jeffers102
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2021
I’m not sure how valuable anyone else will find this trip report, but I wanted to share in case anyone was interested in private VIP details or had any questions.
Our vacation to Orlando was primarily to enjoy Universal parks and Halloween Horror Nights (first time at HHN!), but it had been a few years since our last Disney parks visit (we’ve been getting our Disney fix through their cruise line). So, we planned one day dedicated to Disney (not including MNSSHP on a different night). After debating it internally for months, I decided to book a private VIP tour for our group of 3 adults, especially as we were celebrating a 40th birthday. Some quick tour details:
We arrived at MK at 10:00 AM and took the monorail from TTC to the park entrance. We were meeting the guide at 11:00 AM at Town Square Theater, so my wife and friend grabbed coffees and we just strolled Main Street as a way of easing into our day. At 10:45 AM I went inside the theater looking for the telltale plaid that the guides are known to wear. Not seeing any, I asked a CM if she knew where I should meet my guide and was surprised that she said she had never seen a guide meet inside the theater before and had no idea what to tell me. Immediately I thought I got the details wrong, but I received a call on my cell from my guide at 10:53 AM saying he arrived and was right outside the theater, excellent!
I’ll be the first to admit that our touring plan was not optimal, as there was some unnecessary backtracking (our decision, nothing on the guides part). However, it allowed us to explore how and what we wanted, which is kind of the whole point, right?
Magic Kingdom
We started with Mine Train, followed by Peter Pan, then Winnie the Pooh (I know), and then Mine Train again. We had hit all the other rides we had wanted to during MNSSHP, so we decided to jump to the next park. Our guide did offer to take pictures of us whenever we wanted, which was nice. Also, we encouraged him to ride with us on anything he wanted to, which I was happy he did for any rides where rows were split amongst an even number of people. We slipped out a side entrance near the teacups to an already running and chilled Chevy Tahoe with a CM waiting at each door (a bit awkward for me, as I’m not fully comfortable being pampered to this degree). As we approached, each CM opened our door and we were handed an ice cold bottled water and we were off to AK!
Animal Kingdom
We arrived in the Pandora section in what felt like no time and immediately breezed into the park (security check is only for first entry, with the tour, there were no additional checks when entering a new park). We started with Na’Vi River Journey and Flight of Passage (wow, so cool!). We spent more time than we probably should have taking pictures in Pandora before moving on to the next ride. You really do feel almost stressed out about stopping for too long when on a tour, so the pace was brisk all day. I wanted to do Expedition Everest next, so our guide recommended that we drive, which we did. We parked outside of Dinosaur and entered through an emergency exit, which was kinda cool. Neither parking location at AK had a valet, which was fine by me, just sharing for completeness. My wife didn’t want to ride it, so she shopped a bit in the gift shop while my friend and I rode EE twice in a row. I noticed that the single rider literally had no one in it, so it would have been faster to do that, but we did want to sit next to each other, so we used the LL. At this point, we were all getting hungry, so looking at the best options to accommodate our friend's eating restrictions, we opted for Satu’li Canteen (WOW, this place was very good). We prepared our mobile order and officially ordered as we arrived. It was my first time mobile ordering at Disney and it couldn’t have been easier. I offered to buy our guide lunch, but he said Disney covers all meals for the guides when they are on tours, which I was happy to hear. I should also point out that to get to lunch, we got back in the car and parked right outside Pandora again, where we had started at AK. I wanted to hit FoP one more time before heading to HS and it was just as fun the second time around. Off to HS!
Hollywood Studios
We arrived outside Rockin’ Roller Coaster in the valet lot and were again greeted by a team of CMs ready to see if we needed anything. There were a lot of snacks they presented to us, typical fare including: chips, trail mix, nuts, and Mickey rice krispy treats. My wife and I each took a rice krispy treat to bring back home to our girls. While walking to Galaxy’s Edge, my friend wanted to stop and get a caricature of the three of us, but given the pace, I didn’t want to wait and she definitely was mad at me (AITA?). Luckily, it was short lived and she eventually agreed that if we wanted a caricature, we could get one at Universal a few days later when not on the clock. Anyways, we started off with Rise of Resistance (absolutely amazing experience!). We definitely took a fair bit of pictures in this land before doing Smugglers Run (it was very enjoyable, but not nearly the fun of RotR). It was a bit overcast (no rain), but right as we got to Slinky Dog Dash, they closed it due to lightning (we didn’t see any, but I understand, better to play it safe). So, we walked over to MMRR, which was very cute, even for adults. Our guide took snack orders (basically, anything that is considered a snack: pretzels, churros, mickey bars, etc). All of us opted for Mickey bars, which were near melted when we got off the ride (a symptom of how hot it was, not because of anything our guide did). I’m not an ice cream person, but they tasted extra good given the heat and all the walking (and more fun given the degree of difficulty it took to consume them directly from the wrapper!). Next, we tried our luck by going back to SDD and were pleasantly surprised to learn that it had just reopened, so the LL was extra short. I’d equate SDD to Mine Train, but more fun. We wanted to ride it again, but agreed that we should probably head over to Epcot.
