Want to Experience Walt Disney World Like a VIP? You Can, but It Isn't Cheap

A Walt Disney World Private VIP Tour is designed to be a personalized experience where a guide provides a custom day of hospitality and attractions at one or more of Disney World's four theme parks. In simple terms, a tour guide (a Disney employee) picks you up, creates a personalized agenda, and takes you to experience the attractions most important to you.

What do you get with a Walt Disney World Private VIP Tour?

Just to name a few, here are some of the perks included if you spring for a VIP tour.

Transportation

Your VIP tour guide will not only pick you up at your hotel, but will provide transportation throughout the day as well. For example, if you want to go from one park to another, your tour guide will use private vehicles and roads that are off-limits to the public to get you there as quickly as possible.

Skip the lines

Your VIP tour includes Lightning Lane privileges on certain rides and attractions. On others, the VIP tour guide can use a special entrance to bypass even the Lightning Lane. With virtually no waiting in line and efficient private transportation, it isn't unheard of for VIP Tour guests to experience the top attractions in all four Disney World parks in a single day. Your tour guide will ask what your priorities are and will craft an agenda that incorporates all the things you want to do.

Priority seating

While this is technically a perk of your VIP Tour, most guests choose not to incorporate entertainment (long shows) during their tour, but you can end your tour with priority seating for fireworks or a nighttime show if you choose to do so.

How much does it cost?

A Walt Disney World Private VIP Tour certainly isn't cheap. It will cost $450 to $900 per hour, depending on what time of year you book. Unless you're going at an extremely slow or busy time, expect the cost to be somewhere in the middle of the range.

There is also a minimum tour duration of seven continuous hours, so the least you'll spend on a VIP Tour is $3,150. You can choose when the tour starts, and one pro tip is to time it so your tour ends before the nightly Magic Kingdom fireworks start, as tour participants can choose to be dropped off in the VIP viewing area. You can get special financing and rewards on Disney vacations with a Disney credit card, but this cost should be carefully considered before booking.

It's worth pointing out that this doesn't include admission to the theme parks themselves, so every guest needs to have a valid ticket. It includes a few snacks along the way, but it doesn't include any meals.

However, the price is per group, not per person. You can include up to 10 guests in a VIP Tour, so the effective price starts at $315 per person if you max out your group. During a peak period, the cost can be as much as $630 per person for a VIP Tour, and this assumes that you book the minimum number of hours and find 10 people who want to go.

Is it worth the price?

If you'd like to experience all the highlights of the Walt Disney World theme parks in a single day, never wait in any long lines, and enjoy the other benefits of the tour, it could be worth looking into. Private VIP Tours can make particularly good sense if you're only in the area for a day or two and want to make the most of your time.

However, the cost can be astronomically high for most families. And in full disclosure, my family and I have been Disney World Annual Passholders for several years and have never been able to justify the cost (although it is a bucket-list item for us). Aside from the cost, a VIP Tour isn't an enjoyable experience for everyone -- for example, many people would simply prefer to leisurely explore the parks, sit down to lunch, and not have an agenda.

The bottom line is that a Private VIP Tour could be worth the cost, but it depends on your travel plans, personal finances, and other factors.