Flower and Garden Festival Disney Recap

Happy Cinco De Mayo! I’m still recovering from our Disney trip. “Disney Sadness” is a real thing. Everytime I leave, I’m so sad because it’s such a magical place. Anyways to lighten my spirits, I’m recapping our trip. Since we are annual pass holders, Disney related questions are some of the most frequent questions I receive at DOHS. I included some information that I am frequently asked about Disney. My family typically goes 3-4 times a year but we always try to do new things when we visit. I enjoy recapping to give you all honest reviews of rides, restaurant, and hotels.

My mom planned this whole trip to celebrate me passing the North Carolina Bar Exam. She knows how incredibly hard I worked and wanted to steal me away for some much needed fun. I am often asked when the best time to visit Disney is and honestly, thats tough. The parks are always busy. According to Disney cast members, mid-january and February are the best times. Summer and Christmas are very, very busy times to visit… so plan accordingly.

What We Did: 

• Epcot Flower and Garden Festival: The Flower and Garden Festival is normally March through May. I have been twice but it was my mom’s first trip. If you love flowers this is a wonderful time to explore Epcot. Epcot prepares gorgeous character themed hedges, garden fresh food, and a butterfly exhibit. If you go, you must try the violet lemonade (typically as you are walking towards Canada). I tried it for the first time and it was so refreshing. My mom and I both LOVE flowers. She works with flowers so it was our first stop on the trip.
• Fantasmic: This show is my favorite! It is fantastic for every age group from toddler to adult. Fantasmic is at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at 9pm, nightly. The show features Disney favorites including Mickey, Maleficent, and Ariel. Fantasmic is a water, laser, and fireworks show. We used a Fastpass for this event so that we could get better seating. The arena gets extremely crowded so prepare to arrive very early.
• Senses Spa: Mom and I had a spa day at Senses Spa at the Grand Floridian Resort. This was our second trip to the spa at the Grand Floridian. After walking the parks for a few days, a massage is the perfect way to end the day. We spent the day in Magic Kingdom and then went for our spa treatment. After the spa, we were so relaxed we headed to the hotel and called room service. Reservations are normally fairly easy to get and do not require booking more than a month or a few weeks in advance.
• River of Lights: We used a Fastpass for this highly-marketed show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We waited an hour for the show and we were very disappointed overall. The show only lasted about 15-20 minutes. If you have children under 13, this is likely a waste of time for you because it is not very “Disney” related. There are no characters or Disney songs. However, the arena gets very packed, so take advantage of that and go ride some of your favorite rides. The wait times go down dramatically before and during the show.

 

Where We Ate:

I often get asked about the dining plan at Disney. We do not do the dining plan mainly because it’s just not that beneficial for a family of two. A lot of people complain that they have to constantly eat to get the benefit and miss all the rides. We have found that it saves us money in the long-run to not do the dining plan.

• Teppan Edo: This is a Japanese restaurant located in the Japan area of Epcot. This is a sit-down restaurant where the food is prepared before you. Complete with rice, noodles, and your choice of meat… there is plenty of food. I would recommend this restaurant and would go back in the future.
• Ohana: Ohana is located at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. Don’t worry though, you can eat there even if you don’t stay at the Polynesian. Ohana offers character breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We ate breakfast at Ohana and loved the experience. You can meet some familiar characters including Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch while enjoying a classic breakfast with a Hawaiian twist. Food is served family style and is all-you-can-eat.
• Be Our Guest: Normally we eat at Be Our Guest for dinner which is a wonderful experience. However, we booked it a little late and could only get quick service breakfast. Quick service means that you order fast food style. While the food was really delicious, it was frustrating to have to find a table. You are not seated here and must find a seat in a heavily crowded area. We were only two people and it took us a while. I can’t imagine families of four or more.
• Tony’s Restaurant: I was very excited to eat at Tony’s because of the classic Lady and the Tramp love story. However, I walked away disappointed. Our food was not very good and we both wished we had eaten elsewhere. I am huge lover of Italian food but this food missed the mark. I would recommend saving your money and eating somewhere such as The Crystal Palace, Cinderella Castle, or Be Our Guest for dinner.

If you are planning a Disney vacation, I recommend looking back through all of my Disney posts to better equip you for making plans. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me via email at diamondsonhersoul@gmail.com. Thanks for letting me be real with you on this post and tell you the good and bad!  Next week, I’ll be sharing a little DIY for making Disney flower ears, so stay tuned. I’m off to celebrate Cinco De Mayo with some of our friends because let’s be honest, I’ll never turn down a day to celebrate tacos.

[Pom-Pom Top]: Shein (go down a size), [Disney Shirts]: Pretty Little Monograms, [Two-Piece Set]: Lilly Pulitzer, similar