Disney VIP Tours: Are They Worth $800+/Hour? (VIP vs. Premier Pass)

 Is a Walt Disney World VIP tour worth the money? In this episode of Talk Travel to Me, host Kristy Ouellette sits down with Mickey Guru Travel Company travel advisors Jen Bauer and Shalon Still to share first-hand insights from their recent group VIP tour. From hourly pricing tiers ($450–$950/hr), discretionary cash tips, and private backstage van operations to custom snack stops (like cream cheese filled pretzels), exclusive branded plaid merchandise availability, and a direct breakdown comparison against Disney's new self-guided Lightning Lane Premier Pass system, they unpack everything you need to mathematically evaluate if a private guide makes financial sense for your family vacation. 

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Transcript

[00:00] Intro: Ready for your fast pass to the perfect vacation? This is Talk Travel to Me. Join host Kristy Ouellette and the Mickey Guru team for one big travel question every episode. Solo insights or expert roundtables all with a sprinkle of magic and the ultimate insider edge. Fasten your seatbelt, it's time to talk travel.

[00:26] Kristy: Hey traveler, welcome back to Talk Travel to Me. This week I'm joined by two of our Mickey Guru Travel Company travel advisors, Jen Bauer—

[00:33] Jen: Hello.

[00:34] Kristy: And Shalon Still.

[00:36] Shalon: Hi.

[00:37] Kristy: And we're answering the question: is a Walt Disney World VIP tour worth the money? Let's talk about it. So first, I want to start with how we got here. And coincidentally, the person that caused all of this recently was our friend Sammy, who is otherwise indisposed this evening. She wanted to do a VIP tour for her daughter's sixth birthday. And like a good guru, realized that the number one way to do that and share the cost would be to trick other gurus into joining the experience! So before we knew it, there was a post in our Guru HQ and we were off to the races. So we did our VIP tour on June 24th, and there were, at the end of the day, nine of us, because Jess unfortunately couldn't come at the last minute. But nine of us—eight adults and a six-year-old. Well, actually, I count your kids as adults because they kind of are, Jen.

[01:45] Jen: Teenagers!

[01:46] Kristy: Yeah! And so let's talk about our experience and whether we thought it was worth it or not.

[01:56] Jen: We can go over all of the logistics and the numbers, and I'm sure that we will. But because I have teenagers, and I blame my husband—he said, 'Well, they're not going to be home that much longer.' So we went; we left on Tuesday, we came home on Thursday, we did the VIP tour, and it was a lot of money. And I'm not sorry, because it's one of those things like you can't put a price on those memories. Like, what would we have done for those three days that we happened to have off in our crazy schedule had we not done that? And the photos and the memories and, you know, my son likes roller coasters more now. And the VIP tour guide is really great at meeting each individual where they're at, finding something in common with them, and having those conversations. My son is not a travel agent, but we were leaving our first park and he said, 'Can you request a guide?' because he loved our guide so much after one park. And I said, 'Yes, you can. How do you think we got Kirk?' So it was worth every penny to me.

[03:05] Kristy: And Shalon, you had done a VIP tour before recently, actually.

[03:10] Shalon: Yes, very recently, within the past month or so. I'd have to go back and look at the last one—I'd have to go back and look. I actually had a friend who was kind enough to invite me to join her and one other friend. So it was just me, my husband, and two other adults, and doing a VIP tour that way versus how we just did it with nine people and hitting four parks. On our first one, we just did Magic Kingdom and it was very leisurely. And again, like Jen said, though, the memories that you get out of that are definitely like a one-of-a-kind experience that not everybody's going to get, especially if you're a Disney fan. I think it is worth it to do it at least once, and maybe multiple times depending on the group of people you're traveling with, whether it's family or friends. But I think I would say it depends, right, for your personal situation on: is it actually worth it? And I think that's something we would definitely talk to all of our clients about, too, to discuss the pros and cons and everything else involved. But I thought it was an absolute blast. My husband loved it. It's great not standing in line and having somebody like Kirk—he had such great information and insights. I loved the details he pointed out to us in the Muppets queue for the new attraction that we didn't know existed yet because we hadn't seen it, so that was a nice plus.

