3. You'll skip the queues

In the tour, this story link is just enough to make it reasonable for us to go from riding the Haunted Mansion to riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad... though the already tenuous connection isn't stretched further to connect to the next two rides the tour takes: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. But do you care that the storyline is on the vague side when you get to enjoy some of the park's spookiest offerings without any waiting in line? Probably not.

Missing from this year's tour was a ride on the Tower of Terror. It seems likely that this was cut from the program so the tour could skip walking to Disney's California Adventure which, while much closer to Disneyland than the Tower of Terror in Orlando is to Magic Kingdom, is still a bit of a trek. But with the opportunity to hit three of Disneyland's best — Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, and Space Mountain — plus Mr. Toad, it's hard to feel like we missed out.

4. You'll pick up a few treats

Some tour-goers may be disappointed at the lack of scares this tour offers: though Gracey is certainly strange and can be a bit creepy, the scare factor never gets worse than the content you'd find elsewhere in the park. While you get plenty of Halloween trivia and Disney history, don't expect any big scares here: for that you'll want to head over to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights.

But we did get some tasty treats to enjoy during our tour. In addition to the marshmallow we got at the beginning of the tour, we also got a cookie and an exceptionally tiny pumpkin spice latte (adorable!) at the end of the tour. And alongside the edible treats, we also received a collectable pin: this year's pin was a heavy silver key (just over 3" long) with a black and white photo of the Haunted Mansion on one side and "Disney's Happiest Haunts Tour" on the other. Repeat tourgoers will discover that each year there’s a unique pin to collect, each labeled with the date.

Is Happiest Haunts worthwhile?

This tour is a fun way to experience the best of the park’s holiday season offerings, with treats, Halloween trivia, and some appropriately spooky rides — including the Haunted Mansion, which can have waits up to two hours during the Halloween season. But for all it offers, it's a pricey tour at $80 — though annual passholders, Disney Visa cardholders, and AAA members can get a discount — which makes it difficult to recommend for any but the serious fan of both Disney and Halloween. Still, if you're looking to make this Halloween extra special, it's hard to go wrong with a tour of Disney's Happiest Haunts, especially if you pair it with Mickey's Halloween Party.

Happy holidays, everyone!