We’ve all seen them around the Disney theme parks. Those colorful, red and blue plaid-wearing Disney VIP tour guides. And as we see them walk by with a group of casual, happy-go-lucky guests, we feel green with envy and wonder how to make that Disney parks bucket list item a reality.
Disney VIP tours are a luxury experience, no doubt. But do the math and you might be surprised. It’s not as expensive as you think, compared to other ways of achieving the same goals in the parks. I recently had the chance to experience a Walt Disney World VIP tour, and I have a deeper insight into what goes into the tour, bells and whistles, and cost considerations.
Come take a VIP tour with me, and learn more about this marvelous experience in Walt Disney World.
What is a Disney VIP Tour?
As of the time of this article publishing, Disney offers VIP tours at three of its resorts worldwide – Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Paris. Disney also offers other themed tours, such as the Keys to the Kingdom tour in Walt Disney World, the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps tour in Disneyland, and seasonal holiday-themed tours, among others. This article will focus solely on the Walt Disney World VIP tour.
In a nutshell, the Walt Disney World VIP Tour is a fully customizable private experience where guests can visit any and all of Walt Disney World’s theme parks (and resorts if desired, but the real value is in the theme park access). A dedicated VIP tour guide will escort your private group to any attractions or park destinations you wish to visit. Simply tell your tour guide what you’d like to see, and they’ll customize your day to match your wishes.
VIP tour guides offer concierge-level service to guests, beginning with pick-up in a private vehicle at the doorstep of your Walt Disney Resort hotel (or other select nearby hotel). From there, the guide will bring the group to any attraction or dining location within any of the WDW parks, and provide near-front-of-line access to all attractions the group wishes to experience.
Along the way, the guide will take guests through some backstage areas, sharing insight behind the scenes of the Most Magical Place on Earth, as well as many fun facts, trivia, and historical notes all around the parks and resort. The VIP guide also comes well stocked with complimentary drinks and snacks along the way, keeping guests well fueled for a fun-filled day.
How Does the VIP Tour Work?
The Disney VIP tour is an add-on experience, giving guests unparalleled access to the Walt Disney World theme parks. As such, the tour is an additional cost on top of a Disney park ticket. Note: If you intend to visit multiple theme parks on the day of your tour, every guest in your party will need the Park Hopper ticket option.
The Disney Private VIP tour is a single charge for a group of up to ten people. In other words, the price is the same, no matter how many guests are in the group. Note: Every person in the group counts as a member of the party – even infants too young to ride some attractions.
Disney VIP tours cannot be booked online – they must be booked over the phone by calling the Disney VIP tour line (or let me – an experienced travel planner – take care of the legwork for you). Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance, and the names and numbers of guests in the party can be changed up until 24 hours before the visit. VIP tours can also be cancelled without penalty up to three days in advance of the tour. Disney VIP tours are very popular, and they often sell out, so the safest bet is to book well in advance of your trip.
How Much Does The Disney VIP Experience Cost?
The price of a Walt Disney World VIP tour varies depending on the time of year, ranging between $450 and $900 per hour, with a minimum time of seven hours and a maximum of ten hours. The price tends to linger in the middle of this range, but can be much cheaper during low-crowd times, and higher during the holiday season or popular vacation weeks. The VIP tour will be initially charged the minimum seven hours on the day before the tour, and additional time will be charged after the tour as used – in increments of 15 minutes – at the discretion of the guest party.
With the VIP tour pricing being charged by the hour – not by the person – the price per person can vary quite a bit, depending on the size of the party. Larger parties will get more monetary value per person than a small group. This makes the VIP tour ideal for large families, or multiple families sharing the tour together.
My Walt Disney World VIP Tour Experience
Let’s dive into the fun stuff – all the experiences we had during our Walt Disney World VIP tour! A note of full disclosure: I attended a hosted, six-hour version of the Disney VIP tour as part of a learning engagement for travel planners. That being said, our tour guide Jessica was very clear in explaining to us exactly what types of Disney magic are included in the tour.
