Disney World - VIP tour & other Q's

[momhappy]

Hi all We are planning a secret trip to Disney (we haven't been there in 3 years). We booked a corner, Disney view suite at the Waldorf Astoria. We were considering the VIP tour for a day this time around - has anyone done this and was it worth it? Also, where is the best place to purchase park tickets (we have AAA - do they offer a discount?) and my sister found a site called undercover tourist, but not sure if it's reputable. Any other advice, suggestions , etc. is much appreciated.

 

[Sparklelu]

Re: Disney World - VIP tour & other Q's

Awe shucks half the fun of Disney is standing in line!
I heard they are pricey. 315 per hour for a minimum of 6 hours
But if you've got it go for it.
The nice thing is the VIP guide has lots of cool knowledge( they have to pass a test) and they are very familiar with all things Disney.
Plus they will shuttle you from one park to another as well as get you more than the standard fast passes.
So if you only have one day you sure can pack a whole lot into that day.

October is beautiful in Disney, we are going for Mickeys not so scary Halloween this weekend for my birthday!!!

 

[momhappy]

^I don't know if I would consider standing in line "fun" - especially with young (elementary school-age) kids
I think that the pricing is closer to $350-380 per hour (6 hour minimum) and I'm guessing you'd tip your guide at the end. I'm guessing it runs about $2000 plus the cost of your park tickets. I've read that it's quite an experience to have the ability to skip lines (or greatly minimize them), plus access to restaurant reservations (most of the park restaurants are already booked during the time that we are going), etc. Not sure if it's worth it. We haven't taken a big vacation like this in a few years and my DH has been working like crazy lately, so I think he just wants to make it really special...

 

[diamondringlover]

Quite a few hotels offer discounts for Triple A members and I know Disney Land use to have discounts for members as well, at least back on 1994 they did lol, call them and ask if they offer a discount or look on the website, sometimes you can find that info there...enjoy its sounds like alot of fun!

 

[partgypsy]

My brother in law and father in law have done the VIP tour. for them it was worth it because they are both businesspeople and interested in the inner workings of Disney, so they thought it was informative and fascinating from that perspective. It pretty much eats up one day. I'm not sure if I would necessarily recommend for school kids. While you do skip lines and get on rides, that's not really the primary focus of the tour. for me I enjoy making an itenerary so me and my kids hit as many rides/features that are important to them, rather than following a tour. It also depends on how many days you are there. If you have been many times, or have alot of days it may be more worth it.

 

[momhappy]

^I wasn't referring to the tour that includes an actual tour of behind-the-scenes Disney. I was referring to the VIP experience that offers a "tour" in the form of a personal Disney guide that picks you up in the morning at your hotel, escorts your party in through the back door, and hold up a magic pass at all of the popular rides that allows you to skip the long lines (and you can ride them as many times as you want). Your personal Disney guide is there to meet your needs - you decided on the rides, the restaurants, the souvenirs, etc.. It is entirely customizable and does not follow any specific tour.

 

[missy]

Hi momhappy, my sister and her family did something similar by purchasing a VIP ticket package that allowed them to skip the lines on the most popular rides as well as other perks. She said it was absolutely worth it because with 2 little girls who wants to spend so much time on long lines. I don't know the details but if I speak with her soon I will ask her. I can tell you she said it was worth it and they are very careful about spending extra money so if she said it is worth it I believe it is.

 

[partgypsy]

Oh. I guess it just depends on whether it is worth it money-wise to have the customized service. The times we went were not high volume times, and I used those websites to plan itineraries so things seemed to move fast and we did ride some rides multiple times (can you say Splash Mountain?) Maybe we are a weird family but other than the time we waited forever for Merida's signature, there was always enough stuff to look at or people to talk to even the waits weren't bad. Sometimes my kids would strike up conversations with other people in line, which was part of the fun. I remember one time in particular talking with a family from England (Kali River Rapids) and I talked to the wife and and my oldest dd and one of their kids asked questions about school in their respective countries.

 

[momhappy]

Hi momhappy, my sister and her family did something similar by purchasing a VIP ticket package that allowed them to skip the lines on the most popular rides as well as other perks. She said it was absolutely worth it because with 2 little girls who wants to spend so much time on long lines. I don't know the details but if I speak with her soon I will ask her. I can tell you she said it was worth it and they are very careful about spending extra money so if she said it is worth it I believe it is.

Great, thanks missy! I would really appreciate hearing from someone who actually utilized the service.

