Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures

Tales from my (mostly Disney) travels!
Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures
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  • Tag: Flower & Garden Festival

    • Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

      Posted at 3:23 pm by taryngirl, on May 28, 2022

      5/1/22

      After we got checked into our room, we decided to walk over to Epcot with no real agenda. We didn’t have any particular rides we wanted to do, but we did want to check out some of the Flower & Garden displays. The walk from the Beach Club Resort to the International Gateway entrance is very short…just minutes.

      Here are just SOME of the beautiful displays around Epcot right now:

      This one was super cute and themed after Encanto! It was a walk through with a few different sections.

      Each country had displays that were appropriate for that particular country. This was Japan with super cute Bonsai trees:

      Outside of Mexico:

      There were so many more displays. These are just a few from throughout just some of the countries!

      The views in the evening are pretty amazing!

      Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival is held each year for a few months throughout the spring. Besides the beautiful topiary and garden displays, there are special outdoor kitchens featuring the season’s freshest flavors. Think Food & Wine Festival that is held in the fall…but with a spring spin!

      Up next…Dining Review of Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie!

      Posted in Disney, Epcot, Flower & Garden Festival, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Epcot, Flower & Garden Festival, Walt Disney World
    • A Stroll Around Epcot

      Posted at 11:23 am by taryngirl, on September 22, 2021

      5/17/21

      Today was our Epcot day. We slept in and got to the park around 10:00 a.m. The posted opening time was 11:00 a.m., but I knew they would open the gates prior to that.

      Our Touring Plan:

      10:07 a.m. we were allowed in, and we made it to Test Track at 10:13 a.m. The gates there didn’t open until 10:17 a.m. though. We were on the ride by 10:25 a.m, then headed directly to Soarin’ and were in line by 10:42 a.m. The posted wait time was 20 minutes, however, we were out at 11:22 a.m. From there we hit Living with the Land, and The Seas with Nemo and Friends.

      Our plan was to just eat and walk around the countries! Everything looked so beautiful with the pretty flowers and amazing topiaries.

      After walking around the countries, we took a Skyliner ride to Riviera Resort to check it out. We then went back to Epcot and hit the DVC Lounge for a drink and snack. We watched Pixar Shorts and went on Journey Into Imagination with Figment. We had dinner reservations at Via Napoli and then stood in a longgggg line for Frozen Ever After.

      Here are some of the sights from around Epcot during the International Flower and Garden Festival:

      Imagination
      Heading into Mexico
      China
      Germany
      Italy

      This photo is my favorite!

      France
      France

      We were able to catch a glimpse of new Ratatouille ride area that is opening October 1st!

      Located between the United Kingdom and Canada:

      Located near The Seas with Nemo were these really gorgeous butterflies! The perfect backdrop for two Instagram loving teens!

      Overall, it was a fabulous day in Epcot! We saw everything we wanted to. Up next will be my dining review of Via Napoli, which is one of our favorite restaurants!

      Posted in Disney, Epcot, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Epcot, Flower & Garden Festival, Walt Disney World
    • Epcot Morning Touring

      Posted at 12:29 pm by taryngirl, on April 9, 2019

      2/27/19

      After breakfast at All Star Movies, we headed to Epcot.  We got there around 11:30 a.m.  We were in no rush.  We had some FP+ scheduled and were really having a leisurely day.

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      We noticed that Spaceship Earth had been down all morning, but when we walked through the gates they must have just opened up.  So we hopped right on it with no wait!  It was my most unusual ride this time.  Our car was very jerky and squeaky, and our little interactive screen on the way down wasn’t working correctly.

      From there we needed to head to our Frozen Ever After FP+.  We cut through the walkway to the left and got some good views of the scenery being set up for the Flower & Garden Festival.

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      It really was a perfect day weather wise!

      We didn’t eat here, but I snapped a quick picture of the current Quick Service Menu at La Cantina de San Angel.  This is located right on the water outside of the Mexico pavilion.

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      This is the menu for the Mexico table service restaurant that is open for dinner, La Hacienda de San Angel.  This is located outside of the Mexico pavilion on the water, and is only open for dinner.

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      Much to our delight, some of the topiaries were up!  In Norway:

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      After riding Frozen Ever After, we were deciding what we wanted to eat for lunch.  We planned to snack around at some quick service places, but we weren’t TOO hungry yet.  We had eaten in China last time and I LOVED IT!  So that was on my mind…

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      We took a quick jaunt through the shops here.  It’s one of my favorite…maybe because I am part Chinese?  Maybe because I love what they offer?  I’m not sure!

      When exiting out the back, we came across this neat find:

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      I was trying to ask the man questions, but he was taking pictures and trying to get people to purchase.  I didn’t know if it was a temporary thing, part of Flower & Garden that would be starting, etc.  Later on, he actually was carrying one through the Lotus Blossom and showing people who were eating there.

