September 15, 2025 • 24 mins
Unlock the hidden world of Disneyland tours as we pull back the curtain on experiences most park visitors never see. From historical journeys aboard Walt's beloved trains to spooky seasonal adventures through Halloween haunts, these specially curated experiences offer Disney enthusiasts a deeper connection to the magic.
We dive into the Disneyland Railroad Guided Tour ($140), where guests ride in Lillian Disney's elegantly designed Lily Bell presidential car while learning fascinating stories about Walt's passion for locomotives. Seasonal offerings include the villain-focused Halloween tour and the heartwarming Holiday Time exploration, both featuring special access, treats, and commemorative keepsakes.
For those celebrating Disneyland's 70th anniversary, a special historical tour provides rare insights into seven decades of Disney celebrations, complete with Paint the Night Parade viewing. But the conversation really heats up when we explore the world of VIP experiences – from the standard guided service ($500-$800/hour) to the jaw-dropping Land of Dreams tour at $14,000 for six people, offering backstage access to Walt's apartment, the Dream Suite, and other typically off-limits areas.
Whether you're a Disney history buff seeking insider knowledge or dreaming of the ultimate splurge experience, this comprehensive guide helps you understand which tours deliver the most magic for your money. As the hosts remind listeners, tour offerings change frequently, so always check current availability before planning your next Disney adventure. What exclusive Disney experience would you love to try?
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Adventures & Mousecapades is a passion project from Alicea & Nathan Novak - two Seattleites addicted to The Mouse. We are not affiliated with Disney, nor are we travel agents. Opinions are our own.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Alicea (00:24):
Hello everyone, I'm Alicea.
Nathan (00:26):
And I'm Nathan.
Alicea (00:27):
Welcome to this week's episode of Adventures and
Mousecapades.
This week we are going to talkabout Disneyland Park Tours.
These are tours available foran additional charge that you
can do at the Disneyland Resort.
Nathan (00:41):
Yeah, so both Disneyland and a little bit of California
Adventure, although I think mostof these are at Disneyland Park
.
But yeah, this should beexciting.
Always fun to find new ways togive the mouse a few more
dollars.
Alicea (00:57):
Yes, and as always, prices, experiences, information
and offerings are subject torestrictions, changes or
cancellations without notice.
This is something that Disneyputs on their website for pretty
much every single tour thatthey offer.
Nathan (01:13):
Yeah, yes, and we'll talk about some of those changes
that we've noticed.
And then some of these thingsare definitely seasonal as well.
So just be forewarned what wesay here may not be exactly what
you experience, should youchoose to do these.
Alicea (01:30):
First off, we'll start with a tour, which is the most
recent tour that we have done isthe Disneyland Railroad Guided
Tour.
This is located at DisneylandPark and the website says take a
journey to discover WaltDisney's passion for trains and
ride in the presidential car ofthe Disneyland Railroad, the
Lily Bell.
This is a nice little tourwhere you're really learning
(01:52):
about Walt Disney's love fortrains and discover how that had
an impact on the DisneylandResort itself.
You'll have a guide walkingwith you through the park and
he'll tell you all about storieswhere the ideas behind Walt's
train creations first started.
You'll understand the impactthat trains had on Walt Disney's
(02:13):
dreams, from animation and filmall the way to the theme parks.
And, of course, you will get toride on the Lily Bell, if it is
available, which is just anamazing train car.
They'll have it at the end ofone of the trains and it was
designed inside by Lillian, WaltDisney's wife.
Nathan (02:35):
Yeah, it's glorious.
It is a pure piece ofDisney-ana.
For any Disney nerd, youdefinitely want to be this and
be on this tour and see thisstuff.
It was really fascinating.
We did this last year, I thinkit was.
And it was really quite specialto be able to be inside the Lily
(02:59):
Bell and take a lap around thepark but also just to hear a
bunch of stories and someinsider information about Walt
and his love for trains andreally how that infected a bunch
of the Imagineers.
They were at one pointbasically in competition for
each other to see who could havethe best backyard railroad.
Alicea (03:20):
So it was really neat.
Well, this tour has changed alittle bit from what I've seen
on the site before.
You did used to be able to meeta train engineer and talk with
the engineer.
Last time, or when we did thistour, we did not get to talk
with an engineer.
We also did not get to visitthe roundhouse, so sometimes,
(03:40):
who knows, maybe it'll changeback and forth.
Nathan (03:43):
We did get to see one of the original steam engines at
D23, though last year.
Alicea (03:52):
Yeah, that was pretty cool that had been refurbished.
Nathan (03:55):
That was very, very cool .
So you know a little bit of atie-in.
Alicea (04:00):
Yeah, I think this was about a 90 minute or two hour
something, yeah, something likethat yeah um, it doesn't say on
the website how long it is andit does not say on the website
the cost.
I believe it was around 140dollars per person.
Okay, a lot of the, a lot ofthese are fairly expensive yeah
(04:23):
yep.
Next on the list is a seasonaltour.
It is Disney's Happiest Haunts,the Villain's Trail guided tour
.
Take a frightfully fun guidedtour around Disneyland Park and
into Disney California AdventurePark to unearth chilling
stories and thrillingexperiences and to watch
Halloween Screams, a nighttimespectacular, from a special
(04:45):
viewing area.
This tour goes through,obviously, both parks and it's
during the Halloween time season, so you have all those spooky
decorations out there and youwill have a guide, of course,
that they will talk about thehistory of Halloween and
Halloween tales specific toDisney experiences.