[04:33] Kristy: Yeah. Let's talk about what the cost was so that we can kind of just be upfront with everybody as we're talking about what's worth it and what's not. It's definitely a splurge. And so, Walt Disney World VIP tours range from $450 an hour to $950 an hour with a seven-hour minimum, so that adds up. We actually paid $600 per hour, which was the rate for June 24th, with a slight discount because of the DVC membership. Sammy and I both are DVC members, so we were able to get a little bit of a discount. They also are currently offering a discount for guests that stay club level. So, we didn't do that this time, but that is kind of how that discount is working. They will not say when that discount ends, by the way. I called today to try to figure that out for the purposes of this episode, and the woman said, 'I can't really tell you, but if you'd like to schedule one 60 days from today, it still applies.' So that was interesting.

[05:46] Jen: I had clients in the fall because they stayed club level, and it just—it made sense when we presented it. It was a special time and a 60th birthday, and I think that's one of the times it's worth it, too, when it's a special event that you're really celebrating.

[06:03] Kristy: Yeah, absolutely. So with our tour, it was $4,200 total, which broke down to $420 a person plus gratuity. We did give Kirk 20% because when we tell you that he is worth it, he was absolutely worth it. And we had planned that ahead of time to give him in cash. So it ended up being just over $500 per person for us. Jess, although she couldn't come at the last minute, did still pay for her portion because she felt like that was the fair thing to do. And one of the things you get for free with a VIP tour is you get a special VIP button pin. So I told her I'd be mailing hers to her. I'm like, 'It's going to be the most expensive pin you'll ever get at Disney!' She was like, 'Well, at least I can feel like I was there.' So that's the cost of it. Of course, your gratuity is discretionary—you don't have to give 20%, you could give less, you could give nothing. But I think for us, especially the service, it was just out of this world and the experience, and we wanted to thank him with a gratuity. But it is important to say it's not required. And I have heard some people say that, you know, they give a flat amount, but we did the percentage. And that is something to point out—not every guide is the same. They all have their unique personalities, they're, you know, just like regular humans, I guess. But that is why we maintain the list of the great ones. So when we have a client have a great experience, we definitely keep track of that. But yeah, I was surprised that, like, he was surprised that we wanted to do as many rides. I do think that having the adults and teenagers and a six-year-old threw him for a loop because normally that's going to be a slower pace. But he didn't realize Sammy's daughter has been training for this her entire life! Right? This is not a typical thing.

[07:33] Jen: Right.

[07:34] Kristy: Yeah, exactly. Not his first rodeo whatsoever.

[07:38] Jen: Mm-hmm.

[07:40] Kristy: And then, you know, he did offer us—he said he would give us ice cream and pretzels. And the funny thing is, though, I don't know who mentioned the cream cheese pretzels, but was it you?

[07:50] Shalon: It was me! But it was more of like—I was asking for the cheese sauce, you know, the really crappy plastic cheese sauce. I was like, 'Are we getting that too?' And he's like, 'Oh, yeah.' He's like, 'Oh, I thought you meant the cream cheese.' I'm like, 'No, that's perfect too, because they were delightful!'

[08:04] Kristy: Yeah. So, I like the regular pretzel; I put mustard on it, right? But he shows up with these gloriously tasty-ish cream cheese filled pretzels that are more like a dessert pretzel. And they were okay, but I was kind of sad, but didn't say anything because he literally was like, 'If you want the other ones, let me know, I'll go.' So like, he was willing to do it for sure. But I was like, I am not sending him away—like, I will eat this cream cheese.

[08:37] Shalon: I didn't realize.

[08:38] Kristy: Yeah.

[08:39] Jen: First world problems!

