Day Fifteen: In Which We are Festive at Epcot

[Miffy2003]

Wednesday 22nd December

Today we are going to Beaches & Cream for brunch, complete the girls’ masks round the World Showcase and finish off with the Candlelight Processional and tea at Le Cellier.

We set off on a bus to MGM with the aim of catching the boat to the Boardwalk (I never need an excuse to do this boat ride!), and time passes pleasantly until we arrive at our destination. Wow, wow and wow. I love it here. The atmosphere, the shops, the restaurants…. Julie & Derek make remarks about how “the other half live” so Jon and I delight in telling them that we will be the other half in August as we are hoping to switch our reservation from Saratoga Springs to the Boardwalk for part of our stay. It is very nice strolling around (watching out for Surrey bikes!) and I cannot quite believe how close a walk it is to Epcot. It seemed longer on the boat, somehow.

We wander round to Beaches and Cream, checking out the Beach Club on the way.

This strikes me as a very upscale, yet welcoming resort. It is themed beautifully and Stormalong Bay looks amazing. We walk past the Cape May Café on our way to Beaches and Cream and decide that we must eat here on our next trip. We love the décor, which includes actual sandcastles in display boxes and beach parasols at the edge of the restaurant, all in light pastel colours. We get a glimpse of Goofy in his Victorian beach gear!

Beaches and Cream is smaller than I had expected but very well themed, like an old fashioned diner. We love the décor and atmosphere here but due to the size I can quite see why there are often big queues here!

The menu is exactly as I’d expected and we soon choose our meals; Prime Rib sandwich and the cheeseburger. As we have some Quick & Casual Vouchers we know the meal is already paid for, which is nice. Our server is quite strict about what we are allowed to order with them so I decide to pay for my smoothie with real money. We shared our two meals between the girls and us and there was plenty for everyone! We got a No Way Jose and a Milky Way for pudding and there was no way Jose we could eat them all! Even between the four of us.

Verdict here? Great fun, good value, nice food and we will definitely come again.

We wander in an Epcot direction and arrive at the International Gateway a few minutes’ later. What an unbeatable location these resorts have! Not only do you have the choice of the many restaurants and entertainment options of the resorts themselves, you also have no less than two parks within walking distance and the Boardwalk itself. Location wise, they are even better placed than the Magic Kingdom resorts in my opinion. I can’t wait to stay here!

continued.....

 

[Miffy2003]

We walk through the World Showcase to Italy (where we had got up to with the passports and masks), stopping momentarily to do a quality check on the Moroccan daiquiris today. Well, someone has to do it. I’m pleased to report that they came up to their usual standard



We finish the girls’ masks in record time in the remainder of the World Showcase, browsing in various shops and meeting characters along the way.

We are surprised that it is only three o’clock and decide to head back to ASMo for a couple of hours to relax before the Candlelight Processional.

Fast forward two and a half hours – and we are back at Epcot, feeling nicely refreshed by some reading and TV watching. We catch the boat to Germany and walk round toward the theatre In America. I cannot believe the size of the standby queue! I am even more surprised when we walk round the other side to see the size of the queue for people with reserved tickets – bearing in mind you are guaranteed a seat with the pre-paid dining (up to 15 mins before the start of the show) I can’t understand why people would be in line 45 minutes early. And the queue is a long one – all the way down to Morocco. Did I say Morocco? It must be time for a daiquiri then, so we sit down with these and enjoy the atmosphere for half an hour until the line starts to move. There is a CM marking the end of the line with a fluorescent baton so we join it in a slightly smug “I’ve been drinking daiquiris not standing in a line for thirty minutes” way.

We make our way into the America Gardens Theatre and it is much bigger inside than I had realised. The set is very simple with a lovely Christmas tree to the side. Practically the entire theatre is filled with Dining Package guests before a mere handful of guests are allowed in from the standby queue. I totally recommend the dining package unless you are prepared to get in the queue very early on.

