DAY 1 – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2024
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 – MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2024
See the Rose Parade floats being decorated • 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 up- close 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 The 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 – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2024
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 Discover Avalon Tram Tour, experience what lies beneath the surface of the Pacific in a semi-submersible submarine, or tour the historic Casino Ballroom.
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 – WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025
136TH Annual Tournament of Roses Parade • Southern California BBQ Lunch • Exclusive Rose Parade Experience – “Those Were the Days” performed by William Florian
- 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 136th Rose Parade presented by Honda and themed “The Best Day Ever.” The 2025 theme celebrates life’s best moments – those unexpected times that bring a smile, warm our hearts and fill us with joy. From a once-in-a-lifetime experience to the simplest pleasures, each is indelibly etched into our memory, which was announced by Ed Morales, the 2025 Tournament of Roses President. “It could be the day you learn to ride a bike, a favorite family vacation, or the birth of your first grandchild. These are the moments that make life worth living. Together, we celebrate where we’ve been and what we look forward to, it’s about family, friends, and community and what we have to celebrate – and to be thankful for. On New Year’s Day and throughout the year, let’s celebrate the times that make up our “Best Day Ever.”
The sports icon and champion for equality Billie Jean King is the 2025 Grand Marshal. King’s selection ties seamlessly into this year’s parade theme “Best Day Ever”, celebrating life’s best moments. Billie Jean King’s impact extends far beyond sports and the tennis court. Named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by LIFE magazine, she is the first woman athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and she will become the first individual woman athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. King is also the founder of the Women’s Sports Foundation, the Women’s Tennis Association, and the Billie Jean King Foundation. From her legendary “Battle of the Sexes” victory to her unwavering advocacy for equal rights, Billie Jean King continues to inspire people around the globe.
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 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 evening, join us for an upbeat musical tribute to some of the most beloved singer songwriters of the 60’s. Performed on a private stage at the Hilton, William Florian, former lead singer with the New Christy Minstrels, weaves together music and stories in this very special tribute to John Denver, Peter Paul & Mary, Pete Seeger and The Mamas & The Papas. You will find yourself singing along with William as he performs celebrated songs including: Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver), Leaving on a Jet Plane (Peter, Paul, & Mary), California Dreamin’ (The Mamas & The Papas), Annie's Song (John Denver), Puff the Magic Dragon (Peter, Paul, & Mary), Where Have All the Flowers Gone (Pete Seeger) and many, many more.
DAY 5 – THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2025
Post Parade FloatFest • Homeward Bound
A buffet breakfast is included again this morning. Check out from the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa. If you are departing today by air from John Wayne Orange County Airport, please bring your bags with you when you board the bus. If you are departing by other means from the hotel, you can leave your bags with the Bell Desk.
This morning we'll travel back to Pasadena for an opportunity to explore the Rose Parade floats on display during the “FloatFest” event. Be sure to bring your camera! This is also a great opportunity to pick up official parade souvenirs. After FloatFest the bus will depart for John Wayne Orange County Airport and then return to the Hilton.
