Tag Archives: Disney World

Candlelight Processional
Oct 9 2019

Epcot’s 2019 Candlelight Processional Dining Packages Now On Sale

The Candlelight Processional is one of the most beloved holiday traditions at Walt Disney World, with the joyous retelling of the Christmas story by a celebrity narrator, accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and glorious mass choir. Candlelight performances take place at 5:00pm, 6:45pm and 8:15pm at the America Gardens Theatre in Epcot from November 29 through December 30, 2019.

Narrators

Candlelight ProcessionalNovember 29 – December 1: Ming-Na Wen
December 2 – 5: Neil Patrick Harris
December 6 – 7: Whoopi Goldberg
December 8 – 10: Isabella Rossellini
December 11 – 12: TBD
December 13 – 15: Gary Sinise
December 16 – 18: Pat Sajak
December 19 – 21: TBD
December 22 – 24: Steven Curtis Chapman
December 25 – 26: Edward James Olmos
December 27 – 28: Marlee Matlin
December 29 – 30: Lisa Ling

Please note that narrators are subject to change without notice.

Candlelight Dining Packages

Candlelight ProcessionalGuests may purchase Candlelight Dining Packages to reserve a seat at the Candlelight Processional. These packages include a delicious meal and a guaranteed seat for one of the Candlelight Processional performances. There are breakfast, lunch, and dinner packages available. Breakfast starts at $40 for adults and $23 for children, lunch and dinner starts at $52 for adults and $16.99 for children. Each meal includes an appetizer, entrée, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage (or buffet depending on the location selected). Prices do not include tax, gratuity, or the required park admission. Participating restaurants include Ale & Compass, Rose & Crown Pub and Dining Room, Coral Reef Restaurant, Biergarten Restaurant, The Garden Grill Restaurant , Nine Dragons Restaurant, Restaurant Marrakesh, Spice Road Table, San Angel Inn Restaurante, Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria, Les Chefs de France, Tokyo Dining, Teppan Edo, Tutto Italia Ristorante, Trattoria al Forno, and La Hacienda de San Angel. Guests may call 407-WDW-DINE for reservations or book online by clicking here. Hurry – Availability is limited!

Heading to Disney World for the holidays?

501 WaysIf you are planning a vacation to Disney World during the holiday season, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Have you attended the Candlelight Processional before? What did you think?
Please leave a comment; I would love to hear from you!

Magic Kingdom Welcome Show
Oct 7 2019

2020 Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar

If you’re thinking of visiting Walt Disney World in 2020, you might be wondering what will be the best time of year to plan a trip in order to avoid the massive crowds. By offering discounts during what was typically slower seasons, Disney has done a better job evening out the crowds throughout the year. However, there are still a few weeks that are ideal for a vacation if you’re hoping to pack in as much fun as possible without long waits for every attraction. In 2020, the best dates to visit Walt Disney World based on estimated crowd levels will be from August 23 through October 3. The busiest weeks that you may want to avoid if at all possible will be January 1 through January 4 due to New Year’s, March 15 through March 28 due to Spring Break, April 5 through April 12 due to Easter, November 22 through November 28 due to Thanksgiving, and December 20 through December 31 due to the Christmas holiday. Check out the chart below to see the estimated crowd levels during your 2020 Walt Disney World vacation.

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Do you plan on visiting Disney World in 2020?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Oct 6 2019

Disney World Enthusiast Weekly Round Up October 6, 2019

Here’s the Disney World Enthusiast Weekly Round Up for October 6, 2019!

Latest Disney World Enthusiast Articles

Haunted MansionDisney Did You Know

In the Haunted Mansion, the ghosts in the Grand Ballroom Scene are actually reflections of animatronics located above and below the Doom Buggy track. This is a variation of the “Pepper’s Ghost” illusion.

Tip Of The Week

Remember to stay hydrated and nourished. Fatigue and irritability can set in fast if you let yourself get overly thirsty or hungry. Take a few minutes to refuel and try some of the tasty food and beverage choices that Disney World has to offer. This will help give you the energy you need to keep going.

Looking for more tips like this? Click here!

Hocus Pocus Villain SpelltacularWalt’s Words

“Children are people, and they should have to reach to learn about things, to understand things, just as adults have to reach if they want to grow in mental stature. Life is composed of lights and shadows, and we would be untruthful, insincere, and saccharine if we tried to pretend there were no shadows. Most things are good, and they are the strongest things; but there are evil things too, and you are not doing a child a favor by trying to shield him from reality. The important thing is to teach a child that good can always triumph over evil.”

Featured Advertiser

Create your own unique look with a personalized Disney MagicBand Skin. Magic YOUR Band has a range of designs to choose from that you can use as-is or customize with your own text. And if you want to take it to the next level, you can even upload your own photos or images to fully personalize, customize, and decorate your MagicBand. With great discounts for multi-buys, why not create one for the whole family? For more information or to start customizing your own Magic YOUR Band Skin now, please click here.

501 WaysFeatured Book

UPDATED for 2020! The difference between an average and an outstanding Walt Disney World trip is in the details. Kristi Fredericks helps make your dream vacation a reality with her numerous tips and tricks to save money, time, and sanity while at the happiest place on earth in her new book “501 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Walt Disney World Vacation”. For more information, to read an excerpt, or to purchase, please click here.

dwe logo small size white bkgdComing Up Next Week

Next week I’ll have some planning information plus all of the latest Disney World news!

Have a wonderful week!