(05:05):
You'll get a lightning laneentry into haunted mansion
holiday.
You have access to a reservedviewing area for halloween
screams, which is a nighttimespectacular.
Also get a photo opportunitywith the animatronic witch from
snow white so like in the ridewhoa, and a collectible keepsake
(05:27):
of disney's happiest haunts.
Nathan (05:29):
The villains trail guided tour pin huh interesting,
so this used to have an abilityto actually have a photo op
with the hitchhiking ghosts,right yes, yeah it.
Alicea (05:44):
So they did change what you got to have your picture
with.
And it's interesting because Iwas thinking about this the
other day.
I was like, okay, I would loveto have my picture with the
hitchhiking ghosts from thehaunted mansion.
Yeah, but I wonder where thatwould be, because whenever this
tour is is when it's hauntedmansion holiday, so it's got the
nightmare before christmasoverlay.
Yeah and where the hitchhikingghosts are.
(06:06):
That is where oogie boogie iswith his wheel so I wonder they.
They must have them somewhereelse.
But it got changed because nowit is the wicked witch from snow
white or evil queen, sorry,whatever it is.
And and this new version goesto both parks.
(06:26):
The older version only went toDisneyland Park.
It did not go into CaliforniaAdventure.
Nathan (06:33):
Interesting.
What is Halloween Screams?
Is that the firework show thatthey do during Halloween season.
Alicea (06:39):
Yes, that's not the parade.
Got it Okay, this seems fun.
Nathan (06:48):
Yeah, not the parade got it okay.
This seems fun.
Yeah, I can see why they'releaning into the evil queen and
not the hitchhiking ghosts ifthey're trying to do this as you
know, leaning into the villains, which definitely is something
they're trying to hype up on thepark side, although that's
coming to florida, notdisneyland.
Alicea (07:01):
But yeah, still, this is 130 per person.
Okay, sorry, starting at 130per person.
So it may change um, the closeryou get to halloween, maybe
let's say my guess.
Nathan (07:16):
Would you like to
Alicea (07:19):
I would have liked to have done it more when it was
the hitchhiking ghosts, but yes,I would because, okay,
halloween is my favorite holidayand I love how the park is
decorated during that time andjust learning more about what
Disney does for the spookyseason, of course, I'd love to
do this.
Honestly, I'd love to do all ofthe tours.
(07:40):
It gives us more information.
It's always fun just to hearmore about Disney and how they
do things.
Nathan (07:48):
Right, yeah, that makes sense.
That makes sense.
I don't know, it doesn't.
.
.
This one doesn't scream at me,ha ha ha, pun intended, I would
do it, I would go along with you, but it may not be something
that I would personally go seekout.
Yeah, but that just goes toshow you everybody is open to
(08:09):
their own opinion and differentstrokes for different folks.
Alicea (08:13):
It's interesting they call this the Villain's Trail
guided tour, but they don'tmention anything specific about
the Villain's Trail.
Nathan (08:22):
Details, details.
What are you expecting?
Consistency?
Alicea (08:27):
Yep.
Well, keep hoping, uh-huhanother seasonal tour is holiday
time at the disneyland resort.
Guided tour explore thedazzling seasonal transformation
.
Gather around for a festivetour of both theme parks for a
close-up look at the sparklingmagic that celebrates this
(08:49):
joyous season.
Your guide for this two anda-a-half-hour walking tour will
share some favorite Disneylandholiday traditions that pay
homage to festive ceremoniesfrom countries around the world.
You will also enjoy reservedviewing for a Christmas fantasy
parade.
Delicious holiday treats, awonderful wintry ride on.
It's a Small World Holiday, andmore.
It's a Small World Holidayholiday.
(09:12):
Yeah, they're doing a holidayoverlay these days in disneyland
like inside too yep huh, allright, yep, I did not know that
I know disneyland gets all thecool stuff they do well, and I'd
like the small world ofdisneyland better anyway,
because they've incorporated ipinto it and I love it.
Nathan (09:32):
It was very, very tastefully done.
Yes, this sound, I would dothis.
Yeah, I would do this.
At the drop of a hat, I woulddo, yeah, yeah.
Alicea (09:39):
It does say portions of the tour are refreshed every
year, so guests returning toenjoy their favorite highlights
can also look forward todiscovering some new surprises.
Hmm, you do have a collectiblesouvenir with this one and with
the other tour, the HappiestHaunts one too.
This is, like I said, a two anda half hour walking tour.
I don't have a price listed.
(10:01):
I'm guessing it's probablyaround $130 or so, compared to,
you know, the other two.
Nathan (10:05):
Yeah, feels like this is just the replacement for the
Halloween one.
Alicea (10:09):
Yes, yeah, yeah.
Feels like this is just thereplacement for the halloween
one.
Yes, yeah, yeah, no I I thinkdisneyland is absolutely
gorgeous during christmas time100, uh, just with all the
lights and everything.
And yeah, they definitely lightup small world they put a santa
hat on the clock and put lightsall over it.
Of course, I'd love to do thisone too.
Nathan (10:30):
Yeah, this sounds like a lot of fun and it's not too too
expensive.
No, no, you got to remember youhave to have a park admission
for that day too.
Alicea (10:40):
Yes, for all of these tours, park admission is not
included.
Nathan (10:44):
Right, right.
So this is above and beyond.
You are taking some time out ofyour park day.
So if you are taking some timeout of your park day, so if you
are, you know you're you're veryrare or first time or one time
only kind of trip to Disneyland.
