There are many returning narrators for this year’s Candlelight Processional at the America Gardens Theater in EPCOT. Gary Sinise, Whoopi Goldburg, and Neil Patrick Harris are on the schedule, again! The are four NEWBIES on the list are: Meredith Vieira, America Ferrera, Chandra Wilson, and Daniel Dae Kim. The schedule is posted below!
I would suggest making use of the Dining Packages that allow you to have guaranteed seating for these presentations. Lunch starts at $35 and dinners begin at $50. These packages are NOT available for the December 6 performances.
Thanks for reading, my friends. May you have a Blessed and Magical weekend!
11/27 – 11/29 — Gary Sinise
11/30 – 12/3 — Neil Patrick Harris
12/4 – 12/5 — Whoopi Goldberg
12/6 – 12/8 — Joe Morton
12/9 – 12/11 — Ana Gasteyer
12/12 – 12/14 — Meredith Vieira – NEW
12/15 – 12/17— America Ferrera – NEW
12/18 – 12/20 — Chandra Wilson – NEW
12/21 – 12/23 — Daniel Dae Kim – NEW
12/24 – 12/26 — Edward James Olmos
12/27 – 12/28 – Blair Underwood
12/29 – 12/30 — Amy Grant
Showtimes are 5 p.m., 6:45 p.m and 8:15 p.m. nightly. Showtimes on Dec. 6 are 6:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.
The Garden Grill Restaurant in The Land pavilion at EPCOT will begin serving Breakfast and Lunch on November 8, 2015. Breakfast will be offered 8:00am – 10:30am and lunch from 11:30am – 3:00pm.
Garden Grill is a family-style experience that includes visits from Chip and Dale, Pluto, and Mickey Mouse. And, if you are planning to attend the Candlelight Processional, packages will be available during all three meals at The Garden Grill.
The Garden Grill offers a unique dining experience as it is situated on a turntable that rotates slowly and takes an hour to make a complete rotation. You also get a small glimpse of the Living With The Land attraction, also in The Land Pavilion.
Let me know if you decide to try one of these new offerings! I would really like to know your impressions. In the meantime, have a Blessed and Magical day, my friends!
Candlelight Processional Walt Disney Word EPCOT Center America Gardens Theater
Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself…
While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.
I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.
The Candlelight Processional at EPCOT is one of the highlights of the year at Walt Disney World. And, this year’s will be no exception! We don’t know all of the guest narrators who will attend this year, but we some have been confirmed! So far, we have:
Jodi Benson November 28 and 29, 2014
Whoopi Goldberg December 5 and 6, 2014
Sharon Stone (NEW!) December 15 to December 17, 2014
Ana Gasteyer (NEW!) December 18 to December 20, 2014
Marlee Matlin December 21 to December 23, 2014
Steven Curtis Chapman December 28 to December 30, 2014
The question that many ask? “Is it worth paying for the Dinner Package to get a seat for this event?” My short answer is: “Yes”!
By purchasing the Dinner Package for the Candlelight Processional, you are being assured of a seat for one of the three performances. There are two lines for the show. One for Dinner Package guests, and one for stand-by guests. The stand-by line may only get a handful of people into the seated area. There is some standing room at the rear of the America Gardens Theater.
You can choose to have lunch or dinner at The Biergarten, Chefs De France, Coral Reef, Garden Grill, La Hacienda de San Angel, Nine Dragons, Restaurant Marrakesh, Rose and Crown, San Angel Inn, Teppan Edo, Tokyo Dining, Tutto Italia, or Via Napoli restaurants. The time you choose to eat, will determine what your show time will be for the Processional.
The line will start at the America Gardens Theater and move toward Morocco and France for Dinner Package guests. The stand-by line runs the opposite direction toward Norway and Mexico. In my opinion, the Dinner Package is well worth the investment for this fabulous event! So, eat up, get in line, and enjoy the Christmas Story from the Scriptures!
About this time last year, we were beginning to plan our visit to Walt Disney World for the first week of December 2013. I had my ADRs already made and we were following the developments of the Magicbands with deep interest…well, at least I was!
