The Halloween celebration at Disneyland kicks off soon, bringing back some fan-favorite seasonal experiences, from the giant Mickey pumpkin on Main Street to the return of the popular Haunted Mansion Holiday. During the celebration, there is a seasonal “Disney's Happiest Haunts” guided tour offered that includes some fun stories and special perks.
This year, in 2025, one key element of this tour has been changed from what was previously offered. Keep reading for more details and what this year's tour now includes…
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Disneyland Happiest Haunts Tour Change
Disney's Happiest Haunts Tour is a fun way to get into the Halloween spirit and enjoy some special perks. The biggest draw of this tour is the reserved viewing that comes with the experience for Disneyland's Halloween nighttime spectacular, “Halloween Screams.” On nights with fireworks, this seasonal show is extremely popular, and it takes several hours to stake out a prime viewing spot in front of the castle. With this tour, you can enjoy a great view with far less time dedicated to securing a spot! You can see our review of the tour from a previous year with pictures of the amazing view.
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For the last couple of years, the other major highlight of the tour included a photo op with two of the Hitchhiking Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion. Guests would hold up a lantern and pose between the animatronics. This photo op is made possible because the Oogie Boogie animatronic appears in Haunted Mansion Holiday in the spot where the Hitchhiking Ghosts normally do while the seasonal overlay is running.
This year, the photo op has changed. Instead of a photo op with the Hitchhiking Ghosts, guests will instead take a picture with the animatronic Witch from Snow White. While this is still a cool offering and definitely in keeping with the spooky theme of the tour, it is undoubtedly a little less exciting than the previous photo op. I am curious to see what the new photo op looks like.
The Haunted Mansion has such a huge fanbase, and the opportunity to take a picture with iconic animatronics from this classic ride was a particularly special experience. See some of the secrets of the Haunted Mansion that you might not know!
The change to the photo op also gives variety to the tour and might cause some of those who took the tour previously to consider taking the tour again.
Nevertheless, even with this element changed, the tour still includes some fun stories and perks that make it worthwhile for many visitors. The tour will be especially popular on weekends when the fireworks are showing, as Monday-Thursday is projections-only. This year, the tour costs $130 per person. Note that this price does not include admission, which is required along with a theme park reservation for the same park and date.
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This year, in 2025, “Disney's Happiest Haunts: The Villains’ Trail Guided Tour” includes the following:
- A 2-hour walking tour across Disneyland Park and into Disney California Adventure Park
- A history of Halloween and Halloween tales specific to Disney experiences
- Lightning Lane entry to Haunted Mansion Holiday
- Access to a reserved viewing area for Halloween Screams, a nighttime spectacular
- Photo op with the animatronic Witch from Snow White
- Collectible keepsake— Disney’s Happiest Haunts: The Villains’ Trail Guided Tour Pin
After the photo op at the start of the tour, your guide will lead your tour of the parks, stopping to tell Disneyland Halloween-related stories along the way, like the story of the Halloween Tree at Disneyland dedicated to Ray Bradbury. You'll enjoy the Lightning Lane entry and receive instructions to return to the reserved viewing area for the Halloween Screams show that evening. In our past viewing experience on the tour, we were situated in front of the castle next to the VIP section, and we lined up 10 minutes before the viewing area opened at 8:30 pm to secure the best viewing in the reserved area.
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