These kinds of things may notbe for you.
You probably want to focus yourtime on the rides and
(11:06):
attractions and food and showsand all the rest of that stuff
that you're really there for.
A lot of these tours are reallyfor the folks who go to the
parks often and are looking forsomething a little different.
Alicea (11:20):
A new tour they have right now is called A Story of
Celebration 70th AnniversaryGuided Tour at Disneyland Resort
.
This is exploring 70 years ofcelebrations during an
enchanting guided tour throughDisneyland Park.
It is $120 per person and thelittle blurb says for seven
(11:41):
decades Disneyland Park has beena beacon of celebration, from
the Tencennial Celebration in1965 through the 50th
anniversary's happiesthomecoming on Earth, disneyland
has invited guests to celebratemilestones, imagine endless
possibilities and embrace newstories.
And that tradition continuestoday with the disneyland resort
70th celebration.
(12:02):
Join us for a captivating tourthrough this history.
This is a two-hour tour and youwill journey through the
festive past, learn about thesignificant Disneyland moments
and uncover some rarely sharedstories.
I always love to hear the rarelyshared stories but how rarely
shared are they if they are onevery tour?
Nathan (12:24):
Don't think too hard about it.
Okay, we have marketing speakgoing on here hard about it.
Alicea (12:34):
Okay, we have marketing speak going on here.
You also get to ride some ofthe original attractions, maybe
the mark twain riverboat and thedisneyland railroad very cool
you get a lightning lane entryfor a select attraction.
They don't say which one it'llbe, whatever they decide upon
that day.
Yeah, you get a reservedviewing area for the Paint the
Night Parade, which Is prettycool.
I love the Paint The NightParade.
Nathan (12:52):
Yes, I want to see that in person
Alicea (12:56):
and you get popcorn while you are watching the Paint
the Night
Nathan (12:59):
Look, it says savory buttery bites.
Yeah, just the way popcorn issupposed to be.
Alicea (13:06):
Yes, and a tour keepsake .
Very cool, whatever that may be.
Nathan (13:14):
It's something you can keep, for goodness sake.
Mm-hmm, this sounds fun.
I would do this.
Alicea (13:19):
Yeah, I would too, maybe in April, ooh, if it's
available.
Nathan (13:23):
Okay, I approve.
See how crazy busy it'll beduring that season.
Because sometimes they do notoffer tours if it is high peak
season.
Got it, got it.
Speaking of not offering tours,there's a couple on here that
(13:45):
we know about that.
In one case we've even donethat is not on their Disneyland
website right now.
Yeah, the first one is Walt'sMain Street Tour.
You get to hear a lot of factsabout Main Street and some of
the honorary windows and thingslike that, and you get to tour
Walt's apartment in Town Square.
(14:05):
It's no longer on the site.
On the website there is amention and a link on the VIP
tour site, but it just goes tothe main list, so this is not
being offered right now.
I have a funny feeling thiswill come back.
(14:28):
It may just be replaced for theseasonal ones that we have in
Halloween and Christmas seasonand I wouldn't be surprised if,
you know, come January we seethis one come back.
Alicea (14:35):
Yeah, another tour that was there before was Cultivating
the Magic, where you can learnabout the horticulture of
Disneyland and the landscapingin the gardens.
Again that one is no longer onthe site.
Disney will switch tours around.
Every once in a while that maycome back again.
I think this is maybe one ofthe tours that I'm just not
interested in.
That's fair, yeah.
Nathan (14:57):
That's fair.
Yeah, that's fair.
Let's talk about a tour you areinterested in, shall we?
Alicea (15:03):
The next three.
Nathan (15:04):
Yeah.
Alicea (15:05):
Yeah, okay, that's fine VIP tours.
Vip tours yes.
Nathan (15:09):
Yes, these are, in a word, quite pricey.
Alicea (15:14):
That's two words.
Nathan (15:16):
Okay, Thanks for the accounting department checking
in there.
Appreciate that vip tours rangefrom 500 to 800 dollars per
hour.
There is a minimum of sevenhours and a max of 10.
This supports up to 10 people.
Gratuities are not included.
Highly suggested.
(15:37):
Do the math.
This is going to be expensive,but this is.
You design your day.
You get VIP access to all ofthe rides, assuming they're up
(16:05):
and running like better thanLightning Lane.
You're cutting the LightningLanes.
Alicea (16:11):
I don't know if you do with this one.
Nathan (16:13):
Really.
Alicea (16:14):
Yeah, I think this is a lightning line one.
It doesn't say specificallyjust and I say that just because
of a tour that's two down fromthis one.
Nathan (16:24):
Okay, got it.
Yeah Well, just remember,separate admission is required
for all the people that will beon your VIP tour.
But tour but uh, this looks andcan be absolutely magical for
your party, for sure if you'veever heard us mention plaids
before, yeah, vip tours areguided by plaids.
Alicea (16:49):
these are cast members that have a blue and red and
yellow, I think plaid vest orshirt or dress or whatever, and
they are your customer servicepeople.
They will guide you around onthese.
Nathan (17:03):
Indeed and they will help you go get snacks, they
will do whatever kind of youneed within reason to make your
day magical.
It's pretty, pretty impressive.
Would love to do that someday.
We'll need a magic ticket toland on our plate.
I think to make that happenWe'll see.
Alicea (17:25):
Something new that I haven't seen before.
That is extremely compelling tome is the Oogie Boogie Bash VIP
Tour.