Epcot
We parked outside of Test Track and went straight for Cosmic Rewind. After seeing how long the LL was, our guide found out it had gone down and there was no telling what the ride’s status would be. Not wanting to waste time on uncertainty, we walked over to Frozen Ever After (this is the only ride I felt guilty about riding without my girls). Just like with SDD, we backtracked (no small feat at Epcot!) to Cosmic Rewind and the LL looked deserted. We were able to go straight into the first of 3 preshows and our guide told us where to stand to optimize our positioning for each subsequent preshow. He and my wife didn’t want to ride it, so it was just me and our friend. I LOVED this ride and didn’t feel dizzy or any motion sickness at all, but I know everyone is different. At this point, we jumped back in the car and parked outside of Soarin’, which we all did next. We then walked to Ratatouille, which was closed sadly. At this point, it was already getting pretty late, so we headed to the fireworks VIP area (checked in there around 8:45 PM). We took a picture with our guide, handed him an envelope with his tip, and said our goodbyes. It was nice being able to finally sit down at a table and enjoy an unobstructed view (at this point, we were all well over 30,000 steps and it showed). After a very nice show, we took some more pictures of the park and took the monorail back to TTC. I was surprised that we were able to get on the second monorail after getting in line at park close (maybe it was because it was a MNSSHP night and not as many people park at TTC when ending at Epcot?). One thing I have to tip my cap to Disney for, exiting the TTC is remarkably easy and quick (same experience when leaving MNSSHP a few nights earlier)!
Some final musings:
Our vacation to Orlando was primarily to enjoy Universal parks and Halloween Horror Nights (first time at HHN!), but it had been a few years since our last Disney parks visit (we’ve been getting our Disney fix through their cruise line). So, we planned one day dedicated to Disney (not including MNSSHP on a different night). After debating it internally for months, I decided to book a private VIP tour for our group of 3 adults, especially as we were celebrating a 40th birthday. Some quick tour details:
- I booked the tour exactly 60 days out (originally I booked both Tuesday and Wednesday on the CM’s advice, as I planned to go Wednesday, which would be a way to book 61 days out, but we ended up switching days around as it was)
- Our tour took place on a Tuesday and was the lowest hourly rate they advertise ($425/hr)
- The plan was to meet at 11:00 AM at MK and end at 9:00 PM at Epcot for the fireworks, hitting all parks in the day
- This was our first tour of any kind at Disney (or any theme park for that matter)
- All rides we rode were through the LL and could be ridden as many times as possible, with the caveat being a one each rule for both RotR and Cosmic Rewind.
We arrived at MK at 10:00 AM and took the monorail from TTC to the park entrance. We were meeting the guide at 11:00 AM at Town Square Theater, so my wife and friend grabbed coffees and we just strolled Main Street as a way of easing into our day. At 10:45 AM I went inside the theater looking for the telltale plaid that the guides are known to wear. Not seeing any, I asked a CM if she knew where I should meet my guide and was surprised that she said she had never seen a guide meet inside the theater before and had no idea what to tell me. Immediately I thought I got the details wrong, but I received a call on my cell from my guide at 10:53 AM saying he arrived and was right outside the theater, excellent!
I’ll be the first to admit that our touring plan was not optimal, as there was some unnecessary backtracking (our decision, nothing on the guides part). However, it allowed us to explore how and what we wanted, which is kind of the whole point, right?
Magic Kingdom
We started with Mine Train, followed by Peter Pan, then Winnie the Pooh (I know), and then Mine Train again. We had hit all the other rides we had wanted to during MNSSHP, so we decided to jump to the next park. Our guide did offer to take pictures of us whenever we wanted, which was nice. Also, we encouraged him to ride with us on anything he wanted to, which I was happy he did for any rides where rows were split amongst an even number of people. We slipped out a side entrance near the teacups to an already running and chilled Chevy Tahoe with a CM waiting at each door (a bit awkward for me, as I’m not fully comfortable being pampered to this degree). As we approached, each CM opened our door and we were handed an ice cold bottled water and we were off to AK!
Animal Kingdom
We arrived in the Pandora section in what felt like no time and immediately breezed into the park (security check is only for first entry, with the tour, there were no additional checks when entering a new park). We started with Na’Vi River Journey and Flight of Passage (wow, so cool!). We spent more time than we probably should have taking pictures in Pandora before moving on to the next ride. You really do feel almost stressed out about stopping for too long when on a tour, so the pace was brisk all day. I wanted to do Expedition Everest next, so our guide recommended that we drive, which we did. We parked outside of Dinosaur and entered through an emergency exit, which was kinda cool. Neither parking location at AK had a valet, which was fine by me, just sharing for completeness. My wife didn’t want to ride it, so she shopped a bit in the gift shop while my friend and I rode EE twice in a row. I noticed that the single rider literally had no one in it, so it would have been faster to do that, but we did want to sit next to each other, so we used the LL. At this point, we were all getting hungry, so looking at the best options to accommodate our friend's eating restrictions, we opted for Satu’li Canteen (WOW, this place was very good). We prepared our mobile order and officially ordered as we arrived. It was my first time mobile ordering at Disney and it couldn’t have been easier. I offered to buy our guide lunch, but he said Disney covers all meals for the guides when they are on tours, which I was happy to hear. I should also point out that to get to lunch, we got back in the car and parked right outside Pandora again, where we had started at AK. I wanted to hit FoP one more time before heading to HS and it was just as fun the second time around. Off to HS!
