Okay, so we’re in Epcot! The choice of this park to visit first was made well in advance of our trip. We like keeping our options open and being semi-spontaneous, but that’s not as easy to do with the need to make dining reservations in advance – especially now that the Disney Dining Plan is bringing more and more people into the restaurants.
The real reason we reserved here first, though, was slightly different. From November through, well, today, Epcot presents a spectacular Christmas musical concert called the Candlelight Processional. At least, we hear that it’s spectacular. This being its last evening, and our first at WDW, we make the effort to see it while we can. And given the production’s popularity, I did what I could to make it a sure thing, by getting reserved seats through a dining package.
Here’s the deal with the dining package. You reserve a table service meal in one of a handful of Epcot eateries in advance of the production you want to see, and at the end of the meal you’re given reserved seats in the American Gardens Theater. No waiting in line, no fuss, just the obligation to eat a meal you’d probably eat anyway. (Well, kind of. More on that later.)
Since I booked late, the only time available was for a 2:00 p.m. early dinner (or late lunch), followed by seats at the 5:00 presentation of the Candlelight Processional. Everyone in our group knew this was coming and planned ahead by eating a substantial breakfast. So, even though it is approaching noon, none of us is thinking “lunch” yet.
Once we’re through the gates, our first thought is, really, “pictures”! We love Disney’s PhotoPass card, where you can get all the pictures taken by the many official photographers around linked to a free card, and then wait until you get home to view and possibly purchase any of them by visiting the PhotoPass website. Better yet, there’s a flat-rate CD-ROM you can purchase to get all of the pictures you’ve had taken on your trip. We plan to get that CD-ROM, so we plan to have a lot of pictures taken while we’re here!
As usual, there is a gang of photographers just inside the entrance, posing people with Spaceship Earth in the background. One of them is happy to pose us and take six or seven shots. For the last picture, he has us toss our leis up like we’re celebrating. Which we are!
Okay, onward we go, past Spaceship Earth and toward the west side of Future World. Going on Soarin’, which opened a month after our last trip, is a priority for us. But then, we realize it’s a priority for just about everyone else, too. With the big crowds, we aren’t really expecting to get to ride it today, but we at least want to see if it’s a possibility.
Hang on – Bob’s spotted an ice cream cart. He’s been talking about having a Mickey bar (at least one!) on this trip for months, and now is as good a time as any! I actually did not have a Mickey bar at all on our last trip, an oversight I correct right now. Brandon gets a (Mickey-shaped, of course) ice cream sandwich, too, and Benjamin has a fruit bar.
The ice cream is wonderful, as is the location we are eating it. Something about being in a Disney park just makes things taste better!
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