Candlelight with a Dash of Rain

So yesterday was a fun day, even if I am still drying myself out from the occasion! The plan was to spend the afternoon at Epcot, grabbing an early dinner and then partaking in the always festive Candlelight Processional, along with taking the opportunity to scope out some of the other holiday decorations at the nearby Epcot resorts between dinner and the show.

Unfortunately, the one thing that we failed to scope out was the weather report, so you could certainly say that the latter portion of our celebration was a wee bit damp, but nonetheless we did what we could to make the best of it…

A Disappointing Dinner
Our first stop was at Teppan Edo in Japan for a bite to eat – my wife and I actually ate here some 5 years ago when we were just dating, so we were kind of looking forward to our return! Surprisingly enough, though, the food quality just didn’t even come close to what we had remembered from that first visit back in 2006. Despite great service and an entertaining server, it ended up being a pretty bland meal that, frankly, for the extra cost of the Candlelight Dinner Package at $65/person, simply wasn’t worth the money…

A Quick Jaunt Around the Boardwalk
By the time we were done with our late lunch/early dinner, it had started to sprinkle outside, but as much as we tried to wait it out, it soon became clear that unless we were willing to suck it up and don those ever-fashionable Mickey Mouse ponchos, our chance to checkout any of the cool holiday decorations around Crescent Lake before the Candlelight show was rapidly dwindling!

Surprisingly enough, I actually think that my favorite display this year was the miniature winter village display over at the Yacht Club, although there’s certainly no denying that the gingerbread carousel and bakery looked particularly yummy as well! But I guess this time I spent a little extra time taking in the detail of the scene and honestly it’s kinda cool to see just how much they put into it, from lights on the town’s tree to the carolers in the square to even the snowman water tower on the outskirts of town … what can I say, sometimes it’s fun to stop and appreciate the smaller things in life…

A Wet and Soggy Candlelight Processional
Back in Epcot, admittedly we were a bit taken aback to find that the reserved seating line for our show had already snaked itself nearly back to the France Pavilion, though in reality I guess we should’ve just been glad that we arrived when we did because by the time the line actually started moving, it looked like it was even beginning to back up onto the bridge leading toward the International Gateway and the UK Pavilion from France!

Nonetheless, the show itself – narrated by Neil Patrick Harris – was great, even though it was raining pretty hard by the time we sat down and at some points even kicked into torrential downpour mode. So the rain was definitely a bit of a downer, but I think NPH surprised us all with an unexpected introductory, “What up?!” before cracking a few lighthearted jokes about the horrible weather to kind of loosen things up a bit. Frankly, it was just really cool to see him in person, even if we were maybe 100 feet away from the stage through  it all!

Anyways, this was the 3rd time that my wife and I saw the show and even though I’m not really a religious guy myself, I still can recognize a great performance and for the 45 minutes that the choir and orchestra are on stage, they really put on a stellar show that does a wonderful job of helping to share the Christmas spirit. Seeing it this year after missing out the last couple really makes me want to try harder to go back again next year, and not simply for another chance to see it without the rain… 

Funnel Cake Finale
After the waterlogged show, we decided that we were just too wet to stick around for fireworks, but before heading off to Downtown Disney for a Christmas stocking and some other random presents, I just had to stop by the funnel cake stand to pick up a little something that I had noticed earlier. For a limited time, the stand is offering a special Pumpkin Spice Funnel Cake in addition to the standard faire, and as those who also happen to read my goofy, little pumpkin blog will be sure to understand, some things are just too good to pass up!

Quick summary – it was pretty yummy, especially after sitting in the cold during the show … be sure to click on over to my official blog post for the full review!