Luxury Disney World Experiences
Wanting to take a luxury Walt Disney World vacation or splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime experience during your trip? This post covers some ideas for ways to splurge and TREAT YO SELF with high-end add-ons to make for a special, memorable experience.
While there are many luxury Walt Disney World experiences we dream about, most remain bucket list items for us, and things we will do someday, if we have the chance. If you’ve read our trip reports, you know that we have been fortunate to have many great vacations at Walt Disney World, including some amazing experiences, such as Victoria & Albert’s.
This list, however, most covers things we’d like to do someday. Luxury Walt Disney World experiences we’d love to do if we won the lottery or we had a hypothetical all-expenses paid, do-whatever-you-want trip.
If money is no issue for you, or you just want to treat yo self and be a cashmere velvet candy cane, here’s our list of experiences that are our dream for a “posh” Walt Disney World vacation…
Club Level – This is one readers ask about a lot, and we following these inquiries, we often find ourselves looking at pricing…only to suffer a bit of sticker shock every time. We’ve had many friends stay Club Level, and we even visited some in the Polynesian’s lounge to watch Wishes, which was an awesome experience. We recently had the chance to experience the King Kamehameha Club Level at the Polynesian, and are now eager to stay Club Level at a different Walt Disney World resort. We keep hoping there will be an insane off-season discount, in which case maybe we could justify it for one night in the name of “research,” but so far, no luck.
Grand 1 Yacht – Like the Grand Floridian itself, this is the flagship watercraft at Walt Disney World. Grand 1 is a 52-foot Sea Ray Yacht, with space for 18 guests, available for rental on an hourly basis. The rental includes a captain and deckhand, with dining and other options available at an added cost. In terms of pricing, this is one of those “if you have to ask, it’s too much” items. Rates start around $600/hour, and quickly escalate from there depending upon what you add for your meal. This is definitely on the more aspirational end of the spectrum of luxury Walt Disney World options, but it doesn’t hurt to dream!
Tower of Terror Cocktail Party – We first learned of this 5 years ago when Disney Travel Babble posted about their experience of renting out a terrace on the Tower of Terror and doing an “Old Hollywood” party here. It sounded so awesome that we started scheming, trying to coordinate something with friends, figuring we’d wait until we had the ideal number to minimize the per person cost. Of course, prices have gone up considerably since then to the point where we can’t justify it. If the stars somehow align, this is still something we really want to do, but for now, it seems unlikely. (Coincidentally, tickets go on sale next week for a D23 Tower of Terror Midnight Soiree that sounds pretty amazing…but capacity is presumably so limited that tickets will sell out in moments.)
Afternoon Tea at Grand Floridian – With options starting at $30 per person, this one doesn’t seem so extravagant…until you look at what each option includes. The ultimate treat yo self experience here is “The Yorkshire Tea,” which includes a champagne toast and caviar, among other things, for $175 per couple. Sounds like a very refined experience, but perhaps a tad too genteel for me. (It should be pretty clear by now that the Grand Floridian is the luxury hotel at Walt Disney World!)
Wild Africa Trek – If we had a dollar for everyone who has implored us to do Wild Africa Trek, we’d probably have enough money to pay for Wild Africa Trek. It seems like literally everyone raves about this experience. It certainly looks awesome, and if you look at it from the perspective of doing this instead of a weeklong African Safari, it even feels like a bargain. That might require some gaps in logic, but hey, whatever works to treat yo self! 😉
Al Fresco Fireworks at Capa – There are probably a number of experiences at Four Seasons Resort that could make this list…I just don’t know about them. Since I first heard about Capa, the resort’s 17th-floor rooftop steakhouse, and saw the delicious cuts of meat on their menu, this has struck me as a dining experience that could potentially rival Victoria & Albert’s in terms of quality and overall experience. Maybe someday, we will do a 1-2 night stay here and indulge in all this resort has to offer. If we ever want to kickstart our rap careers, it might be a savvy move.
