Never been to candlelight processional.....

[lorenae]

What am I missing?

I am taking a quick jaunt over to WDW for one night (Dec 4) and never considered Epcot and the Candlelight Processional. What am I missing, and should I reconsider? I won’t likely go back at Christmas again anytime soon (Silver pass and am blocked out for much of Christmas holidays).

 

[KayaWildfire]

It is a retelling of the Christmas story by the celebrity narrator(there is a schedule for who is on that night online) and several choirs sing Christmas songs. Definitely more of a religious experience(don't know of that's your thing or not). It gets super crowded and it is very popular. It is really lovely, we enjoy it. We are more likely to just sit down on a nearby bench rather than line up for hours to sit in the theater, but that's us. You can do a dining package for it if you like for reserved seating. Even without the candlelight processional, Epcot is one of the better holiday parks. HS is nice also as far as Christmas atmosphere.

 

[lorenae]

You make it sound so nice! I’m one who is religious, but not wanting to sit with 10,000 people in a service. Maybe I will change gears and go to it.

 

[Jennasis]

Be warned...5hat night will be PACKED. The narrator is Neil Patrick Harris...arguable the moat popular narrator of them all and the line to get in standby will be hours long. We will be there that night but have the dinibg pkg.

 

[lorenae]

Ugh- I didn’t know that. I don’t think it’s something I’m willing to do this time, either. Last time I was with my 5 year old GS, and that was not an option (might have been NPH then also).

 

[jaiminee krikit]

We did a Christmas trip several years ago and tried doing all the Christmas stuff we could. The CP was my absolute favorite thing we did the entire trip. I am not a religious person, but I appreciated the beauty of the story, and the music was breathtaking. Gary Sinise was our narrator, and he was amazing.
We had done the dining package, and I knew we needed to get there early even then. We ended up listening to the entire show twice because we got in line so early. The standby line was hours long by early afternoon, so I was glad we did the dining package, and getting in line early, we got great seats.

 

[lorenae]

That sounds wonderful! Unfortunately, I can’t stand for long periods or wait in crowds for long due to some odd medical issues, and I don’t think it will work for me as a solo traveler. .
I was thinking about renting a scooter for the first time this trip, but with the cost of it and since it’s such a quick trip, I don’t think that will happen.

 

[georgina]

Like KayaWildfire mentioned, you can hear it from surrounding areas outside the amphitheater seats. Find a place to sit nearby and listen.

 

[DisLaw]

That was my question! Can you hear it from outside the theater? I don't want to get the dining package and I also don't want to spend hours on line but I am interested to catch at least some of it. I feel like I've been able to hear other shows in that theater when I am sitting nearby like outside the America Pavillion but I wasn't sure if that would be the case for the Candlelight Procession.
Thanks!

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

That was my question! Can you hear it from outside the theater? I don't want to get the dining package and I also don't want to spend hours on line but I am interested to catch at least some of it. I feel like I've been able to hear other shows in that theater when I am sitting nearby like outside the America Pavillion but I wasn't sure if that would be the case for the Candlelight Procession.
Thanks!

You can definitely hear from outside of the theatre! Anywhere in the America pavilion should be fine. I imagine if, like OP, you're going on a night with NPH there will lots of people outside listening.

To OP, I love the candlelight processional. It's not a mass but they do tell the story of the birth of Christ accompanied by Christmas carols. I'm not really religious but I still love it.

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

We were there last year when NPH was the narrator and the line looked to be several hours long. DH was astounded and we both worried a little that there would be people without the dining package who would wait in that long line and end up getting turned away. My DS was 2 and I wasn’t sure if he would enjoy the CP, so we didn’t get the dining package. My plan was to grab a seat just outside the theater and listen / catch a glimpse. Many others had that thought as well, and we barely found a table back behind Fife & Drum. It was hard to hear and had no view... but we did enjoy some funnel cake and a chance to relax! Just a little word of warning that it isn’t quite as simple as it sounds to stand outside the theater and listen. If you’re going to want seats where you’ll be able to hear everything clearly, I would get there maybe 45 mins early.

 

[only hope]

Is Ming-Na Wen a popular person? She's the narrator tomorrow and I'm trying to figure out if the line will be crazy...I'm hopeful it won't be as I've never heard of her...

 

[Disnsyncey]

Is Ming-Na Wen a popular person? She's the narrator tomorrow and I'm trying to figure out if the line will be crazy...I'm hopeful it won't be as I've never heard of her...

The voice of Mulan! (and an actress on Agents of Shield I believe?) She will be generally popular, as its a popular show, but nothing like NPH or even Gary Sinise....

 

[Laura's Dad]

We did a Christmas trip several years ago and tried doing all the Christmas stuff we could. The CP was my absolute favorite thing we did the entire trip. I am not a religious person, but I appreciated the beauty of the story, and the music was breathtaking. Gary Sinise was our narrator, and he was amazing.
We had done the dining package, and I knew we needed to get there early even then. We ended up listening to the entire show twice because we got in line so early. The standby line was hours long by early afternoon, so I was glad we did the dining package, and getting in line early, we got great seats.

We are going to see Gary Sinise with the Dining Package as well. Two weeks from tomorrow. NPH would be good as well. We are excited to see this as a culmination to our trip.

 

[SaintsManiac]

The voice of Mulan! (and an actress on Agents of Shield I believe?) She will be generally popular, as its a popular show, but nothing like NPH or even Gary Sinise....

Yep they were lined up for her at 2:30 this afternoon!

 

[only hope]

Oh no! We don’t care if we’re at the back but we don’t want to wait for hours and I can’t afford a dining package. Was it a long line at 2:30 or just a handful of super fans?

Yep they were lined up for her at 2:30 this afternoon!

 

[yulilin3]

I was at epcot today, at noon there were 5 people already in standby line. I have done standby for the past 10 years and usually get in line by 1pm and im in the first 100 people.
Btw for those suggesting staying outside and grabbing a seat, remember the restaurant is behind walls so no tables and chairs available, only the fountain would be available for sitting and a semi decent sound

 

[Wild4Walt]

The nice thing about this theater is you literally walk right past it while walking to the other land pavilions. I'm not one to stand in line for hours for this event BUT if you wanted to catch some of it, there are a few picnic type tables to the right of the small store ( right when facing the building ). Grab a soda and see if you can find a seat. You won't see all of it but you will be able to hear it.

 

[RememberWhoYouAre]

Oh no! We don’t care if we’re at the back but we don’t want to wait for hours and I can’t afford a dining package. Was it a long line at 2:30 or just a handful of super fans?

We saw her tonight (Friday) at the 8:15 show. Got in standby line at 7pm, it was already pretty long. Line only continued to grow, curving into a couple rows then a straight line towards Germany. We got in no problem, but I’m not sure the people towards the back of the line even made it in. Epcot was packed tonight. We did Epcot (and CP) the Saturday after Thanksgiving last year and it wasn’t nearly as busy as tonight.

 

[ellisin]

We have the dining package for Sunday. I’ve never done this before. I assume we go to our dining reservation in the afternoon, but how do I get the tickets for the processional itself? We’re scheduled for the 6:45 performance.