2014 Review “Holiday Time at Disneyland” Tour

[thewelts]

Has anyone been on the tour yet this season? I am eager to hear your reviews and feedback.

We just booked for 6 guests on Sunday, December 14 at 2:55 PM. This will be our first tour of any sort. I am a bit nervous as my husband is not into "group activities". We were mostly drawn by the promise of seats for the parade.

I would love to hear about your tour experience.

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

If it's still providing access to IASW and Jingle Cruise, plus parade seating, I am very interested in this tour! Would love to hear a review from this year.

 

[katcharlwood]

Hi, can I ask, do you get a choice of start times? And what time is the Christmas parade? I'd love to do this but on the day I am thinking of we need to leave the park by 3.30pm so don't know if it's possible. Xxx

 

[thewelts]

check the schedule for the day you want at this link...
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/holiday-time-at-disneyland/

Tours for the 3:00 parade begin at 12:00 PM, 12:05 PM & 12:10 PM

It "might" be possible to get out by 3:30, but tricky as the parade normally travels from IASW to Town Square at this time. It will be hard to make a quick exit if you are behind the parade.

 

[Sherry E]

Stay tuned to the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread, as a lot of people who follow that thread are planning to do the tour, and they will come back and post there after their trips are over.

 

[debdreamsofdis]

I have a few questions about the Holiday Tour as well. I love the Christmas superthread, but to be honest, that thread gets quickly bogged down with too much information, so it's nice to have a separate thread specifically for the tour.

I was also wondering which rides the tour participants gets front of the line access to. I'm hoping it's all 3 rides with Christmas overlay (Haunted Mansion, IASW and Jingle Cruise), but if we can get confirmation for that, it would be great!

Also, what kind of treats are they giving this year during the tour and do they have alternatives, such as sugar free and gluten free?

Where exactly is the reserved parade seating? Are certain reserved seats better than others? We will have smaller kids and would hate to have them stuck behind taller adults and not be able to even see the parade.

And lastly, do you tip the tour guide??

TIA!

 

[Sherry E]

I have a few questions about the Holiday Tour as well. I love the Christmas superthread, but to be honest, that thread gets quickly bogged down with too much information, so it's nice to have a separate thread specifically for the tour.

I was also wondering which rides the tour participants gets front of the line access to. I'm hoping it's all 3 rides with Christmas overlay (Haunted Mansion, IASW and Jingle Cruise), but if we can get confirmation for that, it would be great!

Also, what kind of treats are they giving this year during the tour and do they have alternatives, such as sugar free and gluten free?

Where exactly is the reserved parade seating? Are certain reserved seats better than others? We will have smaller kids and would hate to have them stuck behind taller adults and not be able to even see the parade.

And lastly, do you tip the tour guide??

TIA!

Thank for the glowing review. Now I'm sure everyone will want to join in the Superthread!

You don't have to follow the Superthread at all. I'm just saying that a lot of people who do follow the thread will post their tour recaps/reviews there, in that thread, and I'll assemble them -- just as I assembled all of the reviews of Mickey's Halloween Party for the Halloween thread -- into one single post. So that is one place you can look for Holiday Tour info if you can't get much of it elsewhere (though I am sure people will post in this thread soon).


On the very first page of the Superthread (Disneyland section, under Main Street/Holiday Tour) -- in this post -- you will see links to reviews (with details and photos) from 2013 (and prior). Some of the reviews are more detailed and some are less so. That would give you all the basic info you need, barring any sudden changes new to 2014, of which there would not be many -- directly from the DIS'ers who posted the reviews -- about what is included on the tour, how they liked it, what happened if/when it rained, etc.

 

[debdreamsofdis]

Thank for the glowing review. Now I'm sure everyone will want to join in the Superthread!

You don't have to follow the Superthread at all. I'm just saying that a lot of people who do follow the thread will post their tour recaps/reviews there, in that thread, and I'll assemble them -- just as I assembled all of the reviews of Mickey's Halloween Party for the Halloween thread -- into one single post. So that is one place you can look for Holiday Tour info if you can't get much of it elsewhere (though I am sure people will post in this thread soon).


