Favorite Orlando Holiday Attraction?

[TylerDurden]

I'm probably in the minority, but I found the candlelight processional to be rather over-hyped. This was my first year of seeing the show and I was excited to check it out, but it just fell short for me. It was good, but it's nothing I haven't seen a church do. The stupid long lines and ridiculous amounts of people didn't help for me either.

The Christmas illuminations though was phenomenal and gave me goosebumps every time I went this season.

I really want to go to your church
The key is getting the dinner package...you're guaranteed a seat for your assigned showtime meaning no ridiculous lines. And eating in Epcot is always a plus as well. Doesn't enhance the show, but it enhances the overall experience around it. I also have to admit, I've been going for many years now, which really plays into my enjoyment of the show. It's the one Christmas tradition my family has kept consistent since we moved to Florida. Nostalgia makes me biased, I'm sure. A lot of it also depends on the conductor and speaker...some are definitely better than others.

 

[MrRoamer]

I'm probably in the minority, but I found the candlelight processional to be rather over-hyped. This was my first year of seeing the show and I was excited to check it out, but it just fell short for me. It was good, but it's nothing I haven't seen a church do. The stupid long lines and ridiculous amounts of people didn't help for me either.

The Christmas illuminations though was phenomenal and gave me goosebumps every time I went this season.

I've seen it twice both times with Gary Sinese and thought it was wonderful. I imagine depending on who is hosting makes a big difference and that NPH is the best there is.

Who hosted for yours?

 

[Eric]

I really want to go to your church
The key is getting the dinner package...you're guaranteed a seat for your assigned showtime meaning no ridiculous lines. And eating in Epcot is always a plus as well. Doesn't enhance the show, but it enhances the overall experience around it. I also have to admit, I've been going for many years now, which really plays into my enjoyment of the show. It's the one Christmas tradition my family has kept consistent since we moved to Florida. Nostalgia makes me biased, I'm sure. A lot of it also depends on the conductor and speaker...some are definitely better than others.

I think that's exactly why it wasn't that big of a deal for me. It's never been a tradition for my family so it just didn't really have any special nostalgia to it. We tried to get a dinner reservation 6 months out and it was already booked solid. I guess I was just expecting a lot more.

I've seen it twice both times with Gary Sinese and thought it was wonderful. I imagine depending on who is hosting makes a big difference and that NPH is the best there is.

Who hosted for yours?

I saw it once with Gary Sinese and once with Neil Patrick Harris.

 

[MrRoamer]

I think that's exactly why it wasn't that big of a deal for me. It's never been a tradition for my family so it just didn't really have any special nostalgia to it. We tried to get a dinner reservation 6 months out and it was already booked solid. I guess I was just expecting a lot more.



I saw it once with Gary Sinese and once with Neil Patrick Harris.

Wow!! I got nothing but you are quite lucky.

 

[Jymmymack]

Haunted Mansion Holiday

Oh wait...:sneaky:

 

[MrRoamer]

Jingle Cruise all the way.
Seriously though everyone should see Osborne Lights at least once. Truly epic.

 

[CalaveraCafe]

Grinchmas was fun.
I liked the carolers..

 

[UNIrd]

Jingle Cruise all the way.
Seriously though everyone should see Osborne Lights at least once. Truly epic.

I don't remember Jingle Cruise being anything special at all when I did it.

 

[MrRoamer]

I don't remember Jingle Cruise being anything special at all when I did it.

That was a joke. I was super excited for it to be something along the lines of Haunted Mansion at DL, and all they did was put up an extension cord for some horrible lights and changed the name on a piece of duct tape. I was expecting a little effort at least.

 

[UNIrd]

That was a joke. I was super excited for it to be something along the lines of Haunted Mansion at DL, and all they did was put up an extension cord for some horrible lights and changed the name on a piece of duct tape. I was expecting a little effort at least.

Ah. I didn't get the sarcasm at all.

 

[IzzyB]

I put Shamu Miracles, because it is my favorite Shamu show and I LOVE the sax player at the beginning, the music, concept, everything. But I also always sit in the splash zone front and center, which makes it even better. But it was a hard choice because I really like all the Christmas events. I have not been to Uni, so I will have to go there this year and see what they have to offer. Been meaning to go for years, but timing was never there.

Sea World in my opinion does Christmas best because they have the most overlays and the most free new offerings within one park. We go 2 to 3 times in a season to be able to see everything. Osborne Lights and Candlelight Processional are right behind though. I have been to the Candlelight Processional sometimes twice a year and I just started going about 6 years ago. The first time was Edward James Olmos and I was just blown away. I have also seen Gary Senese, Neil Patrick Harris, and Blair Underwood. I know I have seen others, but they were not as memorable. I have seen church productions and they just don't even come close to what Epcot does.