Oh boy, this is $7,500 to$8,500 for an eight hour tour.
This is expensive.
Yes, this does include parkhopper tickets and event
(17:46):
admission for your party of upto eight guests oh it also has
expedited access to thevillain's grove and select treat
trails.
You get private VIP tourcharacter greetings and you get
reserved VIP seated viewing ofthe Frightfully Fun Parade, plus
complimentary beverages withsweet and savory treats.
(18:08):
It just sounds like you getspecial seating like where they
do the dessert party.
For this, maybe you get anexclusive VIP tours tours oogie
boogie bash amenity, which is avip oogie boogie bash pin and a
vip jack-o'-lantern candy holder.
You also get complimentaryvalet parking at grand
californian wow this is a reallygood tour.
Nathan (18:32):
This is really expensive it's really expensive, but a
one-day park hopper ticket foreight people, you're looking at
like $1,500.
Double that and you've got yourOogie Boogie ticket.
So you're up to three.
I'm not going to say that thisis a steal.
Alicea (18:54):
I'm not going to say that this is a steal, but Well,
okay, so you also got to thinkabout, because this is also
including, well, including, like, the dessert party.
Nathan (19:06):
Yeah.
Alicea (19:07):
Two, which is probably around oh gosh, I was like maybe
$90 a person too.
Nathan (19:14):
Right.
Alicea (19:15):
Yeah, so okay, it makes it.
It makes it a person too.
Yeah, so okay, it makes it alittle more palatable.
Nathan (19:22):
Yeah.
Alicea (19:23):
It's still a lot.
Nathan (19:25):
Yeah, it's still a lot.
So you're up to maybe betweenthe three tickets, the three
ticketed things your park hopperadmission, your O uh, oogie,
boogie uh ticket and the dessert, you know, for eight people
you're already up to the $4,000range.
So you double that and you geta tour guide and all this other
(19:50):
stuff.
I mean, look, I'm not sayingit's a steal.
you know, but this is, youknow, if you got some money to
throw at the problem, it's kindof an interesting, kind of an
interesting package.
Or you could go on a cruise fora week.
Alicea (20:13):
I know, I know, yeah, last one is the Land of Dreams
VIP tour.
Nathan (20:19):
Okay.
Alicea (20:20):
This is like a VIP VIP tour.
Oh my gosh.
Nathan (20:23):
Okay, like crazy A VVIP tour, vvip.
Alicea (20:28):
VVVVVVVIP yeah.
Price of this.
Nathan (20:33):
Yeah
Alicea (20:34):
$14,000
Nathan (20:35):
Oh my gosh
Alicea (20:36):
For up to six people.
Nathan (20:47):
Woah
Alicea (20:48):
this has park hoppers.
Nathan (20:49):
I’m not even going to try to justify the price of this
.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
This is like celeb level.
Right.
Alicea (20:52):
You have the possibility of seeing the dream suite.
You can possibly see where theykeep all the horses, the barn,
whatever the heck that's called.
The train repair area Walt'sapartment.
You get to go through the exitor a special entrance to all of
the rides.
This includes a table servicemeal, a quick service meal and
(21:15):
all the snacks that you want.
the snacks that you want.
You get two guides with you atall times and then another guide
behind the scenes.
You know, just making thingssmooth as needed.
Nathan (21:32):
10
Alicea (21:32):
This is up to 10 hours and you get parade and fireworks
viewing
Wow, that's a heck of a day.
Yeah, this is celebrity.
That's impressive,
yep, and I will note, for all of these VIP tours you
get access to the VIPmerchandise.
Nathan (21:48):
Well, that just makes them all worth it.
Alicea (21:52):
I want a plaid lounge Fly, nathan.
Nathan (21:56):
Oh my God, yes dear.
Oh, we actually have seen thatbooth.
Uh, that was set up in thegrand californian, I think yep,
yep and um, yeah, Alicea wasquite drawn to the the lounge
fly.
Alicea (22:10):
I was like I didn't know they had merch for VIP.
I mean, it makes sense, disneywill monetize pretty much
everything, but this is gonna beexpensive.
Oh, I don't know if we'll everdo a VIP tour.
Nathan (22:21):
Hey, if anybody wants us to join in, we're happy to pay
our share.
Alicea (22:27):
You know, I bet there are Facebook groups out there.
Nathan (22:31):
Oh, that's a good point, probably.
Alicea (22:34):
Yeah.
Nathan (22:34):
Probably.
But yeah, if any celebritywants to adopt us into your
family for your Land of Dreamstour.
Just let us know we're veryfriendly people.
Alicea (22:47):
Maybe I can see if I can get Ashley to bring us along
one day.
Nathan (22:50):
Yeah, good luck with that.
Anyway, yeah, there's a lot oftours, there's a lot of tours,
there's, there's a lot of a lotof options, and it's you know.
I want to underline what wesaid earlier it's always
changing.
So please absolutely look atwhat's on disney's site.
(23:11):
If you're going to be bookingone of these tours, especially
one of the VIP tours, have yourpeople call their people and get
the details on exactly what'sgoing to be available and things
like that for the dates thatyou're looking for and the
prices and all that sad stuff.
So keep track of what Disney isofficially saying, as there's a
(23:36):
lot of change here.
Alicea (23:38):
Have you guys done any tours, VIP or otherwise?
We'd love to hear?
Nathan (23:43):
Absolutely yeah.
Share your experiences.
