Epcot Flower & Garden Festival

What: Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival
When: March 6 to June 3, 2019
Note:  Requires Park Admission
DBD_Photo
IMG_9534            What is our favorite time to visit Epcot???   Anytime really, but it is simply beautiful during the yearly Flower and Garden Festival.   This year the festival runs from March 6th to June 3rd and don’t miss the food kiosks!   The Flower and Garden Festival gives Disney guests a chance to view some amazing expertly designed flower beds, Disney character topiaries, attend special programs and seminars from expert gardeners, and listen to live music.  Yes, it is a whole lot to, so give yourself time and be sure to review the Flower and Garden Website for details when planning your visit.

Interested in more? Our photo tours below will give you a taste of what you will see during this festival.

Festival Blooms

Festival Blooms

Flowers, flowers and more flowers

This is what this Festival is all about.   Everywhere you look there are stunning displays of flowers, from the Festival Blooms to the Disney movie inspired topiaries.   Be sure to stop by Tinker Bell’s Butterfly House; here you can see flowers, live butterflies, and chrysalises ready to hatch.  Check out our photo tour.

Food4Food

For the first year the Flower and Garden Festival features food booths, very similar to the Food and Wine Festival but on a smaller scale.   These booths are scattered throughout World Showcase and feature food inspired by nature, and the culture of each country.   Be sure to watch for the items in Green (TRY it) these items encourage kids and families to TRY fun foods.   Give them a taste and let us know what you think.   Check out our photo tour.

Creating Flowers

Creating Flowers

Kid’s fun areas

Those of you familiar with the Flower and Garden festival know that each year a few new playground areas pop up around the world showcase.   This year they have replaced a few of those areas with seating to enjoy your selections from the new food booths.   You will still find a playground on the path from Imagination to the World Showcase in the Oz area.   You will also find tables scattered throughout World Showcase with kids crafts (all free with park admission)   Check out our photo tour.

Video Tour

Garden Tour Video

Tinker Bell’s Butterfly House Walk Through

Rate a Ride: Mission SPACE

Fastpass: Yes
Ride Duration: 6 minutes
Year Introduced: Aug 2003
Height Restriction:  44 inches

3, 2, 1…blast off!!!   Have you ever wanted to travel to Mars?   Head up to see the new curiosity rover?   Well now is your chance.   Head over to Mission Space at Epcot.

As you walk up to the line you will notice two separate lines: Green and Orange.  You and your flight team must pick one.

Green – less intense, no spinning

Orange – this is the original attraction and more intense.   The vehicle will spin which gives you a true feeling of blast off with 2.5g (g-force).

As you prepare for space travel you will go through some pre-flight training and everyone in your space ship (X-2) is assigned a job: Navigator, Pilot, Commander or Engineer.   Each role has specific jobs and has to press a couple buttons during the mission.

After the pre-flight briefing you will step into the space ship.  Pull the restraint down and locate your two buttons along with the air sickness bags (hey you never know).   As you go through the mission you can see “outside” the ship through a small window in front of you and the vehicle you are traveling in moves, which gives you the sensation that you are truly experiencing space flight.

Overall a great trip to mars and you don’t even have to pack anything extra.

Rating: 4/5
Rating Reason:  Even though I really miss Horizons, the space travel is a lot of fun.  Just don’t forget to press your buttons or you may fall off the ice cliff.

Rate Dining: The Garden Grill

LocationEpcot, Future World (Upstairs in the Land Pavilion)
Type: Table Service (Character:  Farmer Mickey, Pluto, & Chip ‘n’ Dale)
Meals: Dinner
Cuisine:  American
Reservations: Yes (recommended)

How many times have you entered the Land Pavilion just to rush to get on Soarin and didn’t noticed the dining possibilities?   Well, next time how about going on a ride without waiting in a long line and getting a meal to go along with it?   Try dining at The Garden Grill, Disney World’s only revolving restaurant.   Don’t worry if you’re one that can’t take the spinning on the tea cups. The rotation is so slow it turns about 1 revolution an hour, so it is almost unnoticeable.     
Atmosphere

Overall this is a character experience so don’t think that you and your significant other will be having a nice, quiet dinner.   Though the layout of the round restaurant and the high back table booths cut down on some of the noise, it can get loud as Mickey and friends come around to the tables.  
As the restaurant rotates your view will change from the inside of the land pavilion to some of the scenes from the Living with the Land ride.   So if you don’t like your current view just wait a few minutes and it will change.   Listen for the rooster as you go by the farm scene.   Besides the view the atmosphere is not as ornate as you will find in other Disney restaurants.  
           
Food
The Garden Grill is an all you can eat restaurant. Food is served family style with the first rounds coming out quickly after you place your drink order (unlimited fountain drinks are included with the price of your meal).   Your meal will start with warm breads served with sweet maple butter along with a salad.  
Adults will enjoy grilled beef strip, turkey breast with cranberry sauce, a fish of the day, fresh veggies, mashed potatoes, and turkey dressing.   Dessert is a fruit crisp (similar to a cobbler) with a vanilla cream.   This can be a welcome experience from a week of fried food and burgers.  
Kids can enjoy a chicken drumstick, mac and cheese, broccoli, and crispy sweet potato fries.   Dessert is a cookies and cream moose which both our son and nephew dearly loved on our last trip.   Adults are allowed to steal from the kids plate, just don’t get caught by your kids.  
Remember, if you want second helpings, or even thirds just ask and your server will happily get you more.  
Overall Rating: (4 out of 5)

Rating Comment:   Overall good food and a wonderful character experience for the kids.   All you can eat but without having to get up from the table and stand in a buffet line.   Let me know what you think and vote on the right.