New "Ultimate Nights" tour that skips Pandora lines

This is gonna be a no for me. For the price for my husband and I to go on this we could just add a few extra days and utilize more fastpasses on different days so we can hit everything; which is exactly what we plan to do when we go.
 
I booked for my Mom and I, and we're thrilled. We're planning to start the day at DHS with TSMM, ToT and RnRR single-rider for me, then over to Epcot for lunch and TT via single-rider, and hopefully we can grab a Soarin' FP+ or walk on before we head to AK for this tour. I'm looking forward to getting to hit all the attractions at AK without having my nose constantly stuck in my phone on MDE checking wait times and trying to get FP+s while zig-zagging back and forth across the park ... we can take in all that AK and it's environs have to offer.

With the AP discount, it's roughly equal to one hour of a private VIP guide that could possibly give us the same access, albeit at one park only.

Didn't bat an eye at the cost. Someone up-thread mentioned that waiting an hour or two for FoP isn't a big deal - maybe to that person, but I'm not waiting two hours for anything short of a spaceship that is going to save me from an impending asteroid or something impacting my immediate livelihood. I'm certainly not wasting two hours waiting in line for a five-minute ride.

If Disney institutes this at all parks at roughly the same price-point with a meal and equivalent number of headliners involved, I'll book one every time. If you could pay $265 and guarantee to hit PP, SDMT, BTMM, Space, Splash, HM, Pirates and/or Jungle Cruise (and eventually Tron Coaster) in 4.5 hours including 35 minutes or so for a meal, would you not consider it?

Not for a second. Especially when this is on top of a ticket.
 
I booked for my Mom and I, and we're thrilled. We're planning to start the day at DHS with TSMM, ToT and RnRR single-rider for me, then over to Epcot for lunch and TT via single-rider, and hopefully we can grab a Soarin' FP+ or walk on before we head to AK for this tour. I'm looking forward to getting to hit all the attractions at AK without having my nose constantly stuck in my phone on MDE checking wait times and trying to get FP+s while zig-zagging back and forth across the park ... we can take in all that AK and it's environs have to offer.

With the AP discount, it's roughly equal to one hour of a private VIP guide that could possibly give us the same access, albeit at one park only.

Didn't bat an eye at the cost. Someone up-thread mentioned that waiting an hour or two for FoP isn't a big deal - maybe to that person, but I'm not waiting two hours for anything short of a spaceship that is going to save me from an impending asteroid or something impacting my immediate livelihood. I'm certainly not wasting two hours waiting in line for a five-minute ride.

If Disney institutes this at all parks at roughly the same price-point with a meal and equivalent number of headliners involved, I'll book one every time. If you could pay $265 and guarantee to hit PP, SDMT, BTMM, Space, Splash, HM, Pirates and/or Jungle Cruise (and eventually Tron Coaster) in 4.5 hours including 35 minutes or so for a meal, would you not consider it?
Re: the hypothetical MK scenario: No, because I can easily do that on my own with the FP+ system.

But I'm glad you're excited about the AK one. I can't do Everest (FoP will probably one and done for me as well from what I've heard of the intensity), hate Dinosaur, and have no interest in RoL, so it's not for me. Everything I want to do at AK can easily be done in one morning with RD. But it seems like a reasonable package for those who want to do all these at night... though I still think the price is a bit expensive for what is offered.
 
I booked for my Mom and I, and we're thrilled. We're planning to start the day at DHS with TSMM, ToT and RnRR single-rider for me, then over to Epcot for lunch and TT via single-rider, and hopefully we can grab a Soarin' FP+ or walk on before we head to AK for this tour. I'm looking forward to getting to hit all the attractions at AK without having my nose constantly stuck in my phone on MDE checking wait times and trying to get FP+s while zig-zagging back and forth across the park ... we can take in all that AK and it's environs have to offer.

With the AP discount, it's roughly equal to one hour of a private VIP guide that could possibly give us the same access, albeit at one park only.

Didn't bat an eye at the cost. Someone up-thread mentioned that waiting an hour or two for FoP isn't a big deal - maybe to that person, but I'm not waiting two hours for anything short of a spaceship that is going to save me from an impending asteroid or something impacting my immediate livelihood. I'm certainly not wasting two hours waiting in line for a five-minute ride.