Just shoot us an email topodcast at ourmousecapades.
com and we would love to hearall about it.
Alicea (23:54):
Remember, we are not affiliated with Disney or their
subsidiaries.
These are personal opinions andsuggestions based on our own
experiences.
We recommend working with atravel agent or contacting
Disney directly to plan yourperfect vacation.
Nathan (24:06):
And, of course, go ahead and follow us on social media.
We're at our Mousecapades.
You can find us on Instagram,facebook Threads and YouTube.
Alicea (24:16):
Please give us a rating and review in your podcast app.
It really helps people to findus.
Nathan (24:20):
And, of course, don't hesitate to share us with your
friends and fellow Disney loversof all ages.
Alicea (24:26):
Thank you for listening.
We'll be in your ears next week.
Thank you for flying Star Tours.
Bye-bye.
Hello everyone, I'm Alicea.
Nathan (00:26):
And I'm Nathan.
Alicea (00:27):
Welcome to this week's episode of Adventures and
Mousecapades.
This week we are going to talkabout Disneyland Park Tours.
These are tours available foran additional charge that you
can do at the Disneyland Resort.
Nathan (00:41):
Yeah, so both Disneyland and a little bit of California
Adventure, although I think mostof these are at Disneyland Park
.
But yeah, this should beexciting.
Always fun to find new ways togive the mouse a few more
dollars.
Alicea (00:57):
Yes, and as always, prices, experiences, information
and offerings are subject torestrictions, changes or
cancellations without notice.
This is something that Disneyputs on their website for pretty
much every single tour thatthey offer.
Nathan (01:13):
Yeah, yes, and we'll talk about some of those changes
that we've noticed.
And then some of these thingsare definitely seasonal as well.
So just be forewarned what wesay here may not be exactly what
you experience, should youchoose to do these.
Alicea (01:30):
First off, we'll start with a tour, which is the most
recent tour that we have done isthe Disneyland Railroad Guided
Tour.
This is located at DisneylandPark and the website says take a
journey to discover WaltDisney's passion for trains and
ride in the presidential car ofthe Disneyland Railroad, the
Lily Bell.
This is a nice little tourwhere you're really learning
(01:52):
about Walt Disney's love fortrains and discover how that had
an impact on the DisneylandResort itself.
You'll have a guide walkingwith you through the park and
he'll tell you all about storieswhere the ideas behind Walt's
train creations first started.
You'll understand the impactthat trains had on Walt Disney's
(02:13):
dreams, from animation and filmall the way to the theme parks.
And, of course, you will get toride on the Lily Bell, if it is
available, which is just anamazing train car.
They'll have it at the end ofone of the trains and it was
designed inside by Lillian, WaltDisney's wife.
Nathan (02:35):
Yeah, it's glorious.
It is a pure piece ofDisney-ana.
For any Disney nerd, youdefinitely want to be this and
be on this tour and see thisstuff.
It was really fascinating.
We did this last year, I thinkit was.
And it was really quite specialto be able to be inside the Lily
(02:59):
Bell and take a lap around thepark but also just to hear a
bunch of stories and someinsider information about Walt
and his love for trains andreally how that infected a bunch
of the Imagineers.
They were at one pointbasically in competition for
each other to see who could havethe best backyard railroad.
Alicea (03:20):
So it was really neat.
Well, this tour has changed alittle bit from what I've seen
on the site before.
You did used to be able to meeta train engineer and talk with
the engineer.
Last time, or when we did thistour, we did not get to talk
with an engineer.
We also did not get to visitthe roundhouse, so sometimes,
(03:40):
who knows, maybe it'll changeback and forth.
Nathan (03:43):
We did get to see one of the original steam engines at
D23, though last year.
Alicea (03:52):
Yeah, that was pretty cool that had been refurbished.
Nathan (03:55):
That was very, very cool .
So you know a little bit of atie-in.
Alicea (04:00):
Yeah, I think this was about a 90 minute or two hour
something, yeah, something likethat yeah um, it doesn't say on
the website how long it is andit does not say on the website
the cost.
I believe it was around 140dollars per person.
Okay, a lot of the, a lot ofthese are fairly expensive yeah
(04:23):
yep.
Next on the list is a seasonaltour.
It is Disney's Happiest Haunts,the Villain's Trail guided tour
.
Take a frightfully fun guidedtour around Disneyland Park and
into Disney California AdventurePark to unearth chilling
stories and thrillingexperiences and to watch
Halloween Screams, a nighttimespectacular, from a special
(04:45):
viewing area.
This tour goes through,obviously, both parks and it's
during the Halloween time season, so you have all those spooky
decorations out there and youwill have a guide, of course,
that they will talk about thehistory of Halloween and
Halloween tales specific toDisney experiences.
(05:05):
You'll get a lightning laneentry into haunted mansion
holiday.
You have access to a reservedviewing area for halloween
screams, which is a nighttimespectacular.
Also get a photo opportunitywith the animatronic witch from
snow white so like in the ridewhoa, and a collectible keepsake
(05:27):
of disney's happiest haunts.
Nathan (05:29):
The villains trail guided tour pin huh interesting,
so this used to have an abilityto actually have a photo op
with the hitchhiking ghosts,right yes, yeah it.
Alicea (05:44):
So they did change what you got to have your picture
with.
And it's interesting because Iwas thinking about this the
other day.
I was like, okay, I would loveto have my picture with the
hitchhiking ghosts from thehaunted mansion.
