Flower & Garden Festival Plan of Attack

Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival (F&G) just happens to be my most favorite event at Disney World. I've only been to F&G once before and was inadequately prepared, to say the least. Although many people would consider it to be the younger sibling to Epcot's Food and Wine Festival (F&W) in the fall, it still has its merits and should be given proper consideration.

Just a couple of reasons to visit F&G:

1. Low crowds: avoid spring break, Easter, and Memorial Day but the rest of the dates are golden!
2. Mild weather: less heat, lower humidity - overall better weather than summer and even fall!
3. Family fun and education: F&W is still fun, but the seminars and learning activities are somewhat more adult-themed. F&G offers tons of gardening seminars and facts, a play area for kids, and a butterfly house!
4. Food: there are specialty kiosks set up around World Showcase and offer food that is often only available during F&G. While the total number of food kiosks is less than F&W, I would argue that the quality of the food is a little better.

Once we decided on a date to visit Disney World this year, I realized that I had to bring my "A" game to be prepared for F&G. The entirety of our trip is planned around this festival and I can't wait to see how much more I can enjoy this go 'round! 

Location

Our resort for this trip is Boardwalk Inn. It's a short walk to the International Gateway and will offer prime access to the festival while also allowing us to shut the park down at night and quickly escape to our room. If you want to know how you can make the most of your visit to F&G, just take a look at the Epcot resort area map:

(map courtesy of Robo from disboards forums)

Epcot's World Showcase is displayed in the upper right corner of the map with the Epcot International Gateway prominently marked. Crescent Lake is positioned to the left of the park with three deluxe Disney resorts surrounding it: Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Boardwalk Inn. Slightly farther to the left is Swan & Dolphin, which are both only part-owned by Disney and do not offer amenities such as MagicBand usage. However, these properties are typically MUCH more affordable than any Disney deluxe resort and they are amazingly themed with an abundance of dining options! There are several pros and cons to weigh when staying at Swan or Dolphin but they are certainly contenders as far as location to Epcot is concerned. 

The best part about being close to the International Gateway entrance is that it puts you right in the middle of the F&G action - wedged between the UK and France pavilions, the entrance provides immediate access to Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie in France which opens at 9am for breakfast instead of the World Showcase standard of 11am. We definitely intend to make at least one stop at this location for breakfast! Also, there are lots of tours and seminars available during F&G. One of the free tours offered is for the English Tea Garden but it requires an early sign-up at the Tea Caddy Shop in the UK pavilion. We plan to make this a priority for our full Epcot day!

Budget

Arguably the most important part of any vacation is to determine exactly how much to spend. We've discussed this a bit with the resorts located near Epcot, but sometimes it's a difficult choice to spend extra on the resort and sacrifice a few dining reservations or settle for a moderate/value resort and allot extra transportation time to the parks. For us, the answer was clear because location was the most important factor for this trip. But the great thing about life is that we all have different priorities and preferences! You will have a great time at F&G regardless of your budget.

Dining

There are two approaches to food at F&G: schedule dining reservations and sample just a few F&G food kiosk items or forego the reservations and snack all day at the kiosks. From my experience in multiple Disney forums and groups, most families opt for the second option but there isn't a right or wrong answer! This is the one detail of our trip that brings me the most anxiety because we are a foodie couple and we want to try everything. In order to limit our indulgences, I've schedule three days at Epcot to spread out the fun and also scheduled (for the most part) just one dining reservation per day to help us slow down a bit. It's always nice to get out of the crowd for an hour or two and a dining reservation is a good way to escape. 

The easiest way to decide which option to pursue is to take a look at the F&G food kiosk options and determine how many items will interest you and your family. Don't be afraid to prioritize selections into a Good/Better/Best list to keep track of how interesting each menu looks. The 40 food and drink items on our list are divided among the three days we have scheduled at Epcot so that we can rush to the kiosks that are most interesting and save the less interesting options for another day.