[08:40] Kristy: Oh my God, and that's literally—I was sitting there because we were at The Launching Pad. The Launching Pad is where he got them for us. And I was sitting there and I looked around and I went, 'Yeah, this is really not something to be a problem with. Like, this is going to be just fine, I'll get a Mickey pretzel later.' And I did.

[08:59] Shalon: I loved it, I loved it! I've never spent the money on one of the cream cheese ones because I didn't think I would like it, so that was kind of nice. Now I love it, and now Mickey has me hooked!

[09:08] Kristy: Well, and it was a better value—it was a better value keeping track of that. There was only Dasani at that stop, but you know, that's fine. But yeah, I think that knowing that that's the case, that it's different every time, and you can ask—I'm sure if we had said something about wanting Starbucks, we probably would have gotten that. But we kind of let him steer that ship and it worked out.

[09:32] Shalon: I wonder if it works for like the cheeseburger spring rolls or something kind of more special, if they can get those or if it's really more just the standard snacks. Future research!

[09:43] Kristy: We'll have to ask next time we go, like, 'Oh, could we get that instead?' So, the tour is entirely customizable. So, we let a six-year-old decide what we were doing, and it just so happened we knew what we were getting into before we ever landed. Actually, Shalon lives in Florida, so before we ever even got to the park, we knew what the plan was. And Olivia did a fabulous job making sure that it was all the attractions we would want to do. And at the end of the day, I don't remember exactly how many we did. Do you guys remember? But we did a lot.

[10:23] Jen: I counted 16, I think, including the couple we did at Animal Kingdom on our own.

[10:30] Kristy: Okay. Yeah, because we started our day at Animal Kingdom while Shalon and Mike worked, and we didn't have a VIP tour or Lightning Lanes or anything. But we got up early, we were there for rope drop, and we did a bunch. And then Sammy and her family kept going, but Jen and her family and I went back for naps and like some AC, and unfortunately got caught in a rainstorm, but it was a good way to start the day. And then we went and did—oh my gosh, we did everything I think we wanted to except for Soarin'.

[11:02] Shalon: Right, because the thunder and lightning was nearby.

[11:07] Kristy: Yes. And then we added Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway—we just did that in place of that, right?

[11:13] Shalon: Well, Jen and I were standing close to it, like, 'Let's just get on Mickey & Minnie's while you guys were still en route,' because the clock was ticking. So we're like, 'Let's just go,' and we knew about the time, and it worked out. You guys walked up right perfectly.

[11:26] Kristy: So yeah, because the tour lasts seven hours minimum, you can do up to 10 hours, but we weren't going to do an extra $1,800 worth to do that, so we kind of stuck with that seven-hour number.

[11:38] Jen: But they do drop you off, if you want, as part of your tour, in a special viewing area to see the fireworks at the end of the night.

[11:51] Kristy: Yeah.

[11:52] Jen: And they recommend arriving about 30 minutes before. And, you know, we had a lovely view in a grassy area, and then he left. So we really got the full seven hours riding rides and all of those things—it was no standing around waiting, anything like that.

[12:10] Kristy: Yeah. Did you guys hear him say—I think he was talking to a couple of us at least—that one of the best ways to get the most rides was to do it in the morning because you have the lower crowds? I thought that was really interesting because I've almost always done it up to fireworks because I like the idea of being able to have like a semi-decent spot without having to stake it out all day.

[12:34] Jen: Yeah.

[12:35] Shalon: I mean, we kind of did that with our Magic Kingdom tour when we did first thing in the morning. And I mean, we went a little bit more of a leisurely pace, but we hit several rides at the very beginning back-to-back-to-back. And because you go through the Lightning Lane entrance for most attractions, not as many people were using Lightning Lane in the morning. And so, I mean, it was almost a walk-on. I think we did four attractions within 35 or 40 minutes, maybe—it was crazy. And then we took a break, so we're like, okay, so I can see that being beneficial. And you beat the thunderstorms in the summertime, so probably worthwhile.

