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We’ve been prioritizing one-on-one time with our kiddos and after a failed Spring Break surprise, a quick overnight to Disney with my big girl was such a gift! A core memory for both of us, I’m sure!
Alba Grace and I drove over Sunday morning and made it just in time for lunch at Epcot! We checked our bags at bell services at the Swan Reserve and ran to the boat anxious to get to the Flower & Garden festival! Our family loves Epcot year round but the Flower & Garden fest is when it really shines! The food is fantastic (I’d argue that it’s better in both taste and presentation than Food +Wine!!!) but it’s the gorgeous gardens, flowers, and topiaries that we swoon over!
FESTIVAL FAVORITES
For the sake of reporting the “must-eats” to you all, we hit up quite a few food booths during our stroll around the park (more on that below) but we made sure to hit up our favorite attractions along the way!
The butterfly garden is a must. There are loads of butterflies around the park this time of year but it’s extra fun to spot them all in one place. In between Figment & The Land there’s a fun walk through exhibit you don’t want to miss! Makes for great photos too! And if you’re lucky you’ll spot Winnie the Pooh nearby catching his own butterflies!
Character topiaries are just about everywhere you look. We had so much fun spotting our favorites and taking photos with each and every one of them. A fun scavenger hunt for older kiddos too!
Live music is happening all around the showcase! A fun way to engage your kiddos in other cultures through the arts and let them get their wiggles out dancing. On the main “garden rocks” stage you’ll find the headliners (across from the USA) but there are musicians on different stages throughout the park. Our favorites were in England and Canada! And as always, the drummers in Japan are epic.
The kidcot fun stops and indoor + outdoor playgrounds aren’t a festival exclusive but they’re always worth mentioning here! If you’re considering taking kiddos to Epcot, these are two things you’ll want to take note of!
My BABY somehow turned into a big kid and was able to ride Test Track, Soarin’ AND Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time. Soarin’ was a big hit, Test Track was “crazy fast and cool” and Guardians was something she said she wouldn’t ride again until she was an adult. But SO much fun to get to experience all of these firsts together.
I was excited to stick around for fireworks that evening because Epcot Ever After is back but by 7pm AG was itching to get back to the hotel to play with her new toy. Sidenote: we usually let the girls pick a smallish souvenir each trip. Grandparents gift disney giftcards often and we keep them in our backpack for future trips. We use “disney dollars” a behavior reward system when we have a trip coming up and the girls have started to catch on!
BEST OF FLOWER & GARDEN FOOD
Now before y’all judge how much we ate in just one day at Epcot, let me remind y’all that while we did enjoy bites of all of these snacks, I purchased more than I normally would for the sake of reporting our favorites and we did not finish all of this food haha! Need to bring along another adult for future festivals!
Brunchcot was AG’s favorite booth! We tried the Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites (heavenly), the Shrimp & Grits (I consider myself a connoisseur and absolutely loved these!), the Avocado Toast (a little on the crispy side but delicious!) and the Fruit Loops Shake! The shake tasted like the milk from a bowl of fruit loops and we were both v impressed!
Florida Fresh was my favorite booth. We grabbed the watermelon salad and the blackened fish slider. Have already tried to recreate both! Cucumber watermelon slushy was also a hit.
We were told that the Cheesy Crab Wontons from Lotus House were a must-try. We devoured them. The people were right.
I don’t think we’ve ever skipped Germany at an Epcot festival. The toasted pretzel bread from Bauernmarkt Farmer’s Market was topped with ham and melted gruyere. Need I say more?!
Spicy Chicken Gumbo from Magnolia Terrace was SPICY but excellent. This is a huge dish so come hungry!
I could hang out in France all day but I exceriszed self-control and only ordered the Beignet Carmelise from Fleur De Lys. If you have a sweet tooth, this is your jam!
ALL ABOUT THE SWAN RESERVE
We’re obviously big fans of the Swan & Dolphin but had yet to venture over to the new Swan Reserve! I was hesitant to spend the same amount of money for a room that didn’t have a bathtub (typically an essential when traveling with babies or toddlers!) or a balcony. I also considered that it was a bit further away from the boat stop which is our go-to mode of transportation when staying at the S&D. Even with those concerns in mind, I’m so glad I finally tried it out! It was delightful. We didn’t miss the bathtub because Millie wasn’t with us. We didn’t miss the balcony because it was raining in the morning and evening. And it turns out the walk to the boat stop didn’t feel any longer than the walk from the main buildings! The rooms were brand new and really beautiful, there were a couple of great dining options on-site and the staff was wonderful. It definitely has more of a boutique hotel feel than the Swan & Dolphin so if you’re on the hunt for an on-site resort that feels a bit more quaint, definitely consider the Swan Reserve! Another perk of staying here is that you get to use those Marriott Bonvoy points and depending on your status, you might get free room upgrades. Upon check-in we were upgraded to the Junior Family Suite!
MAGIC KINGDOM MONDAY
It’s hard to visit Disney as a 4 year old and NOT go see the castle so we try to make room for a half or full day when possible! Monday morning we had big plans to rope drop but a torrential downpour changed those plans. Instead we snuggled and ordered room service! The rain didn’t slow down so we figured we’d make a run for it (why the heck didn’t I valet my car!) and head to MK. We made it just in time (but very, very wet) for our lunch reservation. Change of clothes, towels, stroller rain cover and waterproof sandals were a must this day! More tips on rainy disney days, here!
We made it MK just in time for our lunch reservation at Be Our Guest! Y’all have heard me talk about it before…. but I’m a BOG superfan. It’s a beautiful escape from the hustle and bustle in the rest of the park, the food is so very good (I get the french onion soup and the filet every time!) and the dessert is fab. Oh, and did I mention there’s champagne?! After a delicious lunch and a high five from the beast, we walked over to Enchanted Tales with Belle! This was our first time doing this and we loved every second of it. An interactive show with Belle that involves the kiddos playing a part in the story! At the end of the experience, each child gets a moment alone with belle for pics. It was really sweet!
The highlight of our day was absolutely meeting Merida! She wore this dress for the special occasion. I’ve never seen Alba Grace so starstruck. She was glowing for hours after this and still talks about how Merida called her sister! I may or may not have cried throughout the entire experience. Just the sweetest! You can check the MDE app to see where to find your favorite characters!
We weren’t in the park a full day but still managed to ride everything on our list without any lines! Here are the big rides we snagged using Genie + ( believe it was $18 that day) and paying for one individual lightning lane (Snow White’s Mine Train) – I’d say we did pretty good for not getting into the parks until 10:30! I get asked about Genie + quite often! My short and sweet answer is that you need it!
So grateful for all of the memories we’ve made together at this special place! This was one for the books. AG fell asleep before I finished buckling her into her carseat so I’d say she had a pretty fantastic day too!