Pretty Christmas themed lighting for Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom Park
Because of the time we were going to be in The World, it was important to keep a finger on the pulse of yet to be announced events, particularly the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. We had already determined that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party wasn’t going to be on this trip! So, that actually made it easier to plan your five days in parks! Let me add here that if you are going to take in the Candlelight Processional, that you make and ADR for the dinner package as most of the seats at the America Gardens Theater are reserved for those plans and general seating is very limited. Details have not been released, yet, but should be available soon!
So, how do you plan for one of these holiday events? Let’s take a look at that, shall we?
Starting on September 1, 2014 and running on select dates through October 31, is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. Tickets for this event start at $62 per person and may be higher depending on dates, and certainly as you get closer to Halloween the cost will be a bit more. One benefit is that you can usually get into The Magic Kingdom at about 4pm, so you have time to take in some attractions before the event begins. Many of the attractions will also be available after the party starts at 7pm!
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is slated to begin on November 7, 2014 and will be on select nights through December 19. Tickets for this event start at $67 per person, and the same benefits and hours are applicable as the Halloween Party. It amazes me how quickly they turn The Magic Kingdom around between parties! Watch a YouTube video sometime to see it in action!
These are the holiday events that probably need the most attention in the near future! Others take place, but only require you putting them into your plan of attack, if you wish to see them. And, with the Free Dining Offer in place right now, planning for the special events becomes a little more interesting!
Also taking place during these times will be: Nights of Joy September 5 – 6, 2014, and the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival September 19 – November 10, 2014. If you want a sneak peek at some of the Food and Wine offerings visit https://www.youtube.com/user/travelwithrick to see his 31 day tour from 2013! I believe you will enjoy his thoughts!
Happy Planning for those of you headed to the Vacation Kingdom of the World for the fall and holiday seasons. Wish I was joining you, but not this year! In the meantime, have a Blessed and Magical Day, my friends!!
Disney fans all over the world have special times of the year they like to visit Walt Disney World. One of the questions I often see asked is, When do I plan to go to…? Today, we will try to give you answers for that question.
Walt Disney World has it’s annual celebrations all year long. And, planning for those times can be a bit confusing. Two of the events have pretty much the same time frame each year. In the Spring, around the beginning of March and going until about the middle of May is the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival. This is a time when the grounds around EPCOT are at their most beautiful as the Disney plant growers and topiary designers get to show off the skills that have been a part of the ‘landscape’ since the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971. Planning for this event can pretty much be done anytime. Especially if you aim for the middle of the event.
The Fall equivalent, on a much grander scale, is the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. This event, again, is usually about the same time each year. And, if you make plans for the middle of the range, you should be just fine in getting the accommodations you desire for attending this time of year! Food and Wine does seem to attract larger crowds, and a lot of the locals visit, also. You may want to plan you F&W visits for midweek.
Other Annual Events of Interest:
Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at The Magic Kingdom
The Candlelight Processional at the America Gardens Theater in EPCOT
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
One other note to add: If you are planning to attend one of these events, go ahead and make your plans! Don’t wait until the last moment! If a special offer comes along, you can always make a change to your package without losing what you have booked. Better yet, use one of the MANY Disney Authorized Travel Planners to keep watch over your vacation and they will do the work for you! That usually means saving you money!
That’s it for now, my friends! May you have a Blessed and Magical weekend!
As I am in the midst of preparing for our next visit to Walt Disney World, I am excited about the plethora of Christmas options being offered in the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.
We are skipping Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, I just can justify the cost for this trip. Someday, I hope to be able to fit it in, just for the experience. We have Candlelight Processional booked with our meal (I’ll save the location until after our trip). And, I am really looking forward to the Holidays around the World at EPCOT! I think seeing how other countries handle this beautiful time of year.
Osbourne Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios should be an absolute delight. Pardon the pun! And, of course, the Magic Kingdom is still decorated! I am really going to enjoy this vacation! I am also hoping to drop by a few resorts to get some pictures of the decorations. We are staying at Art Of Animation, but I hope to see Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian, and maybe Port Orleans – Riverside, too.
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