[13:09] Jen: And that's something that's included too, is depending on the ride, some rides you go in the Lightning Lane with your VIP guide, but some rides there's a separate entrance that you don't have to wait at all. And you just walk right up and you get on and you ride, and it is amazing.

[13:30] Kristy: I remember the one we did years ago because we did Avatar Flight of Passage on that trip. And he brought us in a back door, so we walked right up by the front, so we were in a very short line but nothing major at all. So that one was a huge win. That was one thing that I found with the Disney tours that I don't love as much as the Universal tours—and I'm going to do an episode about that at a different time, so I don't like comparing the two of them because it is apples and oranges—but the Lightning Lane use, you still do stand in line. And depending on what the day looks like... like we wanted to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and because it had been down several times throughout the day due to weather, the line was so backed up that he looked at us and said, 'There's no point to this,' and we kind of kept moving. And I think that that used up a lot of our time during the day was that we were in line for these things—like we waited for Big Thunder probably at least 20 minutes, maybe even longer than that.

[14:40] Shalon: Guardians of the Galaxy was a long wait.

[14:42] Kristy: Yeah, yeah, Guardians was probably the worst. And they don't let you skip the pre-show. We did ask because, you know, if you know, you know, right? Like it's great a few times, but if you've been doing it enough, you don't really need the pre-show every time. And he said, 'No, the Imagineers really want you to experience it.' It's like, Kirk, I have—you know, I could recite it! I could totally do that.

[15:11] Kristy: Yeah, cake toast! It was kind of cool, though, because some of the people in our group had never done it—like I was talking to Jen's kids about it, and I said 'cake toast' and her son, Eric, was like, 'What? What are you talking about?' And I was like, 'Cake toast,' and he was like just staring at me. And then we had a great conversation. So, the time in line is not necessarily always wasted because you are with your people and talking to the guide—like, he stays right with you until you board. So, you do still get some of that interaction or whatever. But it is—it is important to know that you're in that line. And I will say if you're doing a VIP tour, my favorite time to do one is actually bumping up against either the Halloween party or the Christmas party, because nobody uses the Lightning Lanes during the parties. So, I did that one a few years back. Now, it was also a night that it got almost completely rained out, so we ended up—it was a crazy evening, but we ended up at a lounge because it's Disney, it's not a bar, with our guide, who drank only water and iced tea while the rest of us were having some beverages just to hide from the rain. But that was a great use of that timeframe because we did the other parks and did Magic Kingdom and got to experience the breeze, kind of like what you're talking about in the morning, but like nobody's there. So—

[16:50] Kristy: Hey, I'm going to pause us right here for just a second because I want to ask you for a favor. If you've been hanging out with me on Talk Travel to Me and you're getting something out of it, would you take two minutes and leave me a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify? I know, I know. Nobody loves being asked to do the thing. But reviews are genuinely how other travelers find the show. And honestly, it just makes my day when I see them pop up. Even just a few words, even just stars—I'll take the stars. Okay, favor asked. Back to it.

[17:17] Shalon: Oh, that made me think of something. You said rain—he came with ponchos because there was rain that day as we were starting our tour. So if you are on a tour, your guide will bring ponchos or get them for you if they don't have them handy, so I thought that was a really nice touch. Luckily, we didn't need them. But now I'm thinking, what happened to all those fun VIP-branded ponchos we could have had as souvenirs? We didn't actually use them.

[17:41] Jen: Somebody left the ones for my kids and I because we brought them home—we have VIP ponchos!

[17:47] Shalon: I love it!

[17:48] Kristy: They must have been in the stroller—yeah, they were in the stroller. Sammy probably has them. It'll be like your expensive poncho! But yeah, that was great. And I know when we were in Disneyland, we had a similar situation and they gave us gorgeous umbrellas. Now, I can't find them. I got two of them—one I gave away and then the other one is in the house somewhere. I don't know where—I've never seen it since. So, but yeah, they give you those little—like little perks. And I had never seen a poncho with the VIP logo all over the back, so that was really cool. I was surprised by that.

