The possibility of carsland and matterhorn opening early/ backlot tours

[chinitopoop]

I just booked my flight to cali from june 1st - june 9th.. We are scheduled to do disneyland on the 4th and 5th, and universal on the 7th.. I was wondering what the possibility is of carsland and the matterhorn being in soft openings on those days? Should I not get my hopes up?

Also we are looking to do the "touristy" things when we go to cali, my little cousin wants to do a day in laguna beach, then a couple of days in anaheim for disney, and the rest spent in the hollywood area. We would definitely like to see grauman's chinese theatre, hollywood sign as well as the brady bunch house/father of the bride house and some others if we can.

We were also looking into doing a backlot tour, paramount or warner brothers, does anyone have any recommendations? the main reason we would like to do the warner brothers one is because we would like to see the set of friends, and we heard that they still have it there and take guests on tours through there, is that still going on? Or which tour (if any of you have been) is better or more worth the money?

Any suggestions on what else we can do? None of us have ever been to cali.

[Linus]

By that time it may be in AP preview, but there's no way to tell yet.

Transformers opens at Universal on May 24th, so you'll get to experience what 40,000 people in a tiny park feels like.

[14 MPH]

Welcome to Cali.

For the Disney rides, I agree with Linus in that it may only be open early for Annual Passholders. Then again you never know with them.

As for backlot tours, Universal is the main one people go to. If you have time, I heard the WB one is good. Both are close to each other too.

As for suggestions on things to do, Hollywood/Highland is a must. I also suggest the lookout point on Mulholland drive (great view of the LA area), Beverly Hills (See the 1% in action), and Santa Monica Pier (Great outdoor malls, street entertainment, and seaside amusement park).

If you have anymore questions just ask. I do this all the time with visitors.

[DisneyIPresume]

I would not make any guarantee about Carsland. In fact I doubt it will be open and if it is any one's chances to get in would be extremely small.

How old is your little cousin? If he or she is little you might prefer Balboa rather than Laguna. It is located in the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach which is closer to DL. The beach has a playground on it, and shops, restaurants, and arcades are nearby. Also you expressed an interest in movie locations so you can also take a 45 minute or so cruise of Newport Harbor where they will show you movie star's homes (many stars like Shirley Temple, Nicholas Cage, and of course John Wayne had/has summer homes on the harbor). You can also see Pirate's Cove where they filmed old Erroll Flynn pirate movies and served as inspiration for Neverland in Disney's Peter Pan. And you can take a longer cruise where they take you out onto the ocean where you can see dolphins and sea lions.

I don't know much about studio tours but many of the houses you want to see are actually in The Pasadena area except for the Brady Bunch house. But I've heard it looks nothing like the TV show anymore. Plus there is a fence around it too so I'm not sure what that would make it look like now.

[Linus]

For the Studio Tour, come on over to Universal! It's included in the park price and it's the best part of the park.

If you want that real backlot experience: no effects or attractions, the WB is the way to go!

[Stitch626626]

The only studio I've ever gotten the chance to tour was WB's, and I really enjoyed it. Like the person above me said, it really is a real backlot experience. They take you on a tour of different sets they use in their films and tv shows, they take you into the set of friends(don't know if they still do that anymore), you go into the prop room, a room where they house some of the vehicles from films like batman, scooby doo, harry potter and back to the future, and into a costume building where they display a bunch of costumes from their films. When I was there, they had a bunch of props and costumes from the harry potter films, and since I'm a big fan of the franchise, I really enjoyed that part. I also believe they were filming a scene from the closure tv show when I was there. It was really cool to experience all of that.

I took a vacation very similar to what you're planning a few years ago, and while we didn't actually spend very long at Laguna beach, it did seem like a nice place to hang out. The day we spent in Hollywood was the premiere of Rush Hour 3, so we didn't get to fully enjoy the sights, but it was fun to see all the iconic hollywood buildings. We didn't get a chance to take the trek all the way up to the sign itself, but there are some nice views from the hollywood and highland center, if you go up a couple floors. It was also fun to walk down the hollywood walk of fame and find all of my favorite stars and celebrities. We also got a chance to see the Kodak theater, before Kodak went bankrupt.

It was a fun trip, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. As for Carsland being open, I'm pretty sure it'll only be open for AP holders.

[Linus]

How much does the WB tour cost? I imagine it's a good price. I've never taken the tour there even though I live down the street, but I was in the backlot when filming "Wallace"

If you want to get up close and personal at Universal, you need to take the VIP experience. You get to go into the Prop/Costume house, the CSI sets, Whistera Lane and Courthouse Square. Sometimes they take you to the haunted "Phantom of the Opera" sets in stage 28.

[pyttius]

As far as the soft openings, I would not get your hopes up. But you never know. Predicting soft opening times for anything Disney is as random as picking lottery numbers. But I will say this... If by some chance you see that something is operating or open, GO!!! If something is going through a soft opening, it isn't an all day thing. They can (and do) stop admitting guests at any time. I've heard it many times where people see some new/just refurbished attraction will be admitting guests while they are on their way to something else. Then they will come back and see that they aren't admitting any more guests.