pjweaver
just happy to be here
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2015
I watched this weeks podcast after just returning from WDW with my wife. A substantial part of our trip was Epcot’s holiday festival of food and wine. We got the passport (I don’t think that was mentioned on the show) and were determined to put all of the stickers in.
We easily completed the cookie trail, and there were a few great food items. We really enjoyed the story tellers in Great Britain, France, and especially Norway. Italy’s Tuscan booth was a highlight with a grilled cheese made of fried mozzarella with tomato ragu and a chocolate hazelnut cake. Then came the ugly.
Germany’s Bavarian pavilion was just bad. We made it through one song plus about 30 seconds of the second song in Germany. I dubbed it Angery Hanson. It was a very cramped area to stand in on an unusually warm day, and that was the highlight. The food had nothing to do with a German Christmas. Germans do eat things other than sausage and sauerkraut.
Kwanza was plopped down right by the fountain of nations, because they just don’t know what to do with it. I never knew the BeeGees were such a big influence in Africa. They told a good story, but the musical selections were apparently created by someone with an iPod shuffle.
Chanukah was shoved into a 30 square foot area with four tables in Morocco. We saw a guitar player who we were told traveled the world and only learned the dradel song. I felt bad for the handler who had to try to get people to clap along with the songs. The poor guy kept looking at his watch, either to check if there would be time for photos, or to see when the train wreck would end.
Please don’t take this as hate for the festival. Candlelight Processional is an amazing experience and well worth getting the dining package to avoid 3 hours in a standby line. The lion dancers in China was just pure fun, and the show in Mexico is worth standing in the rain for.
If you get a times guide or a passport you will see they time the shows so as you can hop from one to the next, which is handy if you want to see everything. Even if you have the passport, get a times guide. There are shows that are only on specific days, and that is not listed on the passport. We waited for the Chinese lion dancers only to learn that they don’t preform on thursdays.
We easily completed the cookie trail, and there were a few great food items. We really enjoyed the story tellers in Great Britain, France, and especially Norway. Italy’s Tuscan booth was a highlight with a grilled cheese made of fried mozzarella with tomato ragu and a chocolate hazelnut cake. Then came the ugly.
Germany’s Bavarian pavilion was just bad. We made it through one song plus about 30 seconds of the second song in Germany. I dubbed it Angery Hanson. It was a very cramped area to stand in on an unusually warm day, and that was the highlight. The food had nothing to do with a German Christmas. Germans do eat things other than sausage and sauerkraut.
Kwanza was plopped down right by the fountain of nations, because they just don’t know what to do with it. I never knew the BeeGees were such a big influence in Africa. They told a good story, but the musical selections were apparently created by someone with an iPod shuffle.
Chanukah was shoved into a 30 square foot area with four tables in Morocco. We saw a guitar player who we were told traveled the world and only learned the dradel song. I felt bad for the handler who had to try to get people to clap along with the songs. The poor guy kept looking at his watch, either to check if there would be time for photos, or to see when the train wreck would end.
Please don’t take this as hate for the festival. Candlelight Processional is an amazing experience and well worth getting the dining package to avoid 3 hours in a standby line. The lion dancers in China was just pure fun, and the show in Mexico is worth standing in the rain for.
If you get a times guide or a passport you will see they time the shows so as you can hop from one to the next, which is handy if you want to see everything. Even if you have the passport, get a times guide. There are shows that are only on specific days, and that is not listed on the passport. We waited for the Chinese lion dancers only to learn that they don’t preform on thursdays.