Yellowstone Suite at Wilderness Lodge – From what I’ve seen of this suite (thanks to the internet), it looks like the perfect marriage of two of my favorite things: U.S. National Parks and Disney. The suite is lavish, but thematically evokes National Park lodges rather than being stuffy and pretentious. Featuring an elk-horn chandelier, hardwood flooring, four balconies offering panoramic views of Bay Lake, and leather chairs, this room would make Teddy Roosevelt proud. All of that, plus Club Level access to the Old Faithful Lounge makes this my dream room at Walt Disney World. (Although the Royal Asante Suite at Animal Kingdom Lodge sounds pretty awesome, too.)
DiveQuest – Of everything on this list, DiveQuest has the greatest probability of happening at some point…at least for Sarah. I did this as a kid back when it was probably a fraction of the cost it is today, and it was incredible. The best diving experience I’ve ever had, surpassing several popular real world spots. Someday, it will be Sarah’s turn…maybe as a 50th wedding anniversary gift. 😉
Spa Day – Almost every spa uses the word “pamper” to describe their experience. This has never been a strong selling point for me. I enjoy high-end experiences, but those with constant interaction or that involve someone waiting on me hand and foot don’t hold a ton of appeal (which is why you don’t see VIP tours on this list). Still, the idea of a relaxing massage after a week of trudging around the parks does hold a lot of appeal, and I think it would be fun to try. Sarah went to Laniwai, the spa at Aulani, and loved the experience. Seeing how Senses Spa at the Grand Floridian stacks up would be good “research.”
Victoria & Albert’s Chef’s Table – V&A’s was our ultimate indulgence on our honeymoon and in our Victoria & Albert’s Review, I wrote that it was worth the money for a special occasion. Even today, we remember that meal with fondness, and would love to do it again. Our ultimate, money-is-no-object dinner at Walt Disney World would involve ordering all of the ‘upgrade’ options or dining at the Chef’s Table for a 10-course meal.
Surfing at Typhoon Lagoon – I’m not sure surfing qualifies as luxurious, but it certainly does in terms of pricing and exclusivity. There are two options here: the first is surfing lessons taught by professionals, the second is renting out the wave pool for a private session with customized wave breaks. As a beginner, the former option makes more sense for me, but in my daydream, I learn how to surf on my own and then rent out the pool for a personalized experience. I know that’s pie-in-the-sky dreaming…but most of this list is.
Brunch at the Top – It’s been a while since we dined at California Grill, but their newest offering–Brunch at the Top–has us intrigued. Even though dinner skews more towards fine dining, this brunch is arguably a more pampered experience, with valet parking, a live band, and more attentive service. It’s priced accordingly, which makes it difficult to justify, but we are trying to justify it to ourselves. It strikes us as something on the more attainable end of this list for treatin’ yo self.
This just scratches the surface of ways you can treat yo self to luxurious experiences at Walt Disney World and indulge in the finer things that Disney has to offer. What other ways would you like to enjoy the luxury of Disney? With ever-increasing prices, pretty soon just ordering a plain cheeseburger from Cosmic Ray’s might be an act of treatin’ yo self! 😉
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Your Thoughts
What are your dream Walt Disney World luxury experiences? Have you done any of these treat yo self things on our list? What did you think–worth the money? Share any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!
we’re headed to WDW in November for my daughter’s 18th birthday and our 25th anniversary and would love to do something special. The divequest sounds great until I realize one has to be scuba certified to participate…the african trek sounds OK, but not sure I could physically do it with a cervical disk issue…anything other than food-related special events that would be a good fit for 2 teens and parents?
California Grill is the one luxury we always afford ourselves. Usually at a date/time to watch the fireworks at MK (*sob* Wishes). The service is always awesome and we discuss the food until our next visit. I don’t think we’ll do the brunch, as there is only so much I’m willing to pay for eggs and prime rib.
I love reading your blog! What would you put on a similar list for Disneyland??
My daughter and I did the Wild Africa trek while she was a cast member so we had a 50% off per person discount. It was a nice few hours and I was okay with having spent 95 dollars per person on it. I do not think it is worth the normal 189 dollar per person cost. Crossing the bridges was fun while looking down at the crocodiles and dining in the hut on the savannah was a very good experience. The food was very good as it is prepared by the chefs at Tusker House. You do get closer to the animals especially the rhinos, the crocs and the giraffes.
