Is my friend being scammed.... private tour?

[Disneysince82]

Please let me know if this isn't allowed & I will delete it immediately.

This is something that has eaten at me for the last week. I actually written it out with all the details a few times and deleted. I have I tried to do some research on my own and figure this is the one place I could get a straight forward answer.

Long story short I have a a friend that told me she was planning her 1st trip to DL -- I was of course was ecstatic for her! When I start rambling off about about excited I am for her and things they should check out & I would be happy to help her with..... she tells me its OK everything is going to be taken care of because she is going to book a VIP Tour!! I screech out loud in excitement!! I tell her I need to know EVERYTHING that has happen so far. She says that the VIP dept is telling her they should actually look at WDW instead DL because it is superior and way easier to plan.... I keep quiet and listen to her talk & a few things are going through my head #1 Why would DL VIP dept say to go to WDW #2 Am I being a hater in the DL vs WDW I can understand why someone would like WDW but its no DL! #3 Southern CA Weather >Florida Weather

It's than she says, 'I can give you their number! You will save a bunch of money and wont have to stay onsite if you use them.' I start to defend why we are staying onsite and how I've done my research and I've done the offsite thing & I'm perfectly OK with spending the $$$ for onsite but I didn't think it was needed -- but for WDW she really should not go offsite! Then it hit me....
THE MOUSE WOULD NEVER TELL YOU TO NOT SPEND $$$ AT ONE OF THIER PROPERTIES!!!

It was then I found out it was a independent VIP tour that is going to be her host for the day and 'without the restraints of DL is able to give a experience that isn't possible with booking directly with DL or doing it yourself' That she is going to pay $250 hr but hasn't booked yet because now she is considering WDW because its cheaper vs Family of 4(2 kids under 10) 3 DL and staying at most likely a $250-300 max daily hotel....I think she could sense my skepticism and started to get really defensive so I a changed the topic and thankful shortly after I had to get off the phone.

Is this a scam? I had never even heard of 3rd party tours in the park. I know there is some outside of the park and one I really want to go on and if I don't do it soon I might never be able to experience so if its available when we are there I need to make it happen. I am willing to have a hard conversation with her if it is a scam -- I dont want to see a video online of my friend being escorted out of DL and her trip ruined.

 

[Redheadprincess]

1000%, yes, this is a scam. These types of things are not allowed at Disney and you can get kicked out for it.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Yes its a scam. Its a very well known scam. Basically its people who have Annual Passes and advertise as "VIP Tour Guides" Disney knows about them and when they get caught they get their annual passes revoked and are banned from the park.

In the last few years Disney has been very pro active in trying to stop them, but its like whack a mole.

These "VIP Tour Guides" are the reason why the old disability pass was changed to DAS and are the reason why the DAS has changed last year and become so much harder for genuine people who need it.

What they do in the park is wait in the standby line and then will contact the family to join them. Im sure you have had times in the park when people appear out of no where to join their "family" at the top of the line.

They will also book up Dining Reservations and "sell them" as part of the "VIP Tour"

Annual Passes have discounts for food and merch so these ""VIP Tour Guides" will also tell people they can get a special discount.

Some of these "VIP Tour Guides" are CM's and Disney employees who risk their job by doing this as a side hustle.

$250 an hour is so much cheaper than the genuine Disney Official Plaid Tour , so of course it seems like a bargain for first timers who dont know anything about the parks.

 

[maleficent55]

So so very much a scam

Real VIP tours are much much more, and you are correct, Disney would NEVER suggest staying offsite vs on site
Weird that this fake person would, I wonder what their gain is there?

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

So so very much a scam

Real VIP tours are much much more, and you are correct, Disney would NEVER suggest staying offsite vs on site
Weird that this fake person would, I wonder what their gain is there?

Most likely getting a kick back commission from the offsite hotel. There is probably some sort of code that people have to use when booking the hotel.

 

[cruisehopeful]

There was a very popular couple that were permanently banned from the parks for doing those tours. They even opened a lawsuit to get their park visits back and lost. I'm sure there are still plenty of people doing this as an illegal business. They might get away with it or they might get caught. It's an expensive gamble.

 

[Wesley815]

"If you have to ask, it's a scam."

Hopefully she takes your advice but as a grown adult I know some may not listen.

 

[Mommb]

This is either a scam (against park rules) or a waste of money, or both.

There are some things that a "private planner" could do that are useful but nowhere near $250 per hour useful. With access to My Disney Experience, they could help with planning that people don't know how to or don't want to take the time to do themselves, such as:
Making dining reservations and keep checking for availability
Making special event reservations and keep checking for availability
Making Lightning Lane reservations in advance at WDW and during the day at WDW and DL
Plotting out a suggested order of attractions based on personal preferences and typical wait times (similar to Genie but more personalized)
Simply booking and planning for clients would be overpriced but not a scam. On the other hand, if the company books reservations "on spec" and then sells them to clients, or uses Annual Pass or DVC discounts its employees have, it would be against the rules.

I can see some value in having a guide who recommends where to go next, watches kids while parents ride coasters, picks up food, provides facts about the parks, and so on, but having a private guide in the parks is against the rules: https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/12/11/disney-world-third-party-tours-banned/ Any agency offering this is competing with Disney's own service and may be asked to leave at any time.

If the tour company is in any way implying that they can get quicker access to rides beyond what people can get for themselves (especially people staying off-site who can't do early or late hours), they are scamming.

OP, you could pretend to be interested in this service and ask your friend exactly what the company is offering.

 

[disneychrista]

Non-Disney tours are NOT allowed. She needs to walk away from this NOW.

What exactly is she getting for this $250/hr? Many of the things a VIP tour includes are not available to anyone who is not a Disney CM.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Not so much a "scam" but in no way a Disney or Disney affiliated person/company...it is just a random person that knows the ins and out of how all the systems work for the most efficient day but no way no how worth $250/hour!

They have zero accessibility or perks over what any other guest has other than knowledge which is accessible to anyone.

...plus their services are probated at Disneyland and subject to ejection should then be discovered.