|
Hello everyone,
This past weekend Jon and I were in Walt Disney World for a brief trip to see Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival and a few other things.
I thought I would share with you all some of the things we saw whilst there, including a full round-up of all the Flower and Garden topiaries, gardens and exhibits. This report is photo heavy, so be warned in case you have a slow connection.
We stayed on site at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. Jon had stayed here a long time ago, but it was my first time. I have to say, it's not my favourite resort. There is nothing wrong with it, but I much prefer Port Orleans Riverside, and even Caribbean Beach, over Coronado Springs. We had breakfast at the Pepper Market on our first morning (Coronado's food court), and it wasn't that great. They offered nothing too different from anywhere else, and the actual food we got was cold and uninspired - and that was first thing in the morning.
First on our list of things to do was to see Flower and Garden at Epcot, which opened last week. We always love this festival. The topiaries are amazing, and they offer some different merchandise and food offerings. This year sadly it would seem they have cut back a lot. Chip Potts, Mrs Potts, Aurora and Phillip, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Kermit, Lotso, the dragon and the troll were all absent (and possibly more that I don't recall), as well as some of the random butterflies, Mickey heads and so forth. Even the butterfly house seemed to be severely lacking in butterflies, which was odd. However, it was nice to see everything and they did add the Frozen topiaries and some more "garden" areas (such as Inside Out); I just hope next year they return it to its full glory.
Some random shots from around World Showcase:
While wandering down near the International Gateway, Merida, Ariel and Peter Pan stopped by to greet guests.
Over at the Magic Kingdom we watched Dream Along with Mickey, Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade and the Main Street Electrical Parade (MSEP). I didn't take any photos of the MSEP this trip. We also took photos of the characters at the Incredibles Super Dance Party in Tomorrowland.
We walked around the Kingdom, taking random photos, as we always do, and also checked out the new Central Plaza "hub" area. Walt Disney World have been trying to make improvements to the area, adding in gardens on either side, fountains and eventually two turrets near the Castle. Overall they did a good job, although I miss the large green areas and slopes a little. The flat grass with people laying down on the ground napping or having a picnic doesn't really do much for the aesthetics of the area, which ironically I think is the opposite of what they were going for.
Characters we met at the Magic Kingdom this trip were: Rapunzel, Cinderella, Anna, Elsa, Marie, Alice and the White Rabbit. Interestingly, Marie, Alice and the White Rabbit were out very late on Saturday night between the two showings of MSEP, at the Tour Guide Garden next to City Hall, and on the train station's upper level.
At Disney's Hollywood Studios we took pictures of the new Trolley Car Cafe and the carriage from the new Cinderella movie. The new Trolley Car Cafe failed to really impress us, unfortunately. We had intended to go there for breakfast, but the selection was somewhat limited, and we ended up at Starring Rolls (where we nearly always go) because, despite being about a quarter of the size of Trolley Car Cafe, it actually has a lot more selection, including some delicious danishes.
We also watched the Frozen sing-along and Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and met Princess Sofia. I still maintain that the Florida version of the sing-along has a much better overall feel and impact on you than the California version. The finale alone in Florida wins the show for me.
And that's a wrap! We had a very short trip, but we crammed a lot in, and had some very magical moments.
Have a great week everyone,
Dan. |