When my friend Mindy asked if she could do a guest post on Babes In Disneyland on her recent experience taking the Holiday Time guided tour at Disneyland, I was thrilled! Thank you, Mindy!

Hi, my name is Mindy from Budget Fairy Tale, and I’m so excited to be here on Babes In Disneyland to give you all a glimpse of what you can expect from the Holiday Time Tour at Disneyland! I had the great pleasure of experiencing this tour a couple weeks ago and I really enjoyed it. If you’re on the fence about taking the tour, I hope my recap helps you!




The Holiday Time at Disneyland Tour begins at the Disneyland Tour Gardens area between City Hall and the west park entrance. It is recommended to check in 30 minutes before your tour starts, as there will likely be a lot of people to check in! We had 15 guests in our group, but there were 2 or 3 more groups also taking the tour (each tour with a different guide). 

After getting situated with our name buttons and personal audio system, our guide Michelle gave us a brief introduction before leading us out of Disneyland and into Disney California Adventure. We spent some time admiring the holiday decor on Buena Vista Street, learning about the gorgeous Christmas tree near Carthay Circle, and stopping at Trolley Treats for a yummy snack! 

Next we headed back into Disneyland and we learned how the massive Christmas tree on Main Street, USA is constructed each year. After heading down Main Street and stopping to admire the decor and snow on Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, we went on our first ride – Jingle Cruise! In my opinion, the best part of the tour was being able to walk right on the rides! So V.I.P.! I remember being a little let down by the Jungle/Jingle Cruise transformation last year (the first year for this overlay) but they certainly stepped it up this year! There is a lot more decor now, and even more holiday themed jokes and puns. I loved it! Right after Jingle Cruise we experienced our second attraction – Haunted Mansion Holiday. While we walked between attractions, we listened to trivia and “fun facts” from Michelle, as well as faint holiday music. We were never short on information or entertainment! 

From here we walked around behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and had a 10-minute “comfort break” by the restrooms next to Village Haus in Fantasyland. You can probably guess where we were headed next… the merriest cruise on earth! After a brief introduction by Michelle, we were led to the front of the line for “it’s a small world” Holiday! Personally this is my favorite holiday attraction at Disneyland and it was so cool to walk right on. As an added bonus, as soon as we got off the ride, we heard the announcement that the lights were about to turn on! We had the perfect viewing spot. Seeing the facade of “it’s a small world” light up never fails to bring a tear to my eye. It’s so stunning!  

Right after exiting from “it’s a small world” Holiday, Michelle led us to our preferred parade viewing section (with chairs!) adjacent from the attraction. You usually have

to wait two or three hours for a spot like this! We waited about 30 minutes before the parade finally reached us, and while we waited we received a special Holiday Time Tour pin, a yummy Mickey Mouse gingerbread cookie, and some hot chocolate in a Holiday Time tumbler, which we got to keep! Michelle also offered to take photos of us with “it’s a small world” in the background, and she also showed us some pictures from a book highlighting the holidays at Disneyland throughout the years. The wait flew by and soon the parade was rounding the corner! The “A Christmas Fantasy” parade is my favorite Disneyland parade. I have always loved the ballerina at the beginning because I had a ballerina jewelry box as a little girl and seeing the ballerina instantly takes me back. And of course, who can resist Santa? I’m not sure if it was because we were in the “preferred” seating or simply because we were in the front row, but we received a lot of attention from the performers. It was really wonderful!

Overall I really enjoyed the Holiday Time at Disneyland tour and would recommend it for anyone who wants to get a little behind-the-scenes info about all the effort that goes into transforming the parks for the Christmas season. I will say I think very young children would be a little bored during certain parts of this tour. We had a 6- or 7-year-old adorable girl in our group and while she was well behaved, she was clearly bored out of her mind whenever we stopped to listen to Michelle. But for older kids, teens, and adults, the tour is a great way to see all of the spectacular holiday attractions without waiting in queues! 

 The Holiday Time at Disneyland Tour is offered up to six times per day, on select days, through January 6, 2015. The price is $80 for adults and Annual Passholders can save 20% off the regular price for up to six guests per pass. Keep in mind this tour price is in addition to the cost of regular theme park admission. The tour also involves a lot of walking and spending time on your feet, so plan ahead if anyone in your group has mobility issues. You may visit the official Holiday Time at Disneyland Tour website for additional information and tour availability. Call (714) 781-TOUR (8687) to make reservations. 

I want to thank Lisa and everyone at Babes In Disneyland for having me visit today! I would love if you also stopped by my blog and said “hi!” Budget Fairy Tale features musings about my life as a regular girl trying to live the fairy tale lifestyle. Budget Fairy Tale also features Disneyland weddings (including our own!), Disneyland news, DIY projects, style posts, pictures of my cat Vela, and whatever else I think is interesting at the moment.