While it isn’t really an excessive splurge, the Illuminations dessert party was well worth it. It was a date night splurge. There’s a great view of reflections, drinks (of both the nonalcoholic and alcoholic variety), and desserts. It was a great way to see Illuminations away from the crush of the crowd and with out camping out in order to get the ‘front row’ view.
I completely agree. We loved the Ferrytale Wishes cruise! The crackers/bread and cheese and fruit was even better than the desserts. 🙂 All the food and drinks were plentiful and well done in terms of presentations, amount, and ditribution on the ferry. Everyone who wanted a seat got one. Not even remotely crowded even when sold out (ours was), and the fireworks were fantastic. Highly recommend it!
I would hesitate recommending a reservation for this. We had one, and the show ended up getting cancelled due to weather. They are serious about their no refunds policy. They still held the dessert party, but that alone is by NO means worth the money.
Hi Tom! Interesting list! I have had the chance to do a few things that while not super expensive, they were splurges for me & my family. I surprised my parents with an Illuminations fireworks cruise for an anniversary years ago, and we all loved it. We’ve since had the chance to do the Wishes one as well, although not on the Grand 1! 🙂 We’ve done Ferrytale Wishes & thought it was well worth it’s price tag. One more thought – in April of this year I had the chance to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour & thought it was excellent. I loved seeing the Electric Parade floats up close, go in the Utilidors, and we got to see the Move It Shake It parade come backstage. The reactions of the characters & performers once they crossed the line & could not be seen from Main Street were hilarious.
This is a super interesting list. I had no idea that most of these experiences existed. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to experience a day at Disney with a VIP guide. (I did not treat myself, but my whole group was treated by a generous relative.) I wasn’t really looking forward to it because I thought there would be awkward chit chat and that I would feel like a jerk constantly skipping ahead of everyone in line. Not gonna lie though, it was pretty awesome for a party of 4 adults and 4 little girls under the age of six. We had the guide, who was amazing with our kids, for 10 hours and we hit up 2 parks, met every character, rode every ride we wanted to ride (hooray for 3 rides on the mine train) and saw both MK parades from great locations. I was surprised that I enjoyed having her around as much as I did.
I love hearing this! We have a guide booked for our trip this fall (also sponsored by a generous relative) and I was disappointed to see it didn’t make Tom’s list. Glad to hear that it was an enjoyable experience for you all, especially because I am a little worried about having to make chit chat with a stranger!
We stayed in a King Kamehameha Club room on one of our trips. It was everything you’d think it would be. But, (and this is important for people who value money over luxury), only if you plan on spending your entire trip at the hotel is club level worth the money. If you aren’t there to take advantage of the accoutrements, and will only see your room when you’re ready for sleep, then I feel your money would be better spent on something else.
we stayed in the King Kamehameha Club in January 2016, and are headed back with our daughter this October… we found the breakfast/snacks/drinks/etc. a great way to augment our dining plan (didn’t have to purchase a 3rd meal, and didn’t “waste” a dining credit by not using it well), we’re really enjoying the concierge booking all our ADRs for us… also Wishes with a glass of (albeit cheap) wine is a treat.
We have had the privilege of “treating ourselves” the last few years we have gone to Disney World.
We are DVC members and with a ridiculous amount of points stayed in the Poly bungalows. We did the Wild Africa trip for our 30th wedding anniversary 3 yrs ago (absolute best tour ever)! We have done the pirates and pals dessert and fireworks party that was an absolute hoot! (The pirate for our tour happened to be the comedic person in the frozen show at Hollywood studios). And last year did the VIP thrill tour (coaster tour), which I would recommend to anyone. We also did (and I am very glad we did this) the frozen dessert party at Hollywood studios the year before the Osborne lights were removed.
Our trips to Disney and the extra special treats to ourselves as above, are accomplished because we have decided as a family we enjoy these things so much we will spend a little less during the year and put that money towards these somewhat extravagant activities.
Due to work/family and school obligations we aren’t able to get to Disney World more than once a year so we do a big splurge while we are there.
