Will this do? Direct from my blog this morning....
OK sorry for being a bit delayed in posting up my Star Tour review! It's been a couple of hectic days for me to say the least... by the end of last night I was barely functioning after 4 hours' sleep, and had somewhat wrecked legs from the Arkham climb (still recovering!) ?
Warning, this is going to be LONG!!! I've done my best to break down exactly what one can expect from doing the MW Star Tour, so peeps can weigh up if they wish to do it, and if it's something they would enjoy. It's a thorough review. I hope you guys enjoy reading it ??
*WB MOVIE WORLD VIP STAR TOUR REVIEW*
OK, so to put it bluntly, the Star Tour is Amazing. Every little effort is made on Movie World's part to make you feel special, and you will get to experience many aspects of the park that no guest has previously done before.
You start off your morning at 7.20am, where you drive into your VIP parking spot at the front of the park (you'll be contacted the evening before via SMS/email with directions on how to find this) and then meet up with other participants at the front gate. Here you will be met by your two bubbly and appropriately dressed Movie World tour guides, one of them being the "Director" who will be doing running commentary throughout the day. Everyone is checked in, personalised name badges are handed out, choices for morning tea and lunch are collected, and all participants are given small devices with earphones - an extra option which allows you to directly hear the Director's commentary at all times from anywhere in the group without loss of sound. I found this particularly useful during the Scooby Coaster area, but more about that soon ?
Your tour immediately kicks off with your first of many back of house experiences- a strenuous climb up to the top of Arkham Asylum's lift hill, which was definitely the highlight of my day. Be warned, if you are not usually used to this sort of physical activity, you WILL have very sore legs by the end of the day! This is 178 stairs each way, and approximately 33 metres high. So it may not be suitable for those who have a fear of heights either, but don't stress if this is the case, as you will have the option to sit this part of the tour out if you don't feel comfortable doing it. I highly recommend it if you can do it though, because needless to say, the view from up there is absolutely breathtaking! You'll get a big talk about the backlot studios and other attractions in view, before a group photo is taken (no personal cameras allowed to be taken up) ☺️
After navigating back down, which is naturally a lot easier lol, you'll be whisked off to the Village Cafe to recover from your climb with a delicious morning tea, plus a private visit and photo opportunity with the Dark Knight & his Batmobile. We enjoyed fresh fruit & baked pastry/muffin platters with our hot drinks ordered earlier on, which were personally labelled and delivered to us ☺️
Next up, the Justice League track walk. Not only will you get to experience a full walk through of this ride in maintenance/lockout mode (ie. turned off but with house lights on) but you'll be allowed to photograph all the amazing dummies, props and technology used throughout the ride. If you're anything like me, you'll develop a new level of appreciation for the amount of work that has gone into this ride, given so much of its detail is hidden away in the dark and fog whilst it's in action. You'll also get to check out a couple of the ride's back of house areas, such as the storage garage, and 3D glasses sanitising area (but strictly no photos allowed here!) ?
Back out into the park again, and it's a short walk over to the rear entrance of the Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster building, where inside you'll be able to witness (no photos allowed here either, just memories being created) the wild mouse coaster in action during its morning test run and learn more about its functionality. Seeing the ride's elevator in action from an outside perspective is quite a treat! You'll even be shown remnants of the classic Gremlins ride that once stood in its footprint.
By this time the park will be beginning to open to the public, so you can expect to see regular park guests wandering around outside as you continue your special VIP Tour morning ☺️
Now usually the Star Tour features a visit to the Superman Escape rollercoaster at this stage. However with this particular ride being currently down for track painting, we were instead treated to a sit through of the Green Lantern rollercoaster going through its morning safety check procedures. This was followed by a visit down underneath into its maintenance bay to learn more about its trains, and more interesting ride and park facts. You'll also get to enjoy the very first ride of the day, once the safety checks are completed and she's good to go!
This will conclude the back of house ride visits for the morning, however there is still a couple more places of interest to visit before lunch.
Your tour group will be taken into the STARS building kitchen to be introduced to some of the busy kitchen staff, and taste test some of the lovely treats being cooked up. Get your sweet tooth on! Refreshments are also provided at this stop, and you'll be offered a treat or two to take home with you.
Next, you'll be whisked down to the track of Stunt Driver 2, to check out the back of house areas and meet some of the talented drivers of the show. When the first Stunt Driver show of the morning begins shortly afterwards, a roped off VIP section of seating will be waiting for you and your tour buddies in the audience seating area, complete with cushy padded seats and a prompt visit from a mobiles attendant to deliver you a fresh cup of popcorn. Now this is watching the show in style ?
After the show and just before heading off to lunch, the tour Director will take you up to the control room to meet the SFX staff and see the technology used during the Stunt Driver show.
Now it's time for lunch at the Dirty Harry bar! A formally set table will be awaiting your arrival, and jugs of water and soft drinks delivered whilst your lunch of choice is freshly prepared. Expect a couple more exclusive special character visits in the meanwhile (in our case, it was Superman and Bugs Bunny!) and more photo opportunities.
This concludes the tour part of the program, so memorabilia bags are handed out, and wristbands for both fast track rides and unlimited ride photos individually handed out. After lunch, you'll be briefly escorted to lockers to store your belongings whilst you enjoy these benefits at your own leisure for the rest of the afternoon, along with a VIP section reserved for the tour group at the 3.30pm parade.
So that pretty much wraps up what to expect with the Star Tour!
What made this experience so special for me was, as mentioned, how much trouble the park staff go to in order to make you feel special. You'll receive ongoing pampering thoughout the morning with lots of food & treats, and exclusive visits from park characters which will leave you genuinely feeling like a rock star.
Picture this... walking down Movie World main street, nobody else around because the park is still closed to the public. It's just you, your tour group of 8, your two tour guides and private photographer. Then, as you're being led toward your morning tea table filled with delicious treats, a Cafe attendant comes out and personally delivers your custom ordered coffee with your name and a smiley on it. Whilst taking a sip of your yummy warm drink, you suddenly spot the Dark Knight rolling down the street in his Batmobile, purely to pay you and your group an exclusive visit.
The wow factor here is 11/10... I kid you not ???
Being able to access restricted areas, being marched straight past the general public whilst they patiently wait in queues, well you can't help but feel special doing that as well ?
The other highlight of the tour was the amount of information provided throughout. The Director will be giving ongoing talks about each ride and attraction, the ins and outs of everything, fun facts and even point out a few easter eggs around the park that you may have not noticed before! Any questions you have will be enthusiastically addressed and answered in the best way possible. They say you learn something new everyday, well you'll walk out of the park with a huge wad of new information after this experience.
So much food is included, photos taken on the day are included, fast tracks & locker hire is included. You literally will not have to pay a cent for this tour other than the initial booking cost, so leave your wallet at home for the day.
Overall, I thought this tour was nothing short speculacular, and worth every cent. The added bonus of attending the first ever one for us was that we had the park manager, Mr. Greg Yong himself, tag along for much of our journey, which was a lovely surprise! And he was happy to chat and answer any and all questions as well.
So, overall, to wrap things up, I highly recommend this experience. The only downside now is that the bar has been set high for future park visits, it's not going to feel the same again having to visit as a regular guest! ? But in my opinion, it's totally worth it and a dream come true experience for any park enthusiasts or Movie World fans out there. Trust me, you'll bloody love it.
A massive thumbs up from me, well done to the MW team for coming up with such an amazing new guest experience ????❤️