1st WDW Trip - DLR Vet - VIP Tour and DHS

[pwillunlv]

We are Disneyland veterans (2 DLR visits per year) making our first trip to WDW this March. We are (currently) staying at BRV at WL. We are arriving late on a Sunday and leaving the early afternoon the following Sunday (8 days, 7 nights). We are being gifted 2 days of Private VIP Tours ! That, and the fact we are DLR vets, has generally impacted my planning thoughts as follows: (1) we are going to tour in a more relaxed fashion on non-VIP Tour day; and (2) we may skip attractions that are pure clones of attractions available at DLR (SWGE, TSMM, Soarin, Ariel, etc.)

Here is the current itinerary:

• Sunday: Check-in, Dinner
• Monday: AK (half day - morning)
  • Afternoon/evening: Explore AKL
• Tuesday: MK (full day)
• Wednesday: VIP Day
  • 8h, 30 min tour - start at Noon, end at 8:30pm at Enchantment
  • Park Hopping Order: Epcot > DHS > MK
• Thursday: DHS (half day)
• Friday: VIP Day 2 (Start at Noon)
  • 8h, 30 min tour - start at Noon, end at 8:30pm at Enchantment
  • Park Hopping Order: AK > DHS > Epcot (GotGCR only) > MK
• Saturday: Epcot (full day)
• Sunday: Explore a Resort, Lunch, Leave

Both VIP Days end at MK to get the special firework seating area.

Questions/Thoughts:

1. Main question: Should we consider skipping DHS on Thursday and make it a pool/resort day? From what I can gather, it's difficult to get more than two LLs per visit at DHS (many only end up with one) and some are nearly impossible to get (e.g. SDD). We are fine with skipping SWGE (we have ridden ROTR and explored SWGE many times at DLR) and we could devote portions of both VIP days there for the other attractions (youngest daughter is fixated on SDD lol). I know we would miss out on Fantasmic, Indiana Jones, and general exploration of DHS, but I am thinking the day off may be more valuable to recharge our batteries.
2. Should we consider going to all 4 parks, or just 3 parks on each VIP day? The trade-off for 4 parks is lost time to park-hopping. The benefit is be being able to ride (theoretically) more e-tickets, especially those that are limited to one ride per VIP Tour--FOP, GotGCR, RotR (which we may skip anyway). Also, since Epcot and DHS are so close to another, not that much time is lost hopping from one to the other.
3. Tron & VIP Tour. One variable is whether our VIP Tour guide will let us ride Tron, which will likely be in AP/DVC previews when we are there. If our guide will let us (which I know is a YMMV type of thing), we will need to devote additional time at MK on the VIP Days.
4. Feel free to evaluate, critique, or give any advice you think may be helpful--you folks are an awesome community with a wealth of knowledge!

(CC: @Karebear, @gottalovepluto, @maxbuffmelvin)

 

[Marthasor]

We are Disneyland veterans (2 DLR visits per year) making our first trip to WDW this March. We are (currently) staying at BRV at WL. We are arriving late on a Sunday and leaving the early afternoon the following Sunday (8 days, 7 nights). We are being gifted 2 days of Private VIP Tours ! That, and the fact we are DLR vets, has generally impacted my planning thoughts as follows: (1) we are going to tour in a more relaxed fashion on non-VIP Tour day; and (2) we may skip attractions that are pure clones of attractions available at DLR (SWGE, TSMM, Soarin, Ariel, etc.)

Here is the current itinerary:

• Sunday: Check-in, Dinner
• Monday: AK (half day - morning)
  • Afternoon/evening: Explore AKL
• Tuesday: MK (full day)
• Wednesday: VIP Day (Start at Noon)
  • Park Hopping Order: Epcot > DHS > MK
• Thursday: DHS (half day)
• Friday: VIP Day 2 (Start at Noon)
  • Park Hopping Order: AK > DHS > Epcot (GotGCR only) > MK
• Saturday: Epcot (full day)
• Sunday: Explore a Resort, Lunch, Leave

Both VIP Days end at MK to get the special firework seating area.