I find these things easy to arrange and we enjoy them-but I envy you and Sarah’s ability to travel to all the wonderful places you write about on this site. I have created a bucket list based on this blog to try to hit all of the parks as you guys have, but I am very intimidated by the thought of handling the logistics of traveling out of the country and all that entails.
When vacation time is a precious commodity like that, I can *totally* understand the desire to want to splurge more when you have the chance to enjoy it.
A lot of times, people treat money as if it’s a great commodity than time. Often times, that is true. Other times, it’s not. For us, money is more valuable than time, but that definitely is not true for everyone!
This was a great list. I would be lying though if I said that at first when I began reading I was hoping to see a list of realistic ways to “TREAT YO SELF.” It was good to see you take a full Tom and Donna approach to this though, because fine leather goods and cashmere everything are not cheap ways to treat oneself.
I am surprised to hear you all have not stayed club level, but seeing as I highly value the opinions on this blog, it reaffirms my belief it wouldn’t be worth it. My partner and I have discussed at times splurging for a club level experience and have never done it. Opting for similar financial approaches to those expressed in this blog, we often have a hard time justifying it. We like to be out and in the action and staying club level would create a huge pressure for us to stay at the hotel.
It’s tough for us to offer an informed opinion on Club Level without having done it, but I’m reluctant to do it because I have a reasonable idea as to what my opinion would be. You can infer from that what you will, but just remember the *we haven’t done it* caveat. 🙂
Love this list! Is there an official Disney site (or another site with an “unofficial” list) where you can see a roster of all of these experiences? I would love to see even more ideas to plan my ultimate (fantasy, of course) trip. Thanks for the great post.
There is no comprehensive list of these experiences, of which I’m aware. In some cases, Disney doesn’t really publicize these offerings–presumably due both to limited availability and because it might not sit well with guests who can’t afford the experiences and worry that Disney is stratifying its offerings.
I’ll join the chorus of Wild Africa Trek fans – my friend and I splurged on it (skipped a pricy meal and cut WAY back on souvenirs) and it was, without question, the best thing we have ever done at Disney. It was fascinating to interact with the animal handlers and get real information about the day to day of it all, and the pictures we got (both taken for us and that we were able to take) justified the expense on their own. It was absolutely wonderful, and I’d spend the money again in a heartbeat.
In fairness to both Wild Africa Trek and DiveQuest, lumping them in with other ‘luxury’ experiences that I’ve basically defined as being ‘cool, but probably not offering good value for money’ probably is unfair.
Literally everyone I know who has done both has raved about them, and called them money well spent. If they are money well spent, they are worth the money–even with the high price tags.
By contrast, we know people who like staying Club Level, but the vibe we always get from them is that they are able to justify it to themselves, or do it because they want a splurge.
Probably an insignificant distinction for many people reading this, but an important one, I think.
I had just finished watching the Park and Rec. episode where Donna and Tom ‘Treat Yo Self’ Beverly Hills style, and then this article popped up. Excellent timing and great post, as always. My upcoming trip in September might be the only time I can convince my SO to go with me, so I want to add in a splurge somewhere on our trip. I was considering a couples massage, but the prices seem a little steep for the reviews I have read. We love to eat, and love a good brunch so I may consider the Cali Grille for brunch on our last day.
Oh man, Brunch at the Top is worth every penny, especially with the Tables in Wonderland discount. I recently splurged on the fancy Tables in Wonderland food and wine festival preview event and I actually preferred Brunch at the Top to that much more expensive event. I’m currently scheming ways to get back to the California Grill for brunch again. What the online menu doesn’t mention is that unlimited prosecco and mimosas are also included with the meal — making this a decent value for me especially in light of the quality of the meal.
Good to hear another positive review for that!
On the subject of Food & Wine Festival events–a few of which could make this list–I think almost *all* of them fit the profile for this post. There is such high demand for all things Food & Wine versus the limited supply, plus a surplus of well-off Disney fans that the pricing for these events seems waaaay overboard–especially anything at the Signature restaurants with a celebrity chef. (I know that wasn’t the case with the preview, just using those meals as an example.)
