A Magical VIP Tour Experience at Walt Disney World
Going on a Disney VIP tour is an extraordinary experience. As soon as you arrive, you are treated like royalty and given VIP treatment every step of the way. The tour guides are knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive to your every need, ensuring you have the best time possible. Our tour guide, Elena, was amazing. She knew the ins and outs of the parks, gave us little tidbits of Disney history along the way, gave us some cheat codes (I am not telling! ;) ) and understood that our group was on a mission to ride ALL the high-demand headliner rides. She made sure we achieved our goals and even surpassed them.
How to Book a Disney VIP Tour
If you want to take a VIP tour during your visit, you can easily book it 60 days in advance by calling (407) 560-4033. The booking process for the VIP tour is completely free of charge! If you need to cancel your tour, you can do so up to 72 hours before the scheduled time without any hassle. If you cannot secure a tour time slot, don't worry! You will be added to a waitlist, and if someone cancels, you can still get a tour. When you book your tour, you can start brainstorming what you would like to see and do on the tour. You can give your list to the tour guide on the day of the tour, and they will let you know what you can realistically accomplish.
Cost of a Disney VIP Tour
VIP tours are tailored for groups of up to 10 guests, and the cost of the tour varies depending on the season. The price range is from $450 to $900 per hour. Please note that admission to the park is mandatory for each park visited during the tour and is not included in the tour price. Therefore, if you plan to visit more than one park, you must purchase a Park Hopper ticket. The tour operator audits all tickets attached to your reservation 14 days before the tour.
The cast member can book you for the least expensive day of the week based on availability. Generally, Wednesday and Thursday are the days with the lowest cost. During our trip, I requested to be booked on the cheapest day available, which was Wednesday. Our tour cost us $550 per hour, and there is a minimum requirement of 7 hours for tours at Walt Disney World. You will be charged the full amount the day before your tour.
While tipping is appreciated, it is not required. We gave our tour guide a cash tip at the end of the night, she was outstanding, so you may want to budget for that when planning your tour.
Private Transportation
We chose to meet our VIP Tour guide at Port Orleans instead of the park because our youngest sat out the first four hours of the tour as she was too small to ride the headliners, we left her with our favorite nanny service, Once Upon a Nanny. Our tour guide, Elena, arrived in front of our rooms to start the VIP experience in a giant white can.
During the tour, we were given exclusive access to the backstage areas of the park, which are not normally accessible to regular visitors. Our tour guide drove us in a spacious white van that could accommodate up to 10 passengers, including car seats and a double stroller. The transportation was comfortable and convenient, allowing us to travel from one park to another with ease. As we made our way through the backstage areas, we saw other tour groups of various sizes in other white vehicles, so I'm assuming most VIP vehicles are white.
Setting Priorities for a VIP Tour
As soon as we got into the van, Elena was ready. She had a piece of paper and we discussed our priorities, which was basically every single individual lightning lane except Flight of Passge which we rode the previous day. If you think about it, this would have probably cost our crew over $600 to ride Guardians of the Galaxy, Rise of the Resistance, Tron Lightcycle/Run and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
We still had to strategize. For example, we did not ride Remy's Ratatouille Adventure or Frozen, because we knew we were going to have one more park day and the family we were with had very little interest in riding those rides. So it made no sense to have us drive from Test Track and Guardians of the Galaxy all the way to the other side just because Remy is a popular attraction and it would take 15 to 20 minutes of our time and 7 hours goes faster than you think!
So, even if you're going backstage to access specific rides, you still have to plan out your day to be the most strategic.
Snacks
Prior to the tour, we enjoyed a delightful brunch at Steakhouse 71, which was the perfect start to our day. As we started on our tour, we expected to have a break for a quick service meal at some point in the day. But at every stop we made before entering the park, we were provided with a basket of snacks. Throughout the tour, our guide never let us go hungry or thirsty. She was always ready with bottles of water, sodas, and even popcorn.
What impressed us the most was the level of service provided by our guide. Whenever we went on a ride, she went out of her way to get us something to snack on or drink. The amount of food and beverages we received during the tour was unbelievable, and our tour guide's dedication to making sure we were well-fed and hydrated was truly remarkable.
What We Accomplished:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
2. Test Track
3. Rise of Resistance
4. Smugglers Run
5. Slinky Dog Dash
6. Toy Story Mania
7. Tron Lightcycle/run
8. Space Mountain
9. Dumbo (the Non Space Mountain Riders)
10. Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin (Non Tron Riders - went TWICE)
11. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
12. Peter Pan Flight
13. Haunted Mansion
14. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
15. VIP Fireworks
VIP Fireworks
There are two sections for watching fireworks at the Castle hub in front of Cinderella Castle - the VIP section and the dessert party section. The dessert party area near Tomorrowland Terrace allows you to sit before the fireworks. But you have to stand during the fireworks because the pre- and post-party guests are all in one area to watch the show.
