Booking a Disney VIP Tour can be an absolute game-changer for your trip—no long lines, exclusive experiences, and personalized attention. But as magical as it is, there are still a few things that can trip you up if you’re not careful. After learning from my own experience, here are five mistakes I made when booking my Disney VIP Tour that you should avoid!

1. Trying to Do Too Many Parks in One Day

With a VIP Tour, you might feel like you can conquer all four parks in one day—and technically, you can. However, trying to do too much can lead to exhaustion and a rushed experience. I made the mistake of cramming too much into our schedule, which left us running from one park to another without really enjoying the magic. We started by heading to Animal Kingdom and then did Magic Kingdom, we wanted to get one more park but after doing 2 parks we were completely drained.

Instead, pick your favorite parks and focus on those. You’ll have a more relaxed, enjoyable day while still getting to experience the top attractions.

2. Not Using a Travel Agent

The reason not using a travel agent is so high on my list is because the following 3 mistakes on my list could have been avoided if I listened to my travel agent.

First off, travel agents don’t cost a penny, and my travel agent gives a $50 gift card when you book a tour with her. Plus, she provided invaluable tips when I booked my Disneyland VIP Tour like:

• How to get private character experiences
• How to premier seating for the parade, fireworks, and Fantasmic in one visit
• Where the Secret VIP snack stand is with refreshments, candy, ice cream bars, and more
• How the Disney Guides have basically a lightning lane pass for mobile ordering.

By the way, I always use Best Day Ever Vacations as my travel agent, they are amazing and I believe they always do the $50 gift card promo when you book a tour with them. If not, let me know and I’ll make sure to update my post.

3. Not Eating a Big Meal Beforehand

I was so excited to get started on our VIP Tour that I didn’t think much about eating a big meal beforehand. Huge mistake! The VIP Tour is action-packed, and you’ll be on the go for hours.

While Disney has tons of snacks and dining options, you don’t want to waste valuable time hunting down food when you could be riding your favorite attractions.

Make sure to have a hearty meal before you begin the tour to keep your energy up and avoid any mid-day hunger crashes.

4. Starting at the Hotel

While it may seem convenient to have the VIP Tour guide pick you up at your hotel, I found that it ate into precious time. I would say we wasted 30-45 minutes getting driven to the parks, and at $450 – $700 per hour, those are some costly minutes

Instead, have the VIP Tour guide meet you directly at the park entrance to maximize your time.

You’ll be able to jump right into the action without losing any minutes of your VIP experience.

5. Not Timing It with the Fireworks

One of the biggest perks of a Disney VIP Tour is getting exclusive, front-row access to events like parades and fireworks shows. I made the mistake of not coordinating my tour time to coincide with the evening fireworks (thus the pic of the Disneyland Fireworks seating, which I learned from my travel agent) If you can, schedule your VIP Tour to end right before or during a big nighttime event, so your guide can get you the best seats in the house. It’s the perfect way to end an already magical day.

So, if you want to get the premier fireworks seating for your Disney World VIP Experience, book it to end about 30 minutes prior to the show so you can get seated. It’s a great way to finish the night.

Bonus Mistake: Not Having a Plan

If you don’t have a plan of the things you want to do, you will find yourself wasting time deciding on attractions, walking more than you need to. It is much better to have a plan of the top attractions you want to see so that your VIP guide can takeover and make sure you hit all the must-see spots.

Overall

Overall, a Disney VIP Tour is one of my favorite things I have ever spent money on at Disney, and I would recommend it to anyone interested. Does it cost a pretty penny? You bet. But when you do more in one day than most people can get done in 3 days, it does help offset the cost a bit. Like, I said earlier, I would recommend using a Disney travel agent to book one, I personally love my agent at Best Day Ever Vacations, but there are other ones out there that can assist as well.