Club Level Extra Fastpasses vs. VIP tour?

[KateMW]

Yes it was my first idea. I mean if I'm paying somebody $400+ an hour I would expect to get to ride whatever.

 

[goofy4prez]

I have a 4 night trip to WDW prior to our 7 night Disney cruise this June for three of us and decided to change our hotel to the BWI Club Level (originally POR) and take advantage of the extra FP+. Normally I wouldn't think of doing this, but with only 4 days in the parks I wanted to maximize our time so that we can get in what we wanted to ride without spending a lot of time in line. For my family our dining experiences are also as much a part of our vacation as is riding the attractions and always includes dinner in a signature restaurant (we are on the DxDP). Last Sunday was our window to book our FP+ and it couldn't have been any easier. The cast member was able to set me up with 6 FP's for each of our 4 days easily around our dining plans. It was so easy. She was also able to get us an 8:00 am Tusker House ROL booking instead of our 8:40 we had on our own.

So I guess I went in circles to say in my case I much preferred to use the CL Fast Passes instead of the VIP tour. I should say that I would have went club level anyway. $600 was expensive, but in this case it will be worth it for me to do. At three months out about the only planning I have left is do I want to take private transportation to the port or use Disney...

 

[QueenElinor]

I thought a lot about this, and also the option of DAH, which is similar in that it almost guarantees you'll get the rides you want. In the end, we chose the club level FP program for a few reasons- first, we don't see the waiting time between FP as a problem- we haven't been to WDW in years so catching up on all the "lesser" attractions is very appealing. It's not all about the rides for us. Second, there are the other, numerous amenities of staying club level; and finally, we just don't want another person hanging with our family- the kids are (technically) grown up and we don't all live in the same place anymore, so we're looking forward to enjoying each other's company without a third party around.

 

[QueenElinor]

We are also doing the HEA terrace dessert party, but that's the only extra paid event.

 

[3threebabies]

Have you considered taking one or more group VIP tours? Depending on your exact dates, the Star Wars tour could be expanded and more like the AK group tour. We have taken both the multi park Ultimate Day of Thrills and Ultimate Nights of Adventure (AK)—loved both. The Day of Thrills has been around a while, and there were people with us who have taken it multiple times. I don’t blame them. We would have taken one in December, but they suspend group VIP tours over the holiday weeks.

 

[jbb4me]

If Star Wars were not a factor, I'd choose the CL FPs without any question. We've found that the 6 FPPs you get with that program make for a very nice park experience on top of giving you adequate time in the lounge to enjoy the CL offerings. However, if this is for a time of year that FPs are still not offered for SWGE and you've confirmed the VIP tour will include the SWGE attraction, that would be my vote. But I'm a huge SW fan, so I'd do practically anything to be guaranteed those attractions, especially with very little wait. I am waiting anxiously to see if WDW confirms that VIP tours will include that type of SWGE experience...

 

[hdnyc]

Have you considered taking one or more group VIP tours? Depending on your exact dates, the Star Wars tour could be expanded and more like the AK group tour. We have taken both the multi park Ultimate Day of Thrills and Ultimate Nights of Adventure (AK)—loved both. The Day of Thrills has been around a while, and there were people with us who have taken it multiple times. I don’t blame them. We would have taken one in December, but they suspend group VIP tours over the holiday weeks.

I considered the tours, but one daughter won’t be tall enough for most rides. I guess that’s another reason to use a tour guide - they could stay with the little one while we do rides that she can’t go on, instead of spending time doing rider swap for all these rides. And we could enjoy the rides together as a family instead of only one parent at a time.

 

[hdnyc]

I thought a lot about this, and also the option of DAH, which is similar in that it almost guarantees you'll get the rides you want. In the end, we chose the club level FP program for a few reasons- first, we don't see the waiting time between FP as a problem- we haven't been to WDW in years so catching up on all the "lesser" attractions is very appealing. It's not all about the rides for us. Second, there are the other, numerous amenities of staying club level; and finally, we just don't want another person hanging with our family- the kids are (technically) grown up and we don't all live in the same place anymore, so we're looking forward to enjoying each other's company without a third party around.

I would love to do Disney After Hours, but my two little kids definitely won’t stay up for that...my husband isn’t exactly a night owl either! I will say that the tour guides interact with you as much or as little as you want, and I found ours to be delightful - we loved having her around. So if you don’t want to spend time talking to them, you don’t have to.

 

[3threebabies]

I considered the tours, but one daughter won’t be tall enough for most rides. I guess that’s another reason to use a tour guide - they could stay with the little one while we do rides that she can’t go on, instead of spending time doing rider swap for all these rides. And we could enjoy the rides together as a family instead of only one parent at a time.

Understood. Having an extra adult is a definite plus in your situation. I know we had people who skipped rides on our tours, but I don’t believe any who sat out rides were children. One group actually left after only about 2 hours in for the 7+ hour Ultimate Day of Thrills—not sure why they even paid the $349/person.