6 Days/5 Nights

2008 Exclusive Rose Parade Tour

December 28, 2008-January 2, 2009

With Optional Extension to Catalina Island

Experience the exciting pageantry of the world-famous Tournament of Roses Parade with your fellow Birds & Blooms readers. Plus, join in the fun of decorating a parade float!  See the famous Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens, including the new Chinese Garden, and the fabulous Glory of Christmas performance at the Crystal Cathedral. Come and smell the roses!

Tour Highlights

• Enjoy a day with other volunteers decorating Tournament of Roses Parade floats for the big event—and attend the “back stage” Float Party!
• Meet Botanical docents and learn about the planting process and growing cycle of the flowers grown in this region.
• Thrill to the 120^th Tournament of Roses Parade featuring the beautiful pageantry and tradition of magnificent floral floats from your reserved grandstand seats.
• Join our Optional Extension for a memorable visit to historic and idyllic Catalina Island.

Itinerary

December 28—Huntington Beach: Your exciting Rose Parade holiday begins the moment you arrive at the elegant Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa in beautiful Huntington Beach, California.  After you settle into your semi-ocean view room, meet your Tour Director at an afternoon get-together where you’ll relax and get to know your new Birds & Blooms traveling friends. Then we’ll head to the gleaming Crystal Cathedral in nearby Garden Grove for an inspiring afternoon theatrical production of the Glory of Christmas, featuring amazing special effects…including flying angels! Meals included: Welcome Reception.

December 29—Volunteer Float Decorating: This morning we head out to Pasadena and roll up our sleeves to help decorate the authentic Tournament of Roses Parade floats with Petal Pushers ® (a group of more than 4,000 volunteers who decorate the Lutheran Hour Float and other floats in the Parade).  You’ll help other flower-lovers put the near finishing touches on soon-to-be-televised Rose Parade Floats. Watch the magic come to life as you see your efforts bring these parade’s fantastic floral floats closer to completion. What a once-in-a-lifetime event! Afterwards we’ll return to our ocean-front resort where you can relax, have dinner on you own and talk about your experiences today with your Birds & Blooms travel companions.  Meals included: B, L.

December 30—Pasadena: Today we “preview” the splendor you’ll see at Thursday’s Tournament of Roses Parade.  In the morning you’ll “march to the drumbeat” of the Rose Parade Bands, at the highly entertaining Bandfest. Here’s your opportunity to hear the music of the parade bands and watch them perform their routines at the Pasadena City College Stadium.

This afternoon, we’ll visit Descanso Gardens—home to North America’s largest camellia collection—to learn and see botanical collections and displays that represent the highest standards in Southern California horticulture.  After this pre-parade fun, we’ll attend a Tournament of Roses “Behind the Scenes” Party hosted by Petal Pushers ®.  This event will provide you the opportunity to view the finished floats and smell the beautiful aroma of thousands of freshly cut roses!   This exclusive celebration includes a buffet dinner and a souvenir picture taken in front of the floats.  Meet the float riders, other VIP’s and get a close-up look at all these completed floats—including the one you worked on! Meals included: B, L, D.

December 31—Huntington Botanical Gardens: Today we visit the Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens in San Marino. Delight in the beauty of the Huntington’s 120 breathtaking acres of gardens, four art galleries and a library. Highlights include a Gutenberg Bible (c. 1455), Thomas Gainsborough’s masterpiece, “The Blue Boy” (c. 1770), Thomas Lawrence’s “Pinkie” (c. 1794), the spectacular 12-acre Desert Garden, the serenely beautiful Japanese garden, the camellia gardens and much more. We’ve made special arrangements for you to take a guided walking tour with Botanical docents.  Approximately 15,000 kinds of plants from all over the world make up their collections—many landscaped into a series of theme gardens.

Newly constructed and opened in winter of 2008 is the new Chinese Garden—the Garden of Flowing Fragrance. Stroll around the 1-1/2 -acre lake bordered by Tai Hu rocks and enjoy a landscape that includes five hand-carved stone bridges, a stream and a canyon.  Set against a backdrop of mature California oaks retained as integral to the site, the Chinese Garden displays the native plants of China, including camellias, pine, and lotus, highlighted for their cultural, symbolic and botanical significance.

If you like, enjoy English tea in the Rose Garden Tea Room. Overlooking three acres of roses, it’s the perfect setting for a memorable and relaxing meal. Or, dine in the cafe—self-serve convenience and attractive outdoor patio seating overlooking the Shakespeare Garden. Meals included: B.

Optional Excursion—Special New Year’s Eve Celebration Option: Join us for dinner and dancing at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort (next to the Hyatt) this evening for a WWCT private celebration of the New Year. After you savor a delicious sit-down dinner in the Pacific Ballroom, you may dance to the music, or sit, relax, and enjoy classic recordings from artists like Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, George Gershwin, and many more. Hours: 6:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Price: $75 per person.

January 1—Happy New Year!: Tournament of Roses Parade: This morning we’ll make our way to the parade route and the grandstand seats we’ve reserved for you, for a grand view of the 120th Tournament of Roses Parade. Over the next several hours, you’ll delight in the tradition and pageantry of one of the world’s most unique events.

After the parade, you may choose one of the following to afternoon activities:

1.) We’ll treat you to lunch at the legendary Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach—this grand ocean liner is considered the crown jewel of Southern California. Afterwards, tour this magnificent ship at your leisure before heading back to Huntington Beach. Before tonight’s farewell dinner you’ll have time to take a walk on the beach, relax in the hot tub or treat yourself to the hotel spa.

2.) Or stay in Pasadena and see the Showcase of Parade Floats! This is an option for those who want an opportunity to view more of the finished floats after the Rose Parade. Travelers are able to walk almost within arm’s reach and see in close detail the uniqueness and creativity in the way the float designers used flowers to create different effects and dimensions. This is a great opportunity to get close-up pictures of the selected floats on display at this event. Seeing them all will require walking a distance of about 2-1/2 miles and will take at least two hours. Before we encounter the crowd of float viewers, we’ll stop, relax and enjoy a tasty lunch in a well-known historic Pasadena restaurant. We’ll return to Huntington Beach in time for you to freshen up for tonight’s farewell dinner. COST FOR THIS OPTION IS $15.00 PER PERSON. Meals included: B, L, D.

January 2—Home: Our New Year’s getaway comes to a close after a hot breakfast. It’s been a wonderful getaway with great memories…filled with roses. Meals included: B.

Accommodations

• Days 1-5: Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa, Huntington Beach
• Beautiful! Shimmering views of the Pacific and luxurious amenities await you at the oceanfront Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa.