Step Inside the Magic of Once Upon an Island Where Fantasy Experiences Come to Life on Balboa Island
Step into the storybook world of Once Upon an Island (https://www.onceuponanisland.net/), the enchanting Balboa Island destination where fairytales, mermaids, and princesses come to life all year long! In this festive episode of Duffy Chats, presented by Newport Beach Living Magazine and Duffy Electric Boats, hosts Kym Whitney and Mandy Huntsman cruise the harbor at sunset to chat with Alison and Elf, the creative minds behind Once Upon an Island and its magical holiday counterpart, Once Upon a Christmas. Now celebrating its 6th season, Once Upon a Christmas transforms a tiny Balboa Island shop into the North Pole, where families step through hidden doors to meet Santa’s talking reindeer, help his elves make toys, and end their journey in Santa’s cozy living room — where he already knows each child’s name and story.
✨ In this interview, Alison and Elf share how the dream began, what inspires their immersive storytelling, and why this heartwarming experience has become a cherished Newport Beach holiday tradition for so many families.
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Welcome back to Duffy Chats. Today we’re cruising the harbor at sunset—one of the most magical times of the year when homes and boats sparkle with holiday lights and decor. The perfect way to kick off December is with today’s guest, Allison and the Elf, from Once Upon an Island, the beloved destination where fairy tales come to life and magic is just around the corner with their Once Upon a Christmas experience.
We’re excited to share their story with you. Welcome aboard.
So, can you tell us where did this idea come for this fantasy place that we now have here in Newport Beach?
Allison: Yeah, the concept really originated when Heather and her original business partner, who were Disney trained, they retired their tiaras and wanted to bring the Disney experience, that character interaction, to a little bit more intimate and personal setting.
When I came in, my background was in fine dining and high-level service—guest services. So, with that and Heather’s creative genius, we wanted to marry those two worlds. And this is really what shaped what Once Upon an Island is now.
Such a special place for so many of us here in the community.
So, can you give our viewers an idea of what to expect when they enter into Once Upon an Island?
Allison: Absolutely. So first, it really is like you’re stepping into a story book. You’re in an underwater grotto. There’s an LED waterfall, the jellyfish salon, even a treehouse built right into our space. From the moment you walk in, you are really transported to a little piece of Neverland.
And when you’re hosting a party with us—again, whether you’re a guest at a party or even someone just popping in to check it out—we are treating you like the real princess.
We want to make sure we’re doing the full setup. We’re doing the clean up. Mom’s coming in with a bunch of presents—we’re taking that off her hands and replacing it with a glass of champagne or a cup of coffee.
We want people to come in and have a sigh of relief, relax, enjoy the magic. And as moms, we totally understand that feeling. We want anyone who comes through our doors to feel like the experience is for them and everyone to enjoy.
So, the name Once Upon an Island is so intriguing. Can you tell us a little bit about how you guys came up with that name?
Allison: Yeah, so Once Upon an Island really does capture everything that we’re about. Of course, it’s coming with a play on the fairy tale beginning “once upon a time,” but we wanted to make it more about us and where we’re located, which is right here on Balboa Island.
So the name is both symbolic and literal. We want to remind families that you can have that magic close by. It doesn’t have to be this far away fantasy. It can be just over the bridge and waiting for you on an island.
How has your business filled a gap, not just in Newport Beach, but maybe in Orange County in general?
Allison: So, before we opened, there really wasn’t anything like us around. There’s plenty of play spaces, there’s the theme parks, and there’s the luxury resorts—but there wasn’t anything that encapsulated all of those things.
And what a better idea than having that quality, that level of service, all encapsulated in one character-interactive space.
Hosting parties at a house can be expensive and stressful—and that’s before the clean up and the guests leave. And I mean, it’s so much.
And theme parks— as exhilarating as it is to have a day at a theme park—it can be overwhelming. It’s lines, it’s crowds, it’s the kids all together.
So we wanted a local option that offered that high-end level of service, the quality, and something on a personal scale. And that’s exactly what we set out to build: a place that brings families together to play and use their imaginations.
Out of all the places in Orange County that you could have chosen for your location to be at, why did you choose Balboa Island?
Allison: It actually was more of a happy accident. This dream and vision had lived in Heather’s head for quite a few years, and she just hadn’t found the right spot.
And one day, this sweet little space opened up on Balboa Island. What once was a very white, you know, law office—nothing too flashy about it—turned into a literal story book.
It took a few years of perfecting and tweaking, but now when we opened the doors, we got the most positive feedback from the community and young families have been coming for years now. We just celebrated our 11th year.
When Heather was looking for the space, was it important that it be near the water—or was that…?
Allison: That was the ultimate goal because we really wanted to have those mermaid moments where you can take them to the beach, put those tails on, and have that full mermaid immersive experience.