If Disney institutes this at all parks at roughly the same price-point with a meal and equivalent number of headliners involved, I'll book one every time. If you could pay $265 and guarantee to hit PP, SDMT, BTMM, Space, Splash, HM, Pirates and/or Jungle Cruise (and eventually Tron Coaster) in 4.5 hours including 35 minutes or so for a meal, would you not consider it?


I couldn’t agree more! I booked this for my husband and I in early December. Our last trip was September 2016 so we’re excited to not have the stress involved with booking FP+ for both of the new rides in Pandora. Rivers of Light wasn’t showing either so we’re thrilled to finally see that without waiting in line ahead of time (even if it’s gotten really mixed reviews). When you visit Disney it’s important to determine what style of travel your family prefers. If you value your time more than your money, this tour is the perfect addition to your itinerary. If you’re a budget traveler, there’s plenty of options to book these FP+’s on your own without the guided tour. I didn’t bat an eye at the cost either since it’s only two of us and we used the visa discount. I actually thought it was a steal until I saw all the complaints on here. Lol
 


This is Disney getting ready to start charging for fp's or making you buy a "front of the line" pass like Universal does, if you don't want to wait on line. It's only a matter of time!
 
This is Disney getting ready to start charging for fp's or making you buy a "front of the line" pass like Universal does, if you don't want to wait on line. It's only a matter of time!

I don't know if they will ever fully go there (maybe extra for staying on site or in deluxe or something) - but I bet this is a bit of a test to see what people will pay to get at a hard to get FP

And I am sure the data scientists are crunching the numbers to examine all the ways to make extra money providing access to the coming Star Wars attractions
 


I would simply like to here what people think about this that have enjoyed the tour (or not enjoyed for that matter is fine also). Thank you.
 
I would simply like to here what people think about this that have enjoyed the tour (or not enjoyed for that matter is fine also). Thank you.
Did you see the other thread where someone posted their review? I don't have the link handy, but it should be easy to find. They liked it.
 
Did you see the other thread where someone posted their review? I don't have the link handy, but it should be easy to find. They liked it.

Not sure if this is the one you saw but was what I could find:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/ultimate-night-of-adventure-vip-tour-at-animal-kingdom.3638708/


Their day got interrupted by rain so might not be a really fair take but really seems like all it does is get you into the FP lines without a FP (they still had to wait behind people already in FP line), a bit of food at sautu'li and a lanyard ... so doesn't seem worth it to me but if you have the funds and haven't had luck getting FP for FoP, why not
 
That was the one I saw, and my opinion was the same. I was on the fence about whether we should try it, (I have a very limited amount of time in Disney next summer, so it might have been worth it to us), but after reading that review I decided probably not. That is a very large group to be stuck with. I'll take my chances on a FOP FP and skip Navi this time.
 
Did you see the other thread where someone posted their review? I don't have the link handy, but it should be easy to find. They liked it.
Yes, I did see it. Thank you. Still deciding. Would like to hear from others who did not have a weather interruption.
 
Newbie here who was able to take the tour a few nights ago.

I'm not a huge tour fan in general, but this one was great. The guides were fun, informative and well organized. We started off at Dinosaur which was having some technical difficulties so we moved over to Pandora. Rode the Navi River first which was okay. The shaman at the end was quite incredible though. Next was Flight of Passage which was such a cool experience!

After FoP we had a break for the snacks, drinks and dessert. I thought everything I had (vegetarian) tasted great. After the break, we headed over for a sunset Safari ride and then on to Everest. At this point, I was wondering if we'd have time to hit Dinosaur again before Rivers of Light and we did!

At the end of Dinosaur, our guides gave us three options. We could either 1) say goodbye and head out on our own 2) watch Rivers of Light in the VIP seating or 3) go ride FoP again. I'd say out of our group of 25, most of them elected to go ride FoP again, including us. We thought it was quite the treat to be able to ride it twice in one evening.
 
Newbie here who was able to take the tour a few nights ago.

