If you’ve ever been to Universal Orlando during the holiday season, you may know how whimsical the Seuss Landing celebrations are, from red and white bauble Christmas trees marking the entrance to Thing 1 and Thing 2 even getting their own decor. That’s not even getting into Universal’s extensive holiday food menu! But the crown jewel of Islands of Adventure’s attractions is how all the Who’s down in Whoville come together to celebrate Christmas, of course, with The Grinch himself.
Meeting The Grinch at Universal Orlando is one of the hottest ticket items in the parks. Lines can stretch for several hours. During my recent venture, the lines were 100 minutes, though it’s been known to go past the 200 mark on busy days in the parks. In fact, one particularly bonkers day saw the line at 420 minutes! What you may not know is that there are many ways to get in a Merry Grinchmas without the big wait times. Let me walk you through them.
If you’ve ever been in the quick service restaurant Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous, during the Christmas season, it’s all decked out for a special sit down holiday edition. Not only will you have a server and a slew of menu items to choose from, you will get to interact with some of the Whoville residents. The Grinch’s appearance is the big ticket item, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the food is whimsical, and eats as well as it looks. As an added bonus, there’s a giant Cinnamon Roll (or should I say Cinna-Who Welcome Wheel) to kick off the meal that I’ve been thinking about ever since I ate it.
Why You Should Do It: Great price point for what you get, the decor is whimsical, the train still comes through the restaurant, and best of all, the brunch food is actually good. For $58.99 per person.
The Private Experience: Universal’s Holiday VIP Tour
If spending quality time with The Grinch and Santa is of your utmost priority, then Universal’s Holiday VIP Tour has you covered. You get to spend real 1-on-1 time (in air conditioning) with The Grinch, who has a slew of props on hand (and Max) to help you achieve the perfect family moment (and picture). Lines are short and Who’s abound to entertain you while you wait for some one-on-one time with the mean green one. Other activities are included for the price point and the VIP Guide experience is something everyone should try to experience once if they can.
Why You Should Do It: Of the options, there’s a reason this is called VIP. No lines, no fuss, air conditioning, special 1-on-1 interactions and a few fun freebies are thrown in. And at 89.99 per person, it’s an exclusive experience that can’t be replicated elsewhere. Extra bonuses: A VIP guide told me you also get exclusive access to one ride, reserved seating for the Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular and several fun additional activities for the price.
Which brings me to my third point…
For The Casual Fans: Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular
If you want a Dr. Seuss Grinch story refresher, or don’t really enjoy interacting with characters, The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular gives you the story and the hilarity of the popular Seuss character in a fun theatrical format. In fact, the actors have a blast joking onstage, even ad-libbing for humor. When I saw the show, The Grinch cracked a joke about one of the other characters making a baby cry when it started mewling mid-performance, and it made the show feel really individualized and unique.
Why You Should Do It: It’s quick, it’s easy, and kids will love it. The theater is also air-conditioned and there are bathrooms connected. There is a line for this, but the theater wasn’t completely full the day I went, and even with crowds, you likely won’t need to queue 100 minutes. As a cute bonus, the lobby of the theater is decorated with fun Grinch photo opps, including Max’s dog house and more. This activity is also included in your ticket price, so it’s free! Give it a whirl.
There are lots of different ways to have a happy Who-liday, and waiting in line for the meet-and-greet is also a completely valid choice. There’s no right or wrong way to have a Merry Grinchmas, but now that I’ve written this piece, I will say I’m back to thinking about that cinnamon roll. I’m pretty sure you’ll know where to find me the next time I’m at Islands of Adventure.