever experienced at Universal. Take a look at our post from last year to compare for yourself.
This is quite a terrible selection, but at least you aren’t forced to choose between eating and meeting the Grinch.
Last year, we spent our time eating food and never met the Grinch because his line was so long. It is an improvement to not be rushed to eat, but there’s nothing we’d want to enjoy here.
The next stop of the tour would be the Holiday Tribute Store in Hollywood. It’s just a short walk from Cafe la Bamba.
We were given a few minutes to look around the store before heading over to the New York section of the park to get photos in front of the Christmas tree.
You can get some amazing photos when the park is closed.
The next stop on our tour would be to see the Grinch. The Grinch meet and greet in the park is using a stand-by queue this year, so the Universal Holiday Tour is a great way to meet him without waiting in a long line.
Another huge improvement to this year’s tour is that everyone gets a photo with the Grinch. Last year, the food, meeting the Grinch, and meeting Max were all in the same location.
The Grinch had a long line, so we never got to meet him. We were not the only family that was unable to meet him on the tour last year, either. Thankfully, this portion has been restructured to ensure everyone gets to spend time with the Grinch.
The Grinch is meeting guests inside the theater, which makes for a great backdrop and perfect lighting.
We also enjoyed waiting in this line to meet him because we could watch his interactions with other guests and have a few laughs.
After the Grinch, we could meet a Who, have some snacks, or get a photo with Max.
Meeting Max is only available on the Universal Holiday Tour, so it’s definitely another highlight of the night.
There were desserts set up here, but this was another disappointing selection of food.
There were bottled beverages, but no hot chocolate or cookies.
There were some Chicharrons from Halloween Horror Nights, a peppermint cheesecake pop, and some Italian rainbow cake.
After running out of rainbow cake, some chocolate cakes were brought out, but they hadn’t defrosted yet. These desserts were really bad, almost as if they forgot there was an event and somebody ran to grab cheap, frozen desserts just to have something to give to guests. It’s hard to believe that these dessert offerings were planned out.
On our way back to Universal Islands of Adventure, we were taken backstage through one of the old soundstages.
We were allowed to take photographs of some of the things on the walls, including an amazing picture of what Universal Studios Florida looked like when it first opened.
There were lots of photographs from different shoots that happened around the park for commercials, movies, and music videos.
For a theme park history nerd, this brief part of the tour was a highlight of the night.
The last stop of the night was to Hogsmeade for an after-hours showing of the Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle.
There were about 10 minutes for guests to take photos in Hogsmeade or cast some spells, but none of the shops or dining locations were open. In previous years, guests could purchase Butterbeer during this part of the tour; this year, nothing is open.
The show is the same show that is available each night, but this is an after-hours showing exclusively for guests on the tour.
After the show, the guides took the groups to the exit of the park and said goodbye. Our group had an amazing time and we had a fantastic tour guide.
There have been huge improvements from last year, but there have also been some downgrades. The flow of the night was 100 percent better than last year. One of the biggest complaints we had last year was the amount of “free time” we spent standing around and waiting. This year, we felt like we were constantly entertained throughout the evening. There was no time to be bored and everything was structured perfectly for our group.
Circus McGurkus being closed for refurbishment has impacted things a little, but the modifications work well. Meeting the Grinch and Max in the theater was fantastic. The lighting was good for photos and you could watch other guests interactions. The guides made sure everyone got to meet with the Grinch. Last year, the line was so long to meet the Grinch on the tour, we only saw Max. This year, we had a very minimal wait and got some great photos.
The length of the tour felt perfect. The night didn’t feel like it was dragging like last year and it felt like there was less walking involved. Nothing felt rushed and we enjoyed all of the experiences on the tour.
Unfortunately, the “light bites” portion of the tour ruined it. Over the last few years, the food offerings on the tour have improved each time. This year, it felt like they forgot completely. The themed food on last year’s tour was far superior to what was served for the savory portion. To say it’s “disappointing” is putting it nicely. There was no hot chocolate and no cookies this year. The sad choice of treats takes a lot away from the experience.
There are no longer postcards or ornament gifts given out at the end of the night. The tour doesn’t include a digital download of your photo with Santa this year, either. We looked forward to buying a Butterbeer in Hogsmeade at the end of the night, but everything was closed when we arrived. These are all very small things, but they added a lot of value to the tour.
Most of what is included on the tour is available during the day, but the meet and greet with Max and Santa are both exclusive to this offering. The tour starts at $79.99 per person, but prices vary depending on the date. If the food options had been better, we would have absolutely recommended the Universal Holiday Tour.
There is still a lot of value to the tour, but the changes to the food may influence your decision on whether or not to book. If you’re looking for a fun experience with guaranteed photos with Santa, the Grinch, and Max, the Universal Holiday Tour is perfect for you. The wait times to meet the Grinch can be crazy in the park during regular hours, so the meet and greet alone can be worth the price for many. The exclusive meeting with Max is a bonus as well!
The tour is very long and runs very late into the night. We were back in Universal CityWalk just before 11 p.m. If you have little ones, the tour might run a little late into the night for them to fully enjoy it.
Overall, we had a great time on the tour and would recommend it to those looking for a unique holiday experience. We still enjoyed the tour even with the changes, but would love to see the food offerings improve and the hot cocoa and cookies return.
Without the snacks, it doesn’t seem worth the money for us, when most of the experiences on the tour are available during the day if you’re willing to wait in line. You can watch some of our experience on the holiday tour in our video below.
You can read our reviews from the first Holiday Tour in 2020 here, our review from 2021 here, and last year’s review here. Are you planning to take the Universal Holiday Tour this year? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!
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