I'm not a huge tour fan in general, but this one was great. The guides were fun, informative and well organized. We started off at Dinosaur which was having some technical difficulties so we moved over to Pandora. Rode the Navi River first which was okay. The shaman at the end was quite incredible though. Next was Flight of Passage which was such a cool experience!

After FoP we had a break for the snacks, drinks and dessert. I thought everything I had (vegetarian) tasted great. After the break, we headed over for a sunset Safari ride and then on to Everest. At this point, I was wondering if we'd have time to hit Dinosaur again before Rivers of Light and we did!

At the end of Dinosaur, our guides gave us three options. We could either 1) say goodbye and head out on our own 2) watch Rivers of Light in the VIP seating or 3) go ride FoP again. I'd say out of our group of 25, most of them elected to go ride FoP again, including us. We thought it was quite the treat to be able to ride it twice in one evening.
Did they give you any background on AK or just walk you from place to place? What items did you receive?
 
There was a guide in the front and the back. Both of them seemed pretty knowledgeable about the park and threw out some tidbits but they didn't go super in depth with park history. Had we asked during our walks, I'm sure they would've been happy to share.

We received a VIP lanyard with our table group assignment and a Rivers of Light lanyard that lights up to wear once it got dark. We were able to keep both.

The drink choices were wine, beer, soda, water (they also provided a bottle of water during the snack break), or a fruity juice drink which is what I chose. You also got a choice of dessert- blueberry or chocolate mousse cake.
 
I was totally on board with this when it was announced, but after reading the two reviews I’m losing interest. Why start the tour at Dinosaur and then walk across the park to Pandora instead of going counterclockwise and hitting Everest and KS next? Or just start the tour in Pandora and work your way clockwise towards Dinosaur so you’re on the east side of the park at the end of the tour for those wishing to see Rivers of Light. Seems like a very inefficient touring plan designed to make the tour longer.

I’ve also noticed some downgrades in the Ultimate tour series. Day of Thrills now features a counter service meal instead of table service. Disney Classics is cheaper than the Young Familes tour it replaces but is limited to MK and does not include a meal or snack but does include a character meet and greet. Nights of Adventure no longer promises popcorn and unlike the other two tours doesn’t seem to offer snacks before the start of the tour. Out of the three, Day of Thrills seems like the best value at 7 hours with a meal included and backstage transportation. It is only $50 more than Nights of Adventure. The fact that both reviews have mentioned an extra ride on FoP being thrown in says to me that they realize how half-baked this tour currently is.

They need to up the number of attractions visited which could be done by simply tweaking the touring plan so that it is more efficient. Kali and/or PW could be possible additions. The other two Ultimate tours hit 10 rides each. I would probably ditch the sampler platter and provide a boxed meal at the end of the tour for people to enjoy while waiting for Rivers of Light. Since they have to time this tour to end right before the show, it makes more sense to give people something then as opposed to early on in the tour.
 
I was totally on board with this when it was announced, but after reading the two reviews I’m losing interest. Why start the tour at Dinosaur and then walk across the park to Pandora instead of going counterclockwise and hitting Everest and KS next? Or just start the tour in Pandora and work your way clockwise towards Dinosaur so you’re on the east side of the park at the end of the tour for those wishing to see Rivers of Light. Seems like a very inefficient touring plan designed to make the tour longer.

They need to up the number of attractions visited which could be done by simply tweaking the touring plan so that it is more efficient. Kali and/or PW could be possible additions. The other two Ultimate tours hit 10 rides each. I would probably ditch the sampler platter and provide a boxed meal at the end of the tour for people to enjoy while waiting for Rivers of Light. Since they have to time this tour to end right before the show, it makes more sense to give people something then as opposed to early on in the tour.

The only thing I can think of is to make it workout that you are in Pandora near a meal time (since the tour starts at 3:45) - and then still wind up near Rivers of Light for when that show starts. Though I think they still could have started in Pandora, and take 45 mins to do River Journey and Flight of Passage, then eat at Saut'li around 4:30 and then do like a "heavy snack" in a box like you suggest while waiting for Rivers of Light to start or something

but otherwise I agree that the flow doesn't make much sense
 
I would have thought for the money it was an all you can ride type of deal.

A little shocked that you just get 1 ride on each of the Pandora rides.
 

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