Hollywood Studios
We arrived outside Rockin’ Roller Coaster in the valet lot and were again greeted by a team of CMs ready to see if we needed anything. There were a lot of snacks they presented to us, typical fare including: chips, trail mix, nuts, and Mickey rice krispy treats. My wife and I each took a rice krispy treat to bring back home to our girls. While walking to Galaxy’s Edge, my friend wanted to stop and get a caricature of the three of us, but given the pace, I didn’t want to wait and she definitely was mad at me (AITA?). Luckily, it was short lived and she eventually agreed that if we wanted a caricature, we could get one at Universal a few days later when not on the clock. Anyways, we started off with Rise of Resistance (absolutely amazing experience!). We definitely took a fair bit of pictures in this land before doing Smugglers Run (it was very enjoyable, but not nearly the fun of RotR). It was a bit overcast (no rain), but right as we got to Slinky Dog Dash, they closed it due to lightning (we didn’t see any, but I understand, better to play it safe). So, we walked over to MMRR, which was very cute, even for adults. Our guide took snack orders (basically, anything that is considered a snack: pretzels, churros, mickey bars, etc). All of us opted for Mickey bars, which were near melted when we got off the ride (a symptom of how hot it was, not because of anything our guide did). I’m not an ice cream person, but they tasted extra good given the heat and all the walking (and more fun given the degree of difficulty it took to consume them directly from the wrapper!). Next, we tried our luck by going back to SDD and were pleasantly surprised to learn that it had just reopened, so the LL was extra short. I’d equate SDD to Mine Train, but more fun. We wanted to ride it again, but agreed that we should probably head over to Epcot.
Epcot
We parked outside of Test Track and went straight for Cosmic Rewind. After seeing how long the LL was, our guide found out it had gone down and there was no telling what the ride’s status would be. Not wanting to waste time on uncertainty, we walked over to Frozen Ever After (this is the only ride I felt guilty about riding without my girls). Just like with SDD, we backtracked (no small feat at Epcot!) to Cosmic Rewind and the LL looked deserted. We were able to go straight into the first of 3 preshows and our guide told us where to stand to optimize our positioning for each subsequent preshow. He and my wife didn’t want to ride it, so it was just me and our friend. I LOVED this ride and didn’t feel dizzy or any motion sickness at all, but I know everyone is different. At this point, we jumped back in the car and parked outside of Soarin’, which we all did next. We then walked to Ratatouille, which was closed sadly. At this point, it was already getting pretty late, so we headed to the fireworks VIP area (checked in there around 8:45 PM). We took a picture with our guide, handed him an envelope with his tip, and said our goodbyes. It was nice being able to finally sit down at a table and enjoy an unobstructed view (at this point, we were all well over 30,000 steps and it showed). After a very nice show, we took some more pictures of the park and took the monorail back to TTC. I was surprised that we were able to get on the second monorail after getting in line at park close (maybe it was because it was a MNSSHP night and not as many people park at TTC when ending at Epcot?). One thing I have to tip my cap to Disney for, exiting the TTC is remarkably easy and quick (same experience when leaving MNSSHP a few nights earlier)!
Some final musings:
- We were able to hit everything we wanted to (except for Ratatouille) at all 4 parks
- We rode 13 unique rides a total of 16 times
- When seeing those numbers, it doesn’t sound worth it at first glance, but I have 0 buyer’s remorse and would do it again in a heartbeat (it’ll be a few years until I can afford it again)
- Our guide was awesome! He was a 30+ year Disney CM and had so many stories. I spent most of the time walking alongside him and talking about his past experiences, Disney trivia, etc
- We ended the night close to 40,000 steps. Definitely take a rest day the day before (and maybe even one afterwards too)
- Do take a proper break for lunch, it was helpful physically AND mentally
- All rides involved a wait in the LL (max was maybe 10 minutes, most around 5 it felt like)
- I’ve read some reports stating they had a few front of line experiences where they went entered through the exit, but none of the rides we did had that experience
- There didn’t seem to be a limit on snacks or water, as whenever we asked (or even when we didn’t) they were available.
- Our guide clocked us out at 8:30 PM since Ratatouille was closed. It may not sound like much, but a credit of 30 minutes was equivalent to $212.50.
- Total, with tip: $4,437.50
