WTT > Travel Calendar

Tournament of Roses Parade #2

With Hands-on Float Decorating

December 28, 2019 - January 2, 2020

Itinerary &
Daily Schedule
Tour Pricing &
Important Details
Destination
Information
Frequently Asked
Questions
Make a Pre-Reservation
Make a Reservation
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on Standby

On January 1st, millions of spectators from around the world celebrate the new year by watching the Rose Parade, hosted by the city of Pasadena, California. The Rose Parade will once again feature the beautiful pageantry and tradition of magnificent floral floats, high-stepping equestrians and spirited marching bands. What makes this trip so special is the opportunity to participate in float preparations and watch the parade from reserved seats in the Grand Stands. If you've ever wondered how this parade becomes reality, this is a trip you won't want to miss. While in the area, we will visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and spend a day on Catalina Island. Plan to join us to ring in the new year!

Print Itinerary & Details

Itinerary

B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

Saturday, 28 Dec 2019: Arrive Burbank; Welcome Dinner (D)
Schedule your arrival into Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport (BUR) no later than 4:00pm and take local transportation to the hotel. Alternatively, you can fly into Los Angeles Int'l Airport (LAX), which is a further away but has more flight options, arriving no later than 3:00pm. The tour will begin in the hotel lobby at 6:00pm with our Welcome Meeting, followed by dinner to get acquainted and discuss the upcoming days. Overnight Pasadena, Home of the Rose Parade - 5 nights

Sunday, 29 Dec 2019: Float Decoration; Historic Pasadena Walking Tour (B)
We're off to volunteer as a float decorator. What a wonderful opportunity to assist in the final stages of readying the floats for one of the world's most famous parades, the Tournament of Roses. Our exact assignment will be determined by our host. You could glue flowers onto a float or color corn husks....who knows? But we'll have the satisfaction of knowing we have been a part of something very special. After returning to Pasadena enjoy a walking tour of historic Old Town Pasadena, known for its elegant Art Deco architecture. We'll walk through quiet streets and back alleys and learn the dynamic history of this foothill city. The rest of the day is yours to explore Pasadena.

Monday, 30 Dec 2019: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library; Group Dinner (B,D)
This morning we visit the fascinating Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley where we'll see artifacts from President Reagan’s life as a child, a Hollywood movie star, governor and ultimately president. Walk through the Air Force One plane that President Reagan used throughout his eight years in office and see a piece of the Berlin Wall. We'll return to Pasadena late afternoon with time to freshen up before dinner together.

Tuesday, 31 Dec 2019: Catalina Island; Toast to the New Year! (B)
We'll leave the hustle and bustle of the city today and board the Catalina Express, a high-speed luxury catamaran that will transport us to Catalina Island, 22 miles off the coast of Southern California. The charming and historic town of Avalon is the most visited destination on the island. It is a world apart from the frenzy of the mainland cities. For a fun twist, we'll see the sights of Avalon from a golf cart. Avalon offers the quintessential beach town, laid back, but chock full of places to eat, drink and shop. Dinner is on your own tonight but we'll gather before midnight to toast the New Year.

Wednesday, 1 Jan 2020: The Rose Parade; Huntington Library; Farewell Dinner (B,D)
We will get an early start today to watch the beautiful flower-filled floats and see the nation's finest marching bands perform as we experience one of the nation's most beloved annual events. Originally started in 1890, the parade is seen by millions worldwide. Interestingly, the Rose Bowl, a college football game, was added in 1902 to help fund the cost of staging the parade. After the parade there is time to wander about the floats and grab a bite of lunch before we regroup to visit the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens later this afternoon. Tonight we'll gather for our Farewell Dinner.

Thursday, 2 Jan 2020: Return Home
Sadly, our time together has come to an end. Make your return flight at your convenience. Based on the departure time you provide WTT, your Tour Leader can assist with organizing travelers into small groups so you can ride-share to the airport if you wish (transfer cost not included).

To View Tour Pricing & Important Details: Return to Top of Page

Room Share	Single Room	Non-Members	Status of This Tour
$2,687.00	Not Available	ADD $50.00	Trip Full, Accepting Standbys

$250.00 Due at time of Reservation

Due to the demand for hotel space during parade week, we are unable to offer any single rooms.

Your Tour Includes...

HIGHLIGHTS and EXPERIENCES:

Small group no larger than 12
Decorate a Rose Parade Float
Watch the famed Tournament of Roses Parade
Learn about presidential history at the Ronald Reagan Library
Explore Catalina Island
WTT Tour Leader to enhance the individual & group experience
Time to explore personal interests & suggestions for things to do
And More...See itinerary for additional highlights and experiences

PLUS...