 

[momhappy]

Oh. I guess it just depends on whether it is worth it money-wise to have the customized service. The times we went were not high volume times, and I used those websites to plan itineraries so things seemed to move fast and we did ride some rides multiple times (can you say Splash Mountain?) Maybe we are a weird family but other than the time we waited forever for Merida's signature, there was always enough stuff to look at or people to talk to even the waits weren't bad. Sometimes my kids would strike up conversations with other people in line, which was part of the fun. I remember one time in particular talking with a family from England (Kali River Rapids) and I talked to the wife and and my oldest dd and one of their kids asked questions about school in their respective countries.

Yes, we've done that too (been to Disney 3 times). My DH thought that it might be nice to try something new and 4 days in a row of waiting in lines can get old pretty fast.

 

[amc80]

I would do it if you had the money. Sounds like an amazing experience.

We are currently debating a Disneyland trip. We took B last year when he was 15 months and he liked it. Now that he's a year older, he's obsessed with Mickey Mouse and I know he'd love it. We will be in SoCal anyway for Christmas, so we would just add on a few days to the trip. The debate, though, is do we wait until he's older? I'll be 33 weeks pregnant as well, so that's the other factor. Anyway, didn't mean to hijack your thread....

 

[momhappy]

No worries about hijacking the thread I don't mind at all. If you're going to be there anyways, I'd go! If you wait until he's older, it sounds like you'll be waiting a while since baby number 2 is on the way. As far as the pregnancy and Disney is concerned, it really depends on you - my pregnancies were fine (and I exercised regularly right up until deliveries), so Disney would have been no issue at all.

 

[HopeDream]

Mousesavers.com recommends tickets from undercover tourist, so I think it's legit.

In the past when I've been to Disney I found ridemax https://www.ridemax.com/ to be great for planning which rides to see with minimum wait times. We never stood in line for more than 15 min tops.

I hope you have fun!

 

[momhappy]

^Yes, after comparing undercover tourist and AAA, the ticket prices are very close. Undercover tourist is offering a buy 4 day Magic Your Way Tickets, and get the fifth day free. The thing is that we can't use 5 days, so what can you do with the extra ticket? Can you sell it or give it away?

 

[partgypsy]

I don't think you can.

 

[momhappy]

^Yes, I remembered that you scan your finger upon entrance, which links to your tickets, so no, you can't sell them or give them away.

 

[SB621]

I personally wouldn't bother with VIp if you are going in Oct. We went the first week of November last year with our kids for a week and for the most part the place was dead. We would just walk on and off rides.

Check out the food and wine festival though at Epcot if still going on. It was so much fun and we loved it. Our kids have traveled the world so it was neat to go to all the countries stands and sample stuff they have had before or new stuff to try.

 

[liaerfbv]

Disney in fall is pretty dead, I wouldn't spend the money. Between fast passes and the ride planning apps, you should be able to get a good route at each park with minimal lines anyway.

 

[momhappy]

I have only ever been to Disney in the fall and it was not at all dead - it was packed every time, with long waits in lines. When I checked availability at Disney resorts last week, many of the hotels were completely sold out. I called a AAA travel agent and she could only come up with either a basic room at one of the low-end Disney resorts or the Presidential Suite at the Wilderness Lodge - neither of which was a good fit for us. I always thought that fall was a popular time to go because if the pleasant weather. In fact, two of my next-door neighbors (literally the family next door and the family two houses down from us) are both going to Disney in Oct./Nov. too (it's an annual trip for both of them this time of year).

 

[partgypsy]

Yeah both times we went we went in October. The downside is that you have to take the kids out of school, but the upside was that the weather is great, and both times there were room discounts. the first time we went it was not full occupancy and we even caught part of the Epcot Food Festival (Fun!). The 2nd time we went it was also when they were doing Mickey's not so scary party, and it was full occupancy during that time. Still, I didn't think the crowds were horrible, maybe because the weather was nice.

So I think in the past Fall/winter was lower occupancy, but because of the deals there is not such a big difference.

 

[SB621]

I have only ever been to Disney in the fall and it was not at all dead - it was packed every time, with long waits in lines. When I checked availability at Disney resorts last week, many of the hotels were completely sold out. I called a AAA travel agent and she could only come up with either a basic room at one of the low-end Disney resorts or the Presidential Suite at the Wilderness Lodge - neither of which was a good fit for us. I always thought that fall was a popular time to go because if the pleasant weather. In fact, two of my next-door neighbors (literally the family next door and the family two houses down from us) are both going to Disney in Oct./Nov. too (it's an annual trip for both of them this time of year).

Google it. From end of Sept through November is the slowest time for Disneyworld for the entire year. We always go in November (well this year going to DLP since we are now in Europe) but unless you go during a holiday time frame in the fall it is absolutely dead compared to other months. Especially during the weekdays.

