DLR GE: VIP Tour?

[Nezumi Fan]

Per website, VIP Tours “start” at just under $3K, for seven hours minimum, which for a family of three or four would be a lot. HOWEVER, if it were nine of total (VIP groups can go up to nine), that works out to like $300 per person.

Do strangers ever get together and decide to share VIP tours?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I know someone who went with a group (I think he knew everyone by not like super close or family or anything) with a VIP tour for opening day of Toy Story Land and said it was great. Split 10 ways and cost wise wasn’t crazy and they avoided all the crazy lines seen on opening day there

I wouldn’t be surprised if they increased the cost once GE opened (or had two rates depending on if you were doing GE or not)

 

[bethwc101]

Per website, VIP Tours “start” at just under $3K, for seven hours minimum, which for a family of three or four would be a lot. HOWEVER, if it were nine of total (VIP groups can go up to nine), that works out to like $300 per person.

Do strangers ever get together and decide to share VIP tours?

We did a VIP tour last year, and I would have a difficult time doing it with strangers. We had a large group of 10, but we were all family so it worked. But it was very much going through a list of what we wanted to do, so if you are with strangers and people have different tastes, it could get difficult or annoying.

 

[agamble]

Rumor is Disney will be selling FP for GE rides. So that might be an option over a VIP tour.

 

[LizzyS]

Rumor is Disney will be selling FP for GE rides. So that might be an option over a VIP tour.

I could be down for that, tbh.

 

[cdatkins]

Per website, VIP Tours “start” at just under $3K, for seven hours minimum, which for a family of three or four would be a lot. HOWEVER, if it were nine of total (VIP groups can go up to nine), that works out to like $300 per person.

Do strangers ever get together and decide to share VIP tours?

But will this be before or after the actual “opening”?

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Rumor is Disney will be selling FP for GE rides. So that might be an option over a VIP tour.

Selling FP, as in fastpass? Over the cost of maxpass?

 

[agamble]

Selling FP, as in fastpass? Over the cost of maxpass?

That was the rumor in the WDW News Today video yesterday. He was filming from the Paradise Pier hotel randomly too. Said Disney sells FP at parks around the world. Disney was asked if they would sell FP for SWGE and would neither confirm nor deny. I hope they don't as that would seriously skew the numbers. But I bet it would be a good money maker.

 

[dieumeye]

That was the rumor in the WDW News Today video yesterday. He was filming from the Paradise Pier hotel randomly too. Said Disney sells FP at parks around the world. Disney was asked if they would sell FP for SWGE and would neither confirm nor deny. I hope they don't as that would seriously skew the numbers. But I bet it would be a good money maker.

I would guess that "sell FPs" doesn't mean they would charge for regular FPs - that is, FPs would be free like they always are. Instead, "sell FPs" could mean that there will be a way to buy FPs for GE - probably as part of some other tour, dining, or hotel package.

There's plenty of that already in the parks, for example, you can book a dining package which is essentially paying for dinner & a FP, there are hotel packages that come with FPs, and you can pay for tours that get you on rides, so it's not that different from what's available.

 

[Nezumi Fan]

But will this be before or after the actual “opening”?

During.

 

[Nezumi Fan]

Per website, VIP Tours “start” at just under $3K, for seven hours minimum, which for a family of three or four would be a lot. HOWEVER, if it were nine of total (VIP groups can go up to nine), that works out to like $300 per person.

Do strangers ever get together and decide to share VIP tours?

Correction: VIP Tours at DLR can go up to ten.

 

[Nezumi Fan]

I would guess that "sell FPs" doesn't mean they would charge for regular FPs - that is, FPs would be free like they always are. Instead, "sell FPs" could mean that there will be a way to buy FPs for GE - probably as part of some other tour, dining, or hotel package.

There's plenty of that already in the parks, for example, you can book a dining package which is essentially paying for dinner & a FP, there are hotel packages that come with FPs, and you can pay for tours that get you on rides, so it's not that different from what's available.

Yup. Staying on-property guarantees a “reservation” to visit GE.

