Epcot’s Candlelight Processional might be held from November 25 till December 30, 2022 at Walt Disney World. We’ll share the total narrator lineup, celeb look dates, whether or not the eating package deal is definitely worth the cash, and our evaluate of this Christmas-time present. (Updated October 21, 2022.)
For these unfamiliar with it, Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World is the telling of the Christmas story by a celeb narrator with music sung by a mass choir and carried out by a 50-piece dwell orchestra. It’s one element of the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, which additionally consists of the World Showcase Storytellers and Holiday Kitchen meals cubicles.
While Walt Disney World has not but formally introduced that the Candlelight Processional might be again this yr, it’s virtually sure to return from November 25 by December 30, 2022 as a part of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays introduced by AdventHealth.
The 2022 Candlelight Processional performances are held within the America Gardens Theatre throughout from the American Adventure in World Showcase. There’s a cause some of the standard occasions of the Christmas season at Walt Disney World is the Candlelight Processional at Epcot: it’s a phenomenal present that many visitors discover to be a shifting and religious expertise.
Calling Candlelight Processional some of the standard occasions isn’t any exaggeration–lengthy strains plus costly dinner packages have kind of contributed to us being “over” Candlelight Processional. We have actually loved it prior to now, however it’s one thing that may be a big trouble in case you don’t have a eating package deal or don’t thoughts watching from outdoors the theater.
2022 Candlelight Processional Celebrity Narrator Schedule
The 2022 Candlelight Processional narrator schedule has now been launched for all dates from late November by late December. Note that that is topic to alter as a consequence of scheduling conflicts (that occurs on occasion with the celebrities, however is fairly uncommon).
October 21, 2022 Update: Chita Rivera has changed Edward James Olmos as a Candlelight Processional narrator for November 27-29.
Here’s the total 2022 Candlelight Processional at Epcot narrator schedule:
- Simu Liu (NEW) – November 25 and 26, 2022
- Chita Rivera – November 27 by 29, 2022
- Raul Esparza (NEW) – November 30 and December 1, 2022
- Whoopi Goldberg – December 2 and December 3, 2022
- Isabella Rossellini – December 4 by December 6, 2022
- Daymond John – December 7 and December 9, 2022
- Josh Gad (NEW) – December 10 by December 12, 2022
- Gloria Estefan (NEW) – December 13 and December 14, 2022
- Neil Patrick Harris – December 15 by December 18, 2022
- Mariska Hargitay (NEW) – December 19 and December 20, 2022
- Cal Ripken Jr. – December 21 by December 23, 2022
- Marie Osmond – December 24 by December 26, 2022
- Courtney Vance – December 27 and December 28, 2022
- Angela Bassett – December 29 and December 30, 2022
2022 Candlelight Processional Dining Packages
Candlelight Processional Dining Packages are additionally returning, and may be booked on-line now. This yr’s eating packages are nonetheless scaled again, however to not the dramatic diploma as final yr. This means they’ll be tough to e book, as demand far exceeds capability. On the plus aspect, this leaves far more seating for standby!
Dining packages bought out inside minutes of being launched earlier this month, however it’s probably that extra availability might be launched or in any other case open up. Between staffing enhancements and cancellations (which happen repeatedly as folks launch additional reservations or change their plans), we’d advocate repeatedly refreshing the Candlelight Processional Dining Package web page for availability.
You can select from 5 desk service eating places in Epcot providing Candlelight Processional Dining Packages at lunch and dinner. Each package deal consists of:
- An appetizer, entrée and dessert or one (1) full buffet (the place relevant), together with a non-alcoholic beverage
- One (1) assured seat per individual to the Candlelight Processional held on the identical day
Explore taking part eating places and eating package deal costs, which exclude tax and gratuity:
| Adult (ages 10 and up) |
Child (ages 3 to 9) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Biergarten Restaurant Germany Pavilion |
$65.00 | $37.00 |
| Coral Reef Restaurant The Living Seas |
$74.00 | $30.00 |
| Garden Grill Restaurant The Land Pavilion |
$71.00 | $46.00 |
| Le Cellier Steakhouse Canada Pavilion |
$100.00 | $39.00 |
| Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue (same-day eating packages solely) American Adventure Pavilion |
$40.00 | |
| Rose & Crown Dining Room United Kingdom Pavilion |
$64.00 | $28.00 |
| Spice Road Table (same-day eating packages solely) Morocco Pavilion |
$52.00 | $23.00 |
If you’re not in a position to rating elusive ADRs for Candlelight Processional sit-down eating packages, concern not. You might be able to buy a same-day eating package deal, which lets you:
- Dine with out reservations at Spice Road Table or Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue that day
- Enjoy assured seats to a Candlelight Processional efficiency later that day
To examine availability for same-day eating packages, go to Spice Road Table or Regal Eagle’s Distinctly Patriotic Smokehouse: A Salute to All Foods, But Mostly Barbecued Meats ~ A Sam Eagle Craft Drafts & BBQ Joint. Same-day Candlelight Processional Dining Packages are topic to availability and might not be accessible on peak dates.
Last yr, each of those eating places had a ton of same-day availability. It was downright straightforward to attain Candlelight Processional viewing through these walk-up eating places than by reserving Advance Dining Reservations on the eligible desk service eating places.
The distinction is that there have been solely 4 desk service eating places final yr, and this yr there are 5. That’s nonetheless far fewer than 2019 or prior years, when there have been 16 (!!!) taking part desk service eating places in EPCOT and the Crescent Lake Resorts. Not solely that, however 3 of these 16 eating places supplied breakfast eating packages along with lunch and dinner. (So in case you’re questioning why ADRs are a lot tougher to attain in 2022 or final yr, it’s a easy matter of capability–there’s far much less of it!)
