2011 Holiday Tour. Who has booked and when?

[DizMe]

My sister and I went on our annual holiday trip to DLR and did the Holiday Tour Nov 30. Our group was very small and it didn't seem like a very busy time, which actually made it a little less fun. Why? Because with larger groups and more people in the park, it seems to be that people get more into the excitement and atmosphere. Plus, it's much cooler to walk to the front of the rides when there are long lines

Anyway, we did not find the first part of the tour as fun as in prior years, but we still enjoyed it. Our tour guide was very nice but didn't give nearly as much info about the decorations and history. She did a lot more banter about what her favorites were and things like that. I wanted to hear again how many lights are on the tree, how many people they have to do the decorating, etc. We also didn't do the caroling or call out Merry Christmas in various languages to the other tour groups we saw. I really missed that! HMH was closed when we got there so we didn't get to ride on it, boo hoo, and our guide had to make up the time. That's when it got better. We went on IASWH and then over to ToonTown, where we got to have our cocoa and cookie and sit at tables chatting for awhile. It was very fun! We made friends with the other group members and we were so surprised when it was time to go over to the parade because the time went by so fast. Our guide was super nice after HMH trouble and our seats for the parade were perfect. She gave us all extra FPs, our pins, and talked to us about working for Disney. My sis and I exchanged email addys with a couple we made friends with over cocoa. It started off a little disappointingly, but by the end of the tour we were happy and in a very festive mood, which may be how we ended up at Trader Sam's in DLH having an Uh Oa

Our annual holiday toast:

Nice parade seats!!!

Our Uh Oa on fire...they give you some spices to throw on it for sparks!

Uh oh! This thing's potent!

The pin this year is very cool, too. It's a toy soldier and his legs dangle around...too cute!

 

[jemimabean]

Just home from my trip! I took the Holiday Time tour in the daytime on Dec. 9th, and really enjoyed it.
First we stopped at the candy store on Main Street for some fudge, and then learned about holiday traditions around the world. Our tour guide was sweet and tried really hard. I LOVED getting to walk on the Haunted Mansion and IASMH, but the best part was definitely the awesome seats for the parade. I also loved the little pin that we were given. I'll hang on to that forever for sure.

Just as a tip to anyone else this may affect, I'm allergic to gluten, so was unable to eat the gingerbread man that they provide. When I booked the tour I was told to let our tour guide know a bit ahead of time. I did, and when we got to Toon Town for the hot chocolate and gingerbread, a gluten-free rice krispy treat (decorated like a snowflake) was waiting for me.
I miss out on all cookies, cakes, pies, etc., so I'm used to having to just skip any treats. It really meant a lot to me that they went the extra mile to find something that I could eat and enjoy.

If I ever go back at Christmas (and um, I won't ever go during such a busy weekend), I'll definitely take the tour again.

 

[canadadisney]

Just home from my trip! I took the Holiday Time tour in the daytime on Dec. 9th, and really enjoyed it.
First we stopped at the candy store on Main Street for some fudge, and then learned about holiday traditions around the world. Our tour guide was sweet and tried really hard. I LOVED getting to walk on the Haunted Mansion and IASMH, but the best part was definitely the awesome seats for the parade. I also loved the little pin that we were given. I'll hang on to that forever for sure.

Just as a tip to anyone else this may affect, I'm allergic to gluten, so was unable to eat the gingerbread man that they provide. When I booked the tour I was told to let our tour guide know a bit ahead of time. I did, and when we got to Toon Town for the hot chocolate and gingerbread, a gluten-free rice krispy treat (decorated like a snowflake) was waiting for me.
I miss out on all cookies, cakes, pies, etc., so I'm used to having to just skip any treats. It really meant a lot to me that they went the extra mile to find something that I could eat and enjoy.

If I ever go back at Christmas (and um, I won't ever go during such a busy weekend), I'll definitely take the tour again.

I'm really glad to hear they had a substitution for you. I booked last week and told them my DD10 has a nut allergy and asked if there could be a substitution for the cookie. The CM on the phone was not helpful or friendly. He told me they don't make substitutions, so I told him I would just ask when I got to the tour. Happy to hear it worked out for you!

 

[Disnee]

We did the tour in early December, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed after all the raves I'd read about it prior to booking. Our tour departed during the first parade, and the timing was awful - Main St. was a complete zoo, and we were constantly bumped and jostled while at the "stops", with CM's shouting all around doing crowd control. It made it near impossible to stick together as a group, and as we had our son with us we were slowed somewhat trying to navigate him safely through the herd. What they don't tell you is that the audio on the headphones will cut to sharp, headache-inducing static if you're not within about 5 ft of the guide - for the first half of the tour, we had to keep our headphones off it was so bad. We mentioned it to the guide the first chance we had, and were basically just told "sorry, we know it can be a problem - just try to keep close". Umm......

There wasn't nearly the history/Disneyland holiday information we were led to expect - it was random "Christmas traditions around the world" stuff, most of which you probably already know (Joyeux Noel is how you say Merry Christmas in French? You don't say!). Given it was a DISNEYLAND tour, I really expected more information about the parks and the holidays - very little was said about that, other than how many lights are on Small World.

