It is no secret that we love Epcot. We love it a ton. This is the first time in a while that our visit was not for Food and Wine, and was for another Festival, the Flower and Garden Festival.
We have to say that everywhere you turn there are beautiful topiaries that you take for granted. There were all sorts of breakout things, a butterfly garden and a cactus walk. An area for the kiddies to play surrounded by beautiful plants. Each country had their own plantings which were pertinent to their country, I assume. Honestly, I did not get as excited for the plants as I should have... I was still too excited for the fact that they had food carts much like food and wine.
They handed out a little Garden Passport, and with each place you visit you can get a stamp which was fun for the boys. We tried some of the food carts, and meant to save a few more for another visit. But, see future post about changing plans - and our visits to Epcot will be quick this year.Sadly, we will not make all of them. But that's ok, there are too many other things to do!
In Epcot there are tons of other fun things to do as well, other than the Festivals. We met with the Solso family and of course did the Seas. We enjoyed a Turtle Talk with Crush, which is a must. Please prep your kiddos with some good questions for Crush before you get inside. He interacts with you, and Uncle Mat and I spent the entire time trying to figure out just how they did it.
We took the shark mouth photo, which is a must, and visited the Manatees - my favorite, who came right out to see me. For the first time in a very long time we went upstairs to the top of the tank, which is fun too.
Of course we also did Test Track, a must for any boy who likes to build cars, likes cars, likes going fast in cars. Fast Pass is a must for this as it always has the longest wait. Soarin' was closed for refurbishment, so it really limits the "fun" rides, and makes the lines longer. I still have yet to do Mission Space, maybe next time.
Other new things to Epcot since our last visit include Baymax which was exciting for the whole family. That costume is just THE BEST. We messed up though, we should have done the fist bump with him, and should have said we were satisfied with our care when we walked away. Next time we will do. He is in a pavilion with Joy and Sadness from that Disney movie I didn't really like - they had a huge line so we told the kids we would see them later. Epcot does have the best Character spot for Goofy, Donald, Mickey and Minnie - but the waits were so incredibly long, that this would also be a good Fast Pass point.
Of course we met the princesses at Askerhaus. They were new princesses compared to the last time we dined there, more "hip" ones than the Sleeping Beauty one from our last dinner. Debate ensues, as this is in Norway, where are Anna and Elsa? I am guessing it is because they are not princesses, technically, right? Their parents were just rich? Not sure, can't remember...
The dinner was delicious - but I will tell you that everything is timed, and if you are late - it is not good for this particular dinner. We were 15 minutes late and just made it in, and for the first 5 minutes it was like rapid fire everything. Rapid fire princesses one after the other; rapid fire drinks, then apps, then order, then dinner, lots of rapid fire. Uncle Mat was getting so stressed out we made the men do some shots, and all got better.
This was extra fun because it is buffet apps which are delicious. So much salmon of all types, smoked, poached, grilled, was consumed that the earth was out of balance for a while. What I didn't remember was that there is also a delicious plated meal, of course - for me, was more salmon. When in Rome, right?
Dessert was also a trio of treats and my newly picky eater Joel Andrew raved and said: "he loved all of them."
We were out of there by 8, which allowed us an hour to walk the countries, grab some more drinks, and let the kids hang out together. Joel and Maddy have a budding romance/friendship that unfortunately ended up in them antagonizing their younger siblings a little. Everyone smiled for many, many photos. We did not really have enough time to go into the countries, but rather just walk around and then we grabbed a good spot around Great Britain to watch the show.
Illuminations is a fun show. Here are some important tips to remember when watching Illuminations:
- Bathe right after. You will get doused in fireworks debris, no joke, because they light off from all areas of the lake in the middle which you are likely going to be standing around. The last time we saw the show, and got on the plane the next day, James set off all the alarms at the airport and needed to be swabbed and pat down. No joke.
- If you want to, make your dinner reservation so you can see the show. Make it for about an hour before the show, at either the Rose & Crown Pub, La Hacienda de San Angel, a Spice Road (the one on the water) in Morocco and hope and pray you get a good view seat outside. Ask for it special, make up a special occasion. The reason why I say an hour, is because if you don't get a good spot you can still eat and run out to see it when you are done.
- They stop selling everything the moment Illuminations starts. So, if you are not seated, you will want to grab your beer or drink before the show starts, as there is no chance at anything just after.
- The show is the last thing... So, once it is over, you will be fighting the crowds back to the monorail or bus or whatever you came in on. We like to watch from England, and then walk to the Beach Club. From this walk, if the timing is right, you can then see the Hollywood Studios fireworks. Then, you can get a cab from the Beach Club resort and beat all the people home to your home resort. That was huge.
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