VIP Tours at Disneyland and Walt Disney World

Updated August 28, 2025

Have you done a private tour at a Disney Park?

I’ve only been on one, but it was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Worth the money?

That depends on who you ask.

I don’t have that kind of money, but if I did, I would spend it on this.

So, yes.

Absolutely yes.

Let’s see why.

Basic Scoop

VIP Tours are offered at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. These are full day experiences that take you through the parks in the most amazing way possible. While on your tour, you won’t have to wait for most attractions, as it allows you to skip the line and board almost immediately. Want a good view of fireworks that evening? It’s included.

Not all attractions are available on the tour. Your “plaid” will note this with you prior to starting so that you know exactly what to expect.

The Disneyland website shares this explanation for how tours play out:

“VIP Tour Benefits include:

• Hassle-Free Planning – Dream your family’s perfect day at the parks, and then “let your concierge be your guide”—designing a customized yet flexible day based on your family’s specific needs and priorities—and even booking your dining reservations in advance!
• Reserved Viewing – Maximize the magic with VIP viewing and seating for select nighttime spectaculars and stage shows (subject to availability).
• Expedited Access – Enjoy expedited access to favorite Disneyland Resort attractions via Lightning Lane.
• VIP Service – Delight in Disney’s acclaimed hospitality and attention to detail with your own personal guide helping with your needs and entertaining your family with insider tips and stories throughout the day.“

Plaids

What’s a “plaid”? At Disney Parks, we call employees, “cast members”. A cast member who wears plaid (are you catching on yet?) is very knowledgeable in all parts of the park and excels at customer service. It’s an absolute honor to be a plaid.

Here’s more on these coveted positions in the park.

My Experience

In 2020, just before the world fell apart, my girls and I joined friends on a tour of WDW. There were 8 people total in our group. We visited all four parks, rode everything we wanted, and learned so many cool things.

You should do better than we did, however. We really didn’t know what to expect and were EXHAUSTED by early evening. No joke – I was passing out Ibuprofen to most of our group by the afternoon. The majority of us are in our mid-40’s, so perhaps that played a factor in our fatigue and pain.

I truly think we all underestimated how our bodies would respond going from one major attraction to the next. With very little down time, those rides were a bit overwhelming.

Before your tour, you’ll discuss goals for the day with your plaid. You may not want to visit all four parks. You may want to enjoy a lazy 4 hour lunch boozing it up with your plaid and grilling them for park details. (I’m available for that kind of tour if anyone’s asking. Pretty much any day you’re going.)

Four parks, no meals, let’s conquer WDW!

After starting at Magic Kingdom, we were driven to the other three parks in a van, back stage (no photos allowed!). We entered each park in a creative way. This isn’t specifically part of the tour, but it was very exciting for us!

For example, we entered Animal Kingdom through The Dino Institute Shop. Our plaid drove us backstage to the shop’s door and led us in. I’m assuming this is the most efficient way to get guests from park to park and is probably not designed to be as thrilling as it was, but we still talk about it today. 😉

What I Would Do Differently

• Pack pain meds if you’re old ladies like us.
• Eat a good breakfast. A VIP day is a workout in itself. Skip the Bloody Mary and have some Orange Juice. (WITHOUT vodka.) I’ve literally never uttered those words in my life. It’s this important.
• Plan your meals. You can spend as much or as little time dining as you wish. But, if you are signing up for attractions, skip a long lunch. It takes a full day to visit all four parks and hit all the big rides. We completely forgot about food during the tour and screamed like teenagers when we exited the van backstage at DHS (right next to Tower of Terror!) to find more plaids coming to greet us with water and snacks. They offered us small bags of Doritos and Skittles, if memory serves, but it might as well have been Victoria & Albert’s. We were ready to eat.
• Have some questions ready if that’s your thing. Plaids are super knowledgeable about the parks and the Walt Disney Company as a whole. If you enjoy trivia and learning about the small details, make some notes about what you’d like to hear about.

Disneyland

Want to book a tour in Anaheim?

Per the Disneyland website:

“To learn more about VIP Tours or to make a reservation, send an email to DisneylandVIPTours@disney.com or call (714) 300-7710. (Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to email or call.) Due to the popularity and limited availability of this experience, we encourage you to make your reservations early!”

Here‘s the official scoop from Disney.

Walt Disney World

Want to book a tour in Orlando?

Per the WDW website:

Get essential details about the Disney Private VIP Tour.

• Pricing: Ranging from $450 to $900 per hour, depending on the season (valid park admission is required for each park visited on tour and is not included in the price of the tour).
• Reservations: Call (407) 560-4033 to book. Guests under the age of 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call. Learn when advance reservations can be made.

Notes

• Tipping is not mandatory, but it’s important. 10-20% is customary. Please consider leaving a good tip during your tour.
• You’ll receive a gift (possibly a commemorative trading pin) at the end of your day. Mine is featured in this post.
• Lots of VIP merchandise is now available for purchase! You can buy any of the items available on the day of your tour.
• As noted above, be sure you have a theme park ticket and a park reservation made for your tour day.
• There are slight differences between Disneyland and WDW VIP tours, but this post covers the main idea.
• Need a recommendation for who your plaid should be at Disneyland or Walt Disney World? Send me an email at Casey@DisneylandDaily.com.
• Do you know more than me about VIP tours? I’ve only been on one, so I’m ready to learn. Please leave me a comment if you have tips that would help. Thanks!