Maybe when I see Uni stuff this year my rankings will change, but it seems to be mixed reviews where some say the best and others say it is cheap lol

 

[UNIrd]

I put Shamu Miracles, because it is my favorite Shamu show and I LOVE the sax player at the beginning, the music, concept, everything. But I also always sit in the splash zone front and center, which makes it even better. But it was a hard choice because I really like all the Christmas events. I have not been to Uni, so I will have to go there this year and see what they have to offer. Been meaning to go for years, but timing was never there.

Sea World in my opinion does Christmas best because they have the most overlays and the most free new offerings within one park. We go 2 to 3 times in a season to be able to see everything. Osborne Lights and Candlelight Processional are right behind though. I have been to the Candlelight Processional sometimes twice a year and I just started going about 6 years ago. The first time was Edward James Olmos and I was just blown away. I have also seen Gary Senese, Neil Patrick Harris, and Blair Underwood. I know I have seen others, but they were not as memorable. I have seen church productions and they just don't even come close to what Epcot does.

Maybe when I see Uni stuff this year my rankings will change, but it seems to be mixed reviews where some say the best and others say it is cheap lol

I've been meaning to do Sea World over the holidays for years. Never tried Polar Express. They might as very well be the best.

I like Universal's because it seems to be festive everywhere, with Christmas music playing all over the park. The other parks have nice Christmas additions but they are very concentrated in certain areas.

 

[IzzyB]

I've been meaning to do Sea World over the holidays for years. Never tried Polar Express. They might as very well be the best.

I like Universal's because it seems to be festive everywhere, with Christmas music playing all over the park. The other parks have nice Christmas additions but they are very concentrated in certain areas.

Sea world has Christmas stuff throughout the park too. Including unique Christmas time food like Hot drinks throughout the park. Most of the restaurants have a special "holiday" dish, like the one has turkey with all the trimmings. They have a Christmas village, but they do not limit the stuff to that one part. Last year they added a train display that was a huge hit, and unlike Disney, their trains were working. One broke while we were there and right away staff came out to fix it. We were talking with the guys (my husband is very into trains) and they really seemed to be proud of the whole event and making sure it stays in perfect shape thru the whole holiday season. I think in the last 3 or 4 years they have really stepped up and done much more all over the park when it comes to Christmas. If I had to, I could skip Disney over the Christmas holiday, but no way would I ever consider missing Sea World over the holiday season.

BTW, they also have an awesome Halloween event. Especially for kids of all ages. They have a dance party, arts & crafts, candy stations, decorations, special food/merch stands, and special shows. They give out a ton of candy even to the adults. We walked out with two huge bags filled with candy this past year and we only had our daughter with us. We could have each gotten a bag to fill if we wanted. There are a ton of stations and they are pretty spread out. So the lines were not too bad, normally you waited a couple minutes in each line. The longest was for M&Ms and I still think we only waited 5 minutes. The best part is unlike Disney it is all part of general admission or your annual pass. No extra charge!

 

[USO92]

Universal's christmas is definitely my favorite! A lot of memories that coincide with Universal and Christmas that makes it a must to visit every december.

 

[Cole]

I have to go with MK for this one. It's been a tradition of my family to go to the christmas party and its just really happy and cheery the entire time. wait times are cut down, free cookies and hot chocolate and just tons of lights, all i need to get me in the jolly mood. INSANELY close second is wild wonderland at lowry park zoo, totally badass

 

[DisneyDoof]

Ice at Gaylord Palms

 

[Cole]

I've never been to ice or Gaylord palms period, from what I've seen it looks cold, gotta check it out

 

[IzzyB]

I went to Gaylord palms ICE this past year and it was really good. A good tip for cheaper tickets is get tickets the first or maybe second day when it is open thru Give Kids the World. They do a fundraiser and the tickets are cheaper and proceeds go to Give Kids the World. So a win for everyone. My husband found this out and it made the price much better and it was nice knowing most of the money was going to charity and not the hotel.

 

[Cole]

I went to Gaylord palms ICE this past year and it was really good. A good tip for cheaper tickets is get tickets the first or maybe second day when it is open thru Give Kids the World. They do a fundraiser and the tickets are cheaper and proceeds go to Give Kids the World. So a win for everyone. My husband found this out and it made the price much better and it was nice knowing most of the money was going to charity and not the hotel.

That's awesome!!! I'll definitely go when that's around. Gaylord respect +100 :thumbs: