HO, HO, HO and a big ole fat MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Ya’ll!!! It’s here! It’s finally here! The most wonderful time of the year!!! I am such a Christmas fanatic ya’ll! I love everything about the holiday season and my family is right up there with me in my over the top level of excitement. Since we first started going to Walt Disney World one the items at the top of our Disney bucket list has always been to see Walt Disney World during Christmas time. We’ve watched all the DFB and Tim Tracker videos and read every single Tom Bricker article hoping and praying that we too one day would be able to partake in all of the Christmas awesomeness Mickey the mouse and his friends have to offer.
Well rejoice, rejoice with me Disney fam!!!! This is the Hudson family’s year! In a few short weeks we will be packing our bags, donning our Mickey Christmas apparel and heading down to the happiest place on earth!!! So, we thought what better way for us to prepare you and ourselves than to do a series of articles on everything Christmas at Walt Disney World this year! Each week we’ll visit a different Walt Disney World park (we’ll venture outside the parks too) and tell you everything you need to know about the magic that’s waiting for us all down in Florida this holiday season. So, let’s get started (I’m so excited!!!) with our first installment: Everything You Need to Know about Christmas at Walt Disney Epcot!!!!
Epcot’s International Festival of Holidays
Combine food booths, storytellers, music and magic and you’ve got a Walt Disney World Epcot Christmas! Experience Christmas celebrations around the world as you travel through the 11 countries of the World Showcase. Let’s take a closer look at everything Epcot will have to offer for the holidays starting November 29th– December 30th.
Storytellers
As you make your way through the World Showcase you’ll be met with holiday storytellers all decked out in their holiday garb ready to share how their respective country celebrates the holiday season. You can meet Santas from around the world and also hear about the traditions of Kwanza and Hanukkah.
Holiday Kitchens
Food booths! Food Booths! FOOD BOOTHS!!!! If you’ve visited us here at Disney Minority Report before you may have heard of my obsession love for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Going from land to land sampling tasty treats from each land has been one of the highlights of our trips for years now. So much so that we generally plan our trips to coincide with the Food and Wine festival every year.
As excited as I was when we decided to mark an item off our Disney Bucket List and finally visit Walt Disney World during the Christmas holiday season, I almost cried real tears about missing my beloved Food and Wine Festival food booths. Well how ‘bout God loves me!!! (And you too!) When I came across the Holiday Kitchens in my initial research earlier this year, I again was almost brought to tears…… tears of foodie joy!!!! The Festival of Holidays will feature 13 different booths with both food and drink samplings representing their respective country’s holiday dishes.
For a listing of all the Holiday Kitchens and their menus click here!
Holiday Cookie Stroll
Want to get in a little exercise during your vacay? I’ve got the perfect cardio for you while you’re at Epcot. Why not get in some steps while you stroll around the nations and then immediately reward yourself with magical cookies from countries around the World!!! Grab a Festival Passport and power walk to the five different official Holiday Cookie Stroll locations and purchase your tasty treat and get a stamp. Once you collect all five stamps head to the Sweets & Treats Holiday Kitchen to grab your hard won prize: a Santa Mickey Sugar Cookie!!! Here are this year’s Holiday Cookie Stroll locations:
Official Cookie Stroll Locations
- Bavaria Holiday Kitchen at the Germany Pavilion Linzer Cookie
- American Holiday Table at the America Pavilion Gingerbread Cookie
- Yukon Holiday Kitchen at the Canada Pavilion Peppermint Pinwheel Cookie
- Feast of the Three Kings near the Mexico Pavilion Chocolate Crinkle Cookie
- L’Chaim Holiday Kitchen between the Morocco and France Pavilions Black-and-White Cookie
(Need some ideas on how to afford your Christmas trip to Walt Disney World click here!!!)
Candlelight Processional
Now this is one of the things I’m absolutely the most excited about!!! I’ve dreamed of seeing the Candlelight Processional for years! Anyone who knows me knows I love me some Jesus!!!! So to be able to celebrate the story of His birth at one of my favorite places on earth is absolute dream come true material!!! Backed by a choir and 50-piece orchestra a celebrity narrator will recount the biblical story of Christmas. There are three showings nightly November 29th through December 30th at 5pm, 6:45pm, and 8:15pm.
Bonus tip: If you’re budget allows you should definitely consider booking the Candlelight Processional Dining Package. You can enjoy a breakfast, lunch, or dinner with your family and also avoid the looooooong standby line for the processional. Not only will your family have full happy bellies, you’ll also have guaranteed seating at one of that evening’s Candlelight Processionals!
