I hired a tour guide at Disney World. It was $700 for 6 hours, and it made our time at the park more enjoyable.

• I took my kids, who are 8, 13, and 16, to Disney World.
• We chose to hire a private tour guide for the day we went to Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

I've planned family trips to Disney, Spain, Belize, and South Africa, all without a travel agent. I've redeemed enough frequent flyer miles that I know my AAdvantage number by heart.

So it hurts my pride — and my bank account — to make this confession: I hired a private guide to help my husband and I navigate Disney World with our three kids, who are 8, 13, and 16 years old.

Here's why I hired a private guide and why you might want to

My youngest was a toddler when we last visited Disney. With the pandemic finally in the rearview, we were eager to squeeze in a trip. Different vacation schedules limited our travel to Passover and Easter weekend, one of the busiest times at the parks. I worried long lines would leave us hot and grumpy. I'd mastered Fast Pass on previous trips, but Genie+, Disney's newer booking system for popular rides, seemed confusing to me. I felt like we needed help.

Here's what it cost and how it worked

I selected Five Star Orlando VIP Tours because it was the cheapest — $700 for six hours; others ranged from $250 an hour to between $450 and $900 an hour for Disney's VIP Guides — and offered afternoon start times, which better suited my family.

Our guide, aptly named Mick, texted to confirm our plans and priorities and asked to access our Disney account. Five Star will also book dining and special experiences, provided you book outside Disney's 60-day advance-reservation window.

It was worth the expense

My Orlando-loving friend says, "Disney is where money goes to die, but it's worth it for the memories." That feels true of the money we spent on tickets, food, Mick, Genie+, lightning lanes, and tips — we used miles for JetBlue flights and Bonvoy points for Swan Reserve hotel rooms. As an adventurous traveler, I know there are extraordinary places to explore with a Disney-level budget. But Disney trips are milestones, and I'm glad we returned with our big kids.

A guide made our time at the park easy, relaxing, and productive. We slept late, enjoyed breakfast, then headed to the park around noon. After meeting Mick at 3 p.m., we rode nearly every ride, avoided long lines, and enjoyed the fireworks.

We visited Hollywood Studios on our own the next day. We did fine, but it was clear Mick was a pro at navigating the parks. He stayed with our youngest while we rode intense rides and helped us procure meals and snacks. When we didn't have Mick's help, the lines were excruciatingly long — 90 minutes for Big Thunder Mountain and Toy Story Mania.

Here's what I learned from the pro

I want to share what I learned from our tour, so I can help others who aren't able to spend the extra money for a tour guide on their trip.

First, you should create an account in the My Disney Experience app. Use the "pin" icon to research hotels and browse attractions filtered by park, age, height requirement, character experiences, etc. This helped us plan our day and decide on our must-dos.

If you know you won't be able to stand in long lines with your kids, you should purchase Genie+ — it's $15 to $35 per person per day depending on how busy the park will be — starting at 12 a.m. on the day of your park visit and begin booking timed access (or "lightning lanes") at 7 a.m.

Mick also recommended prioritizing attractions on the "Plan your day" app page so you're ready to book Genie+ or at least plan your route once you're in the park.

You should set your alarm for midnight, then go to bed early. At midnight — or, at the latest, 6:30 a.m. — purchase Genie+. At 6:45 a.m., open the Genie+ Tips Board. Click on your most-wanted attraction, then exit to the main screen. When you refresh the app at 7 a.m., the attraction should appear at the top of your screen. Reserve a lightning-lane time for that ride. Once you scan into the ride, you can book your next Genie+ reservation.

If you want to experience newer rides like Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy, purchase individual lightning-lane passes, then head to the park.

And, finally, as my favorite pediatrician shared with me, the trick to Disney is to leave just before you start to hate it.