It’s been a couple of years since I shared all the amazing reasons why I take – and recommend – a private Disney VIP Tour! I thought I’d recap what the day is like here, based on a recent tour with great family friends who happened to be traveling on the same school break.
Private Disney VIP Tour
With the help of your own VIP Tour Guide, you can maximize your fun with minimal fuss for the Disney vacation of a lifetime! Your guide and I will plan the most efficient, enjoyable way for groups up to 10 guests to see and do all that’s on your list. With door-to-door private transportation from your resort, expedited entry to attractions, reserved viewing for Magic Kingdom and Epcot fireworks, and reserved viewing for the Magic Kingdom parade, you’ll spend less time waiting and more time soaking up the magic of Walt Disney World. You will experience unparalleled hospitality at one or more theme parks, ride your favorite attractions, and learn so much about the magic and often unnoticed details in the Disney parks with your very own guide. Rates start at $450 per hour (7 hour minimum) and go up to $900 per hour during peak seasons. Ten guests are included and additional time can be added on the day of your tour.
A Great Start
I meticulously plan every day of your itinerary, and the VIP tour day is no different! For this tour, we did things a little differently from normal. We slept in, swam at the resort and had lunch before starting the tour.
Disney Private VIP Transportation
One of the huge benefits and time savers of the VIP Tour is private transportation! When starting with the guide at the resort, you’ll load up into a van or SUV and enter your first park through a backstage entrance in a blink. There are no lines to wait in at a gate or back-ups at security, and you are offered a variety of snacks at each location. Rather, you waltz right in with a few quick steps from an off-stage parking spot. And don’t even worry about returning to a sweltering hot van at the end of the day, parking valets queue up and cool down the vehicles for your departure!
Popping into Animal Kingdom
We started our day at Animal Kingdom. With a laser focus on Flight of Passage, we were delivered to the backstage door of Pandora: World of Avatar! For Disney nerds, and even most regular guests, getting to see these areas is a treat in and of itself.
We were on and off of the ride in a flash and then back to our van in no time flat! These guides are all SO fantastic with kids, adults and families. They are fun, informative, professional, knowledgeable… the list goes on. One of my favorite parts of the tour is how they point out little details and rare facts I never knew!
Magical Moments in Magic Kingdom
Our next stop was Magic Kingdom for all the thrills! We started with Space Mountain and Tron in Tomorrowland, scooted over to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Fantasyland and wrapped up with Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland. Just these four rides would have meant staying in Magic Kingdom for an entire day – open to close! Our guide took our Starbucks orders and picked that up for us while we were on Tron. SO NICE.
Escaping Crowds in Epcot
Next we were off to our third park of the day: Epcot! Here, we got on Guardians of the Galaxy and Test Track. We also snacked on Mickey pretzels, courtesy of our guide. Oh, and by this point, the skies had opened up. But, our guide came through with ponchos for all! I promise, no detail is overlooked.
A Star Studded Finale in Hollywood Studios
The rest of our day was spent tackling what I think is the hardest park to do on your own! Here, the list was long:
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run
- Star Wars Rise of the Resistance
- Toy Story Mania
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Toy Story Mania, again
- Slinky Dog Dash, again
The kids loved Slinky Dog and Toy Story Mania so much that we did them again! Another fun perk of the VIP Guide.
To end our evening, he was able to get all 8 of us into a sold out Oga’s Cantina.
Private VIP Tour Tips and Thoughts
I work with all interested clients to incorporate a Private VIP Tour into their schedule and help outline the optimal start and end times, as well as must-dos to share with their guide. I also help hand pick a guide that will best suit their needs! The new Lightning Lane Pass system requires extensive effort in the parks and is time consuming, with no guarantee of securing the most sought after attractions. Not to mention, you can expect to spend about $60 per person per day on that system. A VIP Tour day goes a long way to mitigating those issues. AND, there just are SO many benefits to splurging on VIP.
- Private VIP Tours are expensive, but they are the ultimate in experiencing luxury Disney World.
