Luxury Disney World Experiences

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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…

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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!

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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 FloridianWith 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!)

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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.

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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. 😉

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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.

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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!

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