Visiting Walt Disney World is already a dream vacation for many and loads of money is spent on planes, hotels, and theme parks to give families a “once in a lifetime” trip. Disney is a magical place with or without the VIP experience, but it’s an add-on you might want to look into for an extra special occasion.
Fair warning: Everyone will be ruined for life and never want to go back to Disney without a guide.
Ten Things You Need to Know About the Disney VIP Experience
1. It Lets You Skip All The Lines
Duh, this is the best part! You’ll go through backstage or enter through Lightning Lanes for all rides. This includes character meet-n-greets and “virtual queue” rides. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a single ride. 100% worth the money, alone, if you hate waiting in lines at a theme park. After a quick survey, we were the only ones smiling at Disney on this hot July day. The kids even got yelled at by a grumpy man for skipping around and laughing.
2. It’s Definitely a Splurge
It’s definitely a splurge and if you’re a Disney regular, it’s probably not something you’d be interested in. We do Disney about once a year and this is the only way I want to go!
3. You Can Have Up To 10 People in Your Group.
You’re paying for that many spots regardless, so invite some friends to split the cost! The guides are per hour, not per person. One guide, 10 people. Hourly rates vary between seasons but are normally $400-$700 per hour.
4. Nothing is Off Limits
We rode every single ride we wanted including Tron and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Since Tiana’s was brand new and had an outrageous line (2 hours+) and we only rode that once…without waiting in line, of course! We were able to ride all the other rides as many times as we wanted. For our group, this meant getting dizzy on Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain over and over again.
5. Disney Snacks and Water Are Included!
We got off rides with water, popcorn, and turkey legs waiting for us. It’s all about the service.
6. It’s Basically Like Having the World’s Best Instagram Husband With You.
Our guide, Ryan, was always snapping pictures for us.
7. The Guides Run Ahead and Grab Your Lunch and Tables While You Finish Up a Ride.
We ordered the food on the app; and it was waiting for us at a table when we showed up at the restaurant. Again, the service! My goodness.
8. VIP Sections for Shows
Get a VIP section for the parade and fireworks (whichever you choose during your time) with popcorn and Mickey ice cream.
9. I suggest not using much of your guide time eating.
Grab a quick lunch and schedule your dinner for after your tour. Tour guides can help with restaurant reservations if you didn’t have any beforehand.
10. Tour Hours are Flexible
Tour hours are flexible, but you must do a minimum of 7 hours with a guide. We did 10am-7pm, totaling 9 hours and made our reservations at the Crystal Palace for dinner 7pm. Perfect Day!