All tipping of local guides
Arranged room sharing with another solo traveler
Travel Dollar credits (a benefit of WTT membership) toward future travel with WTT

Lodging

Pasadena: Sheraton Pasadena

In the unlikely event WTT is unable to provide the hotel accommodation(s) listed, for whatever reason, WTT will substitute similar quality accommodation(s) at no additional cost to the traveler.

Meals

Breakfast most days
3 Dinners

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dietary requests can be accommodated on this tour with limited selections.

Activity Rating

As a solo traveler you are responsible for yourself, your possessions, your physical fitness, and all other aspects related to participation in the WTT tour you have chosen.

Because of this requirement, WTT tours are not suitable for anyone who is physically challenged, walking impaired, or is a slow walker that cannot keep up with the pace of the group.

The activities on this tour are rated as follows:

75% Easy
25% Moderate (float decorating, 2-hour walking tour)

Activity levels are subjective and based on the reader's interpretation. Almost everyone overestimates their abilities. Therefore, it is your responsibility to read the itinerary and understand what you are doing throughout the tour.

If you are in doubt as to your ability to meet the physical activity requirements, you should not sign up for this trip.

Read more about Activity Levels

Want a Roommate...or not?

Traveling Solo? Most of the women on your tour are traveling solo!

If you wish to share with another solo traveler, select this option on the Reservation Form and your tour price will automatically be based on the room share price.
Or, you may select a single room, when available, on the Reservation Form and your tour price will be automatically based on the single room price.
These choices are clearly stated on the Reservation Form.

A few facts about sharing a room:

All shared rooms have 2 beds
All shared rooms are non-smoking
No special requests about your roommate can be accommodated
Most solo travelers elect to share a room
See "Frequently Asked Questions" TAB for more details

Arrival and Departure Information

Travelers will make their own air arrangements as follows:

Arrival Airport: BUR - Burbank, CA (Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport)
Arrival Date: Saturday, December 28th. Arrive no later than 4:00pm.
Arrival Transfer: Use local shuttle or taxi service. Details will be provided in your Final Travel Instructions.

Departure Airport: BUR - Burbank, CA (Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport)
Departure Date: Thursday, January 2nd. Depart at your convenience.
Departure Transfer: Use local shuttle or taxi service. WTT Tour Leader will assist in coordinating ride sharing.

Want to Arrive a Day Early?

Worried about possible flight delays? Consider arriving one day before the official tour state date. Many of our travelers choose this optional service. Your pre-tour package includes:

The room (standard check-in times apply)
Breakfast the following morning
Optional activity suggestions prior to tour
$143.00 Roomshare $255.00 Single

The pre-tour package is an optional service. Rates are established at time of tour posting. Early check-in is solely at the discretion of the hotel and cannot be arranged in advance.

Important Reminders About This Trip

There are no single rooms available for this trip. WTT had to reserve and pay in full for the rooms at time of our group reservation, and could not know how many, or if any, single rooms would be required.
This tour uses a 15-passenger rental van for transportation.

Payment Dates and Cancellation Policies

At Space Reservation: Initial Deposit is due.
Monday, 1 Jul 2019: Initial deposit cannot be parked and is forfeited if traveler cancels after this date.
Sunday, 29 Sep 2019: Payment in full. 50% cancellation penalty after this date.
Wednesday, 13 Nov 2019: 100% forfeited if traveler cancels after this date.

Please review our travel and cancellation policies before making your reservation. You will be asked to confirm you have read and understood WTT's travel polices before we will accept your reservation.

Travel Insurance: We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect you in the event you need to cancel your tour. WTT will mail you information from 2 reliable travel insurance providers at the time we confirm your reservation.

You can review the insurance information from TravelGuard to get an idea of rates.

Not Included in the Price

Airfare or other transportation to and from the tour
Airport transfers
Meals and activities not specified in the itinerary
Any personal expenses or expenditures
Any pre- or post- tour arrangements
Any gratuities for the WTT Tour Leader
Travel Insurance

Important Reminders

There are no single rooms available for this trip. WTT had to reserve and pay in full for the rooms at time of our group reservation, and could not know how many, or if any, single rooms would be required.
This tour uses a 15-passenger rental van for transportation.

Packing Suggestions

In general the weather in Pasadena this time of year is in the mid-60s during the day and high 40s at night with little chance of rainfall.

For This Trip You Will Need—

Warm, light-weight jacket — It can be very cold the morning of the parade as well as during float decoration where you will be working outdoors in a mostly covered area.
Closed-toe shoes are required for the float decoration.

