I've taken one VIP tour. I would recommend taking it later in the week. Then you can do what you want earlier in the week and use the tour to do everything you didn't get a chance to do, or do things twice that you really liked. If you do the tour first thing, you might feel pressured to get EVERYTHING into the tour and it can be very rushed. The tour was great, but definitely felt like we were running around everywhere trying to get the most bang for our buck. You have to pay for a minimum of 7 hours and then get charged in 15 minute increments after that.
You can get a LOT done in one day. Here is what we did on our tour - ended up being 8 hours. We had two kids in strollers, so that took a little bit more time because we had to do stroller parking at most of the rides - the guide could stay with the strollers for some rides, but most required her to scan us in at the beginning of the line and then inside the ride she had to scan again. Also, remember to include the cost of tips when pricing things out - they're not required, but most people do pay them from what I've read.
Magic Kingdom: Met guide at Town Square Theater at 10am. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (back entrance, bypassed Fastpass line), Space Mountain, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Meet Ariel, Haunted Mansion (another back entrance). Offered waters when we boarded the van to Epcot.
Epcot (offered drinks and snacks upon arrival): Soarin’, Test Track, Frozen Ever After, Meet Anna & Elsa (back entrance, bypassed Fastpass)
Hollywood Studios (offered drinks and snacks upon arrival): Slinky Dog Dash, Midway Mania, quick early dinner at ABC Commissary, Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Animal Kingdom (no drinks/snacks offered upon arrival): Na’vi River Journey, Flight of Passage (back entrance, bypassed Fastpass line), Expedition Everest. Guide checked us in at 6:15pm for priority seating at the Rivers of Light show.