Let’s take a closer look at the narrators for this year’s processionals and also at the participating restaurants and pricing for the dining package:
- Ming-Na Wen
- November 29 through December 1
- Neil Patrick Harris
- December 2 through December 5
- Whoopi Goldberg
- December 6 and 7
- Isabella Rossellini
- December 8 through 10
- Chita Rivera
- December 11 through 12
- Gary Sinise
- December 13 through 15
- Pat Sajak
- December 16 through 18
- Warwick Davis
- December 19 through 21
- Steven Curtis Chapman
- December 22 through 24
- Edward James Olmos
- December 25 and 26
- Marlee Matlin
- December 27 and 28
- Lisa Ling
- December 29 and 30
All dining packages include an appetizer, entrée and dessert—or one (1) full buffet, where applicable—along with a non-alcoholic beverage and one (1) guaranteed seat per person to the Candlelight Processional held on the same day.
| Lunch Adult | Lunch Child (3-9) | Dinner Adult | Dinner Child (3-9) | |
| Ale & Compass* Disney’s Yacht Club Resort | $57.00 | $25.00 | $67.00 | $25.00 |
|
Biergarten
Restaurant Germany Pavilion | $60.00 | $34.00 | $60.00 | $34.00 |
|
Chefs
de France France Pavilion | $65.99 | $17.99 | $75.99 | $22.99 |
|
Coral
Reef Restaurant The Living Seas | $74.00 | $25.00 | $74.00 | $25.00 |
|
The
Garden Grill* The Land Pavilion | $68.00 | $41.00 | $68.00 | $41.00 |
|
La
Hacienda de San Angel Mexico Pavilion | N/A | N/A | $85.00 | $25.00 |
|
Nine
Dragons Restaurant China Pavilion | $52.00 | $16.99 | $59.95 | $19.00 |
|
Restaurant
Marrakesh Morocco Pavilion | $52.00 | $19.00 | $63.00 | $19.00 |
|
Rose
& Crown Dining Room United Kingdom Pavilion | $62.00 | $25.00 | $62.00 | $25.00 |
|
San
Angel Inn Restaurante Mexico Pavilion | $63.00 | $20.00 | $78.00 | $25.00 |
|
Spice
Road Table Morocco Pavilion | $52.00 | $19.00 | $63.00 | $19.00 |
|
Teppan
Edo Japan Pavilion | $72.00 | $20.50 | $84.25 | $23.00 |
|
Tokyo
Dining Japan Pavilion | $68.00 | $20.50 | $78.00 | $23.00 |
|
Trattoria
al Forno* Disney’s BoardWalk | $68.00 | $25.00 | $68.00 | $25.00 |
|
Tutto
Italia Ristorante Italy Pavilion | $64.00 | $22.00 | $70.00 | $25.00 |
|
Via
Napoli Italy Pavilion | $54.00 | $20.00 | $57.00 | $24.00 |
* The following restaurants also offer breakfast options:
- Ale & Compass Breakfast Buffet: $40.00 for adults; $23.00 for children
- Garden Grill Breakfast: $56.00 for adults; $34.00 for children
- Trattoria al Forno Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast: $58.00 for adults; $35.00 for children
Make Reservations
- If using the Disney Dining Plan, this package requires two table-service dining credits
- To reserve your Candlelight Dining Packages using Disney Dining Plan and Disney Deluxe Dining Plan entitlements, please call (407) WDW-FEST or (407) 939-3378.
- Reservations are available 180 days in advance.
- Separate admission to Epcot is required
Well there you have it folks, Everything you need to know about Christmas at Epcot!!! Are you planning visit Epcot this year for the holidays? Have any more ideas for fun things to do at Epcot for Christmas? We’d love to hear from you, so leave us a comment below!!!
Thanks for stopping by!
We cannot wait for our first Disney Christmas and are super excited we get to celebrate with our favorite Disney family — YALL!! I can’t wait to see the kids’ faces when they see each other!
Isn’t God GOOOOOOD!!! They’re going to be soooooooo excited!!! I already know… best trip ever!!!
Christmas at Disney is my fav! Definitely do Candlelight Processional. If you aren’t doing a dining package, get there early enough to get you decent seat. Seating is ok no matter where you sit, just as long as you have seat!! Ya;ll have the best time ever!
Thanks for the awesome advice!!! We booked the dining package just to be safe. We are super excited about this one!!!