Anyone done a private VIP recently at Disney World? I'm having second thoughts...

[jeffers102]

I'll be in Orlando in September, mostly for HHN and UO/IoA, but we will be doing 1-2 DW days as well. I had planned to do a private VIP so we could make the most of our limited time at Disney, but I've read a lot of "it's not worth it" stories due to the LL lines (almost all reviews that mention this are referring to DL). I know that at DW, we'd still wait in the LL lines with a private VIP, but maybe it's more efficient than DL.

So, for anyone who has done a private VIP at DW in the Genie+ era, roughly how long were the waits for some of the premier rides? Did you feel it was worth the hefty price? Do you think 3 parks would be doable in a day? Thanks in advance!

 

[john7994]

I'll be in Orlando in September, mostly for HHN and UO/IoA, but we will be doing 1-2 DW days as well. I had planned to do a private VIP so we could make the most of our limited time at Disney, but I've read a lot of "it's not worth it" stories due to the LL lines (almost all reviews that mention this are referring to DL). I know that at DW, we'd still wait in the LL lines with a private VIP, but maybe it's more efficient than DL.

So, for anyone who has done a private VIP at DW in the Genie+ era, roughly how long were the waits for some of the premier rides? Did you feel it was worth the hefty price? Do you think 3 parks would be doable in a day? Thanks in advance!

Waits on the VIP tour for WDW were LL equivalent or better (no more than 5 minutes). This was pre-GoTG, but we hit all 4 parks in the same day and unwound at fireworks in the VIP area at MK. For what we did, and the joy it brought to my family, would do it all over again.

 

[dieumeye]

Waits on the VIP tour for WDW were LL equivalent or better (no more than 5 minutes). The was pre-GoTG, but we hit all 4 parks in the same day and unwound at fireworks in the VIP area at MK. For what we did, and the joy it brought to my family, would do it all over again.

If you don’t mind sharing, how long was your tour and which attractions were you able to visit in that amount of time? Are you moving at a fast or relaxed pace?

I’m planning a VIP tour and have been told it’s very difficult to visit all 4 parks without a very grueling schedule and/or doing additional hours beyond the required minimum.

 

[john7994]

If you don’t mind sharing, how long was your tour and which attractions were you able to visit in that amount of time? Are you moving at a fast or relaxed pace?

I’m planning a VIP tour and have been told it’s very difficult to visit all 4 parks without a very grueling schedule and/or doing additional hours beyond the required minimum.

Tour was originally planned for 7 hours, but lasted through 9 due to the MK fireworks as we wanted the "extra magic" and the private ride from a backlot entrance to our dinner reservation at Steakhouse 71.

Absolutely no doubt - the 4 Parks tour was not the most leisurely pace of the ones we have been on - but the group was all adults - so we made it work well to our advantage. We hit all the main headliners + and some of the "tier 2s" at each park, stopped for lunch, and had plenty of restroom/hydration breaks.

Disney will help you with the itinerary that will work best for you, based on what your priorities are for the group and time allotted. Keep in mind since you are travelling privately between parks and going through back entrances - literally just appearing in the park in different places - it takes some of the wasted transportation time out of the mix.

 

[jeffers102]

Waits on the VIP tour for WDW were LL equivalent or better (no more than 5 minutes). The was pre-GoTG, but we hit all 4 parks in the same day and unwound at fireworks in the VIP area at MK. For what we did, and the joy it brought to my family, would do it all over again.

Thanks for sharing your experience John!

 

[john7994]

Thanks for sharing your experience John!

No worries - glad to share.
Other things to consider - your guide can also assist with same day reservations (at harder to get places) - so worth asking if you are so inclined. Also ask if they can drop you by one of the open Club 33 locations during your journey.

 

[katied]

We did it over Christmas week 2021… well worth it, we started at HS… Did top roses there, but the Star Wars new ride was down, so, we went to AK, hit our list, then back to HS, then Epcot, then MK… some of them are back door into ride, some are LL… but, they get you between parks very quickly, and can adjust when rides are down…

yes, you can do it yourself, but it would take hours longer… so, if the cost is not an issue, it is well worth it (if the cost is an issue, then skip and do it yourself and just plan on a longer, more tiring day with a lot more stress, but remind yourself how much money you are saving).

