Hi -- Has anyone used DLR's "VIP Tour Services"? What do they do during those 4+ hours? (I understand that they don't provide expedited access to attractions.) Would a 10-year old boy enjoy it? Is it worth the $75?

I was under the impression that it was $75 per hour with a 4 hour minimum. So really, is it worth an extra $300 to get random extra trivia/facts about the parks (that you could probably find with a little online research)?

Oh my gosh, you're right . . . it is $75 PER HOUR with a 4-hour minimum! Now I'm really curious -- what do you get for that amount of money other than "amazing Disney trivia and astrounding historical facts"?!

Oh my gosh, you're right . . . it is $75 PER HOUR with a 4-hour minimum! Now I'm really curious -- what do you get for that amount of money other than "amazing Disney trivia and astrounding historical facts"?!
We've done it. You get all the trivia you really want. There are no "Front of the line" things, but we did enter the parks thru the exits so we didn't wait in line there. We were a large party (12) so we had 2 guides. Basically, its like having conceirge services while walking around the park. In our case, we got in line for Nemo and while all the adults waited, one guide took the 5 younger kids on Buzz and Star Tours. We got to ride on the Lilly Belle. They set up preferred seating for the Fireworks, Fantasmic!, ELP, and Aladdin. (We had seatings on different days, the guides set it up.) They went ahead of us and got front row seats to Jedi Academy while we ride the Matterhorn, and went down with the boys to show them how to jump to get picked. They went and ordered lunch for us and had it brought to us at Tomorrowland Terrace. When my son brought his girlfriend a couple nights later, the tour guide set it up so they could do fireworks from the train station (she wasn't there the first time.) I had PS dining for Goofy's and wasn't happy with the time (8pm) and the guide called and got our time moved to 7pm. They will go ahead of you and get fastpasses while you are riding rides to save you time. (We are a handicapped access group, so we couldn't use this part of our guide.) They wait with you in the lines, and we insisted they ride with us. (It was only their 2nd time on Nemo!) To me, it was worth every penny.

We've done it. You get all the trivia you really want. There are no "Front of the line" things, but we did enter the parks thru the exits so we didn't wait in line there. We were a large party (12) so we had 2 guides. Basically, its like having conceirge services while walking around the park. In our case, we got in line for Nemo and while all the adults waited, one guide took the 5 younger kids on Buzz and Star Tours. We got to ride on the Lilly Belle. They set up preferred seating for the Fireworks, Fantasmic!, ELP, and Aladdin. (We had seatings on different days, the guides set it up.) They went ahead of us and got front row seats to Jedi Academy while we ride the Matterhorn, and went down with the boys to show them how to jump to get picked. They went and ordered lunch for us and had it brought to us at Tomorrowland Terrace. When my son brought his girlfriend a couple nights later, the tour guide set it up so they could do fireworks from the train station (she wasn't there the first time.) I had PS dining for Goofy's and wasn't happy with the time (8pm) and the guide called and got our time moved to 7pm. They will go ahead of you and get fastpasses while you are riding rides to save you time. (We are a handicapped access group, so we couldn't use this part of our guide.) They wait with you in the lines, and we insisted they ride with us. (It was only their 2nd time on Nemo!) To me, it was worth every penny.



Seems like you had a great experience with the VIP tour! I have a couple of questions as I'm interested in signing up for this during the Christmas period.

How did you let the VIP tour people know what you wanted to do, especially the preferred seating for Fantasmic, fireworks and the parades? Did you set that up on the phone before your trip? Or did you let the VIP tour guide know when you met up with them? How did you arrange for the preferred seating on the days you didn't have the VIP tour guide? Did you just ask for preferred seating on another day?

Sorry for all of the questions. Thanks in advance for the response.

I think it must depend upon the Tour Guide you have, for us it was a MAJOR disappointment. It was just my hubby & I and it was our annual anniversary trip. I asked for Lilly Belle ride, Fireworks seating, good seating for Billy Hill and oh yea its our anniversary. Basically after our guide gave us Anniversary buttons he didn't say much else. He didn't share any trivia, walked ahead of us, stood in line with us (silently with his back to us), didn't go ahead to get fast passes, and couldn't get the seating we requested for Fireworks.

I kept trying to start a conversation and it just kept falling flat. We called it quits after 2.5 hours and dumped him at the Main Gate, we said we were going to go take a break in our room and then went to DCA. My husband looked at me on the way and asked," So how much does it cost to have someone wait in line with you?".

I think his approach might work with celebs who have their own "people" in tow and don't want to talk to anyone outside thier circle but for us peons it was very uncomfortable. I've thought about giving it another try and requesting anyone but Kevin, I still really want to ride the Lilly Bell, but I'm kinda leary.

