THpoohbear
11-17-2007, 09:29 AM
DH and I took the tour for the first time on the first day they offered it, Friday, November 16 at 4pm.
After waiting in the tour garden for a while, they started to hand out headsets. We took a tour in WDW last year and they used the same thing, and it worked beautifully. Not so much yesterday at Disneyland. Our tour guide, Albert, said it was his first time using the headsets and they were still trying work out the details. That really wasn't what I wanted to hear at the start of the tour.
We all tried them on and there was immediately a lot of interference and static. We got the point where everyone's worked and everyone could hear background music, and off we went.
I believe the tour followed the same general pattern as described in Shana's Holiday Time Tour article from 2003. Except from Main Street we went through Fantasyland, made a stop at the turkey by BTR, and then walked to Frontierland. As we walked, Albert played holiday music for us, controlled by what looked like an iPod. When we made stops he described holiday traditions. The quick entrance to the two rides was very nice, but I felt like most of the tour was walking in silence from place to place, while listening to holiday tunes.
At the end we got our treats and chairs for the parade. Hands down, the best part of this tour, imho, is the chair and treat for the parade. The rest of the time was so so. I firmly believe that a tour guide makes or breaks a great tour. Albert was nice, but not very articulate when describing traditions to us. He really fumbled at times, and it made it difficult to absorb what he was saying. We really didn't learn anything new about the park or holiday traditions, either.
DH’s headset was a consistent problem through the entire tour. He told the tour guide, and the guide switched a spare out with him. After a while, Tate (DH) decided to switch back because the second one was worse. When we entered HM, he explained the problem again to Albert. So they switched the headphones off of one to the unit of the other, but after that point Albert gave up on the headphones and told everyone to take them off. During what was left of the tour, he didn't use them at all and asked the tour if listening to him w/o the headphones was better. There was a loud shout of YES! I guess DH wasn't the only one having issues.
After the great reviews and comments I read, I really wanted to love this tour and have the best time ever on it. DH and I thought the tour was okay. Between the cutting out on the headsets and Albert’s mumblings, the first hour or so wasn't very enjoyable. I give it a B (only because the great spot for the parade knocks it up A LOT), and DH gives it a B-/C+.
Not to discourage those who haven't taken it. Maybe you'll get a better tour guide, & working headsets! If I had paid $20-$30 for it, I think I would feel a lot better about it. But at the discount AP price of $47.20, I think it's a little steep for the information we did get and the trouble we had with the headsets.
I'm disappointed in it, but I really hope all those to take the tour after me have great tour guides and the headsets work better! If you have good experiences, please post reviews! I want my faith to be restored in the tour and tours in general at DL. We still have A Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour to take, and now I'm a little apprehensive.
After waiting in the tour garden for a while, they started to hand out headsets. We took a tour in WDW last year and they used the same thing, and it worked beautifully. Not so much yesterday at Disneyland. Our tour guide, Albert, said it was his first time using the headsets and they were still trying work out the details. That really wasn't what I wanted to hear at the start of the tour.
We all tried them on and there was immediately a lot of interference and static. We got the point where everyone's worked and everyone could hear background music, and off we went.
I believe the tour followed the same general pattern as described in Shana's Holiday Time Tour article from 2003. Except from Main Street we went through Fantasyland, made a stop at the turkey by BTR, and then walked to Frontierland. As we walked, Albert played holiday music for us, controlled by what looked like an iPod. When we made stops he described holiday traditions. The quick entrance to the two rides was very nice, but I felt like most of the tour was walking in silence from place to place, while listening to holiday tunes.
At the end we got our treats and chairs for the parade. Hands down, the best part of this tour, imho, is the chair and treat for the parade. The rest of the time was so so. I firmly believe that a tour guide makes or breaks a great tour. Albert was nice, but not very articulate when describing traditions to us. He really fumbled at times, and it made it difficult to absorb what he was saying. We really didn't learn anything new about the park or holiday traditions, either.
DH’s headset was a consistent problem through the entire tour. He told the tour guide, and the guide switched a spare out with him. After a while, Tate (DH) decided to switch back because the second one was worse. When we entered HM, he explained the problem again to Albert. So they switched the headphones off of one to the unit of the other, but after that point Albert gave up on the headphones and told everyone to take them off. During what was left of the tour, he didn't use them at all and asked the tour if listening to him w/o the headphones was better. There was a loud shout of YES! I guess DH wasn't the only one having issues.
After the great reviews and comments I read, I really wanted to love this tour and have the best time ever on it. DH and I thought the tour was okay. Between the cutting out on the headsets and Albert’s mumblings, the first hour or so wasn't very enjoyable. I give it a B (only because the great spot for the parade knocks it up A LOT), and DH gives it a B-/C+.
Not to discourage those who haven't taken it. Maybe you'll get a better tour guide, & working headsets! If I had paid $20-$30 for it, I think I would feel a lot better about it. But at the discount AP price of $47.20, I think it's a little steep for the information we did get and the trouble we had with the headsets.
I'm disappointed in it, but I really hope all those to take the tour after me have great tour guides and the headsets work better! If you have good experiences, please post reviews! I want my faith to be restored in the tour and tours in general at DL. We still have A Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour to take, and now I'm a little apprehensive.