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

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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. Hello. And Shalon Still. Hi. 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.

Teenagers. Yeah.

And so let's talk about our experience and whether we thought it was worth it or not.

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 happen to have off in our crazy schedule? Have 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 and finding something in common with them and having those conversations. My son is not a travel agent, but it was 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.

Shalon Still, and you had done a VIP tour before recently, actually.

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. to. was a nice plus.

Yeah, I am. Let's talk about what the cost was 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 they so. Walt Disney World VIP tours range from four hundred and fifty dollars an hour to nine. hundred and fifty dollars an hour with a seven hour minimum. So that that adds up. We actually paid six hundred dollars 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 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.

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. And it's a special event that you're really celebrating.

Yeah, absolutely. So with with our. tour, it was four thousand two hundred dollars total, which broke down to four hundred and twenty dollars a person plus gratuity. We did give Kirk 20 percent 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 five hundred dollars 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 pin. button pin 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. Keep track of that. Of course, your gratuity is discretionary. You don't have to give 20 percent. You could give less. You could give nothing. But I think for us, especially the service, we 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 do think that a lot of people sometimes go with a gratuity. that is one hour. So it would have been like the six hundred dollars. But we decided to go with the 20 percent. So that's the finances. That said that really weird. That's the finances behind that. So obviously, Shalon, you and Mike paid double and Jen, you paid three times that. I was solo because Eric couldn't come with me. But yeah. So what did we get for that? Let's talk about that for a moment.

So you have a couple of choices. with the VIP tour. They can pick you up at your resort or you can meet them in the park. And as good travel agents, we know that we want to get every second out of our VIP tour. So we always suggest and we met Kirk in the park, the park that we wanted to start at. And so it does include transportation if you're going to multiple parks or they can pick you up at your resort. We met him. in the park. And then from there, he takes you to the additional parks that that you want to visit via a back entrance in a private van ready to go for your party to the next place. So even getting to see some of those backstage areas that you wouldn't get to see are pretty fun for a Disney fan.

I like that part a lot, especially the backstage there by test track. That was cool to see. And I. did like to. when you talk about the transportation, when you're going in between parks, as long as it's not your last part of the day, you can store your goods, your belongings in there. So that was nice to have that option. The other thing that we got, and it's not always guaranteed, but it's pretty regular as you do typically get waters and some type of snack throughout the day. Like a meal is not included, but some types of snacks are as part of that. I know I've talked to other people and if you really tell your guide, hey, I really want to try X, Y, Z, they will try to make that happen. We. didn't really give any kind of guidance of what we wanted. So it was kind of up to his discretion of what he wanted to do. Once we got to Magic Kingdom, we were offered the option of some different types of ice cream like Mickey bars or the fruit bars or pretzels, which was really nice and some water. When I did my first tour back in Magic Kingdom, because we were just there for that one day, we got waters again, but we also had Starbucks, which was nice. So he took our Starbucks order, the guide I had, and they had that waiting for us towards the end because we ended our day watching the parade. And then while we were watching the parade, we actually had snacks of like popcorn and again, some other like ice cream bars and things. So it can vary depending on the type of tour you're doing. But it is nice to have a little bit of snacks throughout the day there.

Yeah, I would say that's one thing that kind of I learned and took away from this experience. is that maybe because there were so many of us or. maybe because of how the day was going, we didn't get water for a long time. And it was kind of warm. But as soon as I asked him for water, he kicked into gear for that. So I think that like we probably could have gotten water earlier in the game. And I was super excited that it was. smart water, at least at the first spot stop, because that costs more money. So helping it be worth it more. And I like that better than the Dasani too. But one thing I thought was really funny and just so Disney, so Kirk, because this was the third or fourth time I'd been with him on a tour. He we were talking about how there were nine of us and all these bottles of water. But how are we going to put them down and go on the rides and know what? whose was whose? and he whipped out a Sharpie marker like he had it like right in his pocket, ready to go. And I was like, not his first time.

Right.

Yeah, exactly. Not his first rodeo whatsoever. Mm hmm. 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?

It was me. But it was more of like. I was. asking for the cheese sauce, you know, the 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.

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 OK. But I was kind of sad and 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.

I didn't realize.

Yeah.

But first world problems.

Oh, my God. And that's literally. I was sitting there because we were. at the lunching. The lunching 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.

I loved it. I loved it. I've never spent the money on one of the cream cheese 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.

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 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. Keep track of that. But we kind of let him steer that ship and it worked out.

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.

We'll have to ask next time we go like, oh, could we get that instead? So we 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 in the end of the day, I don't remember exactly how many we did. Do you guys remember? But we did a lot.

And that counted 16, I think, including the couple we did at Animal Kingdom on our own.

OK. 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're 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.

Right. Like you dog, because this thunder and lightning was nearby.

Yes. And then we added Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. We just did that in place of that. Right. Well, Jen and I were trying to get desperately trying to get to Hollywood Studios.

We were standing close to us. Like, let's just get on Mickey and Minnie's while you guys were still in route. And because the clock was ticking. So we're like, let's just go. And we knew about time. And it worked out. You guys walked up right perfectly.