Jessica (who was friendly and fabulous!) met our group outside our hotel – Disney’s Contemporary Resort – at 8:00 am. We were a large group, filling out all ten seats in a large, comfortable passenger van. Thanks to a bit of communication and pre-planning, we knew going in that everyone in our group wanted to experience the more thrilling attractions of Walt Disney World. Jessica – the consummate professional guide – has been giving VIP tours for over ten years, and she knew just the route to maximize our time while giving us the thrills we were craving.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
First up was Disney’s Animal Kingdom to ride Expedition Everest. We immediately experienced a bit of backstage magic when Jessica drove us around the back of the park to a backstage door by the soon-to-be-retired DINOSAUR attraction. On the drive, Jessica pointed out areas where Disney grows banana trees for use in Animal Kingdom park. She also pointed out animal barns and an animal nutrition center.
We parked behind DINOSAUR, ready to head inside the park. Now is a good time to point out that we were able to stash our belongings safely in the Disney van for as much of our tour as we wished. It was in the upper 80s on the day of our tour, so it was nice to leave our backpacks and drawstrings behind for a bit.
We entered the park through a rear door in the attraction show building. In those back halls of the attraction, we got to appreciate a wall full of adorable dino-dates, memorializing all the folks who have worked on the attraction over the years. Photos are not allowed in backstage areas, so you’ll have to take my word on this cool backstage experience. After a quick walk through a small portion of Animal Kingdom, we were escorted into the Lightning Lane entrance for Expedition Everest, and enjoyed our first screams of the day. Jessica met us when we got off the ride, giving each of us a bottle of water to quench our scream-dried throats. After a quick skip backstage behind DINOSAUR, we were off to our next park.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Next on the agenda was Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which proved to be the busiest portion of our day. This park has historically had a bad rap for being a “half-day park,” but I couldn’t disagree more. With the addition of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land – this park rivals other Disney parks and stands proudly as a fun-filled full-day experience.
Before we even stepped foot in the park, a VIP team greeted us in a backstage area off Sunset Boulevard with a basket of snacks to pick from (things like chips, granola bars, applesauce packets, and cookies). This was the first of several times we were offered treats!
VIP guide Jessica took the helm of our march through the park, and we rode four attractions in barely over an hour, including Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, Rock ‘n Rollercoaster (in what may prove to be my final ride in an Aerosmith stretch limo), and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
While traversing the park, Jessica added bits and pieces of fun park knowledge and trivia, including a fun Toy Story Easter egg at the entrance to Slinky Dog (hint: look for the Tyrannosaurus “REX” in the giant toy box).
EPCOT
EPCOT was third on our park list, and we were there for one very specific (and very exciting) purpose – Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This is, without a doubt, my favorite attraction in all of Walt Disney World. Jessica drove us around the back of Guardians, where we park and walk through an outside gate right next to the coaster’s show buildings. Yes, Guardians has two show buildings – one guests see (formerly the Universe of Energy pavilion building) and a larger building behind it, where most of the coaster excitement occurs. It was fun to see the backstage layout of the attraction buildings – complete with the bottom half of the second show building being painted Disney’s famous “go away green” and the top half painted sky blue.
We all rode Guardians together, and most of us wanted to ride a second time. No problem! Jessica brought us back to the pre-show area to ride again, with minimal wait (Note: given the two pre-show sequences and the post-pre-show queue for the ride itself, the process still takes a little bit of time, but we avoided the super long queue leading into the pre-shows). Bonus: we heard two different songs during our rides, including “I Ran” from Flock of Seagulls, which I had never experienced!
Prior to boarding Guardians for the second time, Jessica took orders for Starbucks, and when we got off the ride, she was there to greet us with our cold and tasty treats – on the house (or should I say, “on the mouse”?)! This extra touch is not something that Disney guarantees, but when it happens, it adds just the right amount of Pixie Dust to the day!
Magic Kingdom
The last stop on our whirlwind Disney parks tour was Magic Kingdom. Fresh off our Starbucks treats, Jessica’s fellow VIP team Cast Members surprised us with another round of snacks, including the famous Mickey ice cream bars (how could we say no?)!
