VIP Tour services

[jcjen519]

has anyone on here used the VIP Tour Services. We are planning a big trip for June with a pretty big group for my Grandmother's 100th birthday! Because of that my husband and I are considering doing this for one day for the group. It would make things easier for my grandmother allowing her to see the park in the heat without spending too much time in line (or thats what we hope). If you've done it what was your experience? How much line waiting did you do? I've seen the VIP parade section and it looks like a pretty nice place to watch. was it? logistically how did it work for you and how many hours did you reserve?

My loose plan would be to do a magic kingdom day from noon-about six pm using the VIP services. at 6 the kids have bbb appointments (princesses and knights) and then we have an 8pm dinner at CRT. would that work well? or would having the services even through dinner be worth it for the evening stuff? we really can't start before noon because of my grandmother and this day is for her. I have no problem paying for over the 6 hour minimum if it would be worth it.

 

[Micca]

Great question, and a wonderful use of the VIP service. Giving you a bump for some folks who might have answer.

 

[jcjen519]

thanks. Bumping it myself now thanks for any information!

 

[Minniemickeydonald]

We had a VIP tour included in the trip I won in 2012. It was really great to have someone show us the best way to tour the parks. Our guide basically acted like a fast pass. She would have us go through the fast pass lines of the rides we wanted to go on, so there was some waiting. You don't get to just go to the front. Regardless, it was an awesome opportunity!
If you have park hopper tickets, your guide will also shuttle you to whatever parks you'd like to go to that day. We stuck with Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
I got to choose the start time for the tour, I also picked noon-just after lunch. I won an 8 hour VIP tour experience, so we took advantage of VIP seating for he electrical parade (which was awesome), and for the fireworks. I would not suggest doing the VIP seating for both. It was almost impossible to get from the VIP area for the electrical parade to the viewing of wishes- especially with a stroller.
Also, a side note- your VIP tour group can have upto 10 people. Anything over that would require an additional tour guide, so depending on your group size it can be extremely expensive.
If you decide to have a VIP tour, enjoy! It was a great experience and our guide was so nice and friendly!

 

[Jack'sGirl5]

We have done VIP a number of times and find it to be a wonderful experience. In addition to the touring itself, the guides are charming, informative, and gracious. We have had some wonderful conversations over dinner with several. It is also kind of cool to see some of the backstage area -- they will drive you from park to park so you come in the back way. They will even drive you via back stage from one end of the park to another which might be beneficial for your grandmother.

The seating for parades and shows is mostly top-notch. We especially like the seating area for the Magic Kingdom parades and various shows. Agree with the previous poster that you really have to choose between the Electrical Parade and fireworks -- you can't get between them. We tried once and just got stuck in the mass of people in the hub - not fun. Seating for shows is also very nice -- we especially liked the Festival of the Lion King seating over at AK. But be aware that there is some seating for other events that is surprisingly not all that great -- Fantasmic! and AK parade for instance are just so-so.

The VIP service will also book your reservations for the day. If you give them some notice there is basically nothing they can't get for you -- would be really nice to have a family dinner at BOG.

With regard to rides -- you are mostly standing in fast pass queues so very doable but you do have to wait a little. It does make riding your favorites repeatedly possible. They will occasionally "back-door" you onto a ride one time that does not have a fast pass option but not always -- over the course of time we have done this for instance on Pirates, Haunted Mansion and a couple of rides at AK. I will say that Disneyland and Universal are much better about that -- you literally wait for nothing as a VIP tour guest at those two resorts.

One thing to note - we have not gone since FP+ came into being but my understanding from our last VIP guide, the VIP info on the website and in speaking with booking is that you are now placed in the FP line for any ride with a FP option which is virtually everything at this point. The VIP tour just got exponentially better.

As far as time - we have done VIP tours for lengths of time ranging from 7 hours to 10 hours. We often park hop though and do favorite rides at multiple parks. You will be amazed at how much ground you can cover with a guide in a short period of time. You will move a little slower with a large group but if you are only going to be in the one park you should be able to see everything in 6 or 7 hours and still take time to eat. Something we have done before that you might want to consider is to calibrate your time so that you begin 6 and a half hours prior to the electrical parade and then do all the rides on your list, have a nice sit-down dinner and end your time with your guide at the parade. Nice day.

Hope you have a super time!