Edit to add that most Disney hotels do renovations/ upkeep in the fall so they are not functioning at full capacity like they do during the summer. The fact that you can't get a hotel room doesn't mean they are actually full. Also Disney hotels offer very competitive room rates during the fall for conventions and seminiars. Most of these ppl don't even go to Disney parks but just stay at the hotel. I have been to several in the Fall and early Spring there for trade shows etc.

 

[momhappy]

^I don't need to Google it - I've been to Disney in the fall 3 times already. Sure, the overall numbers are down compared to other times of the year, but my experience has been that Disney in the fall is not what I would call "dead" by any means.

 

[ponder]

^I don't need to Google it - I've been to Disney in the fall 3 times already. Sure, the overall numbers are down compared to other times of the year, but my experience has been that Disney in the fall is not what I would call "dead" by any means.

I concur, fall is not "dead". DH and I were in Orlando two weeks ago for continuing education. It was supposed to rain the entire time and Disney was not on the agenda. We had a free evening on Saturday and the clouds parted. We rushed to the magic kingdom. Attendance was considered a 5 out of 10. There was no way I would take my kids when it was this full. DH and I had difficulty navigating the crowds, I can't imagine doing it with little kids and a stroller. As night fell the park did slow, and DH and I were able to accomplish an amazing amount of rides. Fall is considered a slower time of year (when compared to the summer months), but attendance can peak depending on the week and even the day. I do hear that the three weeks after Halloween are the best after Mickey's not so scary Halloween party ends and before Thanksgiving crowds arrive. I will keep an eye on my attendance app and see how true this is. We are planning a family trip as soon as our youngest reaches 40 inches do he can ride most rides, but we are looking at January, right after school starts up again. It's cool and a much lower attendance time too.

 

[momhappy]

Thanks, ponder, I completely agree that the crowds can fluctuate at any given time. All of the times that we have been there (which have all been in different times in October), it's been so full that pushing the stroller was quite a challenge. There were considerable wait times on all of the popular rides too. We are going for the first time in November, so it will be interesting to compare crowds.

 

[ponder]

No matter the time of year, I still think your best bet is hitting the parks early and taking the afternoons off and then returning at night. But, I do feel that although attendance dips considerably after dark, alot of the magic is lost in the darkness. The inside rides were fine, but the outside things like Swiss family Robinson tree house and the jungle rides had a reduced experience for me due to the darkness. Our night at the magic kingdom was a fun date night and an incredibly valuable opportunity for reconnaissance. We had fun, but DH was a little miffed because in trying to squeeze everything in we didn't eat or drink anything until after midnight, but I did allow for one potty break.

 

[SB621]

^I don't need to Google it - I've been to Disney in the fall 3 times already. Sure, the overall numbers are down compared to other times of the year, but my experience has been that Disney in the fall is not what I would call "dead" by any means.

Perhaps when you are at Disney the whole world just wants to visit and be there with you and your family as well

 

[momhappy]

^Not so much
I do understand that fall is considered to be a less busy time, but I think that for Disney, there probably really aren't many times that would be considered "dead" simply based on the sheer volumes of people that visit the parks each year. I get that people visit in the summer when school is out, but the hot temps would make it intolerable for me (which is why fall seems more preferable for myself and maybe others as well).

 

[ponder]

^Not so much
I do understand that fall is considered to be a less busy time, but I think that for Disney, there probably really aren't many times that would be considered "dead" simply based on the sheer volumes of people that visit the parks each year. I get that people visit in the summer when school is out, but the hot temps would make it intolerable for me (which is why fall seems more preferable for myself and maybe others as well).

Intolerable is right. I can't fathom being there in the summer, and I live in a very similar climate. It was in the low 80's but still humid and sticky. The odor of humanity was definitely present, I don't know how I would manage in the summer heat and crowds.

 

[momhappy]

Update: We just got back from our Disney trip. In terms of crowd levels, the parks were packed!! There was lots of waiting for pretty much everything - waiting in lines at the park entrances, waiting in lines for food, waiting in lines for rides/attractions (some rides were on 2-hour waits). The good news is that we decided to hire a guide for our Magic Kingdom day. Was it worth it? Absolutely!!!! They say that the average family goes on 5 rides during a day at Disney - we managed to go on 15 in a 6 hours (and that included a relaxing one-hour lunch that our guide booked for us of course ). It was amazing. It was so nice not to think about where to go next, etc. because the tour guide had it all scheduled and we never waited more then 5-10 minutes at any one ride/attraction. I don't think that I could do Disney again without a guide

 

[Calliecake]

Momhappy, Glad to hear you a great time. I'm sure the kids won't forget this trip anytime soon. I would have never thought it would be so crowded this time of the year.