Better to do Private VIP tour at the beginning, middle or toward the end of trip?

[GrayC25]

Hi all! I am going to Disney World the week after Thanksgiving this year. A friend who is also going at the same time told me that she is planning to do a private VIP tour and - AMAZINGLY - invited us to go on it with her since you can have up to 10 people!!!! I am completely floored by this and blown away by her generosity. Never in a million years would I have dreamed about doing a VIP private tour!

We are all going Saturday to Saturday and she mentioned doing the tour on Thursday. At first I thought this was a good time to go, but the more I thought about it, I am beginning to wonder if it would be better to do the tour earlier in the trip. She has somewhat elderly parents and I know getting around could be tough for her dad. This tour is minimum of 7 hours, so I worry that if the tour is toward the end of the trip, he - and the rest of us - will be tired, exhausted and just not able to do the 7 hours. As you all know, this kind of tour is awesome, but expensive. I would hate for our friend to spend that kind of money and not enjoy the experience as fully as possible.

My other reason for thinking that we do the tour near the beginning of the trip is that we for sure get to do all/most of the big rides that we'd like to do - Slinky Dog, Smuggler's Run, 7DMR, ToT, TSM, etc. - and then anything we do after that is a bonus. After the tour, we can spend time hitting up the other rides we missed and/or going back for seconds (and thirds!) for the rides we loved on the tour. For example, if we get to ride Slinky Dog near the beginning of our trip, not only is the pressure/stress/worry (because that's just who I am) off, but if the kids love it, we can go back for more after the tour. Instead of waiting until the tour on Thursday to do SDD (and to find out the kids love it), this way we ride it earlier and then either go back for more if we can or hit up the rides we missed. Does any of this make sense or am I totally thinking about this the wrong way?

What do you all think? Would it be better to do this private VIP tour at the beginning of our trip? Have any of you done the tour and, if so, when did you do it? Would you recommend something different? Or should I not say anything at all? I certainly don't want to step on her toes and/or try to dictate when she plans the tour. I just want to give her the best advice I can for her and her daughter's first trip.

What say all you WDW experts?

THANK YOU!!!

 

[Bounce_Tigger]

I think if your friend is kind enough to take you on the tour free of charge and has already planned when they're going to have it, you should let them dictate, unless they are specifically asking for your input

 

[GrayC25]

I think if your friend is kind enough to take you on the tour free of charge and has already planned when they're going to have it, you should let them dictate, unless they are specifically asking for your input

You are 100% correct, that I should let her dictate since she is the one paying and being so kind. I do not mean to come across as ungrateful, rude or anything like that. However, when she first first brought it up, she said "I was thinking Thursday - what do you think?" Nothing has been planned or booked, it's just in the talking stages. I honestly don't really know what to think, which is why I came here. No matter when we do it, it will be awesome, but this is a once in a lifetime trip for her and for us, so we all want to make the most/best of it and these are just some thoughts I had since she asked/told me about it.

 

[cgattis]

Ideally, I would say do it at the end, so you can soak up all the atmosphere first and then just hit a “highlight reel” at the end. However, realistically, for the exact reasons you said (plus potential weather and ride breakdowns), I’d say do it up front instead.

I also think a friend close enough to invite you to join them on this is close enough for you to say those exact things to. Then you graciously go with whatever she chooses either way. Sounds amazing—have fun!!!

 

[Miffy]

I just think your friend is amazing. I'm sure she'll discuss it with her parents and decide what to do. And a reminder: you are leaving FoP out of your must-do list. Mistake!

Edited to add: Unless you also plan to do DAK AH.

 

[heidijanesmith]

That's awesome!!

If my friend was asking advice on when to do the tour, I would give it. I agree with touring early in your trip.

WDW is exhausting and a 7 hour day with out a break can be tough for anybody, especially elderly parents.

Have a great trip, sounds like a fun one.

 

[rdaky]

If she's asking for advice, I would agree that going on the first day would be ideal. I would leave out all of the other details about your touring plans, but focus on her parents. The first day is going to be fresh and no one is going to be tired yet. We took my parents a few years ago and my dad was so exhausted by day 3 that he opted to stay in the hotel all day.

I want to add something else. I'd lower my expectations about everything you're hoping to ride. With elderly parents tagging along, 7 hours is still a lot, and you might be going at a slower pace and might not be able to hit up multiple parks or get to all of the popular rides.

 

[TwinkleKS]

I don't think it really matters when you do it. There are arguments to be made for different scenarios. That being said, I normally plan on it towards the middle of longer trips and end of shorter trips. Our last tour we did midway through a two week trip, as that was the day we had all of our party at the parks (some stayed for first half, some for second half - the kids and I were there two weeks). Next week we are going on our second to last day. We will have a good idea then if there are any must do's that we have missed and want to make sure and hit on the tour. Or the tour may be our only stop at AK if the only thing anyone wants to ride there is FOP.

If my parents were on the board, they would tell you they aren't "elderly". However, they fit the definition. My dad sits some rides out and rests then as he just isn't a ride person. For things like FOP, even with expedited access you can still end up with around 15 - 30 minutes of sitting if you aren't going to ride it.

 

[kmb584]

I want to add something else. I'd lower my expectations about everything you're hoping to ride. With elderly parents tagging along, 7 hours is still a lot, and you might be going at a slower pace and might not be able to hit up multiple parks or get to all of the popular rides.

I agree with this.

We do two VIP tours each trip, one at the beginning and one at the end, and you'll be amazed at how fast seven hours go by. Transportation time is factored into those hours, so if the roadways are busy it can sometimes take 20-30 minutes to go from one park to the next. The tour guides park in certain backstage areas at each park and while they're wonderful with formulating plans of action, you'll still be walking from attraction to attraction, sometimes in a sea of people that slows everything down.

 

[Princess2R]

What a generous friend! I would absolutely choose the beginning of the trip just so that you have less pressure for the rest of the trip

 

[bopper]

I wouldn't tell her one way orthe other, but give her the pros and cons.

"You asked me what I thought about doing the VIP tour on Thursday...some thoughts I had were
that everyone will be fresh and have the most energy earlier in the trip. A non-weekend day would have less people. Doing it earlier would allow you to know you got on those top rides, and if you didn't for some reason (like weather or ride breakdowns) you would have time to do it later. On the other hand you may have dinner reservations for some days and I am sure you wouldn't want to have to rush to those. But I am delighted you have invited me and am happy with any day you pick."