Our tour was planned to end while we were in Magic Kingdom, and we wouldn’t be returning to the van after our time there. So after cooling off with some ice cream, we grabbed our belongings and headed into the park through the auxiliary entrance between Main Street and Tomorrowland (the one used for the holiday parties, and sometimes for exits in the evenings following fireworks).
We enjoyed two attractions in Magic Kingdom – Tron Lightcycle/Run and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (as far as other thrill rides go, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was closed for an extended refurbishment, and most folks in the group weren’t particularly interested in riding Space Mountain). My first ride ever on Tron was a blast, and I can’t wait to return and try it at night!
After riding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, our VIP time was coming to a close. Jessica walked us through the hub in front of Cinderella Caste and took some photos of us (and with us). Following our photo moments, Jessica took us down Main Street to visit the VIP Tour merchandise counter – an opportunity that is only available to folks who take a VIP tour. But more on that in a minute, because we experienced one last piece of Disney magic while walking down Main Street. To our surprise and delight, we were met by Mary Poppins and Bert the chimney sweep, who were completely content to take some “cheeky” photos with our group. Being a huge fan of Mary Poppins, this filled my Disney cup to overflowing! This character greeting isn’t guaranteed, but many times the VIP guides have ways of making magical moments like this happen.
As for the VIP merchandise counter – we were able to purchase items like Loungefly bags, water bottles, spirit jerseys, ornaments, and pins (to name just a few), all featuring Disney’s adorable plaid design. I don’t think I mentioned – every participant in a VIP tour is given a commemorative VIP tour pin at the outset of the tour. VIP Tour Pro Tip: Magic Kingdom is the only location which sells VIP tour merchandise. It won’t be available on tours which do not include Magic Kingdom. So if you’re all about the special merch, make sure to block off time for it in Magic Kingdom.
Disney VIP Tour Takeaways
Overall, I had a wonderful time experiencing a Walt Disney World VIP tour. Jessica was a fabulous guide, balancing a nice mix of attraction access, backstage glimpses, fun history and trivia, and refreshments. Being a Disney history and operations nerd, I particularly enjoyed all the information Jessica gave us along our journey.
Our private vehicle minimized our park-hopping time, allowing us to spend more of our time in the parks having fun. With that being said – visiting all four parks in the same day still resulted in a fair amount of travel. In my opinion, the ideal VIP tour would spend the day in one or two Disney theme parks, hitting the high points at each of the parks, and getting more time inside each park. Families with younger kids can happily spend the entire day in Magic Kingdom alone, visiting all the desired attractions!
Also regarding the vehicle – it was nice to use it as a place to keep our “stuff” (clothes, backpacks, drawstrings, merch). On a hot day, it was nice to not be weighted down with all our gear.
VIP Tour Pro Tip: While on a VIP tour, guests can enjoy preferred viewing for any parades, fireworks, or other nighttime spectaculars performed during (or around) the time of the tour. So guests can pause during the afternoon to watch the Festival of Fantasy Parade from a preferred spot. They can also end their tour in Disney’s Hollywood Studios around 8:30 and get escorted by their guide to preferred seating for a 9:00 showing of Fantasmic (for example)! How’s that for a “kiss goodnight?”
Above all else, the single nicest part about taking a Disney VIP tour is the feeling of being treated like a VIP! This is a luxury experience, and if you choose to spend a little extra on it, you won’t regret it. And while this is a luxury experience, it’s not necessarily as overly expensive as you might think. Let’s have a brief look at the numbers.
Pricing a Disney VIP Tour vs. Lightning Lane
Let’s break down the price of a Walt Disney World VIP tour vs. Lightning Lane scenarios. For this exercise, we’ll look at lower/middle range pricing (not the low September season, but also not major vacation weeks or holidays). Specifically, for this comparison, I picked August 13th – mid-summer, before school is back in session. Note: the pricing comparisons offered below do not include the price of park tickets and/or park hopper options. These components will be the same for any park day, and therefore do not factor into the comparison.
Walt Disney World VIP Tour
Price range $450-$900/hr. Let’s call it $600, multiplied by 7-hour minimum = $4,200. (Note: this does not include a tip for the tour guide. While tips are not mandatory, they are very much appreciated by the guides. Tips cannot be added to the bill, so plan to use cash or venmo).