You May Want—

Thin gloves and warm hat to ward off the chill on float decoration morning and on the Catalina Ferry.
Clothing that layers. Though we are in California, it is winter and much of the activity on this tour is outdoors. Having several light layered options allows you to adjust for the weather.
One smart-casual outfit if you'd like to dress up a bit for dinners.
Swimsuit - the hotel has an outdoor heated swimming pool.
Bring what you need to get a good night's sleep, such as ear plugs, white noise generator, sleeping pills, etc. Unfamiliar noises of all types can disrupt your rest.

Good Packing Habits—

Pack a limited amount of comfortable, casual clothing that layer and coordinate. Your fellow travelers will not mind or even notice – seeing you in the same clothing.
Bring only two pairs of everyday shoes: one pair of well-broken-in walking shoes, and a second pair that could do double-duty as a walking shoe or a slightly dressy shoe.
Pare down your beauty regimen to the bare minimum and always pack travel-sized toiletries.
Pack medication in your carry-on and pack only as much as needed for the duration of your tour plus a few extra days as a precaution.

Luggage

On every WTT tour, our policies regarding luggage restrictions are driven by the physical space limitations of our vehicles and the requirement that all travelers be able to manage their own luggage.

For ease of maneuverability, we recommend you bring only one suitcase, plus small shoulder bag/daypack/purse.
You are responsible for managing your own belongings.

Fitness

Walking is a key component of all WTT tours, and particularly this tour. On some days, between walking tours and personal exploration you can expect to walk 3-4 miles over the course of a day, often on uneven terrain. Although the activity level on this trip may not appear strenuous, we believe you will enjoy the tour more if you possess a general level of fitness and endurance.

Money

Only you can determine the optimum amount of cash to take on tour. When budgeting for out-of-pocket expenses, there are several aspects to consider: the number of meals you are responsible for, the amount of money you like to have on-hand for snacks and drinks, and your individual shopping interests and habits.

Notify your credit card issuer that you will be traveling and provide dates of travel.
ATMs are typically the best way of obtaining cash; you must know your PIN number for your debit and credit cards in order to use the ATMs.

Tipping

All tips to local guides during your tour have already been paid on your behalf.

You are responsible for tipping wait-staff, porters or other individuals who provide a service to you at the hotel, or other public locations.
You may want to tip your WTT Tour Leader for an outstanding job. The amount is entirely a personal preference. If you'd like a guideline, consider $7-$10 per day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I Find…

My Trip Information

When to Arrive and Depart (i.e. Making Travel Arrangements)

Arriving a Day before the Tour Begins

Activity Rating

Payment and Cancellation Penalty Dates for this Tour

Still Can’t Find what you’re looking for?

What if…..

State Department Alerts and Warnings

I Need to Cancel

Preparing for Your Trip

Trip Specific Details

Meet Your Tour Manager

When to Make Your Airline Reservations

Do I need a Passport or VISA?

Immunization and Shot Recommendations

Partial Payments and Final Payment

Meet Your Fellow Travelers

Meet Your Tour Leader

Final Travel Instructions

Room Sharing Tips

WTT Policies and Cancellations

General Policies

Cancellation Policies

Cancellation Date Reminders

Can WTT Cancel a Tour?

If you wish to express your interest in this tour, do so by completing this pre-reservation form. Remember that a pre-reservation does not require any money and there is no obligation whatsoever. Once this tour is finalized, including pricing, hotels, firm dates, etc., those who have sent in a pre-reservation will be contacted via email. *** You will be asked to decide if you want to make a deposit. If you are no longer interested after being contacted, you don’t have to do anything!

***Note: We give notification priority to members of Women Traveling Together (WTT) first, followed by non-members.

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk *

Information we need to know about you

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Are you a current member of Women Traveling Together? * Yes
No

Trip Information

Name of Trip *

The following date option(s) are available for this tour. There may be one or more choices displayed as dates, months, or seasons. Please choose ONE. *

This trip is my # * choice for

Note: You can pre-register for a maximum of 3 trips by filling out this form for each trip you want to pre-register for. If you designate more than one trip with the same ranking only the last trip submitted with that ranking will be saved.

There is no obligation to go on standby. If we have a cancellation, we will notify those on standby in the order you were put on the standby list**. If you are notified of a space on the trip, you will be required to pay the full amount of the trip at that time.

**We give notification priority to members of Women Traveling Together (WTT) first, followed by non-members.

To be placed on Standby, please complete the following:
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk *

Information we need to know about you

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone

Do you want to roomshare with another traveler? * Yes
No
Are you a current member of Women Traveling Together? * Yes
No

Trip Information

Name of Trip *

Special Instructions Is there anything else we need to know?

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