Questions/Thoughts:

1. Main question: Should we consider skipping DHS on Thursday and make it a pool/resort day? From what I can gather, it's difficult to get more than two LLs per visit at DHS (many only end up with one) and some are nearly impossible to get (e.g. SDD). We are fine with skipping SWGE (we have ridden ROTR and explored SWGE many times at DLR) and we could devote portions of both VIP days there for the other attractions (youngest daughter is fixated on SDD lol). I know we would miss out on Fantasmic, Indiana Jones, and general exploration of DHS, but I am thinking the day off may be more valuable to recharge our batteries.
2. Should we consider going to all 4 parks, or just 3 parks on each VIP day? The trade-off for 4 parks is lost time to park-hopping. The benefit is be being able to ride (theoretically) more e-tickets, especially those that are limited to one ride per VIP Tour--FOP, GotGCR, RotR (which we may skip anyway). Also, since Epcot and DHS are so close to another, not that much time is lost hopping from one to the other.
3. Tron & VIP Tour. One variable is whether our VIP Tour guide will let us ride Tron, which will likely be in AP/DVC previews when we are there. If our guide will let us (which I know is a YMMV type of thing), we will need to devote additional time at MK on the VIP Days.
4. Feel free to evaluate, critique, or give any advice you think may be helpful--you folks are an awesome community with a wealth of knowledge!

(CC: @Karebear, @gottalovepluto, @maxbuffmelvin)

How long will each tour be? Is it the standard 7 hours? I, personally, would not do 4 parks during the tour. Even though the guide can whisk you from park to park, you are still spending time in the car - time that could be spent in the parks. Maybe consider two parks per tour and really focusing your time in those parks? I would also consider not seeing the MK fireworks both nights. WDW Fantasmic is quite different than the DL version and Harmonious is worth watching as well, IMHO. If you do Fantasmic with the guide and there is a second show, I recommend asking them to reserve seats for the second show. Chances of getting VIP seating for the first show are slim to none. Your guide will have no control over whether or not you will be allowed to ride Tron. That's a parks operations decision. I would also consider spending more than a half day at AK especially if you are interested in seeing any of the shows or animal encounters. AKL is lovely, but you will have a more immersive animal experience at AK.

 

[pwillunlv]

How long will each tour be? Is it the standard 7 hours?

8 hours, 30 minutes. Starting at Noon and ending at Enchantment at 8:30pm Thank you, I will edit to clarify.

Maybe consider two parks per tour and really focusing your time in those parks?

This is my dilemma. We will certainly be able to do more attractions this way, but less of the top e-ticket attractions. I get your thinking though.

I would also consider not seeing the MK fireworks both nights. WDW Fantasmic is quite different than the DL version and Harmonious is worth watching as well, IMHO.

My thinking is that we could watch Harmonious on Saturday night and F! on Thursday, if we keep DHS for Wednesday (already have a F! package booked). From what I have read, F! is superior at DLR, but I would still prefer to see F! at DHS. Maybe we will consider ending one of our VIP Tours at DHS if we jettison DHS on Thursday.

would also consider spending more than a half day at AK especially if you are interested in seeing any of the shows or animal encounters. AKL is lovely, but you will have a more immersive animal experience at AK.

This is a good point. I think I will lean toward full day at AK instead of checking out AKL (less travel too obviously). Maybe will check out AKL on Sunday instead.

Thank you for your response and input!!!

 

[R&RsMom]

We did 4 parks in a 7 hour tour last year, and it was a lot of travelling and walking. I would agree with 2 parks a day. you can get more rides on the “big” rides thru ILL on your other days. Or maybe even before your tour.

 

[gottalovepluto]

AKL is neat but unless you’ve got dining reservations it’s gonna be hard to kill more than an hour.

I would find a way to see F! You could set a dining alert to snag a dinner package to get access to that seating area if you don’t want to use a VIP tour night for it. ToT is kinda different than the old one at DLR and I actually like DHS’s better, but it breaks down a lot and the line can get long.

Browse the shows and see if any at DHS are of interest, you could do a resort morning and mosey onto over to DHS for afternoon exploration and a F! Dinner. They might add a later F! Show in which case you can maybe avoid the chaos of show 1 and the necessity of a dining package. It doesn’t feel as immersive or relatable as DLR’s but everybody gets a seat, everyone can see, you don’t become awkwardly aquatinted with the strangers shoved up next to you and they’ve added some new stuff since the re-opening to the show making it much better. It holds like 7k people fyi, it’s a totally different experience. (But I don’t think it’s worth giving up the second night of vip MK fireworks). You have park hopper tickets that really gives you options for tacking F! On.

