The plan for the day is to get up and out early, but not too early. We have a 2:30 lunch reservation at Restaurant Marrakesh as part of our Candlelight Processional package for tonight.
We’ve had drizzly mornings all week, but fortunately, they don’t seem to have any impact on any of our plans, so that’s excellent. Jim has to work this morning, so Ann and I head into EPCOT with the kids, and he’s going to catch resort transportation and catch up with us later on. He has been warned to be at the restaurant in time for lunch at the latest, and he does half assed assurance that he’ll be there in plenty of time. I can’t really complain, because as of today, he does not have an assignment to go to after vacation, and the phone calls he has to take may lead to one. He still better be there in time for lunch.
The kids do a bunch of rides, and we have a good time wandering around. We rode on the new Nemo ride at the Living Seas. Not great, but okay. It’s definitely a little kid ride, but if I had to describe it, it’s sort of like an animated, children’s version of the boat ride through Mexico.
At about 2:15, we head over to Marrakesh for lunch – no Jim in sight. I’m a little more than irritated at this point, first because he was not supposed to be that long, and second, he was absolutely going to be here in time for lunch. Lucky for him, just as we are getting ready to order, the hostess escorts him over to our table in the nearly empty restaurant. I don’t know why we never encounter crowds at this restaurant. The meals we’ve had here have always been good, and while they may not be the fastest servers in the world, they might be the friendliest.
Our waitress, by the way, if you’re a single guy reading this, was drop dead gorgeous. She had beautiful eyes, and long dark hair, and was about as sweet as she could be. We enjoyed a fabulous meal here, and had time afterwards to enjoy more of EPCOT before we had to be at the American Gardens Theater for the Candlelight Processional.
If you have ever been to WDW during the holidays and NOT seen this show, shame on you! If you have NEVER been to WDW during the holidays, this show is almost worth making the trip without seeing anything else. The best way to describe the Candlelight Processional is to tell you that a large choir is amassed on the stage, everyone holding electric candles, dressed in colorful choir robes. A celebrity appears in front of them and retells the story of the birth of Christ. The choir provides musical accompaniment to the narration of the story, and the orchestra is phenomenal. If you are not in the Christmas spirit after seeing this show, you are about the Grinchiest Grinch in Whoville.
Our narrator is John O’Hurley – Mr. Peterman on Seinfeld, or better known for his Dancing with The Stars appearance on the first season. He has a beautiful voice, perfect for story telling, and he asks at the end of the performance if we will remember in our prayers this holiday season his wife and the baby son she is expecting any day. That was so sweet!
We stick around just until about the time the park is going to close. We see Illuminations, and we head out to the car. It has been another really great day. I am already planning next year’s vacation around this same time.