By Have you ever noticed a Disney Cast Member wearing a plaid outfit at the parks?
Believe it or not, their outfit identifies them as a unique kind of Cast Member, one working a highly in-demand job.
Disney’s theme park employees jostle for positions in an attempt to earn this job, which is one of the most prestigious gigs.
If you cannot be Mickey Mouse or a Disney Princess at a theme park, the next-best possible gig is a VIP Tour Guide.
Meanwhile, from a vacationer’s perspective, nothing else you can do at Disney rivals the joy of a VIP Tour.
We speak from experience here, having done the parks in many different ways over the years.
A Disney VIP Tour has proven legitimately unlike any other, although the cost makes it price-prohibitive to many.
So, what are VIP Tours, and should you try one?
About VIP Tours
Disney understatedly describes its VIP Tours like this: “Set off on an adventure that includes door-to-door service and an array of personalized perks.”
That’s kind of like describing a walk-off grand slam as a casual walk around the bases.
With a Disney VIP Tour, you become Walt Disney World royalty for a day.
As Disney’s description indicates, a Cast Member meets you at a designated location and chauffeurs you around the parks.
This person is the Plaid I referenced earlier, a Disney employee dressed in a distinctive outfit that you can easily spot from anywhere.
That’s the point of the costume, too. Disney wants you to be able to find your Plaid when needed.
For a period of several hours, this highly trained guide will take you almost anywhere you want on the Disney World campus.
They’ll even pick you up at your hotel if that’s your preference or meet you anywhere at the parks.
From there, this theme park expert will take you anywhere you want to go, and they have special powers.
Thanks to your Plaid, you can enter the Lightning Lane queue at any Disney attraction.
In some instances, your VIP Guide may even allow you to jump into line even closer to the front!
They gain access to side passages at a handful of attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean, saving you that much more time.
Since you’re not standing in line as much, you can experience so much more at Disney World during a single park visit.
That’s not even the best part, either. Since your VIP Guide brings a car, they’ll happily drive you to the other parks.
You don’t necessarily enter through the regular front gate, either. In some instances, you’ll get dropped off right by the attraction building.
As a byproduct of this transportation, you’ll get to see parts of the Disney campus that park officials describe as offstage.
These spaces are theoretically off-limits to guests. You get to see them because your VIP Guide holds special privileges.
So, they can and will drive you through areas you shouldn’t be seeing, and you’ll park at places reserved exclusively for Cast Members.
As an example, you’ll enter Pandora – The World of Avatar from a hidden spot right by Na’vi River Journey.
One second, you’ll be looking at parking spots. Next thing you know, you’ll be staring at the Floating Mountains of Pandora.
At EPCOT, you can drive through parts of the World Showcase, an unusual option. Your Plaid can drop you off right by Soarin’ Around the World, too.
These sorts of experiences aren’t possible otherwise during a Disney vacation, which makes them oh so satisfying.
You’ll definitely feel like you’re getting preferential treatment during a VIP Tour…because you are!
Alas, this sort of exemplary service comes at a high price. Disney currently charges from $450 to $950 per hour for a VIP Tour.
Also, you must book a minimum of seven hours and a maximum of 10 hours. Oh, and you must have admission tickets on the date of your visit. Disney doesn’t even include them in the package!
So, if you plan to visit all the theme parks during your VIP Tour, which we’ve done in the past, you must have an admission ticket with the Park Hopper benefit.
Otherwise, you’ll be locked to one theme park during your VIP Tour. Then again, if you can afford the tour, you can probably spring for the tickets, too.
We’ll do the math for you in case you’re still boggling at the pricing you just saw. The cost of a VIP Tour ranges from $3,150 to $9,500…plus tax!
Then, we have the kindness that you should always tip your Plaid for catering to your every whim all day.
On the bright side, up to ten people can participate in a VIP Tour, not counting the Plaid.
So, that drops the price to $315 to $950 per person, presuming you can convince nine other people to chip in for this unforgettable tour.
Before we discuss the VIP Tour as a value proposition, we should mention a few caveats.
The first is that Disney does provide drinks and snacks throughout your tour. You should think of your Plaid as a Fairy Godmother who makes every Disney wish come true.
This individual will keep you hydrated and retrieve any snack you request while you experience all your favorite attractions.
You’ll determine the itinerary, although your VIP Guide will provide feedback if they notice anything they believe would impede your perfect Disney day.
Still, you’re the customer, and the customer is always right. So, if you’re emphatic about anything, your Plaid will happily turn your dreams into a reality.
The catch is that your VIP Tour doesn’t include full meals. Yes, your Plaid will bring you popcorn, but that’s the limit of it.
So, you must buy your meals for yourself. And that brings us to an important point. You’re on the clock when you take a VIP Tour.
Therefore, you may not want to spend an hour or more at a Table Service restaurant. Even a Quick Service option could take half an hour.
So, when you take a VIP Tour, you should strongly consider snacking rather than eating.
Then, after you’ve finished your seven-to-ten hour tour, you can have a big meal and recount the events of your day.
Now, should you choose to eat, you should understand the Fairy Godmother concept still applies.
Your Plaid can probably get you a table just about anywhere at Disney World. On crowded days, nothing is guaranteed at Disney’s most popular restaurants, though.
Please make sure to mention to your Tour Guide right off the bat where you’d like to eat if that’s in your plans.
Then, they’ll have a few hours to work their magic, presuming you’re not starting your tour at lunchtime. Technically, that’s possible, as you meet your Tour Guide whenever you want.
Still, we’d encourage you to meet at the park just before opening. Sure, it’s great for you to have a chauffeur pick you up at your hotel. You’ll feel like a celebrity.
However, since you’re on the clock, we’d encourage you not to waste time on the drive to the park. That counts as part of your tour.
In fact, everything counts, including trips to the bathroom, driving between the parks, watching parades, and so forth. Please keep that in mind.
Since you’re spending thousands of dollars, we want you to consider these possibilities to maximize the value of your VIP Tour.
Disney will present you with a commemorative pin – and a lovely one at that – as a keepsake from your VIP Tour.
Beyond that memento, you’ll also have your memories of a fabulous day spent with loved ones at Disney. As a kind of Disney bucket list option, we recommend VIP Tours.
Having said that, Disney introduced the Lightning Lane Premier Pass at the end of 2024. It serves largely the same purpose as the VIP Tour.
While you don’t have a Tour Guide chauffeuring you around the park and you cannot use your Premier Pass at other parks, it’ll allow you to do all the Lightning Lanes at a single park.
That’s almost as good for a fraction of the price, at least for a smaller traveling party. For a couple, we’re talking hundreds rather than thousands of dollars.
Of course, once you reach a party size of five or more, you may consider yourself priced in for a VIP Tour.
Just do the math and choose the option that sounds best for your ‘ohana. No matter what you choose, you’ll be at Disney. So, a great time is assured!