Yeah, but I wonder where thatwould be, because whenever this
tour is is when it's hauntedmansion holiday, so it's got the
nightmare before christmasoverlay.
Yeah and where the hitchhikingghosts are.
(06:06):
That is where oogie boogie iswith his wheel so I wonder they.
They must have them somewhereelse.
But it got changed because nowit is the wicked witch from snow
white or evil queen, sorry,whatever it is.
And and this new version goesto both parks.
(06:26):
The older version only went toDisneyland Park.
It did not go into CaliforniaAdventure.
Nathan (06:33):
Interesting.
What is Halloween Screams?
Is that the firework show thatthey do during Halloween season.
Alicea (06:39):
Yes, that's not the parade.
Got it Okay, this seems fun.
Nathan (06:48):
Yeah, not the parade got it okay.
This seems fun.
Yeah, I can see why they'releaning into the evil queen and
not the hitchhiking ghosts ifthey're trying to do this as you
know, leaning into the villains, which definitely is something
they're trying to hype up on thepark side, although that's
coming to florida, notdisneyland.
Alicea (07:01):
But yeah, still, this is 130 per person.
Okay, sorry, starting at 130per person.
So it may change um, the closeryou get to halloween, maybe
let's say my guess.
Nathan (07:16):
Would you like to
Alicea (07:19):
I would have liked to have done it more when it was
the hitchhiking ghosts, but yes,I would because, okay,
halloween is my favorite holidayand I love how the park is
decorated during that time andjust learning more about what
Disney does for the spookyseason, of course, I'd love to
do this.
Honestly, I'd love to do all ofthe tours.
(07:40):
It gives us more information.
It's always fun just to hearmore about Disney and how they
do things.
Nathan (07:48):
Right, yeah, that makes sense.
That makes sense.
I don't know, it doesn't.
.
.
This one doesn't scream at me,ha ha ha, pun intended, I would
do it, I would go along with you, but it may not be something
that I would personally go seekout.
Yeah, but that just goes toshow you everybody is open to
(08:09):
their own opinion and differentstrokes for different folks.
Alicea (08:13):
It's interesting they call this the Villain's Trail
guided tour, but they don'tmention anything specific about
the Villain's Trail.
Nathan (08:22):
Details, details.
What are you expecting?
Consistency?
Alicea (08:27):
Yep.
Well, keep hoping, uh-huhanother seasonal tour is holiday
time at the disneyland resort.
Guided tour explore thedazzling seasonal transformation
.
Gather around for a festivetour of both theme parks for a
close-up look at the sparklingmagic that celebrates this
(08:49):
joyous season.
Your guide for this two anda-a-half-hour walking tour will
share some favorite Disneylandholiday traditions that pay
homage to festive ceremoniesfrom countries around the world.
You will also enjoy reservedviewing for a Christmas fantasy
parade.
Delicious holiday treats, awonderful wintry ride on.
It's a Small World Holiday, andmore.
It's a Small World Holidayholiday.
(09:12):
Yeah, they're doing a holidayoverlay these days in disneyland
like inside too yep huh, allright, yep, I did not know that
I know disneyland gets all thecool stuff they do well, and I'd
like the small world ofdisneyland better anyway,
because they've incorporated ipinto it and I love it.
Nathan (09:32):
It was very, very tastefully done.
Yes, this sound, I would dothis.
Yeah, I would do this.
At the drop of a hat, I woulddo, yeah, yeah.
Alicea (09:39):
It does say portions of the tour are refreshed every
year, so guests returning toenjoy their favorite highlights
can also look forward todiscovering some new surprises.
Hmm, you do have a collectiblesouvenir with this one and with
the other tour, the HappiestHaunts one too.
This is, like I said, a two anda half hour walking tour.
I don't have a price listed.
(10:01):
I'm guessing it's probablyaround $130 or so, compared to,
you know, the other two.
Nathan (10:05):
Yeah, feels like this is just the replacement for the
Halloween one.
Alicea (10:09):
Yes, yeah, yeah.
Feels like this is just thereplacement for the halloween
one.
Yes, yeah, yeah, no I I thinkdisneyland is absolutely
gorgeous during christmas time100, uh, just with all the
lights and everything.
And yeah, they definitely lightup small world they put a santa
hat on the clock and put lightsall over it.
Of course, I'd love to do thisone too.
Nathan (10:30):
Yeah, this sounds like a lot of fun and it's not too too
expensive.
No, no, you got to remember youhave to have a park admission
for that day too.
Alicea (10:40):
Yes, for all of these tours, park admission is not
included.
Nathan (10:44):
Right, right.
So this is above and beyond.
You are taking some time out ofyour park day.
So if you are taking some timeout of your park day, so if you
are, you know you're you're veryrare or first time or one time
only kind of trip to Disneyland.
These kinds of things may notbe for you.
You probably want to focus yourtime on the rides and
(11:06):
attractions and food and showsand all the rest of that stuff
that you're really there for.
A lot of these tours are reallyfor the folks who go to the
parks often and are looking forsomething a little different.
Alicea (11:20):
A new tour they have right now is called A Story of
Celebration 70th AnniversaryGuided Tour at Disneyland Resort
.
This is exploring 70 years ofcelebrations during an
enchanting guided tour throughDisneyland Park.
It is $120 per person and thelittle blurb says for seven
(11:41):
decades Disneyland Park has beena beacon of celebration, from
the Tencennial Celebration in1965 through the 50th
anniversary's happiesthomecoming on Earth, disneyland
has invited guests to celebratemilestones, imagine endless
possibilities and embrace newstories.
