The warner brothers vp tour: one guides opinion

Posted by mrmajestic  from Pacoima, CA  on December 22, 2007

I am a former guide and i know a good tour when i see one, the wb tour is not one of them. guests are promised a behind the scenes look at a working studio in progress.... we had strict instructions not to let guests walk away from either the carts or if walking to take photos for security reasons. in no way are guests permitted on active shooting areas to include sound stages or other areas of the studio where active filming was to take place. no photos: guests could only take photos in certain designated areas and only under the supervision of a guide, mostly the back lot area and only when their was no active filming. absolutely no photography of sound stages or the front lot or of any talent. according to the official warner website: "the wb tour is the best kept secret in hollywood and every day is different you might see your favorite star or actual filming of that favorite tv show or film." nothing could be further from the truth. in fact the tour is structured only to lure guests into cheap exhibits, and induce guest back to the store and spend more. you will not see any celebrities on this tour!!!! and if one happens to accidentally stumble in front of your cart, rest assured you will not meet them, you will not have a photo taken with them. one small area of the transportation department was separated in an old garage via plastic/vinyl white tent like structure, the cheapest material they could find to make this tourist display. you could also hear the garage crew working on vehicles and sometimes smell exhaust fumes from the neighboring garage area. not only did the tour exhibits have ventilation problems but the studio museum air conditioner had been on the blink for the past month and would work in the morning but would go out in the afternoon. this was to prove a huge mistake as several guests have passed out in the hot exhibits. many older guest who have trouble walking are not allowed to sit in the cart unattended and have to leave the tour, no refund is offered. the studio had the idea of setting up a photo display with the old dukes of hazard general lee stunt car. we were told to bring the guests back to the gift shop and influence them to buy the cheesy photos and other merchandise at inflated prices. my understanding is that the tour used to a stunning, exciting, experience where guests could see live filming, rehearsals and visit a studio department of choice that is longer true. now the tour has a formal route with mandatory stops at cheesy prefabricated exhibits instead of working departments. the amount of time wasted trying to get guests to spend more money in the store, as opposed to spending time in the few interesting studio departments you can still visit is not worth the price of the tour. the real issue is that do people really want to do a cheap photo by an old stunt car in a humid garage or see the workings of a real studio?