My day with a "Plaid" (VIP guide)

[Cinderpamela]

Thanks so much for posting pics and all the tips on this! We are talking about doing this for a friend of ours upcoming big birthday that ends in zero. He is also a big Disney fan and it has been a dream of his (and ours too), there will be a bunch of us going in on it, so the cost will be divided up. It seems like a great experience and then we can finally cross the Lilli Belle off our bucket list!!

Malcon10t in the one pic you posted it looked like you had more than 10 people... are they pretty strict about the 10? I see 2 guides, so you had to get 2 guides? We might have to do that.

Thanks again for the great info

 

[Malcon10t]

Malcon10t in the one pic you posted it looked like you had more than 10 people... are they pretty strict about the 10? I see 2 guides, so you had to get 2 guides? We might have to do that.

They are very strict on this. Also, infants count on the tour. And yes, when we have a large group, we have 2 guides. It also works out as we have a large differential in age, so sometimes we split up and one group heads to Monsters while the other heads to Tower. We've had 18 on tour. We are doing a tour on our 4th of July trip, and we will have 16 of us. It is fun, the kids love riding Screamin' 5 times in a row, *I* like riding RSR during the day, then coming back and riding at night. And I usually ride with the guide on TSMM as that is the only way I get better at that game!!!!

Yes, it is an expense. But I don't do other things and this is worth it to me. (No, we don't do it every trip, just important ones.)

 

[hootey]

Congratulations on a great experience!

The wife has looked at doing the "Plaid Service" a couple of times. She has always worried about it being worth it. Your report might help clear that up!
Thanks for the great report!

 

[MommyJKM]

Congratulations on a great experience!

The wife has looked at doing the "Plaid Service" a couple of times. She has always worried about it being worth it. Your report might help clear that up!
Thanks for the great report!

I wasn't going to do a Trip Report but I could do a small one if you think people would be interested in knowing what happens during that magical day.It was different than what I expected and there really isn't anywhere where they tell you EXACTLY what you can and can't do.
I'm sure Malcon10t has done one before though, but if there's interest I can do a small one.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

I can't imagine someone saying this is 'worth it' if they were not able to easily pay for this. There are people who have LOTS of money and something like this is a like an average person spending $100 at a restaurant. I just think it is well outside the norm for this board - since most people on here are complaining of price increases and asking for ways to save on tickets - so the idea of throwing thousands of dollars on this type of treatment is far outside their imagination even.

I watch people play $1,000+ hands of blackjack in Vegas all the time, they'll lose $100,000 in 20 minutes and not even flinch. To people with that kind of disposable income dropping a few thousand on a VIP host is nothing.

Our pool cabanas at our party pool had $10,000-25,000 beverage minimums last Sunday for Memorial day and we sold out all 50 cabanas. There are a lot of people with disposable income most of us can only dream about.

 

[mummabear]

I wouldnt spend the money but if you had a couple of families then $35 per person isnt that bad...

 

[rentayenta]

I wasn't going to do a Trip Report but I could do a small one if you think people would be interested in knowing what happens during that magical day.It was different than what I expected and there really isn't anywhere where they tell you EXACTLY what you can and can't do. I'm sure Malcon10t has done one before though, but if there's interest I can do a small one.

I would love to read a report about your day!

 

[crystal1313]

I would love to read a report too!

 

[jason41483]

It's not "their rate", it is Disney's rate for providing you this service. As for what the employees are paid, did they mention what they earn in tips or just their hourly rate? Even so, I've never understood what is so sad about the pay simply because of the hourly charge. Should a maid at GCH make more than one at PPH simply because the rooms are almost twice as much? If the pay is too low, they'd have trouble finding and retaining VIP guides.

I didn't say they set their own rates. It is a premium service Disney provides. I'm happy to hear they receive tips for their work.

 

[jason41483]

OP, were you there last Wed? Was your group wearing navy blue shirts with a colorful graphic on the front? I saw 2-3 of these groups around the Matterhorn while I stopped at the benches to nurse my DD as the rest of the family rode the teacups. I was wondering who the group was!

Yes, that was probably us! We had 16 groups of 10 people each... so you should have seen a lot of us during the day.

Here's the new DI logo that we had on our shirts.

You're all correct, I personally didn't pay for the service, it was paid for by Disney Interactive for a team building event - business units trading money basically. However, I do not take for granted how much a service like would cost me out of pocket - I estimate it was $40,000 for our full group of 160 people at a $350 rate for 7 hours, not including tips.

There's no way I could afford it personally without splitting cost with a full group. Even then, you're talking over $200 a person ($35 an hour per person with a full group of 10, minimum 6 hours) on top of park entry tickets.

My group didn't think to use our Plaid to gain access to neat stuff like Lilly Belle, Dream Suite, or Club 33 until the day was over and we heard other teams had done it. If I ever get the chance again, the Dream Suite is probably my #1 most desired location to see.

 

[BriannaRuth]

I forgot the best part is you can re-ride rides as much as you want. So my cousin and I rode RSR 6 times in a row because we were doing funny Photo Pass Pics for our Mom's, then rode BTMRR four times in a row.

Do you have to get back at the end of the FP line every time to do this, or not?

 

[sherilaine]

I wouldnt spend the money but if you had a couple of families then $35 per person isnt that bad...

$35 per hour for 6 hours minimum is $210 per person!

 

[BriannaRuth]

I would love to hear a mini-trip report on this. We're doing it in August and I can't wait!