- Each VIP guide can take up to 10 people in a group. If you are unsure of the price, consider sharing a guide between two families with similar interests. I always recommend it for extended families, clients short on time and those that hate to wait in lines, special milestone celebrations, bachelorette groups, reunion groups, or RunDisney race weekend groups!
- Your guide can provide access to VIP viewing areas for Harmonious in Epcot, Enchantment in Magic Kingdom and the Festival of Fantasy Parade in Magic Kingdom.
- Having 1-2 days of VIP Tours completely mitigates the unbelievable crowds at Disney and takes so much pressure off of you to secure the top attractions using Lightning Lane Passes.
- One thing I love about the VIP tour is that everyone doesn’t have to do everything. Your guide will take all interested individuals on to the attraction, while the others have a cold drink in the shade.
- The clock keeps running while you dine and I will ensure you maximize your time with the guide.
- Guides use the Lightning Lanes at every attraction for expedited access.
- Our group did not race to accomplish all of this. We had multiple snack and drink breaks and enjoyed the sights and scenes of the parks.
- Using a Private VIP Tour guide is ideal for families with limited time in the parks. You can cover the same ground in 1 day of a VIP tour as in 2-3 on your own. Not to mention, guests with short trips are at a huge disadvantage with the Lightning Lane Pass system.
- Guests staying offsite don’t get to start on the Lightning Lane Pass system until 3 days prior to arrival, where as onsite guests start 7 days. If you are at Four Seasons Orlando, a VIP Tour is a must.
- A huge benefit of the guide is the transportation and back stage park entrances. Without the guide, we would have spent approximately five hours just on transportation to, from and between the parks!
- Park tickets are not included in the cost of the VIP tour.
- If you are a Disney fanatic, the guides not only get you on the rides, but they share the history, little known facts, and extra magical tips and tricks as you move through the parks. This was one of my favorite parts of the tour! It was almost like a Keys to the Kingdom Tour that crosses parks with every ride you want to do thrown in.
- These tours do fill up and I recommend booking them in advance. Right now, there are a very limited number of tours available each day.
I have received glowing feedback from ALL of my clients that have added a Private VIP Tour to their Walt Disney World vacation. It is truly the best Disney day ever!
VIP Review from a Recent Client
I had the pleasure of planning a 50 and Fabulous trip and absolutely loved followingn along on what they did. THey gave me carte blance to plan it the way I’d celebrate my own. A VIP Tour was included, of course. Here’s what they said:
As hard as it is to believe, our amazing VIP tour day allowed us to do everything below in 7 hours, 45 minutes!!!! Such an amazing experience. Incredible. Amazing tour guide with tons of insights into the parks and rides. We honestly didn’t have to think about anything! Thanks Amanda!!!! Your #dixietravels and #glassslippercomcierge are incredible
Hollywood Studios
-Rockin’ Rollercoaster
-Tower of Terror
-Galaxy’s Edge Rise of the Resistance
-Star Wars Millennium Falcon
-Slinky Dog Dash
-Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway RailwayAnimal Kingdom
-Na’vi River Journey
-break for lunch
-Avatar Flight of Passage
-Expedition EverestMagic Kingdom
-Jungle Cruise
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-break for Dole Whip
-Thunder Mountain Railroad
-Splash Mountain
-Haunted Mansion
-Seven Dwarves Mine Train
-Space MountainThen dinner at Epcot after freshening up so we could hit all parks. Still at dinner and already 25,000 steps!
Let’s Travel & My Services
As a Premier Level Advisor with Glass Slipper Concierge, I am recognized for providing the highest level of customer service, experience, and knowledge in the industry. I use my personal connections and firsthand expertise to craft bespoke vacations for the most discerning clients. On top of that, travel is expensive and I know how to get the best value for your time and money. Most aspects of planning a family vacation look different and now, more than ever, it is crucial to have the most current, up to date information based on personal experience to plan your vacation!
I offer concierge travel planning for Walt Disney World® Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland® Resort, Disneyland Paris, Adventures by Disney®, Aulani, National Geographic Expeditions, Universal Orlando, Royal Caribbean and other delightful destinations around the globe! Let’s go there!