PS. You talk to a VIP Event CM on the phone prior to arrival. You have to fax an agreement and CC # to book. You call the regular tour line 714-781-4400 and they transfer you to the VIP line.

I think it must depend upon the Tour Guide you have, for us it was a MAJOR disappointment. It was just my hubby & I and it was our annual anniversary trip. I asked for Lilly Belle ride, Fireworks seating, good seating for Billy Hill and oh yea its our anniversary. Basically after our guide gave us Anniversary buttons he didn't say much else. He didn't share any trivia, walked ahead of us, stood in line with us (silently with his back to us), didn't go ahead to get fast passes, and couldn't get the seating we requested for Fireworks.

I kept trying to start a conversation and it just kept falling flat. We called it quits after 2.5 hours and dumped him at the Main Gate, we said we were going to go take a break in our room and then went to DCA. My husband looked at me on the way and asked," So how much does it cost to have someone wait in line with you?".

I think his approach might work with celebs who have their own "people" in tow and don't want to talk to anyone outside thier circle but for us peons it was very uncomfortable. I've thought about giving it another try and requesting anyone but Kevin, I still really want to ride the Lilly Bell, but I'm kinda leary.

PS. You talk to a VIP Event CM on the phone prior to arrival. You have to fax an agreement and CC # to book. You call the regular tour line 714-781-4400 and they transfer you to the VIP line.


Thank you for the info. You certainly had a different experience than the other poster. Sounds like we'll try to stay away from Kevin. When did you go on your VIP tour?

When did you request the seating, ride, etc.? On the phone with the VIP Event CM?


I'm primarily interested in getting to watch the Fantasmic show without having to "camp out" and save a spot. We're only there for a short period of time and will have two you children with us, so didn't want to use up our time that way. My thought was to go for the VIP tour rather than the Fantasmic reserved seating. The price for 4 people for 4 hours on the VIP tour would be a little more than the cost of 4 to get the Fantasmic reserved seating. Plus, you could end up getting additional benefits (reserved viewing area for the parades, help getting in to other shows, etc.) from the VIP tour. I think someone else posted somewhere that the Fantasmic viewing area for people on the VIP tour didn't have chairs so you had to stand during the show. Anyone have info on where is the viewing area for those on the VIP tour?

Thanks in advance for the responses.

Like Dawnid said, you call, they transfer you, you leave messages, and they call you back. They email you back the contract. I emailed them with out basic ideas, they scheduled us for various shows based on the times I wanted. We asked for a specific guide. When I arrived for the tour, the guides asked what we were interested in, what we enjoyed, various questions. We were booked as a party of 20, so at various shows, we had 20 people. Our guides gave us their business cards at the end of the tour and told us to call them if we needed anything while we were at the park. When my son brought his girlfriend back for a different day and was wanting something special for her, I called our guide, who booked the 2 of them fireworks seating and Fantasmic! seating. I told them the Lilly Belle was something I really wanted, and while we were watching Jedi, they lined it up and we boarded the Lilly Belle in Tomorrowland to ride around the park. They were going to sit in the regular car ahead of us, til we told them we wanted them with us! And they told us all about the Lilly Belle. The seating for the Electrical Parade was great! VIP "seating" is around Tower B. They have moved it and I think, from the description I got, it is on the other side of Tower B. There are no seats, you can sit on the ground in the front area or stand in the back area. It is also the Guest Recovery area. They generally put up to 30 people in the area. When we went, there were 18 of us, and 2 other people. The view was very good. Later that week, we were offered VIP again and headed over there, but ended up getting premium seating. They asked "Would you prefer to sit over here? We have some open seats." We had done premium seating earlier in the week. So, I took a vote, sitting on the ground in the VIP area, or chairs and cookies... I wonder which won?

I think it must depend upon the Tour Guide you have, for us it was a MAJOR disappointment. It was just my hubby & I and it was our annual anniversary trip. I asked for Lilly Belle ride, Fireworks seating, good seating for Billy Hill and oh yea its our anniversary. Basically after our guide gave us Anniversary buttons he didn't say much else. He didn't share any trivia, walked ahead of us, stood in line with us (silently with his back to us), didn't go ahead to get fast passes, and couldn't get the seating we requested for Fireworks.

I kept trying to start a conversation and it just kept falling flat. We called it quits after 2.5 hours and dumped him at the Main Gate, we said we were going to go take a break in our room and then went to DCA. My husband looked at me on the way and asked," So how much does it cost to have someone wait in line with you?".

I think his approach might work with celebs who have their own "people" in tow and don't want to talk to anyone outside thier circle but for us peons it was very uncomfortable. I've thought about giving it another try and requesting anyone but Kevin, I still really want to ride the Lilly Bell, but I'm kinda leary.