[18:30] Kristy: So we also got the opportunity to go shopping, which I thought was great. And then when I mentioned it to my husband, he said, 'So wait, you had to use some of your seven hours that you paid $600 an hour for to shop and buy stuff?' And I went, 'Yeah, huh!' I didn't see the problem with that.

[18:57] Shalon: Way too much money!

[18:59] Jen: Yeah, it's a very small shop. It is VIP tour branded plaid merchandise that you can only purchase while you are on a VIP tour. So we did have to stop and look.

[19:15] Shalon: I was going to say, it's interesting because we stopped at the one in Hollywood Studios, which was in the gift shop of Tower of Terror after you exit the ride. And that was a lot different than the one in Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom was actually a little closet that had a door on it that you walked into, and it's at the exit of the Mickey meet-and-greet up front. And so I was kind of surprised to see the Tower one was just kind of an open area there—they had like that desk and items were just kind of displayed to see. So I thought that was interesting to see how different the two were.

[19:51] Kristy: Do they have the same stuff in them or are they—

[19:54] Shalon: Yeah, it was all the same stuff. I mean, the only thing they didn't have, obviously, were the ears because those are being redesigned, and I'm very happy I bought a pair on the last tour because they don't have them right now, so those are definitely collector's items. And I think maybe the necklace was already sold out, too. I think it was one of the designers that does a lot of Disney necklaces—I don't think they had that there during our tour, but everything else was the same.

[20:18] Kristy: I don't know if you paid attention to how much we paid for things because I didn't even ask. And so today when I was preparing for this episode, I was like, 'Oh, let me figure out how much I paid,' because I bought the Loungefly and I also bought the water bottle, like the Corkcicle water bottle. Shalon has her receipt—I didn't even pay attention at all. I used my Disney Rewards card, so in my defense, it was free! But I literally just bought those two things and didn't even ask. And I'm sure the receipt's around somewhere, but so how much was it, Shalon? Because you bought the Loungefly, too.

[21:01] Shalon: So the Loungefly was the most expensive thing they have, I believe—I don't even think the Spirit Jersey was that much. It was $105. Most Loungeflys are usually what, $70 or $80? Only really rare ones like this would be more expensive, but it is rare, right? Because you can only buy it on the tour. And I've already used mine several times, so making it a worthwhile purchase.

[21:27] Jen: Windbreaker was $120.

[21:29] Kristy: Yeah.

[21:29] Jen: I was looking at that—I was looking at the Loungefly, though there was a windbreaker, like a jacket. So, and I told my kids that I bought a VIP tour but they could buy merchandise if they would like.

[21:44] Shalon: It's definitely expensive. My husband got the polo—it was $95, but it is very good quality, so hopefully it'll last for many years. And then I also looked at the Corkcicles because I didn't buy them last time and had immediate regret when I got home after saying, 'I don't need another water bottle, I don't need another coffee cup.' So I made sure to get them this time because it might be a long time before I do another tour, and they were like $50 or $55. So if purchasing stuff is important to you on the VIP tours, make sure you're budgeting for that and going in knowing it's going to be expensive. But they're one-of-a-kind unique type items that you can only get on these tours.

[22:26] Kristy: I wanted the Spirit Jersey so bad because I love a Spirit Jersey. But I think what ended up happening was it was so hot that I was literally like, 'The last thing I want is a Spirit Jersey, a black Spirit Jersey,' so I think that saved me. But I do think I want to go back and do another one at some point in the wintertime, like Christmas time again, and I think I would be a sucker for that Spirit Jersey if it was just a little bit cooler outside. I do know that Sammy's husband is traveling this week and she also got him the polo and said that he needed to wear that at every work event he possibly could as a little bit of marketing—and apparently it's going well, that was what he said to her yesterday. He's traveling, but I was like, that's genius to be like, go wear it amongst people that will ask questions!