On the very first page of the Superthread (Disneyland section, under Main Street/Holiday Tour) -- in this post -- you will see links to reviews (with details and photos) from 2013 (and prior). Some of the reviews are more detailed and some are less so. That would give you all the basic info you need, barring any sudden changes new to 2014, of which there would not be many -- directly from the DIS'ers who posted the reviews -- about what is included on the tour, how they liked it, what happened if/when it rained, etc.

I do love the Superthread. I'm not dissing it at all. I know you put a lot of effort into putting all the information together and I totally appreciate that! It's just a very fast moving thread and for some people it's easy to freak out because of information overload. ( or is that just me?)

 

[krispin41]

I have the tour booked for the 12th of December. I had originally scheduled one to start on one of the later times, but then managed to get a Blue Bayou Fantasmic! reservation for 5:30pm. So they allowed me to switch my tour reservation as a one time accomodation (I had literally made the tour reservation about ten minutes before, and by pure luck was able to snag a reservation online for BB). I will post a review after the fact.

 

[bombshellz]

I have a few questions about the Holiday Tour as well. I love the Christmas superthread, but to be honest, that thread gets quickly bogged down with too much information, so it's nice to have a separate thread specifically for the tour.

I was also wondering which rides the tour participants gets front of the line access to. I'm hoping it's all 3 rides with Christmas overlay (Haunted Mansion, IASW and Jingle Cruise), but if we can get confirmation for that, it would be great!

Also, what kind of treats are they giving this year during the tour and do they have alternatives, such as sugar free and gluten free?

Where exactly is the reserved parade seating? Are certain reserved seats better than others? We will have smaller kids and would hate to have them stuck behind taller adults and not be able to even see the parade.

And lastly, do you tip the tour guide??

TIA!

I did the tour on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 2:55. There were 3 afternoon tours and 1 morning tour that day. The crowds were crazy, which made doling out the extra money for the tour worth it. Our group did struggle to get through the crowds since we were walking up Main Street during the parade. Our tour guide couldn't point out the Christmas tree in Walt's apartment or the window display with the mezuzah since it was too packed. We also couldn't see the vents with the smells at either DL or CA because people were blocking the way. Our guide did let us look through a book with all of the things that we missed as we waited for the parade to start. If you can, book the earlier tours to avoid the parade crowds.

We rode Jingle Cruise, Haunted Mansion Holiday, and it's a small world holiday. Some non tour people tried to enter the side entrances with us but the cms kept an eye out for them. The tour buttons help show who belong with the tour and make for a great souvenir. Wait times for these rides on a weekend afternoon were 50+ minutes.

Speaking of souvenirs, we got the holiday reuseable mug filled with hot chocolate, the holiday pin, and a packaged gingerbread cookie. We also stopped in Trolley Treats in CA to sample a marshmallow covered in caramel and chocolate and decorated with red and green sprinkles. They had an alternative snack for a member in our tour. It looked like a fudge brownie. Not sure if it was sugar or gluten free. Let the guided tour cms know about accommodations when you book your tour and they will take care of you.

The reserved seating is amazing. We got to our seats 10 minutes before the parade started. The seating area is right across its a small world holiday so you will have the facade in the background of your pictures. There were three groups of chairs - one for each tour. My tour was last so we were at the edge near a walkway. It was kind of distracting when people crossed so an earlier tour would be better. There are three rows of chairs, 5 in each row I believe. Each row provides a great view. Our friend with kids sat in the first row and has great interactions with the characters. We sat in the last row and could see fine. A perk to sitting in the last row was that we stood to take pictures and videos. If you have small kids, try to get the first row or stand in the last row.

Our tour guide was excellent and we really wanted to tip her but it is not allowed. There was also a second cm who played support and she did an excellent job.

We had a stroller which was no problem since our guide made sure to tell us where to leave it for the rides and what pathways to take.

We wore earpieces during the tour to hear the audio. If you can, have your kids practice with over the ear headphones to get used to them. My friend's daughter's earpiece kept coming off. You will have to restart the audio device after the rides but your guide will make sure all can hear before talking.

I hope this answers all of your questions. The tour was one of the highlights of our trip!

 

[thewelts]

Thanks so much for your review!
Can't wait

 

[gmi3804]

How long does the tour last, and where are the seats set up?

 

[Sherry E]

How long does the tour last, and where are the seats set up?

