Happiest Haunts Tour At Disneyland Resort- What You Need To Know!

The Happiest Haunts Tour is returning to Disneyland Park for 2023 Halloween Season! Disney’s Happiest Haunts tour hasn’t been available for the last few years, and I’ve been anxiously waiting for it to come back! It is one of my favorite guided tours and is a fun way to celebrate the Halloween Season at Disneyland.  

I was lucky enough to go on the Happiest Haunts Tour at Disneyland a few years ago and it looks like the tour is going to be pretty similar to the old one. This had been on my bucket list for years! I couldn’t wait to learn about the Happy Haunts of Disneyland! On my tour we heard ghost stories, hopped between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure park and even got some special treats. There was also a commemorative pin and a special photo opp with the hitchhiking ghosts. I was given special access to Haunted Mansion Holiday as part of my tour, but it looks like this year they’re doing special access to Pirates of the Caribbean and reserved viewing for the Halloween Screams night time show!  

I’ve shared some of my favorite parts of the Happiest Haunts Tour experience below so you can know what to expect on your tour. Obviously, there’s may be some changes to this years guided tour, but this will give you an idea of what it will be like and help you decide if you should add it to your Disney parks experience. 

Purchasing Tickets For Happiest Haunts Tour

Tickets for the happiest Haunts Tour at Disneyland go on sale August 3rd.  Tours are available beginning September 1st. The cost of the tour is in addition to your park ticket.  You will need to have a park ticket, reservation and ticket for the Happiest Haunts Tour in order to enjoy the experience. Book your Happiest Haunts tour early as I expect this will be a popular tour and could sell out. Annual Passholders to get a discount on the Happiest Haunts Tour. 

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Happiest Haunts Tour At Disneyland

Overview: 

Here’s an overview from the Disneyland website about what you can expect from the Happiest Haunts Tour. 

Thrill to a Frightfully Fun Time!

Let your tour guide lead your intimate group through Disneyland Park, adorned with eerie and delightful Halloween decorations. Hear some frighteningly fun tales as you journey to a shadowy bayou to begin the adventure-filled Pirates of the Caribbean experience. As part of the tour, get a photo op with the Hitchhiking Ghost. On the day of the tour, enjoy reserved viewing of Halloween Screams, a nighttime spectacular! Only Guests with a park reservation, valid park admission and a valid reservation for Disney’s Happiest Haunts Guided Tour may enter the reserved viewing area.

Disney’s Happiest Haunts Guided Tour includes:

• A 2-hour walking tour across Disneyland Park
• A history of Halloween and Halloween tales specific to Disney experiences
• Expedited access to Pirates of the Caribbean
• Enjoy a reserved viewing area for Halloween Screams, a nighttime spectacular
• A photo op with the Hitchhiking Ghosts—Audio-Animatronics from Haunted Mansion
• A Disney’s Happiest Haunts Guided Tour Pin
• A Halloween-themed treat

Check-in

You will check in to your Happiest Haunts Tour at Disneyland Tour Gardens kiosk (just to the left of City Hall).  When I checked in I got a name badge, met my tour guide and chatted with the other people who would be in the tour group.  I got an earpiece which enabled me to hear the tour guide even if I wasn’t right next to her. Before the tour begins, you’ll have time to use the bathroom, and they’ll do sound checks to make sure your earpiece is working properly.  During the tour, there was music that played off and on through the earpiece in addition to the tour guide magnified voice.  It was a nice touch and helped set the perfect Halloween atmosphere.

Make sure you arrive a bit early for your tour! You want to allow time to get checked in, get your ear piece and not feel rushed before the tour begins. 

Happiest Haunts Tour Highlights

There were about 20 people in our tour group. Our tour guide walked nice and slow, so keeping up with her was not a problem.  We did lots of walking between Disneyland and California Adventure.  We made quite a few stops along the way.  At each stop, our tour guide would share a story from Disneyland’s Haunted History or a little piece of Halloween history or trivia. She told us stories of halloween traditions from around the world. I found the whole experience very enjoyable!  I love history and Halloween, so I really enjoyed this! 

We stopped at Dia de Los Muertos- Zocalo Park.  It was all deck out for Dia de Los Muertos.  I loved seeing the colorful displays and hearing about the history of Dia de Los Muertos. They served us some Pan de Muertos.  I didn’t care for it, but my husband liked it and finished it later that evening. 

Among our many stops was the Halloween window displays on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure park, the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree in Frontierland and we spent some time in New Orleans Square. 

Our tour was supposed to include a ride on the Haunted Mansion, but it was shut down when we arrived. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed that the attraction wasn’t up and running! Didn’t the Ghost Host know I was coming? Honestly,  I was mostly looking forward to being escorted to the front of the line like a VIP, so that’s where my disappointment really came from. Our tour guide made sure to give us all a fast pass, so we could return later in the evening to ride Haunted Mansion on our own time.

While we were in California Adventure Park we made a stop by Trolley Treats.  Everyone in the tour group was thrilled when a cast member came over and gave us each a piece of pumpkin fudge.  It was my first time having pumpkin fudge and Disneyland, but it will not be my last! It was so delicious! 

The Grand Finale

We ended the Happiest Haunts tour right where we began over in Disneyland.  The tour guide had everyone sit down, collected our headpieces and passed out our fast passes for the Haunted Mansion.  She then announced that she had a special surprise and asked us to wait for a minute.  We were all pretty excited!  Who doesn’t love a special surprise? She returned and we were escorted into a back room where we were able to take pictures with the hitchhiking ghosts!  Now I felt like a VIP!

Everyone was given a special collectible pin at the end of the Happiest Haunts Tour to commemorate the experience.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed the Happiest Haunts tour at Disneyland overall.  It was fun to learn about the history of Halloween and how it has been incorporated into the parks. Any Disney history fan will love it!  My tour lasted 2 and a half hours, but it seems like the new tour will be a bit shorter.  There is a lot of walking, so be prepared for that. I thought it was the perfect way to spend a couple of hours at Disneyland during the Halloween Holiday time. 

I don’t think this tour is for everyone though.  If this is your first visit to Disneyland, skip it.  You don’t have time for a tour!  If you have young children, skip it.  I recommend the Happiest Haunts Tour for adults and children 12 and up. 

Halloween Fun At Disneyland

​The Happiest Haunts Tour isn’t the only way to enjoy Halloween time at Disneyland!  Even without the tour, there’s so much to see and do to celebrate Halloween in each different land. Make sure you check out the Halloween Screams Fireworks show, enjoy the pumpkins on mainstreet and don’t miss Radiator Screams in Carsland! Ghoul-loving guests will enjoy Haunted Mansion Holiday which has been taken for by jack skellington for the Halloween and Holiday season.  Check out my full guide to Halloween Time at Disneyland for more info! 

Disneyland Planning Help

I’ve got bunches of information on planning a Disneyland trip that will be so helpful for you! Start with my complete guide to visiting Disneyland. It’s a step-by-step guide for planning your vacation that will be helpful. Check out my top 10 Disneyland tips and my guide to when to visit Disneyland to help you pick the best time for your vacation! I’ve also got a post on rope dropping at Disneyland that’s very helpful.

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