Divide $4,200 by 10 people in a full group = $420 per person.
Lightning Lane (Multi Pass and Single Pass)
Assuming a similar lower/middle range daily pricing, Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Magic Kingdom will cost around $32/person. Add in Lightning Lane Single Passes for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ($13) and Tron ($21) and the total comes to $68/person.
Similar calculations for the other parks come out to $36/person for EPCOT, $51/person for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and $34/person for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass
For the most direct apples-to-apples comparison, let’s check out the pricing for Lightning Lane Premier Pass. This service allows guests to experience each attraction in a given Walt Disney World park one time.
Here’s the pricing:
- Magic Kingdom – $379/person
- EPCOT – $189/person
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios – $309person
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom – $129/person
Comparing the Lightning Lane Premier Pass for Magic Kingdom to a VIP tour for 10 people, the price per person is only $41 more for the VIP tour than the Premier Pass.
Elevating the Disney VIP Tour Over Lightning Lane Premier Pass
The pricing above demonstrates that a Walt Disney World VIP tour is more expensive per person than a Lightning Lane Premier Pass. Now, let’s look at what is included in the VIP tour that you don’t get with Premier Pass, and how some of those items can translate into closing the gap even further.
Food and Drinks
Our group was well hydrated and well fed over the course of our VIP tour. Let’s call it two water bottles per person ($3 each – though we were offered as much as we wished to consume), one bottle of soda ($4 – in a Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge bottle during our visit), two rounds of snacks, and each a Mickey ice cream bar ($6). While not guaranteed, you may also be offered a Starbucks-type coffee treat. All told, let’s call it $20/person in drinks and snacks – included in the VIP tour package. This could easily pass $25/person, but safest to call it $20.
The difference between a VIP tour and Lightning Lane Premier Pass is now barely over $20/person.
Multiple Rides on the Same Attraction
I mentioned earlier that our group chose to ride Cosmic Rewind twice during our VIP tour – both times while being escorted near the front of the line. This cannot happen using either the Lightning Lane Single Pass or Lightning Lane Premier Pass systems, as there is a limit of one attraction ride per person in each system. Guests can choose to ride the same attraction again using a standby line, but that comes at a significant expense in time. And as they say, “time is money.”
Experiencing Attractions in Visiting Multiple Parks
Here is another area where the Disney VIP tour really shines. The cost of the tour is based on the number of hours, not the number of parks or attractions. We experienced attractions in all four theme parks on the same day. Lightning Lane Premier Pass is limited to one theme park. If you want to experience that same level of near-front-of-line access at multiple attractions in multiple parks on the same day, you would need to purchase Premier Pass for each additional park you visit.
Even if you only want to experience one or two attractions in a second Disney park that day, without a long wait, you would need to purchase – at minimum – either Lightning Lane Multi Pass (and peck away in your phone for a time saving selection) or a Lightning Lane Single Pass for select premier attractions. In either case, you would be spending enough extra money that you have now matched or exceeded the cost of the VIP tour by accumulating additional Lightning Lane costs. Plus, you have to putter your way between the parks using Disney’s complimentary transportation – a huge time sink at busy times of day – instead of the quick and direct transportation provided using the VIP tour vehicles.
Disney VIP Tours – A Luxury Experience Well Worth the Money
Spending hard-earned money on a Disney VIP tour can feel like a big pill to swallow. But for fans of the Disney Parks experience, as well as others who place a premium value on time over money, a Disney VIP tour can be money well spent. It takes the hard work and frustration out of a day in the parks, allowing more space for the Disney magic we all love.
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Do you have questions about the Disney VIP tour? Feel free to reach out to me with an email (ji*******@*************nt.com) or with a message on social media: Instagram Facebook X
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Are you interested in considering a Walt Disney World (or Disneyland) VIP tour? Reach out to me at Facts and Figment Travel Planning, and we can determine if a VIP tour is right for you. I can also help you score the best discounts Disney parks and resorts have to offer (maybe that discount can offset some of the cost of the VIP tour!). Please start here to begin. My travel planning services are absolutely FREE, and I can help you score the best, hardest-to-get deals to make your vacation more magical.