Getting on the rides without a wait was great, and the cocoa/gingerbread was nice (basically the tour cost bought us a cookie, cocoa, pin and 2 fastpasses). Having a seat for the parade was OK - we were right at the end of the route, though, and I would have preferred to NOT have the view of all the floats, characters, etc. exiting through the gate. The seats were also REALLY squished together - I felt like I was almost in the lap of the man next to me, and really would have been more comfortable had I staked out my own space on the curb.

Overall, it was a miss and not something we would ever repeat (the whole family is in agreement). It was nice to try it and say we've done it - but none of us get the appeal for the folks who do it annually. There was NO carol singing, engaging with other groups, etc. which was a shame.....there just really wasn't much about it to recommend. The pin IS cute, though.

I know we all have different experiences, things we enjoy and I'm generally a "glass half full" person, but I was overall disappointed and didn't feel it was worth what we paid.

 

[DizMe]

We did the tour in early December, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed after all the raves I'd read about it prior to booking. Our tour departed during the first parade, and the timing was awful - Main St. was a complete zoo, and we were constantly bumped and jostled while at the "stops", with CM's shouting all around doing crowd control. It made it near impossible to stick together as a group, and as we had our son with us we were slowed somewhat trying to navigate him safely through the herd. What they don't tell you is that the audio on the headphones will cut to sharp, headache-inducing static if you're not within about 5 ft of the guide - for the first half of the tour, we had to keep our headphones off it was so bad. We mentioned it to the guide the first chance we had, and were basically just told "sorry, we know it can be a problem - just try to keep close". Umm......

There wasn't nearly the history/Disneyland holiday information we were led to expect - it was random "Christmas traditions around the world" stuff, most of which you probably already know (Joyeux Noel is how you say Merry Christmas in French? You don't say!). Given it was a DISNEYLAND tour, I really expected more information about the parks and the holidays - very little was said about that, other than how many lights are on Small World.

Getting on the rides without a wait was great, and the cocoa/gingerbread was nice (basically the tour cost bought us a cookie, cocoa, pin and 2 fastpasses). Having a seat for the parade was OK - we were right at the end of the route, though, and I would have preferred to NOT have the view of all the floats, characters, etc. exiting through the gate. The seats were also REALLY squished together - I felt like I was almost in the lap of the man next to me, and really would have been more comfortable had I staked out my own space on the curb.

Overall, it was a miss and not something we would ever repeat (the whole family is in agreement). It was nice to try it and say we've done it - but none of us get the appeal for the folks who do it annually. There was NO carol singing, engaging with other groups, etc. which was a shame.....there just really wasn't much about it to recommend. The pin IS cute, though.

I know we all have different experiences, things we enjoy and I'm generally a "glass half full" person, but I was overall disappointed and didn't feel it was worth what we paid.

I have to say that I experienced much of what you did this time around. I felt kind of guilty for recommending the tour so glowingly after what we found this year--no caroling, not much Disney info, and so on. I thought maybe it was just our tour guide because it was never that way before. I'm sorry to hear that you had the same problems, although we didn't encounter the crowds or the squished together seats. We didn't go at a particularly busy time, though, and there was only one parade the day we went so we got to be at the front of the parade instead of the end. On days when there are 2 parades, the first starts at Small World and goes down Main St and the second does the reverse, so if you're on the second tour you'll see the end of the parade.

I am now a little torn as to whether or not we want to do it again next year. It has become a tradition for us and we loved it every year before this one, plus I go with my sister so we're each only having to buy one ticket so it's not a huge expense, but we've now done it 4 times so it may be time to try something else. I guess we'll just have to see what we think about it next year.

 

[mommy2mrb]

sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the tour....

we are going on Saturday and really looking forward to it!

both our girls love to sing, so we may just have to start singing ourselves
plan on having a great time and enjoying the extra perks we get!

 

[MrsPinup]

I was noticing that most people wer ebooking the 3pm tour and not the noon tour. Why the preference?

 

[Disnee]

Speaking only for myself, we booked the 3PM tour as we wanted to watch the late parade - after it's dark, when all the lights are on the floats and Main St. is lit with the holiday lights! The earlier parade takes place during daylight hours, and isn't quite as magical IMO.

 

[MrsPinup]

Speaking only for myself, we booked the 3PM tour as we wanted to watch the late parade - after it's dark, when all the lights are on the floats and Main St. is lit with the holiday lights! The earlier parade takes place during daylight hours, and isn't quite as magical IMO.

oh ok...I wasn't thinking about multiple parades. In my head I was thinking that all the tour groups were watching the same parade. oppsie!

 

[wdwmickey]

sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the tour....

we are going on Saturday and really looking forward to it!

both our girls love to sing, so we may just have to start singing ourselves
plan on having a great time and enjoying the extra perks we get!

I think we definately should sing I sing too, so we could have 4 part harmony on some songs if we want Can't wait

 

[mommy2mrb]

I think we definately should sing I sing too, so we could have 4 part harmony on some songs if we want Can't wait

well I don't sing very well...so not sure if we will have a 4 part harmony, maybe 3 1/2 can't wait to see you and Rachel!!