 

[Marthasor]

No worries - glad to share.
Other things to consider - your guide can also assist with same day reservations (at harder to get places) - so worth asking if you are so inclined. Also ask if they can drop you by one of the open Club 33 locations during your journey.

Do you have personal experience with VIP guides allowing non-Club 33 members into the clubs? Haven't heard that before.

 

[PalmettoPath]

We do one every year at WDW, most recently in March. Virtually no wait times of any great length. Five to 10 minutes max. Even in lines where you are with a crowd, there are ways they get you through faster and to the perfect spot and positions etc. We don't like to push it with the tours, so we focus on usually two parks. We have added a third when we wanted to tack on a single ride somewhere. But the travel time cuts into your tour time, so something to consider. The guides have access to true current wait times and outages so they can keep you posted and rejig on the fly. If you want to get a lot of rides done with minimal wait time, it's the only way to go.

 

[john7994]

Do you have personal experience with VIP guides allowing non-Club 33 members into the clubs? Haven't heard that before.

On one recent occasion out of three tours ...

 

[rdaky]

On one recent occasion out of three tours ...

Wow. That's surprising. As much as people pay for club 33, I don't think they should be allowing random VIP tours inside.

 

[john7994]

Wow. That's surprising. As much as people pay for club 33, I don't think they should be allowing random VIP tours inside.

Meh, never hurts to engage CMs like human beings and ask for things respectfully. We weren't given the run of the place and we weren't there long enough for anyone to get all twisted about it.

 

[holden]

We did a 7 hour tour - 3 parks. We skipped EP (Remy and GOTG weren't open then) since that was easy to do on our own.

We did the following:

RNR
TOT
MMRR
MFSR
SDD

SM
Splash
BTMRR
HM
PP
POTC

FOP
EE

We rode some attractions two times in a row (FOP, RNR, etc.).

Some attractions you don't go in the LL. You enter in a different place (like HM - we entered where you board the doom buggy).

 

[Marthasor]

Meh, never hurts to engage CMs like human beings and ask for things respectfully. We weren't given the run of the place and we weren't there long enough for anyone to get all twisted about it.

Which one did you go to? Did they allow you to order food and beverages?

 

[john7994]

Which one did you go to? Did they allow you to order food and beverages?

WDW - Nope not even a chance - literally in and out

 

[Marthasor]

WDW - Nope not even a chance - literally in and out

I'm sorry - I meant which club in WDW did you go to?

 

[john7994]

I'm sorry - I meant which club in WDW did you go to?

My fault - it was in MK - we believe the guide knew someone at that location

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

100 million % worth it if you have limited time and want to see/do a lot. At a minimum it will be loads better and more efficient than what you can piece together with Genie+.

What do I mean? Yes, you still go through the LL but you do it in an order that makes sense, don’t cross the parks endlessly because that’s where your next LL happens to be, and you don’t have to wait for the window to open. You aren’t going to be fighting for the last slinky spot at 7:00:01, and if you want to repeat a ride you just do it. Guides also have a way to make the day magical. TBH for us ride access still matters but spending the day with our guide is almost more important to our family at this point.

3 parks are doable, especially if you are willing to extend your trip, but just realize that transportation takes time as well. You could save time by meeting inside the first park, though there is something magical about going in through the back entrances. We also always say goodbye to our guide in the last park and make our way home ourselves.

 

[Marthasor]

My fault - it was in MK - we believe the guide knew someone at that location

That's awesome

 

[F.R.I.D.A.Y.]

Also ask if they can drop you by one of the open Club 33 locations during your journey.

For those who do a VIP Tour, please DO NOT ask your guide to get you into a Club 33 location if you are not a member. They are not allowed to do this, and while it seems the PP may have had a guide who was willing to use their connections to make the request happen, the guides can get in a lot of trouble for things like this. As much as your guide may want to give you an unforgettable experience, most value their jobs more than pleasing one individual tour, so please don't ask them to do something that could put their job in jeopardy. I'm not blaming the PP, as the guide in this situation made the choice to break the rules to honor their request and could have said no, but we shouldn't be setting the expectation for other guests that this is something that is normal or even possible on VIP Tours.