I would switch Tues & Sat. Epcot on weekends can be chaos. My dad in an ECV almost had a bride to be dropped on him by her drunk bridesmaids who hoisted her in the air and carried her around, and there were other drunk and stupid incidents that sat. Definitely less drunk and stupid M-Thur and shorter lunch lines at festival booths. I hear VIP tours are exhausting so Sat at MK you can just hit anything you missed and go back to your resort fairly quickly if you get tired.

EP is worth exploring properly, with energy because it’s the size of DL+DCA. The upfront area is a construction zone but has GOTG, Test Track on one side (if your crew doesn’t throw up plan on doing GOTG again, most people love it and I think VIP might not allow re-rides) and an aquarium and land pavilion with Soarin on the other (the land boat ride is boring but the second half has some cool plants and testing new growing techniques if you want some air conditioning). DO NOT FALL FOR THE WHITE BALL FIRST THING. Lots of people hit that up first. If you must do it, ride it later when the line dies down. I still regret losing those 20 mins of my life and I didn’t even wait in line for it The other half of the park is International showcase which is where it is at for me. Exploring the countries is just so neat and unlike anything we have here but it’s not something to waste your time doing with a vip guide.

You have PH tickets right? I just want to double check because some people don’t and assume it’s a free perk of VIP Tours and it is not.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Oh! It will take you about half an hour to hop DHS/EP. That’s close in WDW but not to a DL vet I would use the Skyliner between them since you aren’t staying at a Skyliner resort this will give you a chance to ride.

 

[dieumeye]

We’re in a very similar situation! Disneyland regulars, going to WDW 8 days/7 nights in March, and doing two VIP Tour days.

Our plan is to do 2 parks each VIP tour day (DHS/Epcot, and AK/MK).

On our tour days, we will meet the guide in the park. We will focus on the headliner attractions, especially rides that are not at Disneyland. Any duplicate rides or other minor rides we will do only if time allows.

On non-tour days, we will take a leisurely approach to the parks and do attractions that generally do not have long wait times.

Overall we are not concerned about skipping DL duplicate attractions (all the Star Wars rides, Ariel, Midway Mania, etc.) since we have easy access to those in California (but we do plan to ride the “similar but different“ attractions like Pirates, Space Mountain, etc).

Remember, with the exception of Rise and Guardians, you can ride attractions multiple times. And travel between parks takes time that could be used to squeeze in another ride. So, for example, would you rather split your rides on Tower of Terror between Wednesday and Friday, or ride it only on one tour day, but be able to squeeze in an extra ride because you weren’t spending time traveling?

Of course, that’s just my thinking. It’s your time, so the real answer is do whatever you feel best about. Doing it your way is the point of the VIP tour!

 

[Marthasor]

8 hours, 30 minutes. Starting at Noon and ending at Enchantment at 8:30pm Thank you, I will edit to clarify.

This is my dilemma. We will certainly be able to do more attractions this way, but less of the top e-ticket attractions. I get your thinking though.

My thinking is that we could watch Harmonious on Saturday night and F! on Thursday, if we keep DHS for Wednesday (already have a F! package booked). From what I have read, F! is superior at DLR, but I would still prefer to see F! at DHS. Maybe we will consider ending one of our VIP Tours at DHS if we jettison DHS on Thursday.

This is a good point. I think I will lean toward full day at AK instead of checking out AKL (less travel too obviously). Maybe will check out AKL on Sunday instead.

Thank you for your response and input!!!

With the clarification, I think I would stick with your plan - see Harmonious on your own (be prepared to snag a good spot up to an hour before - Italy and Japan are good as is the Port of Entry area) and do the F! Dining Package. The nice thing about doing 2 VIP tours during your trip is you can adjust your second day plans after you see how the first one goes. If you decide you don't want to see Enchantment a 2nd night, speak to your guide about possibly adjusting times to see Harmonious or F! on your second day. Harmonious VIP area is easy to get into on a tour (not a great view though). F! first show is very hard to get into (2nd show is easy if they are holding one during your visit). I also wouldn't discount the WDW F!. I've seen both versions this past year and with the WDW update, a dedicated amphitheater and seating, I think WDW rivals DL's version.

