5 Tips For Planning Your Disney Experience & Our Visit To Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
I am sharing 5 Tips for Planning Your Disney Experience along with Our Visit to the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
My husband and I enjoyed a wonderful visit to Disney’s Epcot during the International Flower & Garden Festival in May of last year. Why am I just now telling you about it? The International Flower & Garden Festival is going on again now!
We went to Disney World on our honeymoon, almost 18 years ago. We had never been back. I know, that’s just crazy, isn’t it! We tend to travel away from the summer heat on our vacations. Check out my review of the Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge Tennessee  and Lumberjack Feud Dinner Show at Pigeon Forge Tennessee . We also went to Christmas at Dollywood last year in the snow and ice! I told you we don’t like the hot weather!
We went to Epcot in May, close to the end of the 2014 International Flower & Garden Festival, before the weather got super hot in Florida.
We chose Epcot for several reasons, first, we hadn’t been since 1997 and we always felt like we didn’t see all of Epcot. The last time we were there, we spent so much time in one area, we didn’t get to see the entire park. It can be that way at any Disney park, right! We also wanted to specifically eat at The Garden Grill restaurant which we had enjoyed on our honeymoon. The entire restaurant turns, very slowly so that you enjoy the ‘Living with the land’ display while eating, so much better than TV with your dinner! Unfortunately we did not get to eat there on this visit. They were open but the restaurant was not turning so we decided to try something different.
Although I’m afraid of heights and avoid rides that take you up into the sky, I love the giant sphere known as Spaceship Earth. It’s educational and they keep you in the dark through most of the ride, illuminating the displays and educational entertainment along the way. It goes really slow too so it’s not like a roller coaster at all.
I found this cool video on You tube which gives the history of Spaceship Earth along with interesting facts about building the 18 story iconic structure.
How many times have you seen the movie Cars? I just loved the way the festival designers dressed Tow Mater and Lightening McQueen for the party!
The floral displays are nothing short of spectacular.
I wonder if I could create this artistry with my boxwoods and loropetalum? Probably not but I can admire these favorite Disney characters at the festival. Be sure to check out the Anna and Elsa topiaries at this years festival.
5 Things to Know Before Your Disney Trip
- Wearable Disney Gift Cards are available for you to load cash onto and swipe just like a debit card anywhere at Disney destinations world wide.
- Free Printable Disney Vacation Countdown numbers craft. Simply attach magnets to the back and place on your refrigerator.
- Download the free My Disney Experience app for official wait times, dining reservations (required or strongly suggested), itineraries, character greeting times, parade showtimes and much more.
- Create a free My Disney Experience account to plan and organize your trip in advance.
- Bookmark the Disney Parks Blog for all of the current official information about Disney destinations including videos to help you plan your trip.
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Downtown Disney
I wanted to call it ‘Downton Disney’ so bad! Don’t skip out on Downtown Disney! There is no admission fee, Yay! It’s all about shops and restaurants including the Food Trucks.
Downtown Disney is host to a number of shops, restaurants and attractions but my favorite was the Lego store and specifically, Woody and Buzz Lego sculptures. I love robots and Buzz is one of my original favorites. My sweet husband surprised me with a Buzz action figure when we got home from our Honeymoon. I still have him, almost 18 years later, Â and he is still in the box!
This is awesome I wish I was able to go some point! Thanks for sharing on Monday Madness link party 🙂
Shirley, thanks for sharing this post. I’m headed to Epcot for the Flower & Garden festival later this month and I am super excited. Epcot is my favorite park, I just love seeing the world without leaving Orlando! Can’t wait for the sunshine!
We love Disney! I’ve been going since I was a teen and now we take the grands just about every spring. I love hot weather, but when our kids were small (one was only 4 months old) we went in July and I’ll never do that again. My favorite ride is the Buzz Lightyear one where you shoot the aliens and you can see your score. I compete with the grands, but they always win. I used to ride all the scary roller coasters, etc. when I was young(er), but I’m with you. I don’t like heights or spinning stuff. Your 5 tips are excellent. I always use that app, too. It seems like there is never enough time to see it all. (Great pics of you and the hubs, too!!)
This is one of my favorite times of the year to go to Epcot! (Along with a triple dose of allergy medication LOL) Love your pics!
Oh, and thanks for taking the time to come over and link up with us at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again next week! Feel free to bring a friend 🙂