Don’t stress out in case you’re shut out of ADRs and are “forced” to do the same-day Candlelight Processional eating packages. While the uncertainty could be disagreeable, the choices are good. We are followers of Regal Eagle, however it’s not our very best option to eat round World Showcase through the holidays.
Spice Road Table is indubitably the way in which to go in case you’re to do a same-day Candlelight Processional Dining Package. Yes, it’s $12 costlier, however it presents at the least that rather more bang-for-buck, with a menu that’s extra approachable than you may assume.
We lately did lunch at Spice Road Table and had a implausible meal–I suppose I higher get to writing that evaluate!
On the desk service entrance, we extremely advocate Biergarten Restaurant. This is all the time our high choose because of its jovial Christmas environment, music, and worth for cash. Read Our Christmas Feast at Biergarten Restaurant for what the vacation time expertise is like there.
If you’re questioning whether or not it could be price doing plus some concepts for taking advantage of the Candlelight Processional Experience, we’ve some ideas & methods and a evaluate on this put up…
Tips
While the America Gardens Theater the place Candlelight Processional is held can seat over 1,000 visitors per efficiency, between 50% and 75% of those seats are reserved for visitors who buy dinner packages. All of those dinner package deal visitors are assured seats in one of many three nightly Candlelight Processional performances.
(Note: the proportion reserved for eating packages was far decrease final yr as a consequence of far fewer taking part eating places. Our guess is that the identical might be true for the 2022 Candlelight Processional. Probably extra like 33% for packages this yr.)
The increased the proportion allotted to eating packages, the extra “competitive” the standby line for Candlelight Processional performances. Ridiculously lengthy.
So lengthy that in case you’re a vacationer or visiting on trip, you need to get a lunch or dinner package deal for the Candlelight Processional, particularly when a well-liked narrator is presenting. When Neil Patrick Harris final introduced, we noticed folks lining up for the 5 p.m. efficiency of Candlelight Processional round midday!
The dinner packages embody a meal consisting of an appetizer, entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage (or full buffet “experience,” the place relevant) and reserved seating at one efficiency of Candlelight Processional. For what you get, the eating package deal just isn’t that costly (or at the least the price just isn’t badly inflated).
Your time on trip is certainly definitely worth the value. I do know the three hours or so of ready in line that we’ve saved by buying the eating package deal has been nicely price it–to us at the least!
If you choose to not do the dinner package deal and don’t wish to wait hours in line, you’ve a few choices. First, present as much as the standby line ~quarter-hour earlier than the final present of the night time begins. Depending upon the recognition of the narrator and the way busy Epcot is that night, generally this final displaying will nonetheless have seating. If not, at the least you didn’t waste a ton of time standing in line.
In many eventualities, that technique will work simply fantastic. You might not have one of the best seats, however you’ll nonetheless be capable of see the present and have a seat. If the theatre is already full, we advocate making an attempt to look at from the walkway behind the America Gardens Theatre.
Cast Members will handle crowd circulate again right here within the walkway, however you’ll be able to merely stand behind the theater (not within the walkway) and watch the present. This is definitely a extremely good view for Candlelight Processional. Think of it as sitting (nicely, standing) within the balcony of the America Garden Theatre.
While we strongly advocate the eating package deal for these wanting good, assured seats, in case you’re on a decent price range or Candlelight Processional just isn’t as a lot of a “must-do,” we predict these methods are good alternate options to avoid wasting a bit of cash, which may be spent on different vacation leisure at Walt Disney World.
Review
Lots of people completely love the Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World. We prefer it fairly a bit, however we aren’t completely gung-ho, name Disney Dining the very first day the packages go on sale, loopy about it like some folks. It’s very lovely, however undoubtedly not the spotlight of our journey.
Our favourite narrator for Candlelight Processional is Neil Patrick Harris. We’ve seen him a few instances, and as NPH followers, we loved this. I can’t say he actually invigorated the present–it’s fairly solemn no matter host–however it was cool to see him.
A couple of years in the past, we booked the package deal, however it was principally to see John O’Hurley, or J. Petermann, as fellow Seinfeld followers might know him. More lately, we went to see Whoopi Goldberg, as a result of seating was included with our D23 Magic & Merriment occasion package deal. Whoopi Goldberg was okay, however on the “cool scale” she simply doesn’t stack as much as NPH or J. Petermann for us.
Overall, Candlelight Processional, on the naked minimal, has “do it at least once” standing. Some folks find it irresistible to the purpose that it’s their favourite Christmas providing at Walt Disney World. Others discover it too dry and gradual, and usually are not moved by the story. I don’t assume it’s fairly truthful to check Candlelight Processional to a Christmas Eve church service, and I feel there’s a great probability that even those that usually are not non secular will take pleasure in it.
You actually don’t know till you strive it–and to be able to strive it, you actually ought to e book one of many dinner packages. With that stated, in case your price range doesn’t permit for each Candlelight Processional and the Christmas Party, I’d advocate the latter over the Candlelight Processional Dinner Packages with out hesitation.
For complete ideas for planning your Christmas-time journey to Walt Disney World, try our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World. Additionally, you’ll be able to obtain our free eBook, Vacation Kingdom at Christmas, which presents ideas for visiting Walt Disney World through the vacation season. This eBook is 75+ pages, with 100+ pictures, and tons of nice suggestions & info! For extra particulars on find out how to get this totally-free book, click on right here.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about motels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To lower your expenses on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips put up takes a novel take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, one of the best place to begin is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for every thing it’s essential know!
Your Thoughts
Are you a fan of Candlelight Processional? Which narrator have you ever seen for Candlelight Processional? Do you often e book the eating package deal or wait in line? Do you’ve any technique for seeing Candlelight Processional with out ready in line? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we may help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!