Soon the entire choir make their way onto the stage and although the costumes are very simple, the sheer number of them and the careful positioning of colours make this very effective. The effect is of a Christmas tree with an angel on top when everyone is assembled. Soon the stirring voice of Edward James Olmos (our narrator for the show) starts proceedings off. This is a very impressive display, with the lighting, costumes and uplifting music all coming together to make a very festive and memorable experience. It’s so uplifting Erin falls asleep! Seriously though, if you are here over the festive season, do make time to see this. I had shivers down my spine with the narration and the music and singing was superb. I was a bit confused at one point as gradually the audience stood up – I didn’t recognise the words as being the American National Anthem but clearly the song had some significance so please, if you are reading this and know the answer, let me know!

After the show we had a nice stroll through the World Showcase to Canada, where we are booked to have tea at Le Cellier. I’m glad we decided to do this after the show, as I would have hated to have had to rush to get to the theatre on time.


Continued....

 

[Miffy2003]

First impressions of Le Cellier? I see why it’s called this. Le Cellier being French for cellar. It is very dark but cosy with candlelight effects. The décor is nothing outstanding and for some reason I am left with the overall impression of the nineteen eighties. Our server, who is called Lisa and is the best of the entire trip, gives us an extremely friendly welcome! She explains we are seated in the Ontario section, which I think is pretty cool as this is where my mum was born. The food here is absolutely fantastic. The presentation is superb and the tastes and textures amazing. We will return here without a doubt.

King Prawns

Mushroom Filet Mignon

Strip Steak

Cheesecake

'Smores

Chocolate Moose

As we finish our meal in record time we decide to get out of Epcot as quickly as possible and beat the mass exodus before Illuminations ends, so we leave the park with the fireworks as our backdrop. A fantastic end to a fantastic day!

 

[Tammy Stringer]

Karen

I am loving your trip reports.

What fantastic pictures of all the wonderful food in today's report - some new puddings to try next time - yum!!

Keep up the good work

Tammy

 

[KayleeUK]

I want Amber and Erin's desserts - YUM!!!

 

[Peebee]

Loving the reports Karen, they are really getting me in the mood for our trip to the Boardwalk in April. You'll love it in August when you can stay for Illuminations and then take a leisurely walk back home whilst almost everyone else heads for the front of the park

We also had Edward James Olmos when we saw the CP a couple of years ago and thought he was great.

Paul

 

[florida sun]

Fantastic Karen
I could just eat some of those King Prawns right now.


Sue

 

[Hilary]

Chocolate Moose for me, please

 

[wils]

stopping momentarily to do a quality check on the Moroccan daiquiris today. Well, someone has to do it.

We do appreciate the lengths you go to on our behalf (in the name of research)!

The show sounds wonderful and the pictures of the food yum

Jo

 

[SusanEllen]

Karen,
Once again, praise for your lively reporting. And the food photography!!! Pictures so deliciously gorgeous they conjure the appropriate, tantilizing aromas. Were you the artist? Or Jon? I've always found myself heading for the restaurants in France and Mexico, but you've made a convert of me and I'm definitely visiting Le Cellier next trip. Thanks for that. Susan

 

[allie5]

Mmmmm, some lovely memories of Le Cellier flood back after seeing those pics!!

Wasnt the CP just wonderful? It was one of the highlights of our trip I think!

Another jammed pack day! I feel quite inadequate reading your reports - you seem to get so much done!

 

[tkd lisa]

I wanted to tell you how much I've enjoyed your report! Great detail! Isn't it fun travelling with other people???

Since no one's taken a guess as to why people stood up at the CP, I'll try. Was it possibly "The Hallelujah Chorus"? That is often sung at Christmas time, and on it's first performance, whatever ruler it was written for was so impressed that he stood to honor it. Ever since then, it's traditional to stand when this is played. Words include lots of "Hallelujah"s, and the chorus is something like "King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And He shall reign for ever and ever." Does that sound like the song?

 

[Miffy2003]

Lisa -Yes it does! Thank you so much for letting me know.

Susan - we both took those, I think I took mine and Amber's and Jon his and Erin's. I'm really pleased those came out so well - they didn't all unfortunateyl!

Jo - I really don't mind doing the Daiquiri Reasearch. I will volunteer to do it again in August if you would like? Probably a good idea to do a quality check in the summer as well as the winter