[23:26] Kristy: I had my bag at the airport and I walked up to the gate, and this woman was sitting there and she looked at me and she goes, 'Oh, bougie girl!' And I just kind of laughed. I said, 'How did you know?' and she was like—oh, so I sat down and talked to her a little bit about it. And I basically said to her, I'm like, 'It's much easier when you have nine friends to split it—it's not like I did it by myself or even just my family.' So, was there anything about the experience that didn't live up to the hype that you wish had been different, or anything other than the cream cheese pretzels that I already mentioned for myself?

[23:57] Jen: And the rain! I feel like, you know, things that are not controllable, but everything that was controllable was pretty great.

[24:06] Shalon: I think it went really well. I know towards the end of the night, our speed or pace did pick up. I know when we first talked to Kirk, we kind of told him—he's like, 'What are you guys looking to do?' and we're like, 'We are here to hit all the rides.' I don't think he realized we were serious, that we are extreme park-goers. And so maybe if I had to redo it over, I would drive it home a little bit more at the beginning, because we could have gotten in an extra ride, I feel like. I think we could have maybe gotten two, honestly, if we were like really on it. So if that's something you really want to do with your tour is really hit attractions and literally just stop for chugging a water, going to the bathroom, and shoving a snack in your face, make sure you tell your guide upfront and reiterate it if it's really important. Maybe say, 'Yeah, I have this major goal and we're willing to hustle to get through it,' because we did towards the end of the night—we were quite hustling to get those last couple of attractions in.

[25:01] Kristy: Yeah, and I will say that I gave them the list—Olivia's list—when I booked the tour, and I was a little surprised that he didn't have that information, because my previous tours, even the ones with him, he knew exactly what we were going for. And one of the tours we did with him years ago, we actually had him for seven hours and then a second tour guide for the following seven hours with a big group of us. And that I wouldn't recommend doing again, because if you have Kirk in the morning, no one's living up to the afternoon—and that was our experience! And that is something to point out—not every guide is the same. They all have their unique personalities, they're, you know, just like regular humans, I guess. But that is why we maintain the list of the great ones. So when we have a client have a great experience, we definitely keep track of that.

[26:01] Kristy: But yeah, I was surprised that, like, he was surprised that we wanted to do as many rides. I do think that having the adults and teenagers and a six-year-old threw him for a loop because normally that's going to be a slower pace, but he didn't realize Sammy's daughter has been training for this her entire life! This is not a typical thing. One thing I would recommend doing—that I know Jen and I did before, and you may have done something similar with the slower tour—is getting more opportunities to talk to your guide. If you're a real Disney fan, one of the tours I did, we actually did a sit-down meal, and they ate with us and we picked their brains about everything—and it was the coolest dinner ever! They used to have 'Dine with an Imagineer'—you could actually book that. This was kind of like that, but VIP style, and I love that part. I've done all the rides, so if I were the one planning it, I think I would have gone more in that area versus just the never-ending list of things. Certainly would have done the big ones that you'd be waiting in line for a long time for. But I think that the time that I did get to spend with Kirk during that experience was among my favorite moments—like just chatting with him about Royal Caribbean, of all things! Like, he's a huge Royal Caribbean fan. He's like, 'I love Disney, but it's kind of like going to work,' and I was like, 'Yeah, I get that.' And I thought—Jen, you mentioned in the beginning how he managed to connect with everybody on the tour. That takes a very special personality, and I watched him with Olivia, and with Eric and Hannah, and everybody, and it was like he really did make it so that everybody felt seen and appreciated and had some time with him.

[27:48] Shalon: We actually did the sit-down lunch when I did my first tour, and we did the same thing—we just kind of talked and picked the brain and talked about Disney stuff. So that was kind of nice, right? Because we were all huge Disney nerds, so talking to another person who loves it just as much was a nice way to just kind of enjoy a little bit of a break and downtime and get some fun facts maybe that you don't know about the park. Sometimes they have information you don't realize.