PS. You talk to a VIP Event CM on the phone prior to arrival. You have to fax an agreement and CC # to book. You call the regular tour line 714-781-4400 and they transfer you to the VIP line.
I am sorry you had such an expensive bad experience. Ours was awesome. They made sure if there was anything they could do, it was done. The next few days we saw one of the guides over and over. She always made us feel like we were her special guests and she did little things like "Oh, you heading back into the park? Come with me..." and take us in the exit and avoid the LONG lines at the gate.

I am sorry you had such an expensive bad experience. Ours was awesome. They made sure if there was anything they could do, it was done. The next few days we saw one of the guides over and over. She always made us feel like we were her special guests and she did little things like "Oh, you heading back into the park? Come with me..." and take us in the exit and avoid the LONG lines at the gate.


Thanks for your informative posts. We'll be taking the plunge for the VIP tour for our visit right after Christmas. What was the name of your VIP tour guide? I'll ask for her when I call in to book.

I wasn't aware of this service. I knew there was a real VIP service which, I assume, if you have to ask you can't afford it.

Obviously, there are services for people who don't stand in line. I wonder how one arranges those? I suppose you would have to have your people call their people. I have an Aunt who has been a CM for almost twenty years. I'll have to ask her about this. I know during the last time I visited DL, she brought actor Kevin Costner and his kids into the park.

I read an article in Wall Street Journal years ago about VIP services at Walt Disney World. Apparently, real fat cats could get personal service and attraction access at the boarding area. At the time of the article, WDW still had corporate VIP lounges. I understand those are now gone. I wonder if the VIP services the WSJ wrote about are also gone?

I wasn't aware of this service. I knew there was a real VIP service which, I assume, if you have to ask you can't afford it.

Obviously, there are services for people who don't stand in line. I wonder how one arranges those? I suppose you would have to have your people call their people. I have an Aunt who has been a CM for almost twenty years. I'll have to ask her about this. I know during the last time I visited DL, she brought actor Kevin Costner and his kids into the park.VIP services does not back door people into the rides, except when putting the people in line would cause problems. Imagine if Kevin Costner waited thru the lines. The VIP guide we had regularly escorts Jamie Lee Curtis and Kobe Bryant. They pay the same fees, except if they are Disney contracted names. They do get to use the exits. Has nothing to do with being able to afford it, it has everything to do with trying to keep the park running smoothly. I have seen the hysteria of an actor walking thru NOS. I watched some poor guy who had to be a basketball player with his son (5 or 6yo) literally attacked by a group of teen boys. The guide diverted them and explained they needed to leave the gentleman alone. They did take him and his son thru the HA. I don't blame them.

I did consider it a real VIP service. I could call during my visit, they would arrange PS even if there were none available thru Disney Dining. They set my son up with a special service. They set us up with additional viewings of things we wanted. It was a great service. (http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q133/Malcon10t/Tourgroup.jpg)

^^ Great info, Malcon10nt. Thanks for sharing. I'm glad your family had such a great experience as VIPs. :cool:

I suppose if Disney offered a "line cutting service" to anyone with enough funds, there would be no shortage of people willing to pay-to-play with no lines, thus creating chaos.

Did your guide carry the proverbial Disneyland riding crop?

^^ Great info, Malcon10nt. Thanks for sharing. I'm glad your family had such a great experience as VIPs. :cool:

I suppose if Disney offered a "line cutting service" to anyone with enough funds, there would be no shortage of people willing to pay-to-play with no lines, thus creating chaos.

Did your guide carry the proverbial Disneyland riding crop?They changed the uniforms about a year ago, and it no longer includes the crop. Notice the skirts are solid blue with plaid inserts, instead of the older red plaid skirts. (http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q133/Malcon10t/Tourgroup.jpg)

Quick question - is the $75/hour per person or per group?

If group what is the group size limit?

Malcon10nt who were your guides? I am thinking of trying it again I just couldn't handle another go-around with Kevin. We are staying again 11/9 for 2 nights at DGCH but this time I booked a no-frills, no view, standard room (no more Suites or Concierge) so there is nowhere to go but up. Unless of course they over-book and I get booted to DLH.

We stayed at DGCH April 27th to April 30th and the tour was on the 28th at 11 am. I'm a real planner so I already had PS for the whole weekend so when VIP called me I told them we wanted to stay in DL (DCA was Sunday), Fireworks, Lilly Belle, good Billy Hill seating, and anything they could do to cut down on line wait times (i.e. fastpasses).