You’ve expanded your offerings to include Once Upon a Christmas, which has been a big hit. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Allison: Absolutely. We are so thrilled to announce this is our fifth year of Once Upon a Christmas. We just so happened to stumble upon the portal to the North Pole. And luckily, it’s just a few doors down from our main venue on Balboa Island.
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Fritz the Elf: Oh, my darling. Of course. Thank you so much for having me. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the water—there’s usually a lot more ice.
Anyhow, I’m one of the toy elves here at Once Upon a Christmas, and we kind of take you on this guided tour through the North Pole.
We start off on this submarine adventure to get to the North Pole, and once you get there, we land in Vixen’s stylish stables and we meet our reindeer, Miss Vixen.
And from there, we guide our guests into the toy workshop where I’ll help them make some toys. And then from there, a magic portal opens to meet the one and only—the big boss—Santa. That’s when the kids get to meet Santa and tell him everything they want for Christmas. Of course I will have to build it, so try to keep it as realistic as possible.
And then the really special thing about Once Upon a Christmas is: this is the real Santa. He knows your names. He knows what you’ve been up to all year. The kids are taken back. Families are taken back. He knows about your pets. He knows all these fun details.
So it’s this real immersive Santa experience. There’s different tiers of it that you can book, but you’re not leaving empty-handed. You’re getting those photos with Santa. And again—Santa knows your name. He knows what you’ve been up to. He knows if you’re happy or nice.
We do sell out every year, so if you’re a big Christmas fan, I definitely would suggest getting those tickets.
It is Tiki theme this year. So we do a little island flair this year—still classic North Pole because you are going to the North Pole—but adding those little island touches. And I think it’s going to be our best year yet.
Many of our viewers know Once Upon an Island as a place that hosts parties. Is there anything that you guys offer outside of the parties?
Allison: That’s a great question. We definitely offer more than just being a party venue. We have weekly story times. We have public events. We even have seasonal themed public events. Look out for Princess Caroline coming this month.
We even offer summer camps for spring and summer. So it’s definitely more than just parties. It doesn’t have to be a birthday celebration. It can just be a fun day to hang out with a mermaid, sip some tea, have a sword fight with a pirate—just use your imagination.
We’re also fortunate to have such a wide range of talent on our team—from performers to set builders, stylists, costumers. We have seen so many talented people come and go. We’ve seen so many lifelong friendships come from this company.
And what we’re really in the phase of right now: there’s a lot of mentorship going on. So we do have some high schoolers. We have some new performers. There’s a really big sense of team and family in our company right now.
And then beyond that, we are really active in our community. We love to donate to the local schools and charities and all the organizations. We regularly host families from the OC Rescue Mission and other outreach programs.
And that’s the beauty of being a small business too—we can have the freedom to play a part in the community that we want. Offer the magic and support other small businesses around us.
When families reflect on their time either visiting Once Upon an Island, Once Upon a Christmas, or one of the other experiences that you have, what do you hope they take away from it?
Allison: I like to think that word “core memory” has been used a lot these days. And now with nearly a decade of business under our belts, we’re really seeing what that means.
We have teenagers who will come in with their friends or family and, “Oh my gosh, we were here with Ariel when we were little. My third birthday was here.” Those moments where they’re so excited and almost proud.
Like, “I sat there when I was four and I cried—I was scared.” It’s such a big memory for them.
And with Christmas all year round, we’ll get calls—families thanking us for helping keep the Christmas magic alive. “My kids can’t stop talking about how Santa knew their names and they met the real Santa.” It creates those core memories.
That’s really what it’s all about. We want those moments that stick—those rare sparkly moments that just live in your heart.
So, can you share with us what the next chapter is for Once Upon an Island? Is there anything that we can look forward to?
Allison: Yeah, absolutely. This is going to be a very exciting new year.
This past summer, we did partner up with Wild Rivers waterpark in Irvine and we launched Mermaid Cove. It’s kind of like a mini Once Upon an Island—where you can get mermaid makeovers, hairstyles, put a tail on in their little shallow pools, and so many photo opportunities.
So we were there all summer season. It was a huge success. And this coming year, we’re hoping that you’ll be seeing us in resorts, theme parks throughout Southern California, and hopefully beyond. So it’s definitely something exciting to look out for. Hopefully Mermaid Cove coming soon.
Thank you so much to Allison and Fritz the Elf from Once Upon an Island and Once Upon a Christmas for joining us today.
Your imagination, storytelling, and dedication to creating joy for families truly captures the spirit of the holidays. For anyone looking to add a little extra magic to their season, be sure to book your tickets and experience Once Upon a Christmas.
You can find more information and tickets at onceuponanisland.net.
Thank you to everyone for cruising with us during golden hour.
Happy holidays.