And that tradition continuestoday with the disneyland resort
70th celebration.
(12:02):
Join us for a captivating tourthrough this history.
This is a two-hour tour and youwill journey through the
festive past, learn about thesignificant Disneyland moments
and uncover some rarely sharedstories.
I always love to hear the rarelyshared stories but how rarely
shared are they if they are onevery tour?
Nathan (12:24):
Don't think too hard about it.
Okay, we have marketing speakgoing on here hard about it.
Alicea (12:34):
Okay, we have marketing speak going on here.
You also get to ride some ofthe original attractions, maybe
the mark twain riverboat and thedisneyland railroad very cool
you get a lightning lane entryfor a select attraction.
They don't say which one it'llbe, whatever they decide upon
that day.
Yeah, you get a reservedviewing area for the Paint the
Night Parade, which Is prettycool.
I love the Paint The NightParade.
Nathan (12:52):
Yes, I want to see that in person
Alicea (12:56):
and you get popcorn while you are watching the Paint
the Night
Nathan (12:59):
Look, it says savory buttery bites.
Yeah, just the way popcorn issupposed to be.
Alicea (13:06):
Yes, and a tour keepsake .
Very cool, whatever that may be.
Nathan (13:14):
It's something you can keep, for goodness sake.
Mm-hmm, this sounds fun.
I would do this.
Alicea (13:19):
Yeah, I would too, maybe in April, ooh, if it's
available.
Nathan (13:23):
Okay, I approve.
See how crazy busy it'll beduring that season.
Because sometimes they do notoffer tours if it is high peak
season.
Got it, got it.
Speaking of not offering tours,there's a couple on here that
(13:45):
we know about that.
In one case we've even donethat is not on their Disneyland
website right now.
Yeah, the first one is Walt'sMain Street Tour.
You get to hear a lot of factsabout Main Street and some of
the honorary windows and thingslike that, and you get to tour
Walt's apartment in Town Square.
(14:05):
It's no longer on the site.
On the website there is amention and a link on the VIP
tour site, but it just goes tothe main list, so this is not
being offered right now.
I have a funny feeling thiswill come back.
(14:28):
It may just be replaced for theseasonal ones that we have in
Halloween and Christmas seasonand I wouldn't be surprised if,
you know, come January we seethis one come back.
Alicea (14:35):
Yeah, another tour that was there before was Cultivating
the Magic, where you can learnabout the horticulture of
Disneyland and the landscapingin the gardens.
Again that one is no longer onthe site.
Disney will switch tours around.
Every once in a while that maycome back again.
I think this is maybe one ofthe tours that I'm just not
interested in.
That's fair, yeah.
Nathan (14:57):
That's fair.
Yeah, that's fair.
Let's talk about a tour you areinterested in, shall we?
Alicea (15:03):
The next three.
Nathan (15:04):
Yeah.
Alicea (15:05):
Yeah, okay, that's fine VIP tours.
Vip tours yes.
Nathan (15:09):
Yes, these are, in a word, quite pricey.
Alicea (15:14):
That's two words.
Nathan (15:16):
Okay, Thanks for the accounting department checking
in there.
Appreciate that vip tours rangefrom 500 to 800 dollars per
hour.
There is a minimum of sevenhours and a max of 10.
This supports up to 10 people.
Gratuities are not included.
Highly suggested.
(15:37):
Do the math.
This is going to be expensive,but this is.
You design your day.
You get VIP access to all ofthe rides, assuming they're up
(16:05):
and running like better thanLightning Lane.
You're cutting the LightningLanes.
Alicea (16:11):
I don't know if you do with this one.
Nathan (16:13):
Really.
Alicea (16:14):
Yeah, I think this is a lightning line one.
It doesn't say specificallyjust and I say that just because
of a tour that's two down fromthis one.
Nathan (16:24):
Okay, got it.
Yeah Well, just remember,separate admission is required
for all the people that will beon your VIP tour.
But tour but uh, this looks andcan be absolutely magical for
your party, for sure if you'veever heard us mention plaids
before, yeah, vip tours areguided by plaids.
Alicea (16:49):
these are cast members that have a blue and red and
yellow, I think plaid vest orshirt or dress or whatever, and
they are your customer servicepeople.
They will guide you around onthese.
Nathan (17:03):
Indeed and they will help you go get snacks, they
will do whatever kind of youneed within reason to make your
day magical.
It's pretty, pretty impressive.
Would love to do that someday.
We'll need a magic ticket toland on our plate.
I think to make that happenWe'll see.
Alicea (17:25):
Something new that I haven't seen before.
That is extremely compelling tome is the Oogie Boogie Bash VIP
Tour.
Oh boy, this is $7,500 to$8,500 for an eight hour tour.
This is expensive.
Yes, this does include parkhopper tickets and event
(17:46):
admission for your party of upto eight guests oh it also has
expedited access to thevillain's grove and select treat
trails.
You get private VIP tourcharacter greetings and you get
reserved VIP seated viewing ofthe Frightfully Fun Parade, plus
complimentary beverages withsweet and savory treats.
(18:08):
It just sounds like you getspecial seating like where they
do the dessert party.
For this, maybe you get anexclusive VIP tours tours oogie
boogie bash amenity, which is avip oogie boogie bash pin and a
vip jack-o'-lantern candy holder.
You also get complimentaryvalet parking at grand
californian wow this is a reallygood tour.
