DAY 1 – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2023
Travel to Southern California • Welcome Dinner
- Welcome Dinner included
- Overnight at the Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa
Upon arrival at the Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa, please proceed to the Rose Parade Experiences Welcome Desk in the hotel lobby. Representatives from Rose Parade Experiences will be available at the hotel to assist with check-in and answer any questions you may have about your holiday tour and give you your welcome packet and complete itinerary.
A Welcome dinner is included at the hotel.
DAY 2 – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2023
See the Rose Parade floats being decorating • Lunch in Beverly Hills at Lawry’s The Prime Rib Restaurant • Paramount Studios Tour
- Breakfast and Lunch included
- Overnight at the Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa
After breakfast at the hotel, you will first travel out to the city of Irwindale, located near Pasadena, to get an upclose look at the finishing touches being put onto some of the Rose Parade Floats. You’ll watch professionals and volunteers alike as they painstakingly cover the floats in flowers, seeds and grasses. After viewing the floats, you’ll head to Beverly Hills where you’ll enjoy a memorable lunch at Lawry’s Prime Rib Restaurant. Your three-course luncheon includes salad, Prime Rib or Grilled Salmon, and Lawry’s signature English Trifle for dessert. After lunch, you’ll explore over a century of Hollywood history and witness more in the making on the Paramount Studio tour, the only major studio located in Hollywood. You’ll see where some of the most celebrated motion pictures and TV shows are made.
For dinner this evening, you may choose to stay at the hotel and enjoy happy hour light bites at the bar or have dinner at the hotel restaurant. There will also be an opportunity to visit the South Coast Plaza, where you’ll discover a variety of shops, major department stores, and a variety of restaurants. We will provide a prearranged pick-up time for guests who would like to go to the shopping center for dinner.
DAY 3 – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023
Catalina Island • New Year’s Eve Gala Celebration
- Breakfast and Dinner included
- Overnight at the Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa
After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll depart for Catalina Island. Come to Southern California’s island paradise! Your day begins with a short one-hour cruise to the island aboard “Catalina Express.” These vessels offer both inside and outside seating, as well as a snack bar and restroom facilities on board for your comfort. You’ll log some 26 miles as you sail the calm ocean waters over to Catalina. Upon arrival, you’ll have several hours to explore the storybook town of Avalon with its winding streets lined with red-tiled houses, shops and boutiques, restaurants and more! Just some of the other things you can do on the island include renting a golf cart for a self-guided drive around town, take the 45-minute Avalon Scenic Tram Tour, cruise aboard the Glass Bottom Boat to see what lies beneath the surface of the Pacific, or tour the historic “Casino.”
Join us in the Grand Ballroom for an evening filled with elegant dining, dancing, and the fun and games of a live “Monte Carlo” style casino. There are hats and party favors for all, and a champagne toast to ring in the New Year!
DAY 4 – MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024
135TH Annual Tournament of Roses Parade • Southern California BBQ Lunch • Exclusive Rose Parade Experience – “John Denver Tribute Show”
- Breakfast and Lunch included
- Overnight at the Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa
An early breakfast buffet starts your day before traveling to nearby Pasadena for the most famous parade in America. You’ll have reserved grandstand seats for the 135th Rose Parade presented by Honda and themed “Celebrating Music of the World: The Universal Language.” The 2024 theme brings us together through music. In a world of different cultures, beliefs, hopes, and dreams, one language unites us all — music. The sound, texture, rhythm, form, harmony, and expression meld together to move, soothe, excite, and delight the world. From bossa nova to blues, classical to country, metal to mariachi and rock to rap, thousands of genres invite you to become one in celebrating a world of music. The parade features spirited marching bands from throughout the nation, majestic floral floats, and high-stepping equestrian units.
The 2024 Grand Marshal is the multi-award-winning performer, Audra McDonald. Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both a singer and an actor. The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two GRAMMY® Awards and an Emmy® Award, in 2015 she received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. Audra won Tonys for her performances in Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, which also served as the vehicle for her Olivier-nominated 2017 West End debut.
A souvenir blanket and official parade program will be given to each guest on board the coach in the morning.
After the parade, you’ll return to Costa Mesa for a Southern California Style BBQ Lunch at the hotel.
You’re free to rest and relax at the hotel for a bit to watch the Rose Bowl game, or catch a rerun of the parade on TV in your room.
This afternoon, enjoy an exclusive live performance by William Florian, the former lead singer of the New Christy Minstrels as he performs a musical tribute to John Denver. He will perform some of John Denver’s most celebrated hits such as Annie’s Song, Leavin’ On A Jet Plane, Take Me Home Country Roads and many more.
DAY 5 – TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2024
Homeward Bound
A buffet breakfast is included again in the ballroom this morning. Check out from the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa and board the hotel shuttle back to the airport. Shuttles leave every half hour. Make sure you give yourself enough time to make your flight.