 

[TeamSy]

One more thing to add - they will pick you up from your hotel so you don't have to take monorail/bus/boat.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I haven't done one, but what a great idea! Happy birthday to your Grandmother

 

[jcjen519]

We had a VIP tour included in the trip I won in 2012. It was really great to have someone show us the best way to tour the parks. Our guide basically acted like a fast pass. She would have us go through the fast pass lines of the rides we wanted to go on, so there was some waiting. You don't get to just go to the front. Regardless, it was an awesome opportunity!
If you have park hopper tickets, your guide will also shuttle you to whatever parks you'd like to go to that day. We stuck with Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
I got to choose the start time for the tour, I also picked noon-just after lunch. I won an 8 hour VIP tour experience, so we took advantage of VIP seating for he electrical parade (which was awesome), and for the fireworks. I would not suggest doing the VIP seating for both. It was almost impossible to get from the VIP area for the electrical parade to the viewing of wishes- especially with a stroller.
Also, a side note- your VIP tour group can have upto 10 people. Anything over that would require an additional tour guide, so depending on your group size it can be extremely expensive.
If you decide to have a VIP tour, enjoy! It was a great experience and our guide was so nice and friendly!

awesome that you won a trip! thanks for the feedback. I think we may stick to the magic kingdom. In June I'd think doing fast pass lines would be quite an improvement over the regular ones! probably the only way my grandmother will be able to make it through the day. since we have dinner reservations at 8pm it may be tight making a 9pm electrical parade. maybe i'll try to get something at 730 or so. We have a big group 18 so we'll have to do two guides I read. thats okay with us for this special trip....my grandfather passed away in August and this June trip is celebrating my grandmother's 100th birthday.

to sit in the special electrical viewing section do you have to be "on the clock with the vip tours" so to say or if you did it that day could you sit there? thanks for your response

 

[jcjen519]

We have done VIP a number of times and find it to be a wonderful experience. In addition to the touring itself, the guides are charming, informative, and gracious. We have had some wonderful conversations over dinner with several. It is also kind of cool to see some of the backstage area -- they will drive you from park to park so you come in the back way. They will even drive you via back stage from one end of the park to another which might be beneficial for your grandmother.

The seating for parades and shows is mostly top-notch. We especially like the seating area for the Magic Kingdom parades and various shows. Agree with the previous poster that you really have to choose between the Electrical Parade and fireworks -- you can't get between them. We tried once and just got stuck in the mass of people in the hub - not fun. Seating for shows is also very nice -- we especially liked the Festival of the Lion King seating over at AK. But be aware that there is some seating for other events that is surprisingly not all that great -- Fantasmic! and AK parade for instance are just so-so.

The VIP service will also book your reservations for the day. If you give them some notice there is basically nothing they can't get for you -- would be really nice to have a family dinner at BOG.

With regard to rides -- you are mostly standing in fast pass queues so very doable but you do have to wait a little. It does make riding your favorites repeatedly possible. They will occasionally "back-door" you onto a ride one time that does not have a fast pass option but not always -- over the course of time we have done this for instance on Pirates, Haunted Mansion and a couple of rides at AK. I will say that Disneyland and Universal are much better about that -- you literally wait for nothing as a VIP tour guest at those two resorts.

One thing to note - we have not gone since FP+ came into being but my understanding from our last VIP guide, the VIP info on the website and in speaking with booking is that you are now placed in the FP line for any ride with a FP option which is virtually everything at this point. The VIP tour just got exponentially better.

As far as time - we have done VIP tours for lengths of time ranging from 7 hours to 10 hours. We often park hop though and do favorite rides at multiple parks. You will be amazed at how much ground you can cover with a guide in a short period of time. You will move a little slower with a large group but if you are only going to be in the one park you should be able to see everything in 6 or 7 hours and still take time to eat. Something we have done before that you might want to consider is to calibrate your time so that you begin 6 and a half hours prior to the electrical parade and then do all the rides on your list, have a nice sit-down dinner and end your time with your guide at the parade. Nice day.

Hope you have a super time!

thank you so much! you all are a much better resource then rpc ipo has been! how does it work with meals? If I want to start at noon and then I have a 7pm dinner reservation and want to see the 9pm electrical parade in the vip section is that 9 hours? thanks so much for all the info!

 

[jcjen519]

I haven't done one, but what a great idea! Happy birthday to your Grandmother

thank you! hoping to get her on thunder mountain!

 

[mom2rtk]

I haven't done one, but what a great idea! Happy birthday to your Grandmother

Sounds like an amazing day.

 

[mrsxsparrow]

to sit in the special electrical viewing section do you have to be "on the clock with the vip tours" so to say or if you did it that day could you sit there? thanks for your response

The guide does have to be with you in order to sit in the VIP section. However they can take you and drop you off; they don't have to stay with you. A lot of people start a tour at 9:00am, go to MK, and end with the guide dropping them off for the 3:00pm parade, reaching the six-hour minimum. MK is debuting a new day parade in the next few months though, so that may be a great option for viewing instead of MSEP.

If you're planning on doing this I would try to make reservations as soon as possible; they usually won't charge until after the tour and you have up to 24 hours before your tour or so to cancel. The tours do fill up, and the spaces for VIP viewing are limited. They actually have three different ones for the parades at MK, depending on how many people they have, and all three can be full. Always better to have it and cancel than to want it and not be able to get it!