Oct 4 2019

Walt Disney Imagineering Presents The Epcot Experience Is Now Open

From the time it debuted on October 1, 1982, Epcot quickly became my favorite park at Walt Disney World. Over the years, I have been sad to see many of my most beloved attractions like Horizons, World of Motion, Body Wars and more disappear. While change is always difficult, I am truly thrilled about all of the new additions coming to Epcot over the next few years. Now guests can explore Walt Disney Imagineering presents the Epcot Experience to get a glimpse of what’s in store for this park. Here’s a brief description of what you can expect to see courtesy of Disney:

At Walt Disney World Resort, Epcot continues the biggest transformation of any Disney theme park in history, developing groundbreaking attractions, magnificent new landscapes and unforgettable entertainment spectaculars. Guests are now invited to see an enticing glimpse into this bright future when they visit Walt Disney Imagineering presents the Epcot Experience, an engaging and immersive new showcase of exciting changes on the way for this beloved theme park.

The Epcot Experience provides the first in-depth look at the park’s transformation, blending cutting-edge technology and fun with personal moments to create an environment that honors everything guests love about Epcot. Located inside the Odyssey Events Pavilion – between Test Track and the Mexico pavilion – the Epcot Experience invites guests into a multi-faceted celebration of the past, present and future of the park:

360-Degree Film Presentation

  • Guests enter a large, circular, darkened room where they are surrounded by a seamless, 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling screen showing a continuous 12-minute film celebrating the past, present and future of Epcot.
  • The immersive presentation displays archival footage going back well before Epcot opened in 1982, taking guests on a journey to present day and beyond. It showcases new pavilion icons that will integrate into the park, and previews experiences in development with vignettes featuring:
    • The PLAY! pavilion
    • A new vision for Spaceship Earth
    • Sensational new attractions based on popular films
    • The park’s forthcoming nighttime spectacular, “HarmonioUS”
  • In the center of the room, a three-dimensional artfully designed model of Epcot appears to continuously change in time with the film, as projection-mapping technology highlights different areas of the park in special ways.
  • Altogether, the space uses 30 projectors to bring the experience to life and take guests along on the journey of this ambitious next chapter in Epcot’s legacy.

Dimensional Photo Opportunities

Guests can have their pictures taken inside four dimensional photo locations specially designed for the Epcot Experience. Perfect for sharing on social media, these photo ops make it seem as if guests are standing atop the iconic Spaceship Earth geosphere or shrunk to the size of Remy from Disney and Pixar’s “Ratatouille,” among others.

Display Cases Showcasing Special Items

Throughout the Epcot Experience, display cases feature artifacts, memorabilia and other fascinating items showcasing the past, present and future of Epcot. Pieces include:

  • An Epcot park map and medallion from opening day, October 1, 1982, plus a commemorative opening day park ticket
  • Epcot pin sets from 1982 and present day
  • Models and concept art for future Epcot experiences

The Epcot Experience also features attraction posters from throughout the park’s history, plus experiences still on the horizon. Grab-and-go food and drinks are available inside, as well, along with tables and seating.

New Epcot Merchandise

The new Epcot logo unveiled at D23 Expo in August adorns a wide array of new merchandise available inside the park beginning October 1, 2019, including:

  • Short- and long-sleeve shirts
  • Baseball cap
  • Hoodie
  • Tote bag
  • Journal
  • Water bottle
  • Mickey Mouse ear hat

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you excited to check out the Epcot Experience?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Oct 2 2019

Check Out Epcot Forever For A Limited Time

Change is never easy, neither is letting go of things we love, so saying good-bye to IllumiNations was definitely a sad day for fans all around the globe. However I am hopeful and looking forward to enjoying the Epcot of the future including the new interim nighttime spectacular “Epcot Forever.” Despite having “forever” in its name, this fireworks show will only be around for a limited time, so be sure to catch it while you can. Here’s a brief description of what you can expect courtesy of Disney:

Across the canvas of a darkened sky, the new “Epcot Forever” nighttime spectacular at Walt Disney World Resort celebrates the past, present and future of Epcot. The new show is a showcase of soaring fireworks, inspiring music, lasers and colorful glowing kites flying above and around the park’s World Showcase Lagoon.

As the dramatic curtain-closer to each theme park day, the show takes guests on an emotional journey set to stirring renditions of Epcot music that guests will know and love. It will stoke fond memories from the park’s history and spur excitement for the bright future of Epcot – a future filled with new attractions and experiences as part of a multiyear transformation already underway.

“Epcot Forever” exemplifies the park’s founding principles – innovation, exploration, imagination and celebration. Children sing of “one little spark of inspiration” as guests marvel at fireworks that pinwheel, corkscrew and explode in giant aerial starbursts. As colorful pyrotechnics dance across the heavens, the Epcot story plays out to a grand orchestral soundtrack. Noted conductor and composer Don Harper produced new arrangements of classic Epcot tunes to thread through the show.

Future World pavilions past and present inspire familiar themes, building to Epcot’s grandest moments. In one sequence, uplifting music from Soarin’ Around the World cues dazzling LED kites to crisscross the sky in a kaleidoscopic effect. Guests also will recognize cherished music from Epcot spectacles of the past, including the “Tapestry of Nations” parade.

Approaching its dramatic conclusion, the show pivots from the park’s familiar music to a new verse of “One Little Spark” celebrating the future of Epcot yet to come. As the music and fireworks build, “One Little Spark” transitions to a spectacular finale that brightens the sky one last time with fireworks and special effects.

“Epcot Forever” is set to perform into 2020, leading to the park’s next nighttime spectacular, “HarmonioUS.” 

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you excited to see Epcot Forever?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!