Epcot also has some great Holiday traditions that are "must-sees" as well: the Holiday Storytellers and the Candlelight Processional. The Holiday Storytellers are from each country, each Storyteller sharing some aspect of their country's heritage. On our last visit several years ago, we had the chance to hear Father Christmas in England speak: he was jolly and truly reminscent of Santa Claus! This year I had the chance to hear Pere Noel in France talk about some Christmas traditions in that country. I was enthralled, and truly wish that anyone with children will check out this very interesting way to learn some really fascinating customs from around the world.
An absolute "Not-to-be-Missed" is the Candlelight Processional, a telling of the Christmas Story offered 3 times per night from the day after Thanksgiving until Dec. 30, featuring a guest narrator, orchestra, and huge choir made up primarily of young people from high school choirs around the country (and world!) It is inspiring, it is breathtaking, and it will bring you to tears (at least it does me!). Our guest narrator was Marlee Matalin, the award-winning actress from "Children of a Lesser God" who is deaf and signed the entire narration, while a hearing person read the story. We, along with the entire audience were mesmerized by the emotion she conveyed in her presentation, and she received a standing ovation at the end. It was simply beautiful!
We were fortunate enough to experience all of these things early in our trip, as on Dec. 31, Epcot (along with the rest of the parks) prepares to ring in the New Year. This was our second trip for New Years, so we KNEW to expect huge crowds, long lines...and unbelievable fireworks. We had all that, and then some!!
We planned to celebrate NYE at Epcot for two reasons: we love the park, and it is the biggest (and therefore can handle the crowds best). During these peak times, the parks can (and do) close due to crowds. At Magic Kingdom and MGM it can happen a lot sooner than in Epcot, so we figured we were ok, as it takes ALOT of people for Epcot to close. We arrived around 9:30ish, and while we thought we could probably leave and come back if we got tired (you're talkin' a loooong day here!), still I packed the backpack for the duration, just in case. Good thing that I did!
Around 11 our daughter started feeling like a migraine was coming on, so we thought that a little rest back at the hotel would be helpful for her to make it through the day. Being 17 and leaving for college in a few months, we knew she was certainly capable of taking the bus back to Animal Kingdom Lodge (where we stayed our last 2 nights) and getting back to Epcot in a timely way. But the best plans..........10 minutes later she called from the front of the park to say that the Cast Members were advising guests not to leave, as they would not guarantee them admittance back in later on. Seems Epcot was on target for a closing, as they were getting record crowds at that point of the day! Uh oh. So much for the rest and return option. Plan B had us visiting First Aid instead, where they very kindly allowed her to rest for 45 minutes, which helped a great deal. Later that afternoon we chatted with a Security Guard who confirmed that yes, Epcot was indeed on target at that point to host 70,000 guests! Yikes. Looks like all that fabulous weather we had that week came at a price.
The crowds that afternoon were unbelievable. I took this picture from the interior of 
the Land pavilion, where I retreated to buy a cup of coffee. Took me 30 minutes to just navigate through the crowd. I have never seen anything like it. There were lines for everything, including the rest rooms. A heavy dose of patience and a reallllly good sense of humor were in order. And for the most part, people seemed to have both. As the afternoon wore on, people just relaxed on a bench, or found a shady spot under a tree and took a nap. No worries.
And then it started to rain. Good gosh, guess what happened to the people? They ALL went inside. ALL of them. Every possible place inside you could think of. (Note: I was so impressed by how fast those Disney shops whipped out the rain ponchos to sell. Within minutes, the ponchos were at the registers, and people just bought them like they were gold. Fascinating to watch such an efficient process in action.)
By this time, it was approaching evening, and we had reservations for dinner in the Mexico pavilion....which happens to be the first INDOOR place you find as you enter World Showcase going clockwise. Ohmygosh I have never experienced ANYTHING in my life like the wall to wall people in there. It must have been a fire marshall's worst nightmare. It was a good thing that we headed that way well before our reservation time, as it took 45 minutes to get in the door, down the ramp and up to the hostess table.
It rained for the better part of the evening, but the good thing was it did clear the park out somewhat. Not that it was empty by any stretch, but a bit more manageble. And guess what? Rain ponchos make great tarps to sit on wet ground and wait for Illuminations.
And what are the NYE Illuminations like? I hear they bring out the "Armageddon" barges for that night, and I do believe it. Illuminations on New Years is a truly memorable experience, and an unbelievable way to ring in a New Year. When all was over, we decided not to immediately fight the crowds to leave, but instead headed over to Soarin' for one last ride. There was a 45 minute wait, but we passed the time with a school group from Canada, played the interactive games, and were nearly the last to ride for the day. It was awesome, and a great way to begin 2008!
Until next time,
Nancy