[28:16] Kristy: Yeah, there's so much to the story that goes beyond the scenes that you don't realize. I remember Kirk had told us, at Animal Kingdom near Expedition Everest, if you look at the footprints in the pavement going away from the water, they're heavier because the idea was that the person was carrying a bucket of water. So they would have been heavier footprints going away from the water; going back, they're lighter because their bucket was empty. And I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? Like, you people thought of that?!' He was like, 'Yeah, it had to be that way.' And I was like, 'Oh, okay.' Stuff that you'd never know unless someone pointed it out.

[28:56] Shalon: I now need to go to Animal Kingdom and look because I had no idea! That's awesome.

[29:13] Kristy: If I had a better memory... actually, you have a great memory for things, so like you hearing all those facts would be great because you'd have them forever. He gave us a bunch of them, and that's probably the only one I can still remember now—just that one. Every time I walk by that spot, I look at the footprints, and like—he was right, still! That's awesome.

[29:35] Kristy: So, one thing I definitely wanted to point out—because we just said that we spent $4,200 plus tip, so it ended up being just over $500 a person—let's talk about the Lightning Lane Premier Pass, because when I did the math on that one, I went, 'Okay, I know it's worth it now because of that.'

[29:58] Jen: So, one of the things that you can purchase as a Disney Resort guest, regardless of if you are interested in a VIP tour or whatever resort you're staying at, is the Disney Premier Pass, which is different than your Lightning Lane Multipass and your Lightning Lane Single Pass in that the Premier Pass allows you to go and use the Lightning Lane for every single attraction that offers it in a single park. So, it is kind of like a self-guided VIP tour without the great personality with you and the Imagineer-style information. But when you price that out, you can—it's one park, and Magic Kingdom, for example, I think when we were there was $399 per person. So, just Magic Kingdom would have cost you just shy of $4,000 for a group of 10. Our tour, which allowed us to hit all the parks if we wanted, was $4,200 for a group of 10. So if you're interested in Premier Pass, definitely it's worth doing the math for a VIP tour. The other parks are less expensive, but it's still—you're talking about thousands of dollars for your group potentially.

[31:27] Kristy: Yeah, like for Hollywood Studios, which is the other place that we did a lot of rides, $329 a person. So you're looking at $3,290 plus $3,990, and now you're—I'm not a math person, but that looks like about $7,000, and that's only two parks! So I was shocked when I saw that, because I am not one that does Premier Pass—I am against it on a moral level because I think it's just obscene. But I do think that for some clients, especially the once-in-a-lifetime trips or if it's a special thing, that people will do it. And heck, if you don't have 10 people, it's a little easier to take. But when I saw that, I was like, so for just a little bit more, we had a VIP tour guide and we did get to use some of those, you know, surprise entrances and that sort of thing. But yeah, the math worked out there really well.

[32:28] Kristy: Okay ladies, let's say it: do we think it was really worth it based on your individual experiences that day on June 24th?

[32:39] Jen: It was for me and my kiddos—they're still talking about it.

[32:46] Kristy: Yeah, and I heard Eric say—now, teenagers are tough, yours happen to be really good kids—but I heard him say multiple times, 'This was the best day ever.' Like, he was so appreciative. And at one point, I don't know if you heard him, but he was talking to me about it, and he said, 'I still can't believe my mom did this. I'm so glad she did this.' And I was like, 'You should make sure you tell her!' But he was so sweet about it—like, he was just so gushing about how incredible the experience was and how much he appreciated it. And I kept thinking to myself, 'You're not a normal teenager, bud!' because it was just such a nice thing for him to say.

[33:28] Jen: So, they are great kids, but also like, how do you put a price on that, right?

[33:34] Kristy: Yeah. So, Shalon, what about for you guys?

