Epcot Resorts Christmas Spectacular (Plus Football and more...)

Let's look at the Epcot resorts and how they celebrate the season. This includes the Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club, Swan and Dolphin, and Caribbean Beach. I must admit I was thinking of Gina, the Captain and the whole Black Bunny Crew the entire time I was writing this!

First, we look at the Boardwalk. The resort has a lovely tree standing in the middle of their grassy field with several trees and garland inside. They have lighthouses all around them as part of the themeing. They also have a gazebo with Donald made of gingerbread. At the shopping district, some are cutely decorated, like the candy shop.











But, as you can see, the clown slide remains unchanged.



Across the lake is Yacht and Beach Club. Here, we can see some little Christmas trees growing outside along with, well, beach and yacht themed trees and wreaths.











They also have some impressive displays. The Yacht Club has a miniature ski resort in their lobby.




The Beach Club has the infamous Gingerbread Carousel. Along with it is a Chip and Dale house, Belle's Castle, and a oh-so-delicious store made out of gingerbread selling cookies.








Let's jump on a Friendship boat and travel to the Swan and Dolphin. The Dolphin has a grand white tree with a little train running around it. The walkway between the two is impressive, as are the decorative swans and wreaths in the Swan.







But who should be hanging out in the Dolphin? Jolly Saint Nick!




One last resort. We've got the Caribbean Beach resort. Inside the Custom House, we see the most decorations, mainly a fishy tree with garland around the check-in windows.





Let's switch gears.

I want to catch up on some photos I missed from the first posting of the Yacht and Beach Club. I mentioned the Kitchen Sink and the pirate ship with its slide. Well, now I have some much better pictures of those things.





I've also got a photo from the newly refurbished Space Mountain.

They've taken out almost all the lights and added a more defined story line. Basically, you're taking a journey on your rocket out of Space Port Seven Five (named after the year it opened). While waiting in standby, guests can use the buttons built into the railing to play different games on large video displays. The glow strips are gone from the rockets while the boarding area is also darker, but more open.

It does not have the music like Disneyland, but it's still one of my most favorite rides. This photo is in the exit portion where you can see some of the exotic destinations you can reach from Starport Seven Five.



Now, let's get ready for some football!



Kyle was in town and treated me to the St. Petersburg Bowl between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Central Florida Golden Knights. The Knights won giving the Knights a real run for their money. The Knights were great on Special Teams while the Knights had a real strong O-Line and and equally impressive D-Line. The Knights committed a lot of penalties but the Knights did not turn the ball over very much. The Knights had a lot of run plays while the Knights attempted many passing plays, but failed to gain much yardage.










The game took place at Tropicana Field, home of the MLB Tampa Bay Rays. They did have the cownose ray tank in what would be center field and some cool displays. One was a huge mural with a player leaping over a wall while another was a "cool zone" for fans. This was designed to look like a seedy dark alley. I guess Steve and Liz have their own dark side to them!




Now, a few picture I just wanted to throw in for fun. The Haunted Mansion and an accidental flash picture from Pirates.




What is Christmas without lights? So, let's take a look at some artsy, some cool, some scary pictures from the light parade at Magic Kingdom, Spectromagic. Most are out of focus, but night photography is not my strong hand.



















That's about it. Gonna go to sleep now before Santa gets here!