 

[soniam]

I have a VIP tour booked for August near the D23 Expo. They couldn't give me the price, because they are still figuring out how much they will be charging. They said they would call back later. I don't know if they have prices for this summer even. There's also the question of what will they do with the VIP Tours, since there will not be FP at first, whatever that means, for Black Spire. I plan to ask them and see how things go when it opens. It's possible that VIP tours may have to use the regular lines. I plan to find others to join the tour, since I don't have 9 other people going on my trip. I did this for a VIP tour during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando last Fall. Half of the people I knew, but the other half I didn't. It worked out great. Just be clear about your goals, what people need to pay, and that you are running the tour. Also, you should read the DIS Boards guidelines on things like this. I posted that I was looking for people, but I only discussed money or made actual arrangements through PMs.

 

[Nezumi Fan]

I have a VIP tour booked for August near the D23 Expo. They couldn't give me the price, because they are still figuring out how much they will be charging. They said they would call back later. I don't know if they have prices for this summer even. There's also the question of what will they do with the VIP Tours, since there will not be FP at first, whatever that means, for Black Spire. I plan to ask them and see how things go when it opens. It's possible that VIP tours may have to use the regular lines. I plan to find others to join the tour, since I don't have 9 other people going on my trip. I did this for a VIP tour during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando last Fall. Half of the people I knew, but the other half I didn't. It worked out great. Just be clear about your goals, what people need to pay, and that you are running the tour. Also, you should read the DIS Boards guidelines on things like this. I posted that I was looking for people, but I only discussed money or made actual arrangements through PMs.

Similar experience. I’ve been talking with the “VIP Special Activities” coordinator at DLR and there’s still so much up in the air. Who knows how much it may end up being—guided tours can go for over $600 an hour, apparently—and there’s that seven-hour minimum. And there’s still no real clarity how “unlimited Fast Passes” might work in a place where the one and only ride does not yet offer Fast Passes.

 

[soniam]

Similar experience. I’ve been talking with the “VIP Special Activities” coordinator at DLR and there’s still so much up in the air. Who knows how much it may end up being—guided tours can go for over $600 an hour, apparently. And there’s still no real clarity how “unlimited Fast Passes” might work in a place where the one and only ride does not yet offer Fast Passes.

If you have an onsite hotel reservation during the first month, then you have a pretty good chance of getting it, but possibly with a wait. We are staying near the convention center for convenience. I would like to be able to get in and ride, but if I can't, I can't. I won't be doing this trip with my family, but we will be going to WDW in summer 2020. It will still be there then. Good luck to you!

 

[Nezumi Fan]

Also, you should read the DIS Boards guidelines on things like this. I posted that I was looking for people, but I only discussed money or made actual arrangements through PMs.

Oh, I wasn’t looking for people so much as wondering if others had done a tour with people they didn’t already know. Between SoCal friends and our own families, I’m sure we’ll have no problem hitting ten.

 

[Nezumi Fan]

If you have an onsite hotel reservation during the first month, then you have a pretty good chance of getting it, but possibly with a wait. We are staying near the convention center for convenience. I would like to be able to get in and ride, but if I can't, I can't. I won't be doing this trip with my family, but we will be going to WDW in summer 2020. It will still be there then. Good luck to you!

Thanks, and to you as well! We’re hedging bets and already have, thanks to Dreams Unlimited, our reservation in place to stay on-property, just in case. I’m hoping to score what’s sure to be a ridiculously hard-to-get “no-cost reservation” (once it’s clarified what those are, and when they might be available), but am assuming the likelihood to be about the same as getting a Golden Ticket in a Wonka Bar.

 

[Rayray650]

We are booking a VIP tour in December and when I called a couple of months ago with some queries I was told that the rates would change from June 1.

 

[Nezumi Fan]

We are booking a VIP tour in December and when I called a couple of months ago with some queries I was told that the rates would change from June 1.

Yes. Disney is being very cagey in their language, but I am gently being told to expect that rates “may change,” which I’m more than likely to be okay with, BUT, there needs to be some more clarity on what’s included. We wouldn’t want to go anywhere but Galaxy’s Edge on the tour; if we get just the one “FP” (even though the ride does not, officially, even HAVE a FP), then that’s gonna be a little harder to accept.

 

[twodogs]

I’m hoping it will be treated like some other rides at DLR which don’t officially have FP but VIP tours still have expedited access to the ride. I can’t see how DLR could justify any significant price increase for VIP tours if SWGE WASN’T included! So I think the fact that they aren’t telling you the prices after June 1 is a good indicator that the VIP tours WILL include SWGE in some form (and the rides therein). I have done the VIP tour several times, and at an even higher price than currently charged, they would have to include SWGE and those rides for it to be worth it to me.