The VIP fireworks section in front of Casey's Corner allows guests to enjoy the fireworks show while sitting. To access this section, guests must be with their VIP Tour guide at Walt Disney World. In our case, our guide dropped us off at the end of our seven-hour tour before the fireworks started, so we could enjoy the show in the VIP section. When I booked my tour I also planned it that way. If you have a tour that starts earlier in the day you can always extended you time with your tour guide.
Cons to a Disney VIP Tour
I didn't find many negative aspects of the VIP tour. However, I was under the impression that the VIPs had access to unique passageways on every ride, but it turned out that we were simply granted Lightning Lane access to all rides. A few rides make you feel like a VIP, though. For instance, on the Haunted Mansion ride, you skip the stretching room and proceed straight to your carriage, and on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, you bypass the regular entrance and get onto the ride from the back never seeing a queue. This means there is still a possibility of experiencing long wait times if a ride shuts down. During our tour, Rise of the Resistance was temporarily closed. When it resumed operations, the Lightning Lane queue was lengthy, indicating that we might have to wait around 30 minutes.
We decided to leave the line and ride Smugglers Run instead. By the time we returned, the wait time for the Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance had decreased significantly, so we were able to ride the attraction without waiting in line. There are still situations where it may be beneficial to adjust your schedule during a VIP tour. Your guide will typically ask if you prefer to wait in line or return later for a shorter wait time.
One thing to keep in mind regarding the VIP tour at Disney is that if you only plan to do the minimum time limit and have a specific list of tasks to accomplish, you may miss out on the "magic" of the parks that comes from exploring it. We didn't even see the front of Cinderella's castle until we sat down for the fireworks. Not all tours have to be rushed or goal-oriented. They can be tailored to the group's individual needs. Since the group I was with wanted to make sure they rode all the major rides, our tour was more fast-paced. Our VIP tour guide said some families book for six days, and take a tour guide everywhere, and they have very leisurely days.
My family and I splurged on a VIP tour, which was quite expensive. It's something we could only do occasionally. Luckily, we were able to split the cost with another family. However, it's important to note that regular park admission is required on top of the tour fee. Since it's a premium service, there's a certain level of pressure to have a flawless experience, which may lead to disappointment if expectations aren't met. But we have to remember that weather can affect your tour and also rides going down can also affect your experience.
Why Did Our Youngest Stay with a Sitter
I wasn't sure if taking our youngest on the VIP tour was a good idea because we were going to three different parks, and she couldn't ride most of the rides. So, I decided it would be better for her to meet us at Magic Kingdom.
Bella from Once Upon a Nanny was phenomenal. She took my daughter all over the resort and brought her to Magic Kingdom. They had a great time together, and Bella dropped her off with us so we could enjoy the rest of the night.
I was surprised by how accommodating our tour guide was for our daughter. She would literally put us on a ride and would take her to a ride that she could ride. In fact, she did that all day; anytime one person did not want to ride, she took them with her to get drinks or put them on another ride. She took pictures and sent videos of us on rides, too. She was truly amazing.
If we were doing the tour the same way - three parks in seven hours - I would hire a sitter again. I think it was just too much for our daughter and getting the stroller in and out of the park would have slowed us down. Not much, though. Also, our youngest got to rest for most of the day and could enjoy the evening with us. The VIP guide said that they are always happy to stay with the little ones while others enjoy the rides, so it's never a problem if you have a toddler or baby to bring along.
Total Cost of the Day & Final Thoughts…
I was initially apprehensive about getting a VIP tour at Walt Disney World because we visit the parks frequently and know them well. Even after the first hour, I was still determining if I had overspent. However, I was proven wrong, as the experience turned out to be absolutely phenomenal. I cannot say enough positive things about it, and I would definitely do it again.
A VIP tour at Walt Disney World is not just a visit to a theme park. With personalized service, exclusive access, and unforgettable experiences, the VIP tour takes your Disney adventure to extraordinary heights, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Get ready to step into the world of VIP magic and prepare to be dazzled by this exclusive experience at Walt Disney World.
Cost Breakdown:
My husband and I are AP holders (we have the DVC AP) that are in the parks more than 20 days a year.
Magic Your Way Tickets for my friends family: 3-Day MYW with Water Park & Sports Option $448.75 Adult/435.00 kids
Their Park Day cost for adults was $143x 3 + 138.41 = $567.40 in park tickets
Our Kids Ticket Prices (6-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket) : $272.66
$550/hr x 7 hours VIP Tour: $3850
$190 - $160 + $35 tip Once Upon a Nanny
104.76 - Steakhouse 71 for my family (Didn’t get the cost for my friend)
$300 - VIP Tour Guide Tip (Not expected and Disney states this but she was just so good!)
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