Yuletide Fantasy Tour with Adventures by Disney
August 11, 2020
If you want to get in the Christmas spirit and go to some exclusive backstage areas of Disney, then the Yuletide Fantasy Tour is for you! I went on this tour in November 2019. It was hosted by Adventures by Disney (ABD), which means it was held to ABD vacation standards: two knowledgeable and fun guides, interactive and immersive experiences, and behind the scenes access to certain locations that a general guest visiting Walt Disney World cannot see. Adventures by Disney is the top-rated Disney vacation experience, so I knew this tour was going to be special!
The morning started by Guest Relations in Epcot. Here we checked in with our guides, received a name badge, picked up our earphones for walking and talking with your guide during the tour, and took advantage of the Jostens Stand just a few steps away for a morning pick-me-up… After taking everything in at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party the night before, the coffee to start was a relief!
Tour Tip #1: Pay attention to the rules and dress codes for each Disney tour. Depending on where you are going on your tour, the rules will differ. For this tour, closed toe shoes were required, and they are very strict about this for safety purposes. We did have one woman in our group who had to purchase shoes at the souvenir stand before we could begin.
Tour Tip #2: Do NOT be late. Again, two women showed up late and didn’t get to meet up with our group until we were half way done. The tour will begin without you and is on a strict schedule.
The tour begins by boarding a motor coach referred to as our “magic sleigh” for the remainder of the experience. Inside, we were provided with snacks and water bottles that were free for us to take throughout the day. On the movie screens were the Christmas yule log to set the mood and off we went! On the way, our guides shared with us some of their favorite holiday traditions, how they got involved with the Disney company, and some of their favorite memories while working the holidays at Disney.
Our first stop was one area of backstage Disney I always wanted to explore: The Holiday Warehouse. This holiday warehouse is in very close proximity to Disney University, where I have taken classes, so for the longest time this area was restricted… so close but so far away! Now, I was finally there!
It is hard for me to start typing about this warehouse because my mind is going in a million directions. The place is HUGE and extremely organized. Each ginormous shelf is filled with boxes labeled with décor for every resort, each park, each section of the resorts and parks, places to eat, transportation décor, you name it… it’s there! There are 25 resorts on property, each with its own theming. That means tens of hundreds of decoration boxes. Each has its own main tree with some supplemental trees throughout the property. That means tons and tons of ornaments. And backup ornaments. And décor to replace broken décor. I hope you understand the magnitude of this room because with it being backstage, no pictures were allowed.
Interesting tidbit or something to think about: we stopped at the boxes for Disney’s Riviera Resort. At the time, this resort had not opened yet, but because it was opening a month from our tour (in December), the resort had to open ready for Christmas. So not only did the Disney Imagineers have to have a beautiful theme and design for this deluxe resort by opening day, they also had to have a holiday vision in mind! Every time a design for a new resort is finalized by Disney, the holiday décor must be finalized and ordered well in advance. Before a new resort even opens, everyone working on the project already knows how it will look at Christmas.
Another interesting fact: there are SO. MANY. ORNAMENTS. EVERYWHERE. because when ornaments are ordered, Cast Members order 2-3 years’ worth as a precaution. If something should go out of stock or be discontinued, Disney is ready. This is inevitable at some point, so any changes made will be slowly incorporated as old decorations are slowly phased out and pretty much no one notices! This organization is amazing to me!
We did get to take one group picture in the warehouse that was emailed to us after the tour. I appreciated Disney looking out for the fact that I was dying to document every minute. Remember the two ladies who were late to the tour? They missed all of this! This is why you should plan on being on time!
Stop number two was even more incredible than the first. It was Disney’s Special Events Building. We got to see the conference room where so much of the magic happens. Every time a guest goes on this tour, something will be different because you are learning about what Disney is working on at the time. During our visit, they were working on a special event that involved special holiday decorated Disney busses, resort rooms, evening parties, and more! They wouldn’t tell us the price or the company that purchased this extreme event, but oh man I wish I could have seen it all come together.
I loved that the focus of the event building was storytelling. Each event has a story to tell and its all the small elements that make up that story. That’s how Disney breaks an event down. For that one event in particular we got to see the food, characters, and costumes designed just for this event. They even created a storybook to tie it all together and to give to the guests as gifts.
This building is also home to the special event costuming room. Looking up it looked like a scene from Monsters Inc. where its just rows and rows and rows of doors as far as the eye can see. Well, this room is what inspired that scene in the movie. There is a costume or accessory for everything and anything. I mean ANYTHING. One year, Disney hosted a convention for a paper towel company. The dresses made almost completely out of the paper towels were still on display. And next to it? A referee costume getting ready for a runDisney event. You name the type of event and there is probably a costume for it in that room.
A visit to the Disney Florists and Gift Basket workshop was also fun! I have ordered a special surprise for myself and for clients, so it was cool to see where it is made and meet the people behind the magic. Again, a huge room with amazing organization. Disney is a well-oiled machine and this building proved it. On our way out, we got to stop in the photo rooms for a photo shoot and see some of Disney’s Green Screens!
Back to the motor coach… I mean sleigh… we went and on to our third stop! We parked backstage at Disney Springs, walked through a door, and all of a sudden, we were at the entrance to Amorettes. I am embarrassed to say I had never been in this beautiful bakery before. As we were all looking around at their Christmas treats, we were invited to have a seat and a cookie decorating class was all set for us! This is what ABD is known for: immersive experiences. We didn’t just look at a bakery, we got to be part of the bakery and what goes on there.
We each got to design our own Christmas wreath cookie. The “challenge” was to include the year and a hidden Mickey if we could! The guides were great and went around taking pictures of everyone and those too were emailed to us after the tour so we could have them. We also got boxes for our cookies so we could take them with us.
After a perfect morning, it was time to say our goodbyes. People had the option to take the sleigh back to Epcot or stay at Disney Springs. But of course, Disney had a surprise for us before we parted ways. If you are thinking of doing this tour and want a surprise, stop reading! Before we left, each of us got a special Disney trading pin for completing the tour AND our photos from the Disney Green Screens had been printed and matted for everyone on the tour! I was so happy to receive this gift!
I left this tour feeling like I had learned so much about Disney, about a new skill (cookie decorating), and about others on our tour, especially our guides. I made great memories with my mom and friend, and I even left with some souvenirs. This was not the first tour I have done with Disney, but it was certainly my favorite. I think what I liked most about it was the fact that it was sponsored by Adventures by Disney. The two guides were essential in creating the experience and they made it special for everyone. The tour did not make us feel like outsiders looking in, but welcomed us to the Disney culture even if it was just for a few hours. The tour cost $149 for adults (at the time) and it was well worth it.
If you are interested in immersive experiences outside the parks, such as tours, please contact me today at maggie@wishesfamilytravel.com or follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wishesfamilytravelmaggie. I love to sprinkle my clients’ itineraries with these magical extras!