Disney in a Minute: What is a VIP tour?

Depending on who you ask, a Disney VIP tour is either the best possible way to see Disney parks that offer them, or way too expensive for most folks to even think about. But what does it include to earn that high price tag?

A Disney VIP tour is a personalized, privately guided trip through Disney theme parks with your own personal tour guide. As part of the tour, you get Lightning Lane entry to attractions and reserved seating for shows and parades. You get backstage access and private transportation to transfer between the parks, skipping the main park entrances – which saves time. You may receive private transportation from your on-site hotel to the parks as well. During your tour, you’ll receive complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.

Your guide (sometimes called a ‘plaid’) works with you to create a personalized itinerary. You’ll see what you want to see, and they can help with pre-arrival planning and dining reservations as well. As you tour, your guide will share behind-the-scenes information and fun trivia points. It’s common to hear from those who have taken these tours that this “insider knowledge” is one of the things that really makes the tour worth the money for them.

Speaking of which, all of this comes at a cost, of course. The rates vary by season, but usually fall within the range of $450 to $900 per hour. And tours must have a minimum of 7 hours, with a maximum of 10 hours. (Quick math says a seven-hour tour at $450 will cost $3,150.) And this does not include the cost of your required park ticket!

Tours will accommodate groups of up to 10 people, so if you’re traveling with friends, you can split the cost. And with a full tour, it may begin to compare in price to Lightning Lane Premiere Pass. A big difference is that with Lightning Lane Premier Pass you cannot switch parks; with a VIP tour, you can go from park to park throughout the day.

There’s no consensus for tipping on VIP Tours, except that it must be done in cash. Guides will tell you that it’s appreciated but not required. But the variety of practices is driven by the flexibility of the tour options; following any one recommendation can lead to wildly different tips. Common recommendations include starting points (adjusted up or down based on service received) of:

• 5-20% of the tour price, or the cost of one tour hour on the day of your tour (easy to calculate)
• $100 to $200 per person (“tour guides do the same work in low season and peak season”)

VIP tours are offered at Walt Disney World, Disneyland Park, and Disneyland Paris. It’s recommended that you book yours up to 60 days in advance by calling the number listed on the park’s web page.

Disney in a Minute is a series of short posts designed to help you better understand a Disney term or planning topic. Do you have a Disney term that you think needs a little more explanation? Let us know in the comments!