How many trips to WDW before your did Tours?

[FrostyNaples]

Curious how many times you've visited the parks before you started doing the add-on tours available.

I only have 4 trips under my belt, two more before the year is over.

First was 1991 (way to young to remember), then 2008, 2009 , 2014 (x3).

2008 was a large family trip.

2009 was our honeymoon, and not having been to Disney just the wife and I, we did only the parks.

2014, was our anniversary trip, again, since it had been 5 years since the last trip we just did parks.

Now the next two trips this fall, will be really for other family members, happy to tag along with them as AP holders.

I'm thinking maybe this Spring time to start doing some of the park tours? Seems to be a lot of great reviews for most of them, and having gone from "zero to mickey" for a lack of a better phrase visiting WDW in 2014, it may be time to see what else they offer to keep the Magic flowing, not that it doesn't anyways.

Thoughts?

 

[Tom]

It's completely up to you. Some of the tours, like Keys to the Kingdom and Backstage Magic, can (will) ruin the magic, if you're the type that prefers to escape from reality.

For me, I've always been a behind-the-scenes sort of person. My brother and I started taking the tours when we were college-aged. Since then, I've taken Keys a few times and Backstage Magic 3 or 4 times (with different people each time). But now I can't walk through the parks without my brain knowing what's going on behind that fence, tree-line or building....and I'm OK with that. But it's not OK for everyone, so fair warning.

Otherwise, if you're good with it, no reason to wait!

 

[JIMINYCR]

If you have the money set aside for the extras and dont mind taking the time, you can go no matter how many trips youve had before. We took our first tour after doing our 4th trip only because by that time we could financially justify spending the extra money and it was time to try something different. ## of trips dont make the tours any more or less fun, BUT the more trips you have taken the more interest you might have in seeing some of the more unique and hidden sides of Disney.

 

[JillC LI]

5 and counting. No tours for us yet. Maybe when the kids are a tad older and willing to take time away from rides and other attractions.

 

[Tiggertoo56]

We did 3 trips before any tours - and have done Keys to the Kingdom and Backstage Magic. Would probably do others in the future, but next time we go have MNSSHP and MVMCP so none this time.

 

[The Incredible Schmulk]

My wife and I have been going once a year to one of the coasts (a few times twice) since our first date in Disneyland nine years ago. In all that time, we've only ever done one tour: the Behind the Seeds tour in Epcot.

We've thought about doing a couple different tours here and there, but we either usually decide that they aren't worth the money or the time away from doing other stuff we'd rather be doing. Maybe that will change if we move closer to one of the parks someday and it isn't just an annual trek, but it's hard to justify spending additional money on something that draws your attention and large chunks of time away from the thing on which you're already spending so much money.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Let's see. First went to WDW in 1983. Did my first tour in 2004... so quite a few times. I am notoriously cheap and hate to spend extra money on anything. Just the cost of a Disney trip usually kept me pretty well closed, wallet wise.

Then I did Keys to the Kingdom in 2004 and a few years later I did the behind the scenes tour. I like them and think they were worth it once, but, I have no desires to do it again. In other words, I recommend them for those that like to see what is happening behind the scene, but, once was enough for me.

 

[skyphotographer]

13 trips, no tours yet. Seems like there's never time.

 

[Redsky89]

I've been more times than I can count and have still yet to do a tour. I think cause I have friends that are cast members I already hear plenty about the "behind the scenes" at WDW.

 

[bethymouse]

No tours. Sadly too expensive. Have been going since 2007- 7 times.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

We went fairly frequently when I was a kid but my parents would never have paid for them, and as a kid I wouldn't have wanted to do them. My first tour was my 4 trip as an adult paying my own way. By then my husband and I wanted to do delve deeper into Disney information.

 

[Tinkerbell 8]

I went 11 times before my first tour, which was in 2011 on the Keys to the Kingdom tour. A lot of the information that we learned on the tour I already knew from either here or reading all of my Disney books, however I did learn some things. I had been backstage when I was there in 2006 for Music in the Parks when my school band performed in the nighttime parade, but it was still fun to go backstage and get to see some different things. Be warned that if preserving the Disney magic is really important to you, going backstage and possibly seeing some characters not fully dressed may not be a good idea. My favorite part of the tour was going underground in the Utilidors, I just wish we got to spend more time down there.

 

[R W B]

I've done 8 trips since 2009 plus my first in 06 so 9 total and I have yet to do any tours. Would like to start some soon though. We'll see.

 

[DfromATX]

4 trips, no tours yet. Like someone else said, no time and it just hasn't been something to cross my mind to do.

 

[Susan Savia]

Been going to WDW for 30 years and never done a tour. We stay to busy within the parks.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

So far 8 trips and no tours so far. Ich have to admit however, that most of them if not all are a little to expensive, of course only IMHO. I am working as a tour guide myself parttime and if we would charge what Disney charges for their tours, NO one would appear! I mean honestly, 79$ plus taxes for ONE person? Yes it takes 5 hours but our 2 hrs tour costs only 10 €, that's at the moment a little more than 13 bucks. If they have twenty or so guests in one tour they collect over 1600 bucks for one tour, how much do they pay the CM? I get between 40 and 50 € per hour, I am quite sure, the CM doesn't get a quarter of that.

 

[Nubs70]

So far 8 trips and no tours so far. Ich have to admit however, that most of them if not all are a little to expensive, of course only IMHO. I am working as a tour guide myself parttime and if we would charge what Disney charges for their tours, NO one would appear! I mean honestly, 79$ plus taxes for ONE person? Yes it takes 5 hours but our 2 hrs tour costs only 10 €, that's at the moment a little more than 13 bucks. If they have twenty or so guests in one tour they collect over 1600 bucks for one tour, how much do they pay the CM? I get between 40 and 50 € per hour, I am quite sure, the CM doesn't get a quarter of that.

You wouldn't be guiding for the Fat Tire Bike Tours?

 

[ImagineerDude]

It took us 10 trips from 2002 to this year for us to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour. I am a person that likes an escape from reality at Disney and even after the tour I cried when the park closed that night. So it DID NOT ruin the magic for me. It's the only tour we have done. We were always giggling like "ooh hippobottomless" or "hey that's where we went backstage!!!" I highly recommend it!

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

You wouldn't be guiding for the Fat Tire Bike Tours?

No, at the moment I am doing tours through the Olympic Stadium and Olympiapark Berlin.

 

[zooger]

We were on our 2nd trip as a family and did Wild Africa Trek. DD was 10 years old at the time. She would like to go, again, on our next trip in 2015. It was an excellent tour. I felt it was worth the price.