[33:35] Shalon: Yeah, so I'm a little less enthusiastic about it, and maybe that's my local rose-colored glasses that I have since I go to the parks a lot. I absolutely had a blast and getting to share that with you guys and having that really fun time, but I feel like money-wise, it was very expensive. And I think that's why I went crazy buying the merchandise, because I don't foresee myself doing another one anytime soon just because of that. But most people are not in my situation, right? Most people when they're doing these, they're coming down for their first time or once every five years, something like that. So for the most—most of the clients and people who would look at these, it's going to be worth it, I think, because your time is limited, maybe, with your family and your friends that you're traveling with. So I think for me personally, it was really fun and I'm happy I did it, but I'm not sure I would do it again anytime soon. But for the general traveler who's coming to the parks, I think it's absolutely worth it, especially when you compare it to those Premier Pass prices.

[34:42] Kristy: For me, I think it was worth it. I only had to pay for just me, and there was a spot for Eric at the end because Jess couldn't join us, and I did ask him if he wanted to come. And I was thinking to myself, I would love for him to be here to have this experience with all of us, but the idea of paying $1,000 plus whatever it costs to get him there, plus the cost of a ticket—because tickets are not included with a VIP tour, you have to have that above and beyond—so it does make for an expensive day. But I think for me in that moment, it was worth it. I do foresee myself doing it again, maybe soon—ideally, I would love to do it in that like December timeframe because I do—I love Christmas time down there, and I would love to be able to do it in the cooler weather. That was my only real complaint, and that obviously is we went in June, like, there's—it's going to be hot in Florida.

[35:54] Kristy: But for me, the idea that I could comfortably wear that Spirit Jersey and a pair of jeans and be cozy is real attractive to me for that. And I do think that when I'm looking at it in terms of you probably wouldn't have a hard time getting nine other people together, based on the people that I know, to put something like that together. But I had a great time. I was a little nervous about the adults with the six-year-old, and let's be real, she was the birthday boss—she was in charge—but it was fun, it was so fun! And watching Disney through the eyes of kids was really cool because I haven't done that in a long time. And like I said, Jen's kids I've known for a long time and they're both fantastic, so just getting to have that experience was super fun.

[36:40] Kristy: Yeah, but I definitely—I think it was worth it, and I think it's like three different answers here, right? Like, we definitely have that. And I think that's the way it is for clients, too. And for anybody that's listening, it's like you've got to think about your own budget, your own like, you know, what your experience is, and your tour might be completely different than the one that we did—there's so many variables. But if I just think about the fact that it's only money and I can't take it with me, and that's what credit cards are for... I'm just kidding! I'm not saying to go into debt for tours, I'm not saying that. But to me, it felt like it was worth it. And we'll never know what Sammy thinks because she's not here with us tonight—I think she'll weigh in on social media and let us know, but I'm pretty sure she was happy with the experience, too.

[37:34] Shalon: I think so.

[37:35] Jen: Well, the birthday boss was pretty happy!

[37:37] Shalon: Yeah.

[37:38] Jen: I don't actually know what her next birthday will be, though, goodness!

[37:43] Kristy: Well, and I said that to her a couple of times, and then I saw them yesterday and I said to Liv, 'So, where are we going on your seventh birthday?' and she goes, 'I haven't decided yet.' I was like, 'Well, make sure you invite me again, thank you!' It was really funny.

[38:00] Kristy: All right, that is one more question unpacked. And next week, we're going to be answering the question: is a surprise trip a good idea or a disaster waiting to happen? I think you're really going to enjoy that episode, so make sure you subscribe so you don't miss it. See you real soon, traveler.

[38:19] Outro: Thanks for listening to Talk Travel to Me. We hope this episode cracked open inspiration for the treasures that await you at your next dream destination. If you love the show, please review, subscribe, and share it with a friend. At Mickey Guru Travel Company, we're your trusted guides for theme parks, cruises, resorts, and more. Visit our website at mickeyguru.com to learn more and book your vacation today.