Let’s face it: the lines in Disney World can be LONG.

And without Fastpasses currently available, you may be wishing there was another way you could skip the lines. Well, it turns out there are a few options! But they’ll all cost ya.

Private VIP Tours

A Private VIP Tour is the ULTIMATE way to skip the lines in Disney World. You’ll get to pick everything you want to see and do, and your tour guide will customize your day for you. You can park-hop and skip the lines at many attractions, while your VIP Tour Guide shares fun facts about what’s around you. 

If the ride you’re experiencing has a FastPass line, you’ll hop in that to ride. Otherwise, you can scoot right up to the front! Just keep in mind that your VIP Tour will not get you special access to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. You’ll have to snag a boarding group for that the normal way — and it will still be included in your billable hours. Plus, access isn’t guaranteed to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure once it opens on October 1st this year.

You’ll get some other benefits with the tour, too, like pre-arrival planning, a flexible start time, and transportation to and from the parks. 

Okay, let’s talk PRICE. You’re PAYING for all those perks! The Private VIP Tours range from $425 to $750 per HOUR, for a minimum of 7 hours. That’s anywhere from $2,975 to $5,250 per day! And if you were thinking about getting a big group and spitting the bill: you can have max 10 guests per group. So your charge per person would range from $297.50 to $525. Oh, and that does NOT include park admission.

It’s also customary to tip your VIP Tour guide, so you may wanna factor that into your budgeting. Depending on how much you choose to tip, that could run you an extra several hundred dollars! And while you’re planning, make sure you get a Park Pass reservation for park you plan to start the day of your VIP Tour. That’s not included, either.

This is your priciest option, but it’s the most efficient way to minimize waiting in lines. Your wait time will be shortened — or eliminated altogether! — for the attractions you choose. Think no one is shelling out the cash for this ultra-luxe experience? Think again — we see private VIP tours in the parks all the time since the reopening. It’s a pricey option but will guarantee you won’t be waiting in those lines.

But let’s explore some other (AKA CHEAPER) options. (Spoiler: these are currently unavailable, but good to keep in mind for the future.)

Check Out Our Tips for Skipping the Lines Without Paying for a Tour!

Other VIP Tours

Guys, we meant only SLIGHTLY cheaper! Disney offers a range of Group VIP Tours (all of which are temporarily unavailable) that cost slightly less than those Private VIP Tours.

You’ve got a few options for which tour you wanna go with here. The Ultimate Day of Thrills VIP Tour is $349 per person, and it’s a 7-hour tour that lets you skip the line for popular attractions in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios. The Ultimate Disney Classics VIP Tour will cost ya $249 per person, and it focuses on Magic Kingdom rides with no height restriction (making it a great choice for kids of all ages!). You can enjoy the Mad Tea Party, Dumbo, Jungle Cruise, and more!

And on the Ultimate Nights of Adventure VIP Tour, you can ride Animal Kingdom attractions — plus enjoy snacks and a specialty drink! It also costs $249 per person. And just a reminder: park admission and Park Pass reservations are NOT included in these tours, so factor that in when you’re planning!

These can be cheaper than the Private VIP Tours, but they don’t offer that same range of flexibility. But you still get to skip the lines, which is the end goal here, right? And while they’re currently unavailable, we’ll make sure you’re the first to know when they return! Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.

Check Out Another VIP Tour That Doesn’t Involve Skipping Lines!

Backstage Tours

Disney also offers a wide range of backstage tours, which are also currently unavailable. These place a bigger emphasis on getting a behind-the-scenes look at the parks, but many do include the chance to hop on a few rides without a wait. For example, on the Keys to the Kingdom Tour ($99 per person), you can ride the Jungle Cruise and the Haunted Mansion! However, the focus is placed on learning about the history and inner workings of the rides and park.

As with the other tours, park admission and Park Pass reservations are not included for any of these experiences! They aren’t a great pick if you just want to do a bunch of rides and call it a day. But if you want to learn more about the parks (and even get a peek backstage!), they do offer that added bonus of skipping a few lines.

These backstage tours will be your cheapest option, but you’ll get the fewest rides for your buck. And again, they’re not available right now.

Get a Full List of Tours Offered!

How to Book

So you’ve decided to book a tour! You can make your reservation up to 60 days in advance by calling Disney’s tour line at 407-WDW-TOUR. If you’re planning your tour outside this 60-day window, you can still call for pricing info. Make sure you book as early as possible for holidays, summer, and Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary! There’s limited availability for all of these tours, and they’ll book up quickly during peak seasons.

When booking, you’ll need to provide your credit card info — Disney will place a hold on your tour and will not run the charge until 24 hours before. And you’ll be able to cancel up to 48 hours before your tour. It’s preferred to have the full names of everyone in your party right when you book, but it’s not required. If you don’t have that info just yet, you’ll just need to follow up with those names before the start of your tour.

And FYI: you CAN give these tours as a gift! Just book with your credit card info and the names of your recipients. You’ll be responsible for informing your friend/family member about their special surprise. Keep in mind if you’re celebrating anything, let them know when booking. We’ve seen special VIP tour birthday buttons in the past. You never know what special ways you could get to celebrate.

So…are these tours worth it? Without FastPasses currently available, this is your only chance to skip the lines. And only YOU can decide if the hefty price is worth it. If you do choose to splurge, the Private VIP Tours offer a ton of flexibility. You can explore whichever park or attractions you want. And at the end of the day, you’ll get a LOT more done in those 7+ hours than you would if you spent time in lines.

If you won’t be in Disney for too long and you want to experience everything the parks have to offer — and you have the budget to do so — these Private VIP Tours may be a good option. If you wanna spend less, but still want that VIP experience, you may want to check out the other VIP Tours or even the Backstage Tours when they return. They’ll offer unique experiences with the benefits of some shorter lines.

We’ll keep you posted with the latest Disney tips, tricks, and updates, so stay tuned to DFB!

Check Out How to Skip Merchandise Lines in Disney World!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Have you ever done a Disney World tour? Let us know in the comments!

The post How to PAY to Skip the Lines in Disney World — Warning, It’s Not Cheap! first appeared on the disney food blog.