VIP Tour at Walt Disney World

My friend Linda Mac and I were invited to participate in a training session intended to help VIP Tour Guides learn the ropes. Before these knowledgeable cast members can escort paying guests through the various parks, they must first practice on a test audience. We were lucky enough to be a part of this two hour session and be “guinea pigs” on a Magic Kingdom tour.

For the most part, VIP tours are intended for first-time visitors who wish to have a Disney expert accompany them through the various parks and customize the experience to their specific needs. Prices range from $175 to $315 per hour with a six hour minimum. The price differential is determined by whether or not you’re staying at a Disney resort, the time of year you visit, and the level of service you request. Tour groups can be from one individual to a maximum of ten. Park admission is not included in this price.

Since I’m probably as knowledgeable as any of these tour guides when it comes to Disney theme parks, there was little our guide could tell me that I didn’t already know. So, I spent much of the training session asking our guide questions about VIP Tours so I could share the information with you. Here’s what I learned.

A VIP Tour can be reserved 180 days in advance. At that time, you’ll discuss what you’re looking for in a tour and arrange for reservations at your favorite restaurants. If you wish to wait and book a tour after you arrive, you can. But you run the risk that no tour guide or restaurant reservations will be available.

You meet up with your tour guide at whatever location you desire. If you want to be escorted from your hotel, that can be arranged. But probably, you’ll meet at Guest Relations at the park of your choice. At that time, you’ll commence with introductions. I was surprised at how quickly our guide learned everyone’s name and used it throughout the day. I can see that after just a short time, your guide would become part of the family. Each member of your party will be given a business card with the tour guide’s pager number printed on it in case someone gets separated from the group.

The VIP Tours do not utilize the new wireless headphones that are being used on other tours. Although wonderful when traveling in a big group, the VIP Tour is a more intimate experience and a headphone would detract from this.

Next you will be asked if there are any attractions that you absolutely must experience so that your guide can plan the day accordingly. Often, families with small children will want to make Fantasyland a priority while those with teenagers will want to experience all of the thrill rides.

VIP Tour guides must work in other areas of Guest Relations before transferring into this position. Then they must take a two week training course to familiarize themselves with EVERYTHING at Walt Disney World. It’s Disney’s intention to cast knowledgeable people into this role. Once the tour begins, it’s their job to maximize your time and enhance your experience. They know the shortest route between “A” and “B” from just about anywhere. They know the best places to watch the parades. They know the show times so you won’t be caught in line five minutes before a performance starts. And they know how the crowds ebb and flow so they can avoid bottlenecks.

On my particular tour, we all said we wanted to ride on the Jungle Cruise. When we reached the attraction, our guide got us into line and gave us instructions on where to meet him at its conclusion. Later we discovered that while we were enjoying the African Elephant Bathing Pool, our guide had raced across the park and secured Fast Passes for Space Mountain.

These tours do not offer “back door” entrance onto the rides. You must stand in line like everyone else. But your tour guide knows the best order in which to experience them with as little wait as possible.

For an extra $100 per hour, you can order the “Premium” package. This gives your group unlimited Fast Pass admission. At any attraction that uses Fast Pass, your tour guide can flash their “magic” card and admit your group into this line – as many times as you like. So if you’re a Space Mountain junky, you can re-queue over and over again in the Fast Pass line. This even applies to attractions that aren’t utilizing Fast Pass on a particular day.

It’s your decision whether or not the tour guides eat with you. Their feelings won’t be hurt if you need some private time without them. If you do decide to include them, Disney picks up the tab for their portion of the meal.

Our tour guide told us that if it’s your desire to see Illuminations at Epcot, Fantasmic at the Studio, and Wishes at the Magic Kingdom, all in ONE night. Disney can arrange this. Of course, this is dependent on the times of all three shows being spaced accordingly. But the point of the story is this, if you’re willing to pay, Disney is willing to accommodate.

Is it worth the money? Not to me it isn’t. But like I said at the beginning of this blog, I know my Disney theme parks. In fact, I shared more trivia with our guide than he did with us. But that’s just me.

Is this service worth it to the average guest? Only if the average guest is rich. The cheapest day would cost $1,050 for six hours – not including admission. I experienced this tour in February when the park is typically slow. We were literally walking onto all of the attractions with no lines. A guest would hardly need to pay someone else to help them cut corners when there are no corners to cut. The tour would only make sense if the parks were busy.

If you’re a first-time visitor to Disney World, I would suggest reading the Allears.net website and newsletters (blatant plug) before your visit. We provide a wealth of information – for free. If you’re a regular reader of our site, you know a constant theme of ours is to learn as much as you can about Disney World before arriving. You simply cannot show up at the gates unprepared. If you do, you’ll miss a lot. But if you don’t have the time or desire to “study” before a vacation, a VIP Tour might be the answer.

Okay, what if you are rich; is it worth it? Maybe. I have to admit, if I could have afforded a private tour on my first trip to Tokyo DisneySea, it would have been nice. Disney parks are so full of interesting facts and bits of trivia, that a private guide would be fun to have around and fill my brain with this information. But unless you’ve got money to burn, I’d have a hard time recommending this tour. After experiencing a two-hour session, I decided that I could hire myself out at half the price and offer an excellent tour. Just kidding.

If you are interested in booking, call 407-560-4033.

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2 Replies to “VIP Tour at Walt Disney World”

  1. Have you ever experienced a non-Disney VIP tour? There are several companies offering theme besides mine and at a much lower cost.

  2. I stumbled upon AllEars a few years ago while planning our 1st “real” Disney World vacation.

    Until that point, going to Disney World meant a one-day admission to Magic Kingdom; staying about 20 miles away from The World. Who knew there was more to experience?

    I believe it is due to the incredible information AllEars offers that our family has been Disney Junkies since that trip.

    Without your help, we may never have known the “other side” of Disney World. It’s not just about a day in the parks; its so much more.

    After reading this blog, I felt compelled to share my gratitute for so much information over the years.

    Your site is easily navigable & chock-full of FREE information. It is constantly updated with important & relevant information. There is simply no other outlet available as concise as yours.

    Perhaps a few of the people willing to shell out over $1,000 should invest in a few hours of reading AllEars instead.

    Thanks again for making this information available to everyone.