Just an FYI, as PP pointed out, you should be able to get multiple rides on FOP during your VIP tour. The only rides with a 1-ride restriction right now are GOTG and ROTR.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

I, personally, would not do 4 parks during the tour. Even though the guide can whisk you from park to park, you are still spending time in the car - time that could be spent in the parks. Maybe consider two parks per tour and really focusing your time in those parks?

I would also consider spending more than a half day at AK especially if you are interested in seeing any of the shows or animal encounters. AKL is lovely, but you will have a more immersive animal experience at AK.

We did 4 parks in a 7 hour tour last year, and it was a lot of travelling and walking. I would agree with 2 parks a day. you can get more rides on the “big” rides thru ILL on your other days. Or maybe even before your tour.

AKL is neat but unless you’ve got dining reservations it’s gonna be hard to kill more than an hour.

ToT is kinda different than the old one at DLR and I actually like DHS’s better, but it breaks down a lot and the line can get long.

I would switch Tues & Sat. Epcot on weekends can be chaos. My dad in an ECV almost had a bride to be dropped on him by her drunk bridesmaids who hoisted her in the air and carried her around, and there were other drunk and stupid incidents that sat. Definitely less drunk and stupid M-Thur and shorter lunch lines at festival booths. I hear VIP tours are exhausting so Sat at MK you can just hit anything you missed and go back to your resort fairly quickly if you get tired.

EP is worth exploring properly, with energy because it’s the size of DL+DCA. The upfront area is a construction zone but has GOTG, Test Track on one side (if your crew doesn’t throw up plan on doing GOTG again, most people love it and I think VIP might not allow re-rides) and an aquarium and land pavilion with Soarin on the other (the land boat ride is boring but the second half has some cool plants and testing new growing techniques if you want some air conditioning). DO NOT FALL FOR THE WHITE BALL FIRST THING. Lots of people hit that up first. If you must do it, ride it later when the line dies down. I still regret losing those 20 mins of my life and I didn’t even wait in line for it The other half of the park is International showcase which is where it is at for me. Exploring the countries is just so neat and unlike anything we have here but it’s not something to waste your time doing with a vip guide.

Oh! It will take you about half an hour to hop DHS/EP. That’s close in WDW but not to a DL vet I would use the Skyliner between them since you aren’t staying at a Skyliner resort this will give you a chance to ride.

I picked out my favorite quotes.

I've never done a VIP tour or F! at DHS.

EP is a lot of walking in the hot sun. The front gate in Future World to American Adventure feels like walking from Chip & Dale Tree House in DL's Toon Town to DCA's TSMM.

I wouldn't skip these WDW/DL clones because there are some differences: Pirates, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Small World, Tiki Room, Haunted, Jungle Cruise, River Boat, and Railroad.

Also, visit these former DL attractions: Tower of Terror, Country Bears, Carousel of Progress, Swiss Family, and PeopleMover. They may be minor to some people, but I miss them when I go to DL, just like how I miss Mr. Toad, Snow White Scary Adventure, or Toon Town at WDW.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

WDW-only rides in comparison to similar ride system at DL:

Test Track = Radiator Springs Racers
Rockin Rollercoaster = Incredicoaster (except outdoors)
Dinosaur = Indiana Jones Adventure
Barnstormer = Gadget Coaster
Alien Saucers = Maters Junkyard
Kali RIver = Grizzly River

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Main question: Should we consider skipping DHS on Thursday and make it a pool/resort day?

Personally, I would. While VIP tours can be very efficient, they can also be 'intense' as you're constantly on the move, especially trying to cover the parks in your plan. It may be hard to do this but with the benefit of two tours you can really slow down on both days and focus on things you want/adjust on the fly when/if needed. You have tons of time to play with and the 8.5 hours vs. the base 7 that most try to stick to really helps as well, so I wouldn't be afraid to tinker as you go if needed.

You can always go to DHS that afternoon or evening after relaxing all day if you'd like to - DHS is a beautiful park at night, IMHO, do F!, etc.