The map above is my own personal creation - click to zoom in if you like. I've taken the current Epcot park map for F&G and highlighted the food kiosk locations around World Showcase. Next, I typed up the items we want to try from each kiosk along with the priority/day (1, 2, or 3) of when to try them. This map corresponds with my touring plan for the park and will hopefully help us to stay organized. This is A LOT of food so we are planning to order just one of each item to share until we determine our favorites.

There's plenty of inspiration out there to get excited about F&G! If you're still on-the-fence about visiting Disney World at this time of year, check out a few vlogs on YouTube for a lively approach, read reviews on Disney Food Blog, or join a Disney forum (disboards) to interact with other fans.

It's time to start packing but I'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures from the last F&G I attended in 2015!

Frushi from Hanami in Japan

Lion King topiary

Beijing-style Candied Strawberries from Lotus House in China

I've heard Captain Hook is no longer on display this year :(

Final Trip Update for Disney World May 2017!

I told you our plans were semi-permanent in the last trip update but I should know by now that Disney plans are never etched in stone. Something always comes up! Fret not, it's all good news. But if you learn anything from my ramblings, let it be this: plan as much as you like but stay as flexible as possible. In the end, just going to Disney - or on any vacation - is a blessing and we should always give thanks for the opportunities we have!

Now it's time to get down to business. I've been a busy bee the past few weeks and a lot has changed. I'm glad I didn't write an update post before now because I would have needed to revise it anyway. But here we are - just 14 days from the main event! I am going to cross my fingers that we keep this itinerary because I'm pretty fond of the plans we have now.

Changes to Original Itinerary
Exciting news tops this list and this is a change that I was very happy to make! Disney announced an Enchanted Evening special offer for guests March 21 - May 10 and of course I had to pounce on this opportunity because 1) it's limited time only and 2) this is our honeymoon trip! The package is $160 for two special edition MagicBands, two special edition luggage tags, two entries to the Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party on select nights, and a gift from The Ganachery. We were especially excited for the MagicBands because these will likely become collector's items and will be a great souvenir from the trip!

Unfortunately, the select nights available for the dessert party were limited to a few days that we didn't have planned for Magic Kingdom so we had to move some things around. I wanted to cry because I had to let go of a Be Our Guest lunch reservation and I was afraid I wouldn't get another one! But the Touring Plans Reservation Finder came through for me in the end and we secured a new BoG reservation shortly thereafter. 

Other changes include a few meal updates; we were super excited to try Yachtsman on this trip but it just wasn't in the cards. We've got money stashed away for other goodies and two signature meals in one week will have to wait for next time. Another addition to this trip is a secret (shhh!) cake that I ordered to celebrate Patrick's birthday! Boardwalk Bakery is going to create a Star Wars themed mini cake and have it delivered to our room after the surprise Teppan Edo dinner that I also booked! I know this is our honeymoon trip but his birthday is later in May and I couldn't let this trip pass without honoring him! 

New Itinerary

Some things are the same, some things are different, but here's where we are:

• Tuesday May 2 - Arrive 12:30pm, Epcot, Tokyo Dining dinner (changed from Via Napoli)
• Wednesday May 3 - Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest lunch, Liberty Tree Tavern dinner, Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party (changed from Animal Kingdom)
• Thursday May 4 - Animal Kingdom, Tiffins Rivers of Light dining package for dinner (changed from Hollywood Studios)
• Friday May 5 - Water parks, dinner at Big River Grille and Brewing Works (changed from Yachtsman)
• Saturday May 6 - Kona Cafe brunch, Epcot, Teppan Edo dinner (added Teppan Edo)
• Sunday May 7 - Hollywood Studios, PizzeRizzo and Rosie's All American Diner quick service meals (changed from Magic Kingdom)
• Monday May 8 - Epcot, Via Napoli dinner (removed San Angel Inn lunch)
• Tuesday May 9 - departure 6:00am

I've got lots of ideas for Flower & Garden Festival and I am hoping to get another post published before we leave on the trip but if the next two weeks move more quickly than anticipated then I'll leave you with 'au revoir!' and check in when we return!

