News 2018 Epcot International Festival of the Holidays

[geekza]

The only reason they even run Candlelight anymore is because people will pay a fortune for packages. If not for that, they wouldn't pay for this anymore.

You are sadly correct. I miss the days before, "If we can't monetize it, shut it down and replace it with something we can."

 

[JohnD]

I've never been there when the Candlelight Processional was going on. Do you have to make reservations to go see it? I mean, I'm all for seeing Chita Rivera as she's amazing and isn't getting any younger, but I'm not paying even more than Disney's already-inflated food prices just to get a seat. I got to see Chita on Broadway when she was still dancing up a storm, so I wouldn't exactly regret it for the rest of my life if I had to skip the Processional rather than take another hit to the rapidly-depleting wallet. I'm going to have a hard enough time convincing my wife to go, considering I had to explain to her who Chita Rivera is. (Such is the hard life of a straight man with a Theatre degree who loves Musicals and Disney. There are dozens of us... DOZENS!)

No, you can wait standby. Another option is the Candlelight Processional Dining package. The reservation will tell you which show you're going to.

 

[NearTheEars]

I expected to be able to stay awake. Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam, MVMCP, and Peace on Earth were more my thing. And any moment walking around Wilderness Lodge. I would have rather been sitting in front of the WL tree than listening to obscure Christmas carols for nearly an hour (after paying a small fortune for mediocre hibachi for the right). Just wasn’t a positive experience. Loved NPH however.

Obscure? Lol

 

[tribbleorlfl]

The narrator will stick to their script aside from the very beginning and the very end, so don't expect any personal touches on it.

Unless you're Jim Caviezel.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Unless you're Jim Caviezel.

"I was there, I know bloody well the circumstance of my birth!"

 

[ToTBellHop]

Obscure? Lol

Who doesn’t love, “Sing Praise to Him, Our Lord” and “Candlelight Carol”? Or the classic “One Solitary Life”.

And...I’m asleep.

 

[fluffy]

LOL...after reading all these comments about the Candlelight Procession ( something I never witnessed or knew about ) I think we will skip it. Stupid me thought it was an actual Procession of singers who held up candles and walked all around Epcot. ROFL. I had no idea it was an "inside" thing that you had to stand in line to get in for viewing. No thanks! There's enough waiting in lines for the rides let alone to listen to music. We are going to the Magic Kingdom Christmas Party so I think we will get our fill of Christmas there.

 

[wdwmagic]

DHS had Osborne lights. It now has: Jingle BAM; Echo decorations, and Sunset Greetings. I'm sure WDW is spending more on all that than they ever did for OL.

Yeah but come on. Osborne Lights was 6 million lights that took 3 months to install, and a whole host of techs and operations cast each night to run the show.

Everything else you list has a setup time of about a week and takes a handful of techs.

I would argue Osborne Lights cost significantly more to put on each year.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Yeah but come on. Osborne Lights was 6 million lights that took 3 months to install, and a whole host of techs and operations cast each night to run the show.

Everything else you list has a setup time of about a week and takes a handful of techs.

I would argue Osborne Lights cost significantly more to put on each year.

More than the cost of setting up and firing off the fireworks every night (as few as BAM has)? Or all those bottles of liquid Palmolive for the snow machines?

 

[wdwmagic]

More than the cost of setting up and firing off the fireworks every night (as few as BAM has)? Or all those bottles of liquid Palmolive for the snow machines?

On most nights Jingle Bam just replaces the normal nightly fireworks, so I don’t really count that as a plus.

Osborne’s was such a huge project from programming, planning, install and operation. I don’t think anything offered now is even close.

 

[KC00]

The Musical Theatre nerd in me is pretty danged excited about getting to see Chita Rivera on my trip. That woman is a legend!

I saw Chita as the narrator a couple of years back and she was fantastic. My favorite of the three I've seen (Edward James Olmos, Jodi Benson and Chita).

 

[Giraffiki]

I don’t think anything offered now is even close.

Nothing compares. Disney losing Osborne Lights has been one of the greatest losses of our time. The Osborne Lights were magical and transported you out of theme parks and into the Christmas season

 

[wdwmagic]

Nothing compares. Disney losing Osborne Lights has been one of the greatest losses of our time. The Osborne Lights were magical and transported you out of theme parks and into the Christmas season

Yes I think for a large majority of guests, those lights were a holiday tradition and something that just wowed people. The new additions don't have that same impact.

 

[JohnD]

I'm going to WDW in 79 days and the Candlelight Processional narrator for December 10 -12 is still "TBD". Any word on the final narrators? Regardless, I would rather see TBD than Whoppi Goldberg.

 

[wdwmagic]

More narrators announced for the 2018 Candlelight Processional at the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays

 

[cmarten]

Really liking the lineup this year

 

[JohnD]

I had to look up Bart Millard. Didn't realize he's the lead singer for MercyMe. They're a good bands. I have two of their Christmas albums. He'll be narrating when I'm there.

 

[BrowncatP]

I can't wait to see and hear TBA! Only one set of dates still open and that is when I was planning to go! Who is this mystery person?

 

[cmarten]

I can't wait to see and hear TBA! Only one set of dates still open and that is when I was planning to go! Who is this mystery person?

You haven’t heard of TBA? He/She is someone famous for doing (insert famous work here) along with most likely a project for Disney somewhere along the line.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I can't wait to see and hear TBA! Only one set of dates still open and that is when I was planning to go! Who is this mystery person?

TBA is TBD.