Sailorwife posted (in the Superthread) that the whole thing took about 3-1/2 hours. Her detailed tour review is -- HERE. She just posted it yesterday.

 

[gmi3804]

Sailorwife posted (in the Superthread) that the whole thing took about 3-1/2 hours. Her detailed tour review is -- HERE. She just posted it yesterday.

Thanks!

 

[starry_solo]

Speaking of souvenirs, we got the holiday reuseable mug filled with hot chocolate, the holiday pin, and a packaged gingerbread cookie. We also stopped in Trolley Treats in CA to sample a marshmallow covered in caramel and chocolate and decorated with red and green sprinkles. They had an alternative snack for a member in our tour. It looked like a fudge brownie. Not sure if it was sugar or gluten free. Let the guided tour cms know about accommodations when you book your tour and they will take care of you.

May I ask how the holiday pin looked like? A friend of mine is curious

 

[bombshellz]

May I ask how the holiday pin looked like? A friend of mine is curious

I can't post pics since my post count isn't high enough but I will do my best to describe it. Chip and Dale are wearing red and green clothes with earmuffs. Three acorns dangle from the bottom with tour, hidden Mickey icon, and 2014 displayed. "Holiday Time at Disneyland Resort" is written at the top and bottom. Snow is falling in the background.

 

[debdreamsofdis]

I did the tour on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 2:55. There were 3 afternoon tours and 1 morning tour that day. The crowds were crazy, which made doling out the extra money for the tour worth it. Our group did struggle to get through the crowds since we were walking up Main Street during the parade. Our tour guide couldn't point out the Christmas tree in Walt's apartment or the window display with the mezuzah since it was too packed. We also couldn't see the vents with the smells at either DL or CA because people were blocking the way. Our guide did let us look through a book with all of the things that we missed as we waited for the parade to start. If you can, book the earlier tours to avoid the parade crowds.

We rode Jingle Cruise, Haunted Mansion Holiday, and it's a small world holiday. Some non tour people tried to enter the side entrances with us but the cms kept an eye out for them. The tour buttons help show who belong with the tour and make for a great souvenir. Wait times for these rides on a weekend afternoon were 50+ minutes.

Speaking of souvenirs, we got the holiday reuseable mug filled with hot chocolate, the holiday pin, and a packaged gingerbread cookie. We also stopped in Trolley Treats in CA to sample a marshmallow covered in caramel and chocolate and decorated with red and green sprinkles. They had an alternative snack for a member in our tour. It looked like a fudge brownie. Not sure if it was sugar or gluten free. Let the guided tour cms know about accommodations when you book your tour and they will take care of you.

The reserved seating is amazing. We got to our seats 10 minutes before the parade started. The seating area is right across its a small world holiday so you will have the facade in the background of your pictures. There were three groups of chairs - one for each tour. My tour was last so we were at the edge near a walkway. It was kind of distracting when people crossed so an earlier tour would be better. There are three rows of chairs, 5 in each row I believe. Each row provides a great view. Our friend with kids sat in the first row and has great interactions with the characters. We sat in the last row and could see fine. A perk to sitting in the last row was that we stood to take pictures and videos. If you have small kids, try to get the first row or stand in the last row.

Our tour guide was excellent and we really wanted to tip her but it is not allowed. There was also a second cm who played support and she did an excellent job.

We had a stroller which was no problem since our guide made sure to tell us where to leave it for the rides and what pathways to take.

We wore earpieces during the tour to hear the audio. If you can, have your kids practice with over the ear headphones to get used to them. My friend's daughter's earpiece kept coming off. You will have to restart the audio device after the rides but your guide will make sure all can hear before talking.

I hope this answers all of your questions. The tour was one of the highlights of our trip!

Thank you so much for the review! This helps a lot!!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

we did it friday. I loved it. Cap Bane is working on a full Holiday tour page will have pics of pin, cup, cookie and other treat as well as review of the rides. We loved the seats that were right across from small world and we had an awesome time.

 

[krispin41]

There is a pin on ebay if you wanted to look at the picture. I found it by searching "Disneyland Holiday 2014." It's very cute!!

 

[CaptBane]

Here is what the pin and the gingerbread cookies look like.