If you want to jump-start your Christmas season or get more into the season visiting the Candlelight Processional is a perfect way to do it. I had never even heard of it until we moved to Florida this past June, but I immediately knew that I wanted to see it.
We made a dinner package reservation at Garden Grill. I was not familiar with how the “priority seating” or the “dinner package” worked so I am glad to be able to tell you how it all works in case any of you have not done this or may want to enjoy future shows in this manner.
We made the dining reservation as you normally would online, although it did specifically state “Garden Grill Candlelight Processional Dinner Package.” There was more than just the Garden Grill to choose from, we just had heard very good things about it and wanted to try it.
So on the day of our reservation we spent most of the day on property. We checked out some resorts and their decorations, including the Boardwalk and Yacht & Beach Club. We headed over to Epcot around lunch time. We toured the entire World Showcase catching various holiday presentations on how that particular country celebrates the holidays and/or information regarding their traditions. We tried a couple new snacks in Norway, one of which was the Schoolbread which was absolutely delicious and I’m not a fan of coconut.
After we enjoyed our fantastic meal at Garden Grill we were given stickers with our show time on them. We were told to put them on our shirts and we would be permitted to stand in the special line only for the reserved seats (from the dining packages) and to arrive about 30 minutes before the show began. We worked our way back around to the American Garden Theater and noticed after a bit that the line on the “reserved seats” side was pretty long. We ended up lining up around 725pm, our show time wasn’t until 815pm. When we were permitted to go into the theater we were told we could sit anywhere we wanted. We ended up in the 2nd row off to the left side of center stage. The seats were amazing and we could see almost the whole stage.
The show began with the orchestra and chorus and then the celebrity guest was introduced. Our celebrity reader was James Denton, he is best known for his role on Desperate Housewives, but has been in many other shows/movies as well. He went on to read through the narrative of how the Virgin Mary carried and gave birth to a Savior. He read parts and then the orchestra and chorus would perform a song or two and then he would continue reading. It was very tastefully done and put me directly into the holiday spirit. I do not know too much about the chorus however my husband and I both noticed the majority of the chorus was made up of kids in a wide range of ages. They did an excellent job of performing and carrying themselves on and off the stage.
Overall the performance in my opinion was amazing and I can’t wait to do it again. If you find yourself at Disney World during the holiday’s I would say this is a “can’t miss” attraction at Epcot.
On a side note, if you do not want to do a dinner package you can get in line on the “stand by” side and you will be permitted into the theater after the preferred seating side has been allowed in.
This event does not require extra tickets and does not cost anything above and beyond your park admission.
Here’s hoping you and your family have a very Merry, Blessed Christmas Season and Happy New Year!
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Abbie shares with us: “I am a wife and mother of 3. My parents first introduced me to the Magic of Disney World when I was 5 years old. However it wasn’t until my second trip as a teenager that the magic actually infused into me. I started eating, sleeping, and thinking Disney all the time. I even made a small Mickey head as the dot on my “i” in my first name and it then became part of my signature. I now have 3 children of my own and had the pleasure of introducing them, along with my husband, to the magical world of Disney a few years ago and they have all fallen in love with the magic that is Walt Disney World as I did. We just were transferred to Tampa, Florida with my husband’s job and my dream of living near the Mouse has come true. We will be taking our first Florida resident vacation in September and are excited to say that we are upgrading our tickets to Passholders. We are excited to see what adventures and new things we can learn about the Wonderful World of Disney!”
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