Our guide never went ahead to secure FPs, he didn't go ahead for BH seating while we were on POC, no mention made of Lilly Belle, Fireworks were scheduled wrong and couldn't be changed, when we finally gave up and ditched him he didn't offer a card or offer any further service. I picked the VIP tour because we've done the Welcome to Disneyland, Walk in Walt's Footsteps, and Holiday Tour during previous trips and really loved the guides and trivia.

It does depend on your guide. We had a group of 10 once. Our guide went and got fast passes for us when we were in line for rides. Had a lot of trivia for us. Got us the good seating for Aladdin and good viewing area for Fantasmic. I believe when we did the tour it was standing for Fantasmic, but it was still a reserved area that we only had to be at like 20 minutes or a half hour a head of time. Our guide was awesome.

Quick question - is the $75/hour per person or per group?

If group what is the group size limit?$75 per hour per group. Group size limited to 10.

This is great info! I've been trying to decide between the DtMT, Holiday Tour, or Fantasmic! reserved seating as a special surprise for everyone, but this sounds like a great option. We're going during peak time (Jan. 3-9).

How far in advance should I book this? Would you mind sharing your guides' names so maybe I can request one of them? We'll have a group of 8 (four kids ranging from 5-14 and four adults). Also, do you know if they would help us with meeting some characters?

I'm thinking Sat. Jan 5th will be the busiest day for our trip, would that be the best day to set this up for or what would you recommend?! Thanks! You're a wealth of info!!!:)

I called VIP tours yesterday and they have my dates available!! Hooray! I'm so excited about this. They were so nice and answered so many questions.

If anyone has any suggestions on things I should try and schedule, please let me know.

Also, if you've had a good experience with a certain tour guide, that would be great to know too so maybe I can request someone.

I called VIP tours yesterday and they have my dates available!! Hooray! I'm so excited about this. They were so nice and answered so many questions.

If anyone has any suggestions on things I should try and schedule, please let me know.

Also, if you've had a good experience with a certain tour guide, that would be great to know too so maybe I can request someone.Will PM you.

VIP services does not back door people into the rides, except when putting the people in line would cause problems. Imagine if Kevin Costner waited thru the lines. The VIP guide we had regularly escorts Jamie Lee Curtis and Kobe Bryant. They pay the same fees, except if they are Disney contracted names. They do get to use the exits. Has nothing to do with being able to afford it, it has everything to do with trying to keep the park running smoothly. I have seen the hysteria of an actor walking thru NOS. I watched some poor guy who had to be a basketball player with his son (5 or 6yo) literally attacked by a group of teen boys. The guide diverted them and explained they needed to leave the gentleman alone. They did take him and his son thru the HA. I don't blame them.

I did consider it a real VIP service. I could call during my visit, they would arrange PS even if there were none available thru Disney Dining. They set my son up with a special service. They set us up with additional viewings of things we wanted. It was a great service. (http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q133/Malcon10t/Tourgroup.jpg)

I was there once and the UCLA basketball team was there - they had JUST won the NCAA. Man, it was hectic - we were in a loooong line for Space Mountain and people were stopping the line to take pictures with them; etc. I felt bad for them - they were just trying to celebrate together.

I called VIP tours yesterday and they have my dates available!! Hooray! I'm so excited about this. They were so nice and answered so many questions.

If anyone has any suggestions on things I should try and schedule, please let me know.

Also, if you've had a good experience with a certain tour guide, that would be great to know too so maybe I can request someone.

You all seriously have me considering this for my Christmas trip!!

My hubby loves to stop and take photos everywhere and I think he would love a guided tour.

Would you recommend it for a small family with young kids? I am thinking the kids would get a lot of fun out of riding the Lilly Belle and maybe getting in to Mickey's house with the guide and that sort of thing.

My kids are 4 and 2 - so mostly, we'd be doing Fantasyland.

Thoughts?

Hi all-
I read the other thread on this, but have some questions.

What can you/can't you ask from your tour guide? What exactly is the service you receive?

I understand your tour guide cannot get you front of the line passes. That's cool. What experiences should I plan? Do I plan where we go with the tour guide, or do they take my ideas and plan a tour for me?

I booked this for my birthday as a surprise for my family. Other than eating at Blue Bayou and (hopefully) riding on the Lily Belle, I don't know what to ask for! I wish they could get me in to Club 33!

Thanks for any suggestions.

I'm still in the planning stages for our tour, so I have no direct answers for you. I'm still waiting for my mom to get her flight booked so I can finalize things. Ugg!! Wish she would hurry!!!

My kids love characters, so I asked about some character interacations and they said if the requested character is in the park, they can help with that. We'll probably ask for help with the Jedi Training too. That was a favorite of my son's last time, so want to make sure he can do it again (and I have a camera this time!! doh!!!)

If you end up with some more answers, please share! We're going after you, in January.