Let me know if you have any other questions, I should be able to answer pretty much all of them

 

[AlixaLock]

Let me know if you have any other questions, I should be able to answer pretty much all of them

Do you call the regular X4033 reservation line to book? I'm assuming that once you book a time date and time frame, they give you advice on how to customize etc ... I would feel a little overwhelmed trying to choose exactly what we wanted to do during the tour myself. Can you tell us a little bit about the process after you've booked??

Thanks in advance?

Ooh, and one more thing ... during a week-long stay when do you think is the best time to book? Beginning , middle, end??

 

[Escape Artist]

Sounds like a wonderful day, but I'd be really cautious about taking a 100 year old on Big Thunder. I've taken several octogenarians on roller coasters, but I don't do it anymore. The coasters are awfully intense for them (especially ones taking medications), and if they get bumped around at all, they're really uncomfortable/in pain and take a looong time to heal afterwards. I haven't had anything worse than that happen, thank goodness. YMMV, but I've joined the "better safe than sorry" club on this.

 

[mrsxsparrow]

Do you call the regular X4033 reservation line to book? I'm assuming that once you book a time date and time frame, they give you advice on how to customize etc ... I would feel a little overwhelmed trying to choose exactly what we wanted to do during the tour myself. Can you tell us a little bit about the process after you've booked??

Thanks in advance?

Ooh, and one more thing ... during a week-long stay when do you think is the best time to book? Beginning , middle, end??

Yes, you call the 4033 number. You'll talk to someone who will explain a little bit more about the service, then you'll be able to book if you choose. You do get concierge service as well, so they can help you plan your stay before you arrive. They'll talk to you a bit about what you're planning on doing, which parks, time frames, etc and make suggestions for dining reservation and such. If you want to see a certain parade/nighttime spectacular, now would be the time to mention that, so they can try to reserve that for you as soon as possible.

You really don't need to plan too much, because a lot of it will be things you'll talk through with your guide once the tour starts. The important things are day, time of pick up, and any reservations, but specific rides and things will be something your guide will help you with.

A tour is a six hour minimum; in that six hours you can usually get almost all of Magic Kingdom done, including lesser-visited attractions like Philharmagic, and a stop for lunch. Including transportation time. Part of what the guide is there for is to figure out what attractions you'd like and make a plan, so don't fret about the uber-planning aspect!

I always recommend a tour at either the beginning or end of the stay. The beginning is particularly helpful if you haven't been to Disney or don't go often, as your guide can help you plan out your remaining days. They can also ensure that you get on the attractions that are most important to you, leaving you to finish up with the rest of the lower-priority (and usually lower-waits) during the rest of your vacation. However, people have mentioned before that after the tour, the rest of the days seem like a let-down! Plus, there's nothing quite like ending your vacation on an extremely high note.

 

[AlixaLock]

Yes, you call the 4033 number. You'll talk to someone who will explain a little bit more about the service, then you'll be able to book if you choose. You do get concierge service as well, so they can help you plan your stay before you arrive. They'll talk to you a bit about what you're planning on doing, which parks, time frames, etc and make suggestions for dining reservation and such. If you want to see a certain parade/nighttime spectacular, now would be the time to mention that, so they can try to reserve that for you as soon as possible.

You really don't need to plan too much, because a lot of it will be things you'll talk through with your guide once the tour starts. The important things are day, time of pick up, and any reservations, but specific rides and things will be something your guide will help you with.

A tour is a six hour minimum; in that six hours you can usually get almost all of Magic Kingdom done, including lesser-visited attractions like Philharmagic, and a stop for lunch. Including transportation time. Part of what the guide is there for is to figure out what attractions you'd like and make a plan, so don't fret about the uber-planning aspect!

I always recommend a tour at either the beginning or end of the stay. The beginning is particularly helpful if you haven't been to Disney or don't go often, as your guide can help you plan out your remaining days. They can also ensure that you get on the attractions that are most important to you, leaving you to finish up with the rest of the lower-priority (and usually lower-waits) during the rest of your vacation. However, people have mentioned before that after the tour, the rest of the days seem like a let-down! Plus, there's nothing quite like ending your vacation on an extremely high note.

Thank you for the great advice! We are going in August so the heat is the number one concern. Our stay begins with a couple crowded days (at least according to the crowd calendars) but then crowds should lighten. I'm thinking of doing the 2nd day of our trip. Get everyone there and rested and let them have a taste of the parks and then do the VIP and one off-site day ...

One last question ... is this a 180-day booking type situation?

 

[Momtomouselover]

I haven't done a VIP tour before but I talked with one for a while a month ago. He helped a family get on the Speedway but wasn't riding himself. Anyways, I asked about meals (lunch or dinner) and he said you are welcome to schedule a lunch or dinner but they are "on the clock, so to speak". So, if you book 6 hrs and spend an hour or hour and a half eating you have less touring time. He said he always encourages people to just eat a hot dog!