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 eighteen hundred dollars worth to do. that. So we kind of stuck with that seven hour number.

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. Yeah. And they drop. They recommend, you know, 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.

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 rise 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.

Yeah.

I mean, we kind of did that with our Magic Kingdom when we. did first thing in the morning. And I mean, we went a little bit more of a leisurely pace, but we hit a 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, 40 minutes, maybe it was crazy. And then we took a break. So we're like, OK, so I can see that being beneficial. And you beat the thunderstorms in the summertime. So probably worthwhile. Yeah.

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.

I remember the one we did years ago over because we did Pandora Flight of Passage or Avatar Flight of. Passage on that that trip. And he brought us in a back door. So we like 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. 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 mind 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 make 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.

Guardians was a long wait.

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 was like Kirk. I have, you know, I. could recite it. Caution's like. I could totally do that. 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 guy 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 bar like at a lounge. I should say 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 and just to hide from the rain. But that was a great use of that time frame because we did the other parks and did it 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, 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 Podcast 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. OK, favor asked. Back to it.

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 souvenirs for? We didn't actually use them.

Somebody left the ones for my kids and I because we brought them home. We have VIP ponchos.

I love it. They must have been in the stroller.

So, yeah, they were in the stroller. Sammy probably has it. You could 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 like boulder. 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. 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 six hundred dollars an hour for to shop and buy stuff. And I went, yeah, huh. I didn't see the problem with that.

Way too much money. It is.

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.

I was going to say, it's interesting that 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 open area there. They had like that desk and items were just kind of like, oh, yeah, that's a lot of stuff. And the desk and items were just kind of displayed to see. So I thought that was interesting to see how different the two were.

Do they have the same stuff in them or are they?

Yeah, it was all the same stuff. I mean, the only thing they didn't have obviously was the ears because those are being redesigned. And I'm very happy I bought a pair of 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.

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 Lounge Fly. And I also bought the water bottle. like the corksicle water bottle. I have. no she, Shalon has her receipt. I didn't even pay didn't 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 receipts around somewhere. But so how much was it, Shalon, because you bought the Lounge Fly too.

So the Lounge Fly was the most expensive thing they have, I believe. I don't even think the Spirit Jersey was that much. It was one oh five. Most Lounge Flies are usually what? Seventy eighty dollars. Only like 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 worthwhile the purchase.

Windbreaker was one twenty. Because it was looking at that.

Yeah. What was one point?

I was looking at the Lounge Fly, though there was a windbreaker, like a jacket. So and I told. them both that I bought a VIP tour, but they could buy merchandise if they would like.

It's definitely expensive. My husband got the Polo. It was ninety five dollars, but it is very good quality. So hopefully it'll last for many years. And then also looked at the Corksicles 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 fifty fifty five dollars. So if purchasing stuff is important to you on the VIP tours, make sure you're budgeting for that and going and 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.

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. 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?

And the rain. I feel like, you know, things that are not controllable, but everything that was controllable was pretty great.

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 like, we are here to hit all the rides. I don't think he realized we were serious, that we were, you know, 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 of because we could have got in. an extra ride. I feel like I think we could have maybe got to, 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. we were quite hustling to get those last couple of attractions in. Yeah.

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 that 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 in 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. So, yeah, that was something that that definitely kind of popped up. One thing I would recommend doing that I know Jen and I did before and you may have done. something similar with this 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. But 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 the just 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 like Jen, you mentioned in the beginning how he managed to connect with everybody on the tour. That takes a very special personality like 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.

We actually did the sit down. lunch when I did my first tour and we did the same thing. It was 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 it was a nice way to just kind of enjoy a little bit of a break in downtime and get some fun facts. maybe that you don't know about the park. Sometimes they have information you don't realize.

Yeah, there's so much to the story that goes beyond the scenes that you don't realize. I remember Kirk had told. us. Animal Kingdom near 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, OK, stuff that you'd never. know unless someone pointed it out.

I don't need to go to Animal Kingdom and look because I had no idea. That's awesome.

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. It's just that that one. every time I walk by that spot, I look at the footprints and like he was right still.

That's awesome.

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 about $5.04 a person. Let's talk about the Lightning Lane Premier Pass, because when I did the math on that one, I went, OK, I know it's worth it now because of that.

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 $3.99 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.

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 $32.90 plus $39.90 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 did 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 a lot really well. OK, ladies, let's say it. Do we think it was really worth it based on your individual experiences that day on June 24th?

It was for me and my kiddos. They're still talking about it.

Yeah, and I heard Eric say, now teenagers are tough. Yours happened 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 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 like 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. Like because it was just such a nice thing for him to say.

So they are great kids, but also like, how do you put a price on that? Right.

Yeah. So, Sean, what about for you guys?

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 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.

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 a thousand dollars 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 time frame 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. 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 like was really cool because I haven't done that in a long time. And like I 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. 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 complete. 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 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.

I think so.

Well, the birthday boss was pretty happy.

Yeah. Yeah.

I actually know what the birthday will be, though. Goodness.

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. 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.

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.