Disney High-Rollers: VIP Tours

If you've ever seen a group being led through the park by a cast member in a white shirt and checkered vest, chances are you've seen a VIP Tour in action. It used to be that the probability was high the person on the the tour was a celebrity. This is how I caught glimpses of Michael Eisner, Justin Bieber, and Robin Williams when I was in the College Program. But these days, the probability is the person on the VIP Tour just has deep pockets.

That's right. You don't have to be a celebrity to indulge in a special, private, all access tour of Walt Disney World. But it's going to cost you.

General VIP Tours

A VIP Tour is typically associated with being led through the theme parks by an experienced Cast Member, skipping lines, and indulging in exclusive experiences. If you have the cash and want to enjoy the most in the park in the shortest amount of time, this is a great option.

Up to 10 people can be part of one tour, and the price ranges from $425 to $850 and hour depending on the season, with a minimum of 7 continuous hours. That's a total, at a minimum between $2,975 and $5,950, not including your theme park admission (which, let's admit it, is pennies compared to the price of the tour).

In general, a VIP Tour is fully customizable. You will be picked up from your Disney Resort location by your tour guide at a time you choose. Then, it's off to whichever parks you have admission to. Ahead of time, your guide will have planned a day for you based on your interests, and you'll be whisked around door-to-door, enjoying the insight of your guide. Disney's website states that you will be able to "enjoy some of your favorite attractions efficiently" and we're pretty sure this means you will skip the line and possibility board in a separate boarding area based on what we've seen in the parks, though the use of the word "some" seems to indicate that it's not to be expected.

Disney's website also includes a disclaimer that no photos or videos are allowed backstage, which seems to indicate that as a VIP you might be using backstage entrances or pathways to move efficiently from park to park. A lot of people get really excited about backstage, but my advice would be: Don't get too excited. Backstage is normal, un-themed, utilitarian areas, for the most part. However, backstage can be super efficient when moving from one part of the park to another. For example, did you know that in reality it takes about 1 minute to get from Dinoland USA to the park entrance at Disney's Animal Kingdom? Walk the guest's route, and because of the wheel and spoke layout of this park, it takes more like 10 minutes. Walk backstage and it's out one door in Dinoland, across some pavement, and in another door in the Oasis.

But I digress. Basically, you'll likely get a lot done while being entertained by your tour guide, without having to do any of the planning yourself, which sounds awfully nice, doesn't it. And, if needed, you can be pretty discrete about it.

There are some things that you won't avoid, even when you're on a VIP Tour, and those are the basic safety standards Disney sets forth. If they are doing temperature checks, you'll be checked. Your bags will go through screening. You will pay theme park admission for any parks you wish to enter, and you must have a park reservation for your first park of the day, just like a regular guest. You will also incur a cancellation fee if you do not cancel 48 hours in advance.

Signature VIP Tours

So, that's your basic customizable VIP Tour, but Disney also often has Signature VIP Tours available. They work similarly with some changes and some special perks.

Currently, at Walt Disney World, the Signature VIP Tour is the 50th Anniversary tour. This tour can be booked for up to 6 people and has a defined itinerary. You will be picked up at your resort, and then enjoy the following:

• A champagne toast at the Contemporary Resort. Because spectacular views are boasted, we can only assume this means you'll be at the Top of the World lounge or the California Grill.

• A private charter boat to the Magic Kingdom.

• "Efficient" (there's that word again) access to a selection of attractions

• Hidden gems of Main Street, USA, and a look inside the Cinderella Castle Suite

• Lunch at Be Our Guest

• Monorail to EPCOT

• An explanation of the transformation at EPCOT (We assume this is the "guided tour" part)

• A special treat at Space 220

• Access to Remy's Ratatouille Adventure

• A special finale from "the skies"

The 50th anniversary tour costs $6,500 for your group of up to 6, plus theme park admission for everyone and based on the itinerary, we would speculate it is a full day adventure.

---

Disney offers many different backstage tours and other ways to "skip the line" but nothing is quite like a VIP Tour! What do you think? Is the price tag worth the experience? Let us know in the comments or over on our Facebook page where you can follow us to see new articles each week. Until next time...