 

[jemimabean]

I'm really glad to hear they had a substitution for you. I booked last week and told them my DD10 has a nut allergy and asked if there could be a substitution for the cookie. The CM on the phone was not helpful or friendly. He told me they don't make substitutions, so I told him I would just ask when I got to the tour. Happy to hear it worked out for you!

Definitely get to the tour gazebo about 20-25 minutes before your tour, and let them know about the food allergy. They absolutely do make substitutions, even if they have to call around a bit to do it. It sounds like your son could have the snowflake rice crispy treat (it was delicious). You could even ask for it by name.
The fudge sample was their peppermint fudge, and while it didn't have any obvious nuts in it, you would still probably want to check.
Have fun!

 

[canadadisney]

Definitely get to the tour gazebo about 20-25 minutes before your tour, and let them know about the food allergy. They absolutely do make substitutions, even if they have to call around a bit to do it. It sounds like your son could have the snowflake rice crispy treat (it was delicious). You could even ask for it by name.
The fudge sample was their peppermint fudge, and while it didn't have any obvious nuts in it, you would still probably want to check.
Have fun!

Thanks for reasuring me. Disney has always been so good about my daughter's allergies, I couldn't believe that they wouldn't substitute something! Like I said, the CM wasn't real happy. My DH asked me if he said, "Have a magical day" at the end and I said "Yes, but I felt like his heart wasn't really in it"

 

[tksbaskets]

Speaking only for myself, we booked the 3PM tour as we wanted to watch the late parade - after it's dark, when all the lights are on the floats and Main St. is lit with the holiday lights! The earlier parade takes place during daylight hours, and isn't quite as magical IMO.

I like both parades. In 2009 we did the 3 pm tour with the night time parade. I opted for the noon tour this time because it's so much easier to take pictures during the day and I wanted a different perspective.

Can't wait!

 

[traveler61]

we have the tour on the 23rd 3pm cant get a responce do I pick up tickets some where or just show up with names when I called they said to go to will call there is that?

 

[DizNee Luver]

we have the tour on the 23rd 3pm cant get a responce do I pick up tickets some where or just show up with names when I called they said to go to will call there is that?

Go to Guest Services or City Hall & pick up your tickets the day of tour. You'll need your confirmation # & ID to prove you were the one that bought the tickets. It only takes a few minutes. (I found using the Guest Services outside the gates to be much quicker than inside City Hall on Main Street).

Enjoy....it's a wonderful tour!!!

 

[kirstie101]

we have the tour on the 23rd 3pm cant get a responce do I pick up tickets some where or just show up with names when I called they said to go to will call there is that?

We never actually picked up our tickets. We just went to the tour booth about 30 minutes before the tour started. I did need my photo ID and confirmation #.

We were on the 3pm tour on Saturday and had a great time. Our guide was great and so were the people in our tour group. Its all my DD is talking about now that we are home!

 

[mommy2mrb]

Go to Guest Services or City Hall & pick up your tickets the day of tour. You'll need your confirmation # & ID to prove you were the one that bought the tickets. It only takes a few minutes. (I found using the Guest Services outside the gates to be much quicker than inside City Hall on Main Street).

Enjoy....it's a wonderful tour!!!

We never actually picked up our tickets. We just went to the tour booth about 30 minutes before the tour started. I did need my photo ID and confirmation #.

We were on the 3pm tour on Saturday and had a great time. Our guide was great and so were the people in our tour group. Its all my DD is talking about now that we are home!

You don't need tickets....just show up with your Conf # and ID...NO TICKETS ARE NEEDED!!!!

Hi Kirstie, we were on the same tour! it was wonderful!
Our tour guide was Kristen and was very knowledge about different Christmas traditions and all the decorations around the park! she was very happy and bubbly!!

we loved this tour, even though we didn't get the headsets due to a bit of drizzle, Kristen did a great job talking loudly so we could all here! just after we got off HM it broke down, they have changed some of the items since our last Dec trip in 05 and LOVE IASW, so magical! parade was great, cookies yummy and soft! having those seats and getting on the rides are worth the ticket price!!

 

[kirstie101]

Hi Kirstie, we were on the same tour! it was wonderful!
Our tour guide was Kristen and was very knowledge about different Christmas traditions and all the decorations around the park! she was very happy and bubbly!!

we loved this tour, even though we didn't get the headsets due to a bit of drizzle, Kristen did a great job talking loudly so we could all here! just after we got off HM it broke down, they have changed some of the items since our last Dec trip in 05 and LOVE IASW, so magical! parade was great, cookies yummy and soft! having those seats and getting on the rides are worth the ticket price!!

I was wondering if you we were in the same group as us or not! I completely agree with you that Kristen did an amazing job and having the parade seats and getting to ride HMH and IASW were worth the ticket price! I hope my daughters excitement didnt bother anyone! She loved being "the leaders helper!"

 

[canadadisney]

Does anyone else have any reviews of this tour. We are going next week and I'm curious what people are thinking about the tour.