GOODY! “splurging” on brunch at the top in October of 2016. Can’t wait. Figure I will have enough disney reward dollars to pay for it, so it’s really free, right? 😉
First of all, Treat Yo.Self hd me laughing before I even read the article. Ever since I saw that infamous episode of Parks and Rec, I’ve wanted to have a treat yo self day with my daughters (complete with customized cookies spelling out”Treat yo self” and a reluctant side kick to question why we’d need to make ridiculous purchases)
Second- love this list! And the overall idea of a list of this nature . I’d possibly add the Villans Soiree to it, but we could all add so many “extras” at WDW.
Actually, Dine with an Imagineer is awesome too. Makes a great birthday gift.
Love this post-
BTW: You and Sara look adorable in the picture with the fountain.
My husband and I did DiveQuest in 2010, and it was awesome. Yes, it is a bit pricey compared with the average dive, but I feel that it really is worth it. You get perfect water temperature, perfect visibility, and a guarantee of plenty of colorful sea creatures. You don’t have to lug your own equipment, you don’t have to deal with the current, you won’t get stung by anything, and you won’t have to deal with a sweaty, leering boat driver who speaks broken English. You are paying for the perfect diving experience! I want to do it again.
Were going for our 40th anniversary in November. We will splurge and eat at California grill at contemporary. We will also go to the very merry Christmas party and the wine and cheese festival. We saved for a year and this is our first time going. We live in California.
Are we gonna get one for Disneyland, too? 🙂
Hmm…I’m not sure what would make the list out west; I’m sure there are plenty of customizable high-end options given the amount of wealth in Southern California, but Disneyland certainly doesn’t publicize anything.
Perhaps, “join Club 33” would be a good start. 😉
This is a really great list of “bucket list” ideas. Wild Africa Trek is on our shortlist for every trip until we go to book it and see the price. I can’t see the Yacht rental at $600 an hour ever being worth it for us. That buys me a whole lot of School Bread.
For me at least, the difference between bucket list experiences and this list is that the bucket list experiences require saving, but are ultimately things we will try to do at some point because they strike us as being worth the money.
This list, by contrast, has a lot of experiences at luxury price-points that target an audience for whom money is no issue. The price doesn’t necessarily match the quality of the experience, but for some people, that doesn’t matter.
(Luxury items can even be more expensive than bucket list ones, since “value” and “cost” are two different things.)
It’s like the difference between a Gucci handbag and an Arc’teryx ultralight backpack. Both are super expensive bags, but the latter offers utility that is commensurate with its pricepoint, whereas the former does not.
Maybe it’s a distinction without a difference to most people, but it makes sense to me, at least! 🙂
Grand 1 Yacht rental seems steep at $600/hour for a maximum 12 to 13 guests per WDW’s site. Not sure if a Wishes time slot can be booked for only 1 hour (they can pipe in the soundtrack), then $50pp would be on par with a dessert party.
Just bring a bag of gummy worms & make sure you enjoy the company of all in your party, lol.
Maybe in 2050 the Bricker children & grandchildren will surprise Tom & Sarah with an Anniversary Party aboard 😉 Any similar excursion would add value as this private experience could make an awesome collective gift.
Great list! The second I read the title I started channeling my inner Donna Meagle & Tom Haverford 🙂
I would also add dessert parties and fireworks cruises to this! Magic Kingdom and Epcot’s dessert parties are $59/adult and $49/adult respectively, and the Ferrytale Wishes Dessert Cruise is $99/adult!
My husband is doing DiveQuest on our upcoming trip in September, and he can’t wait. We only hear great things about it! Glad to hear you enjoyed it as well.
“Glad to hear you enjoyed it as well.”
I did DiveQuest in 2001, so my experience 15 years ago probably isn’t a useful review. With that said, the tank hasn’t changed much and I (also) only hear positives about it, but still…no one go booking it on my account. (I know you aren’t–that’s just a general caveat.)
A lot can change in that span of time.
He will love it! We did DiveQuest on our last trip and it is on the short list for our upcoming trip again! The backstage tour beforehand was great too.