Not sure of your party ages, stamina, etc, but IMHO a mental/physical break, even if just half a day, between two tour days is a good idea. (And WL is a great place to relax!)

One other note, maybe just me but I don't totally love Epcot on VIP tours. You can walk through the park if you want but usually with tours they'll park backstage close to your destination ride, back in the car and the same for the next, etc. Yes you're getting on rides more efficiently than walking through the park, but to me it always feels like a disjointed way to experience a theme park - so I like that you have a full Epcot day later in the trip. And if you find your Epcot VIP time is dragging for whatever reason, to me that's an easy call to go ahead and move on.

And I agree with @Marthasor on the VIP tour/Tron thing. Granted anything is possible on any given Disney day and you just never know in case your timing works out, but in my experience Disney park is pretty stingy when it comes to ‘access’ and things like VIP tours don’t help, so I would keep expectations pretty low in that regard (although it never hurts to ask).

Enjoy your trip - sounds like a wonderful plan and a great way to experience all the different things we have over here.

 

[Blnaro]

We’re in a very similar situation! Disneyland regulars, going to WDW 8 days/7 nights in March, and doing two VIP Tour days.

Our plan is to do 2 parks each VIP tour day (DHS/Epcot, and AK/MK).

On our tour days, we will meet the guide in the park. We will focus on the headliner attractions, especially rides that are not at Disneyland. Any duplicate rides or other minor rides we will do only if time allows.

On non-tour days, we will take a leisurely approach to the parks and do attractions that generally do not have long wait times.

Overall we are not concerned about skipping DL duplicate attractions (all the Star Wars rides, Ariel, Midway Mania, etc.) since we have easy access to those in California (but we do plan to ride the “similar but different“ attractions like Pirates, Space Mountain, etc).

Remember, with the exception of Rise and Guardians, you can ride attractions multiple times. And travel between parks takes time that could be used to squeeze in another ride. So, for example, would you rather split your rides on Tower of Terror between Wednesday and Friday, or ride it only on one tour day, but be able to squeeze in an extra ride because you weren’t spending time traveling?

Of course, that’s just my thinking. It’s your time, so the real answer is do whatever you feel best about. Doing it your way is the point of the VIP tour!

Definitely like your thought process on 2 days 2 parks. We did three parks on a VIP tour in 2021 and even without the crowds it was a lot. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but unless the ride is open to the public, you won’t be able to ride…Ratatouille was in AP/DVC mode when we were there, but we were told it was a no go. Likely won’t get to ride Tron unless you are AP/DVC and have a reservation. Only other recommendation I haven’t seen would be don’t waste your time on lunch/dinner with VIP. Schedule those in your own time if you have an interest. Highly recommend Julia and you can request her although it really depends on scheduling. She was great with the kiddos and had lots of great trivia to share! Have a ball and man am I jealous of your 2 day VIP!

 

[dieumeye]

Definitely like your thought process on 2 days 2 parks. We did three parks on a VIP tour in 2021 and even without the crowds it was a lot. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but unless the ride is open to the public, you won’t be able to ride…Ratatouille was in AP/DVC mode when we were there, but we were told it was a no go. Likely won’t get to ride Tron unless you are AP/DVC and have a reservation. Only other recommendation I haven’t seen would be don’t waste your time on lunch/dinner with VIP. Schedule those in your own time if you have an interest. Highly recommend Julia and you can request her although it really depends on scheduling. She was great with the kiddos and had lots of great trivia to share! Have a ball and man am I jealous of your 2 day VIP!

We’ve never gone to WDW before and this trip was years in the making and originally booked for March 2020… and then the parks closed. We’re just now getting back around to doing it, and since it’s now many many years in the making I YOLO’d and booked two VIP tour days so we can do all our must-do’s at a reasonable pace and then totally chill the other park/resort days.

We have no expectations of riding Tron. There’s plenty of other new-to-us stuff we’ll be doing, so that itch will be satisfied. Of course we’ll ride if offered the opportunity, but not expecting that.

For lunch on VIP days, since we’re only aiming for 2 parks, we might do a fast QS stop if it looks like we’re doing good on time, otherwise we’re fine just grabbing snacks or other stuff we can eat on the go.