We’re at EPCOT’s International Festival of the Holidays to bring you ALL the news, reviews, and details you need to conquer this event!

We’re trying out all the food booths at this year’s festival and checking out all the entertainment so you know what to expect. For FULL coverage of our time at the Festival, click here. For now, we’re heading to two specific places in EPCOT that are open year-round but currently have some extra special LIMITED-TIME treats that have arrived for the holiday festivities.

Menu

While there are lots of festival food booths to check out, some year-round spots in EPCOT also get limited-time Festival eats and drinks. These snacks are a bit more “hidden” so you’ll want to go looking for them! One spot that features a year-round menu PLUS Festival-specific snacks is Connections Cafe & Eatery.

At Connections Cafe you’ll find a cookie that is part of the Holiday Cookie Stroll (a cookie-based treat challenge). At Connections Eatery you’ll find some holiday-themed beverages.

During our time here we grabbed a few different things, so let’s dive into those options now to see if any of them are worth your time!

Eats

First, let’s tackle the only Festival-specific food here — the Holiday Sugar Cookie. This is available at Connections Cafe and costs $3.49.

In terms of looks and design, this cookie definitely hits the mark! It’s really big, adorable, and has such fun holiday sprinkles on it, making it a great one to snap a photo of to make all of your friends jealous!

In terms of flavor, it is essentially just a basic, plain sugar cookie. But it is freshly baked (we saw them baking it there at Connections Cafe), which is really nice. It also wasn’t overly sweet, which was great.

All in all, though, it’s nothing that special. If you love a good sugar cookie, whether you’re a kiddo or a kid at heart, we think you’ll really enjoy this. But it’s certainly not the most exciting cookie available as part of the cookie stroll.

If you do get this cookie, remember to get a stamp in your Festival passport so you can get your special prize cookie at the end of the stroll (once you’ve purchased 5 cookies at qualifying booths).

Drinks

Now, let’s turn to the drinks. First, we tried the Coquito Milk Shake — this comes in an alcoholic version (with Bacardi Superior Rum) for $14.50…

…or in a non-alcoholic version for $7.29.

The drink is VERY good and those who like eggnog will REALLY enjoy it.

Just be warned that both versions have shredded coconut on top, which can be offputting texturally for some. If you don’t love shredded coconut, see if you can ask for the drink to be made without it.

Connections Eatery also has a Coquito Milkshake! 🍦Coquito is a popular flavor at this year’s Festival of the Holidays ❄️ pic.twitter.com/NWXEhYVchz

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

In terms of flavor, it’s a really nicely balanced holiday-feeling drink. It was refreshing and cool (which is awesome for a hot Florida day), but still delivers holiday vibes thanks to the flavor.

It mostly has a coconut and eggnog vibe, with some holiday spices as well.

The version with the rum reminded us of alcoholic eggnog, which we really enjoyed. But we think even the non-alcoholic version is great and it’s one that kids could like a lot.

It might not make it on our official “Best of the Festival” (or Best of the Fest) list as it has a lot of competition, but it’s one we’d certainly consider putting on there because it is so wonderfully refreshing!

The Coquito Milkshake at Connections Eatery is also available with Bacardí Superior Rum 🍹 pic.twitter.com/SPPmhSif5X

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

Finally, we end with the Holiday Sangria, which is priced at $13. This drink is made with Indaba Chenin Blanc, Laird’s Applejack Brandy, white cranberry juice, and boba pearls.

In terms of looks, this drink does NOT get high points from us. It looked a little less than appetizing (in our opinion). And the boba pearls were more green and orange, instead of the traditional red and green holiday colors. That made this drink feel more like it belonged in Pandora — The World of Avatar than an EPCOT holiday festival.

Onto Connections Eatery and starting with the Holiday Sangria! 🍹

Indaba Chenin Blanc, Laird’s Applejack Brandy, White Cranberry Juice, and Boba Pearls for $13. pic.twitter.com/C6Khgq2Fy1

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

But let’s move on from the looks to the taste. It is made with a dry white wine but also has some sweeter ingredients in it, which helps it aim to be more balanced.

It was very refreshing and we could see this being a good grab on a particularly hot day. It’s one sangria lovers could really enjoy, but not necessarily a drink we’d say you should go out of your way for.

Overall

Overall, Connections Cafe and Eatery serves up some good Festival eats, but not necessarily anything you should go out of your way for. The sangria is refreshing, and the sugar cookie is solid (but nothing too special). The best thing here is the Coquito Milk Shake, which is really refreshing and had some great flavors!

Overall, we think you’ll be satisfied by the options here — they’re all solid, they just probably won’t blow your mind.

What do you think? Tell us your opinions on these items in the comments below. And stay tuned for more Festival of the Holidays news!

Click here to see our reviews of ALL of the booths at the 2022 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays

What do you think of these holiday treats? Let us know below!