Amazing Holiday Adventure: The EPCOT Festival of the Holidays

Intro

🎄✨ Welcome to a magical adventure through the holiday wonderland of Walt Disney World! 🏰🎅🚡🎁 Inside EPCOT, the International Festival of the Holidays awaits, adorned with dazzling Christmas decorations and heartwarming displays. 🌟

From the captivating Garden Railway to the iconic American Adventure Gingerbread display, every corner is filled with holiday magic.

Join us as we indulge in delectable holiday treats from around the world.

Embark on Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition, and experience festive shows and presentations that will leave you in awe. 🎶🎄

Get ready to immerse yourself in the joyous celebration of the season at the most magical place on earth! 🎉🎅

Arriving at Epcot

First day of my Christmas trip to Orlando, for which you can already read most of my posts here:

Discover the Ultimate Christmas Magic: Walt Disney World Delights!

🎄✨ Full Guide To The Magical Festivities Of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! 🎅🏰

🎄🌟 Experience the Magic of Christmas at Universal Orlando Resort! 🎅✨

But today was special. This time I did not have Early Park Admission, and my plan was to visit the 4 parks in ONE DAY. What?

Yes, besides the fact that I had a FULL agenda in EPCOT with the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, I also wanted to step foot in the other 3 parks.

But you will see if I accomplished that in the next post.

For now, I had Ubered from my hotel to the Disney’s Beach Club Resort and enter EPCOT through the International Gateway, by the France Pavilion. I had tried this before and it worked.

Disney Genie+, Virtual Queues and More

To do your favorite attractions in 4 parks in one day, planning is mandatory!

This is what I did:

1) By 6:00 am I would have to buy Disney Genie+, which can be bought at any time after 12:00 am on the day of your visit.

2) After this I had to secure at 7:00 am the Virtual Queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

3) Immediately, meaning right after, I had to secure the first Lighting Lane using the Disney Genie+. I picked Frozen Ever After.

4) I could buy the Individual Selections when the park opened at 9:00 am, and I did: I got the restricted 2 for the day: Avatar Flight of Passage, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

This a marathonic experience but would make your life 100% especially if you are doing the park hopping in such a short amount of time.

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays – Holiday Decorations

Once inside EPCOT, you are bombarded with a ton of decorations, I would say more than any other park besides Magic Kingdom. You really feel immersed in the holiday spirit once here.

Little details like the Garden Railway (train village) at the Germany Pavilion and the holiday decorations in their tiny houses, are always welcomed.

Like we saw in the previous post, the Gingerbread Houses in Walt Disney World are always amazing, but this year, the ones in the American Pavilion were just wow.

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays – Holiday Kitchens – Joffreys

But let’s be real, we come to this festival mostly for the food, right? And once inside, I could not say no to a Horchata Cold Brew from Joffrey’s. I am not the biggest fan of Horchata, but flavored cold brew is my daily thing. I chugged it on the way to my first Lighting Line: Frozen Ever After.

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays – Holiday Kitchens – Booths

Of course I had to try the Hispanic offerings in this festival. And the Pernil: Mojo pork with tostones and ketchup-mayonnaise from Noche Buena Cocina, were the closest thing to traditional December Colombian food. I loved every single bite of it.

I bought the Apple Caramel Crumb Cake from Holiday Hearth Desserts, but saved it for later. And let me tell you, it was amazing. I am not a fan of apple flavored anything, but the crumb texture and the caramel gave it a spicier twist that I loved.

In Mexico, I tried The Giant Tostada de Chorizo from Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen, and even though it was good, I would probably not eat it again. The volume of what’s served do not compare to the value.

I was super full but I had to try the Cheese Fondue in a bread bowl with steamed baby vegetables and marble potatoes. It was a very difficult eat since I was in a rush to go to the next park (it was already after 2:00 PM), and it was very filling. But I was able to finish it and I actually enjoyed it. I would probably share it with another person though.

On the other hand, I also saved the Linzer Cookie, from Bavaria Holiday Kitchen, for later. It was sweet, but it was ok I guess. Not the biggest fan.

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays – Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt

One activity that can be done during this festival is the Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt, which allows you to hunt the multiple Olafs scattered through the park. It is a fun thing to do for kids, and kids at heart.

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays – Character Meet and Greet

Besides seeing Olaf everywhere, you can also meet the real characters, like Donald the Duck in Mexico Pavilion.

Or the actual Santa Claus, in the the Odyssey Pavilion.

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays – Attractions with Holiday Layover

The holidays take over the park, but also literally some attractions. And we got to see some of them transformed back in Magic Kingdom, and EPCOT is not the exception. One of the most famous one is Living with the Land, with the Glimmering Greenhouses Holiday Layover.

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays – Shows and Presentations

While you eat the delicious Christmas delicacies, you can see some shows though the park. One of the ones I liked the most was the Chinese Lion Dancer performance at China Pavilion, at various hours of the day.

And while I was getting my food in the Bavaria booth, I got to see this band playing typical German music for the Holidays.

I guess the closest thing to what we know of Christmas songs, you could find in the American Pavilion, with the Voices of Liberty Holiday Show, singing the most traditional Christmas Carols.

Journey of Water, Inspired By Moana

Christmas talk is over in this post, but there were other amazing things happening in EPCOT during my visit. For example the Journey of Water, Inspired By Moana, had just recently opened, and of course I had to pay it a visit.

The walk was quicker than I expected, but there were so many things to do and so much people that I decided to just continue walking in the dry path.

This entire new area was beautiful, and of course, fans of the Educational part of EPCOT are in awe thanks to this new attraction.

Other attractions with no Holiday layover

Like I said at the beginning, I got my Lighting Lane for Frozen Ever After, and that I did first.

And unexpected, but welcome, layover was being shown in Soarin’ Over California, to celebrate the EPCOT’s birthday. Loved seeing something completely different this time around.

And of course I had to finish my day at EPCOT with the call to my Virtual Queue of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. I think the reason why EPCOT jumped to be my favorite park in the Walt Disney World Resort.

But I do not finish here, see the next blog post to see me run to the other 3 parks in this same day.