Nathan (18:32):
This is really expensive it's really expensive, but a
one-day park hopper ticket foreight people, you're looking at
like $1,500.
Double that and you've got yourOogie Boogie ticket.
So you're up to three.
I'm not going to say that thisis a steal.
Alicea (18:54):
I'm not going to say that this is a steal, but Well,
okay, so you also got to thinkabout, because this is also
including, well, including, like, the dessert party.
Nathan (19:06):
Yeah.
Alicea (19:07):
Two, which is probably around oh gosh, I was like maybe
$90 a person too.
Nathan (19:14):
Right.
Alicea (19:15):
Yeah, so okay, it makes it.
It makes it a person too.
Yeah, so okay, it makes it alittle more palatable.
Nathan (19:22):
Yeah.
Alicea (19:23):
It's still a lot.
Nathan (19:25):
Yeah, it's still a lot.
So you're up to maybe betweenthe three tickets, the three
ticketed things your park hopperadmission, your O uh, oogie,
boogie uh ticket and the dessert, you know, for eight people
you're already up to the $4,000range.
So you double that and you geta tour guide and all this other
(19:50):
stuff.
I mean, look, I'm not sayingit's a steal.
you know, but this is, youknow, if you got some money to
throw at the problem, it's kindof an interesting, kind of an
interesting package.
Or you could go on a cruise fora week.
Alicea (20:13):
I know, I know, yeah, last one is the Land of Dreams
VIP tour.
Nathan (20:19):
Okay.
Alicea (20:20):
This is like a VIP VIP tour.
Oh my gosh.
Nathan (20:23):
Okay, like crazy A VVIP tour, vvip.
Alicea (20:28):
VVVVVVVIP yeah.
Price of this.
Nathan (20:33):
Yeah
Alicea (20:34):
$14,000
Nathan (20:35):
Oh my gosh
Alicea (20:36):
For up to six people.
Nathan (20:47):
Woah
Alicea (20:48):
this has park hoppers.
Nathan (20:49):
I’m not even going to try to justify the price of this
.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
This is like celeb level.
Right.
Alicea (20:52):
You have the possibility of seeing the dream suite.
You can possibly see where theykeep all the horses, the barn,
whatever the heck that's called.
The train repair area Walt'sapartment.
You get to go through the exitor a special entrance to all of
the rides.
This includes a table servicemeal, a quick service meal and
(21:15):
all the snacks that you want.
the snacks that you want.
You get two guides with you atall times and then another guide
behind the scenes.
You know, just making thingssmooth as needed.
Nathan (21:32):
10
Alicea (21:32):
This is up to 10 hours and you get parade and fireworks
viewing
Wow, that's a heck of a day.
Yeah, this is celebrity.
That's impressive,
yep, and I will note, for all of these VIP tours you
get access to the VIPmerchandise.
Nathan (21:48):
Well, that just makes them all worth it.
Alicea (21:52):
I want a plaid lounge Fly, nathan.
Nathan (21:56):
Oh my God, yes dear.
Oh, we actually have seen thatbooth.
Uh, that was set up in thegrand californian, I think yep,
yep and um, yeah, Alicea wasquite drawn to the the lounge
fly.
Alicea (22:10):
I was like I didn't know they had merch for VIP.
I mean, it makes sense, disneywill monetize pretty much
everything, but this is gonna beexpensive.
Oh, I don't know if we'll everdo a VIP tour.
Nathan (22:21):
Hey, if anybody wants us to join in, we're happy to pay
our share.
Alicea (22:27):
You know, I bet there are Facebook groups out there.
Nathan (22:31):
Oh, that's a good point, probably.
Alicea (22:34):
Yeah.
Nathan (22:34):
Probably.
But yeah, if any celebritywants to adopt us into your
family for your Land of Dreamstour.
Just let us know we're veryfriendly people.
Alicea (22:47):
Maybe I can see if I can get Ashley to bring us along
one day.
Nathan (22:50):
Yeah, good luck with that.
Anyway, yeah, there's a lot oftours, there's a lot of tours,
there's, there's a lot of a lotof options, and it's you know.
I want to underline what wesaid earlier it's always
changing.
So please absolutely look atwhat's on disney's site.
(23:11):
If you're going to be bookingone of these tours, especially
one of the VIP tours, have yourpeople call their people and get
the details on exactly what'sgoing to be available and things
like that for the dates thatyou're looking for and the
prices and all that sad stuff.
So keep track of what Disney isofficially saying, as there's a
(23:36):
lot of change here.
Alicea (23:38):
Have you guys done any tours, VIP or otherwise?
We'd love to hear?
Nathan (23:43):
Absolutely yeah.
Share your experiences.
Just shoot us an email topodcast at ourmousecapades.
com and we would love to hearall about it.
Alicea (23:54):
Remember, we are not affiliated with Disney or their
subsidiaries.
These are personal opinions andsuggestions based on our own
experiences.
We recommend working with atravel agent or contacting
Disney directly to plan yourperfect vacation.
Nathan (24:06):
And, of course, go ahead and follow us on social media.
We're at our Mousecapades.
You can find us on Instagram,facebook Threads and YouTube.
Alicea (24:16):
Please give us a rating and review in your podcast app.
It really helps people to findus.
Nathan (24:20):
And, of course, don't hesitate to share us with your
friends and fellow Disney loversof all ages.
Alicea (24:26):
Thank you for listening.
We'll be in your ears next week.
Thank you for flying Star Tours.
Bye-bye.
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