Epcot Illuminations Grand Gathering ~ Info needed!

[OneTreeHillAddict]

For some reason this is a hard GG to get information on. If anyone has done this in the past 18 months please give me some details and if you have pictures...please post those as well.

I'm curious about the food (what is served) and how the events go.

Which characters appear? Is there some sort of reading?

Do you get a pin with this one similar to the one we got at Tony's?

The VIP viewing area..is it really VIP?

What kinds of desserts/drinks are offered during Illuminations?

I know the food at Tony's was not as good as other places we'd had Breakfast but it was okay. We enjoyed the entertainment, especially Tony and the pin was a great touch. Some friends of ine have been on the Safari GG and enjoyed it as well. I'm hoping for some decent reviews but if you did it and hated it...feel free to share this too.

Thanks in advance!

 

[HomerHog]

We did the the EPCOT International Dinner and Illuminations Dessert Grand Gathering in June. There were 10 of us -- 8 adults, DS6, and DD2. We were there for DD's 2nd Birthday.

The short version is that we all loved the experience of doing it. The food was OK. I typed a longer summary a while back that I have pasted below.

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This is one of the most difficult topics to find good info about. We did the International Dinner and Illuminations Dessert in June.

The event was scheduled for 7:00 in the Odyssey building. We checked in early and waited outside with several other families. At a few minutes before 7:00, they began calling families and escorting everyone to their tables which were seated for the exact number of people in the party and had signs on the table with the name of your group's celebration (X's Birthday, Y's Graduation, etc.). Each member of the party is given a commemorative pin. In addition to being a collectible/ souvenir, this pin was needed for admission to the dessert area.

The buffet menu included items from "Around the World":
Bread basket- garlic, multi-grain, & pretzel breadsticks with butter, parmesan-red pepper dip, & hummus

Canada - white cheddar soup (LeCellier)
California- salad (Garden Grill)
China - Stir Fry Vegetables
Mexico- Zucchini,tomatoes, peppers, onions, corn & beans with cilantro
Japan- Brown rice with tofu & edamame
Norway- Boiled new potatoes with dill
Morocco- Spiced chicken with tomato & chic peas
Germany- Bavarian roasted pork with red cabbage
France- Burgandy braised beef with mushrooms and pearl onions
United Kingdom- Fried haddock with tartar sauce & lemon
Italy- Cheese tortellini with alfredo cream & pea, petit pasta with roasted garlic marinara

Kids Table- Apple slices with carmel dip, carrots with ranch dip, fried chicken strips with barbecue sauce, Smuckers Uncrustables PB&J sandwiches, macaroni and cheese

The food was good, but not great. The selections didn't necessarily compliment each other. Throughout the meal, there was a DJ and MC that played music, introduced each table, and had the kids up dancing. Minnie and Goofy joined the party to dance with the kids, then headed to the photo station at the back for group portraits.

We were celebrating DD's 2nd birthday and were seated at the back of the banquet room near the food and photo area. So when we were ready, we made a point to be one of the first families to get our photos taken. There was a Photopass photographer, but these were some of the poorest pictures we had taken all week.

After the pictures, we were done with our meal so we stepped outside. The CM's outside asked us to wait a few minutes and let the kids play with their flashlights before escorting us to the viewing area. Being the first to the viewing area, we got a spot right on the front rope. There is no seating in the viewing area, so everyone just stands and grazes the dessert tables.

The desserts were good and the view of Illuminations was amazing. When the fireworks were over, they encouraged everyone to mingle in the area and have more dessert instead of fighting the crowds. We did and were able to relax and get some great group shots in front of Spaceship Earth on the way out.

For dinner alone, we would prefer any character meal or any of our World Showcase favorites over the International Dinner. However, the Illuminations Dessert portion was a great experience that we would have never had the chance to do otherwise, so we are glad we did it.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

We did the the EPCOT International Dinner and Illuminations Dessert Grand Gathering in June. There were 10 of us -- 8 adults, DS6, and DD2. We were there for DD's 2nd Birthday.

The short version is that we all loved the experience of doing it. The food was OK. I typed a longer summary a while back that I have pasted below.

Thank you for posting this. It's a big help. Sounds similar to my experience at Tony's. I'm glad I did it...but it wasn't the best meal.

I'd probably eat more from the kids table.. The dessert sounds like a nice set up though. Were there a lot of different things to choose from? What kind of beverage did they offer with dessert?

Were the characters in their regular costumes? If you have pictures I would LOVE to see them. Thanks again for the review.

 

[Linda Farrell]

I did this in August 2007. There were 8 of us. Like the PP said, the food was OK, but we're glad we did it. Our character pictures came out great!! What we did and many other families did, was to keep getting back on the line in various groups of the whole group, which we did first. We did me and my sister, just the cousins, all the girls, and so on. It was lots of fun.

It was actually a very stormy night when we were there, so the dessert buffet was set up inside. After that, they led us out by flashlight to the viewing area. It was a very nice night.

 

[HomerHog]

Were there a lot of different things to choose from?
Mostly "portable" snacks such as cookies, brownies, rice krispy squares, etc. as everyone is carrying around plates and standing the whole time.

What kind of beverage did they offer with dessert?
They had coffee, water, and some kind of juice or fruit punch. I think it was Minute Maid fruit punch, but don't remember for sure.

Were the characters in their regular costumes?
Goofy in his regular orange shirt and vest. Minnie in red and white polka-dot dress.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

I did this in August 2007. There were 8 of us. Like the PP said, the food was OK, but we're glad we did it. Our character pictures came out great!! What we did and many other families did, was to keep getting back on the line in various groups of the whole group, which we did first. We did me and my sister, just the cousins, all the girls, and so on. It was lots of fun.

It was actually a very stormy night when we were there, so the dessert buffet was set up inside. After that, they led us out by flashlight to the viewing area. It was a very nice night.

We're giving it a try. If you want feel free to share your pictures. I'd love to see some from the event.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Were there a lot of different things to choose from?
Mostly "portable" snacks such as cookies, brownies, rice krispy squares, etc. as everyone is carrying around plates and standing the whole time.

What kind of beverage did they offer with dessert?
They had coffee, water, and some kind of juice or fruit punch. I think it was Minute Maid fruit punch, but don't remember for sure.

Were the characters in their regular costumes?
Goofy in his regular orange shirt and vest. Minnie in red and white polka-dot dress.

Sounds good to me! We're going to try it.