And not everyone who does this is super-wealthy ... I think a lot of people are probably like me. I don't spend a lot of $$ on other things -- seriously, I go clothes shopping like twice a year and stand by in disbelief when my MIL goes on and on about her last shoe shopping spree or my FIL spends hundreds on model airplanes that he then proceeds to crash and replace with new ones. It's all about priorities and what's important to you.

Basically DL is coming out of family vacation $$, but this is coming out of "my" money, which is totally separate. It's going to be a surprise for DH and my two DDs.

I managed to save $3K by literally saving every piece of change every time I paid cash for something for several YEARS. And I paid cash often on purpose. Often I'd give my kids dollar bills for all the coins in their piggy banks and add that to it. It was like a game. And I'd throw in an extra $20 when I went to make my rolled coin deposit at the bank. I never knew what I was saving for, but figured when the time came for something special, I'd know it.

This is it!!

 

[jason41483]

Do you have to get back at the end of the FP line every time to do this, or not?

Yes, you have to de-board the rides and re-enter the FP line.

In 7 hours (we broke for lunch and had to answer a lot of scavenger hunt questions in between rides), we rode:
TSMM (walked on)
Soarin (10 min wait)
TOT (10 min wait)
RSR (15 min wait)
Space Mountain (10 min wait)
BTMRR (5 min wait)
Matterhorn (walked on)
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (5 min wait)
Haunted Mansion (walked on)
Star Tours (10 min wait)

Less than an hour in line during the whole day for some of the longest lines in the park.

Our scavenger questions revolved around these rides, so that's why we didn't make it to Indy, Splash Mountain or others.

 

[crystal1313]

I would love to hear a mini-trip report on this. We're doing it in August and I can't wait!

And not everyone who does this is super-wealthy ... I think a lot of people are probably like me. I don't spend a lot of $$ on other things -- seriously, I go clothes shopping like twice a year and stand by in disbelief when my MIL goes on and on about her last shoe shopping spree or my FIL spends hundreds on model airplanes that he then proceeds to crash and replace with new ones. It's all about priorities and what's important to you.

Basically DL is coming out of family vacation $$, but this is coming out of "my" money, which is totally separate. It's going to be a surprise for DH and my two DDs.

I managed to save $3K by literally saving every piece of change every time I paid cash for something for several YEARS. And I paid cash often on purpose. Often I'd give my kids dollar bills for all the coins in their piggy banks and add that to it. It was like a game. And I'd throw in an extra $20 when I went to make my rolled coin deposit at the bank. I never knew what I was saving for, but figured when the time came for something special, I'd know it.

This is it!!

So cool! I love this. Have a blast!!! (I'm a saver too )

 

[Malcon10t]

I would love to hear a mini-trip report on this. We're doing it in August and I can't wait!

And not everyone who does this is super-wealthy ... I think a lot of people are probably like me. I don't spend a lot of $$ on other things -- seriously, I go clothes shopping like twice a year and stand by in disbelief when my MIL goes on and on about her last shoe shopping spree or my FIL spends hundreds on model airplanes that he then proceeds to crash and replace with new ones. It's all about priorities and what's important to you.

Basically DL is coming out of family vacation $$, but this is coming out of "my" money, which is totally separate. It's going to be a surprise for DH and my two DDs.

I managed to save $3K by literally saving every piece of change every time I paid cash for something for several YEARS. And I paid cash often on purpose. Often I'd give my kids dollar bills for all the coins in their piggy banks and add that to it. It was like a game. And I'd throw in an extra $20 when I went to make my rolled coin deposit at the bank. I never knew what I was saving for, but figured when the time came for something special, I'd know it.

This is it!!

I can completely relate. There are many places to "save" money. And I taught my kids. When my kids were younger, when we visited the park, I gave them options, we could stay on-site or stay offsite and spend the extra on various things. Everyone makes choices how to spend their "spare" cash. I am fortunate that my brother and I have worked hard to build our family business (mom and dad started it, and kept it at what would pay their bills, we took over about 7 years ago, and grew it to be what WE wanted.) By building it, we also gave ourselves budgets for "family fun", and we use it. For me, it is Disneyland. For him, they do trips elsewhere and cars. I don't drive a Porsche or Escalade, those things aren't important to me. I am very fortunate in what I do have. And 10 years ago, when we did our first tour, it was a LOT cheaper (6 hour, $115 hour.)

I know a lot of people who think tours or other items are only for the overly wealthy. But it really is for anyone who really wants it. You just have to decide what you want to give up to get it.

 

[Epek]

Yes, that was probably us! We had 16 groups of 10 people each... so you should have seen a lot of us during the day.

It was your group! Cool to have my curiosity stated! I didn't want to stare, so I wasn't able to read the shirts.

 

[mr.bungle]

A financial advisor once told me to spend my money on experiences, not things. This sounds like a great experience well worth the $$.

 

[mrsbicewdw]

A financial advisor once told me to spend my money on experiences, not things. This sounds like a great experience well worth the $$.

Wow. What a GREAT piece of advice! I am often jealous of the experiences my husband had growing up - his mom made a point to save and work to take them all over the country to see all the great sites and cities. I hardly did anything as a kid (besides Disney since we lived there) because my parents bought things instead of experiences. I would have rather traveled than had a new Barbie.

 

[Xenorye]

Short report, long report, whatever. I want to read it!