Staying Healthy for Disney

Nobody wants to be sick while on vacation but it's a tough task to accomplish when you're exposed to thousands of people in the parks everyday. I've got some tips to help you prepare for your trip and avoid the icky sickness while you're at the Happiest Place on Earth!

Let's face it, Disney may be a vacation but it's also an everyday workout and puts major stress on your body! Of course it's a friendly place for folks from all walks of life and in every size, shape, and color so don't let your lack of physical fitness keep you from going (and for those wondering, there aren't many rides that have size requirements - Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Disney World can be a tight squeeze for anyone that is really tall but it's still doable). We usually log anywhere from 8-12 miles in a typical day at a Disney park, and that's going from 9am to park close. We take breaks for lunch, dinner, and usually two more times throughout the day to ensure we are staying cool and hydrated (more on that later!) We haven't had much time to prepare this year, but we usually take our dogs out for walks every day in anticipation of our trip. We like to start with just a mile a day and then gradually increase to 3 or more miles per day. We don't want to stress our pups with super long walks so we avoid the 8-12 miles that are expected at Disney but you get the idea. Just getting in the habit of walking can loosen up those joints and get your feet ready for what lies ahead. It's also a great time to break in any new shoes you plan to wear to the parks so you can avoid blisters later!

Hydration is key any time of year, but especially in hot and humid Florida. Remember, cups of water are free at most food service locations in the park and you can bring your own water bottles for refills at drinking fountains and some soft drink fountains. Drink more than you're comfortable with - every time you pull your phone out of your park bag, grab the water and take a drink, too.

If you don't currently take vitamins or supplements, consider adding a multivitamin and some extra Vitamin C to your daily routine at least 2-4 weeks before heading to Disney. Specialty immuno-boosts are handy, as well (think Emergen-C, Airborne, etc). You will want to keep these items with you on the trip and try to remember to take them while you're on vacation, as well.

You may follow all of this advice and STILL manage to get sick. Trust me, I know what it's like. It's frustrating to put so much effort into keeping yourself healthy and then come down with a cold on the second day (speaking from experience here...) The sundries shops in each resort offer remedies for all kinds of ailments but they're quite expensive compared to Walmart or Target's prices. Pack these items and then cross your fingers that you won't need them! It's better to be safe than sorry and your wallet will thank you later. - As a side note, PrimeNow is offered for most Disney resort locations and can deliver a variety of items to your resort if necessary. There are a few other delivery services, as well, so Google around if you need them.

Dieting to Disney - this is a pretty common phrase I've heard from a lot of people and I have to say I'm one of those people that gets suckered into it every year. To be honest, I'm always on a diet and it's the same story each time: diet, lose weight, go to Disney, end diet. I have no shame in admitting my habit because I don't regret it one bit. Disney offers a lot of great dining options and I will enjoy them for as long as I am able! However, I'm making a conscious effort to jump back on my diet when we return home from Disney World this year and I have a really good feeling this time because we successfully returned to our diet after Disneyland a month ago. If you don't think you can jump back on the wagon after a trip to Disney then you may be thinking that you'd prefer to stick with it while you're there - no problem! Disney chefs are incredibly accommodating of food requests, including special diets and allergies. Also, there are plenty of healthy options around the parks and lots of good snack choices. You can almost always swap the fries in your meal for apples and choose low-sugar dessert options! Take a look at the menus before you travel and create a plan of attack. Being armed with the knowledge of what you can eat and where to find it is the hardest part of the diet battle!

And if you're anything like me then a little visual reinforcement is helpful. Here's an example of the countdown tracker and weight loss visual I made for myself a couple years ago:

I kept this paper on my fridge so I could remind myself to make good choices anytime I was in the kitchen! It helped me to stay mindful of my goal while also being reminded of my reward!

Do you have any tips for getting healthy before a trip or staying healthy while you're at Disney? Share them with us!