      Of course I decided I wanted to eat at the Lotus Blossom Cafe. This was the current menu at the time.  It had different things on it since we had eaten there in January!

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      I went with the Beef Noodle Mongolian Style.  This has a little kick, so be aware!  But it was so good!

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      After that, we continued through the countries until it was time to head to our Nemo FP+.  We took the boat back to the other side.

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      We had time before our FP+ and wanted to shop, so we went to MouseGear first.  This is one of my favorite shops anywhere!  (I made a purchase but had absolutely NO room left to take anything back since I only had a backpack.  I had it shipped directly to my house for somewhere around $7!)

      After our Nemo FP+ we went over to the Land pavilion for a snack.  On the way down to Sunshine Seasons, we stopped at this little counter area at the exit of the Living With the Land ride.  They had these super cute plants!

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      If I had space in my luggage, I would have purchased one of these!  It’s the perfect gift for my youngest daughter, and so neat to think we have a piece of “the Land” in our home!

      We were in the dessert mood, and couldn’t decide between these two things:

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      A fabulous piece of Carrot Cake.

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      A Whoopie Pie.IMG_4230 2

      The Carrot Cake was the for sure winner!  It was SO GOOD.  Moist and amazing frosting.  The Whoopie Pie was just ehhhh.  I doubt I would get it again.

      We had one more FP+ to use here at Journey Into Imagination With Figment.  As soon as we used it, Chrissy was on the app securing another FP+.  We decided to head over to Hollywood Studios because she was able to get SLINKY DOG DASH!!!

      In case you wondered…here are three different flavors of popcorn located near the entrance to Figment!  To my knowledge, you can get the refills in your bucket with these flavors.IMG_4231 2

      We stopped at Guest Services on the way to the bus to Hollywood Studios to see if they still had any Figment magnets for Annual Passholders…SCORE!  They did.  We did have to show our AP and he did look us up online.

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      Posted in Dining Review, Disney, Epcot, Quick Service, Snacks, Touring Plan, Uncategorized, World Showcase | 0 Comments | Tagged Dining Review, Epcot, Flower & Garden Festival, Lotus Blossom Cafe, Quick Service, Sunshine Seasons, The Land, Touring Plan, World Showcase
    • March Disney World AEP Trip {Day 1}!

      Posted at 6:54 pm by taryngirl, on May 21, 2018

      My first blog post!!!  I’ve been tossing around, “What should I start with?  Which trip should I talk about first?”  Well I decided to start with my most recent!

      I was very excited to be invited to attend my travel agency’s Disney Agent Education Program this past March.  About 40 agents from Mad Hatter Adventures Co descended upon the Walt Disney World Resort!  This would be my very first time meeting ANYONE from the agency in person…including the owner!  To say I was nervous is an understatement.

      My flight was leaving from Philadelphia bright and early at 6 a.m.  I was able to meet some fabulous agents as soon as I arrived to my gate.  Before I knew it, we had landed at MCO, and we made our way to the Magical Express.  Lines were very short, as it was only 8:30 a.m. in the morning!  We were staying at Port Orleans French Quarter and this was our queue:

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      We arrived at French Quarter and to our surprise, our room was ready.  I grabbed a quick breakfast of Mickey Waffles before heading to the room to dump off my carry on and rest for 10 minutes as I was getting a headache.

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      They were in the process of refurbishing the rooms at this resort.  We did not get a refurbed room which was totally fine!  We only spent time in the room when sleeping and showering.  This is probably my favorite Moderate Level resort.  It’s small!  Everything is a short walk away.  There’s a boat to take you to Disney Springs, and only one central bus stop for transportation to the parks.  I like the theming and the grounds.  It’s just beautiful!

      Now it was time to head to EPCOT!  We had free time today until a cocktail welcome party in the evening.  We wanted to make the most of our short time here, and check out the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival!  So off we headed to the bus stop.  This is a nice new addition to the bus transportation areas at the resorts.  It allows you to see when the next bus will be arriving.  Rats…we just missed the Epcot bus!

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      I had to stop at the ticket window to activate my Annual Pass (AP).  I’m a DVC member and they had an amazing Annual Pass special this past year.  I grabbed my passport and we were on our way!

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      Well…almost on our way.  We had to stop for some PhotoPass pictures.  You wouldn’t know it by looking at this picture, but I only met these people for the first time that morning!  (A perk of having an AP…Memory Maker is included!)

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      We all had various FP+ set up for the morning.  We headed for the Land pavilion so some could ride Soarin’.  I personally do not go on that ride, so I spent some time browsing around Sunshine Seasons.  Everyone was hungry, so we grabbed something small.  I opted for the Kid’s Chicken Caesar Salad meal.  This came with 2 sides and a drink.  I chose things I could take with me and snack on later.  This is an INCREDIBLE value!  The grand total for everything pictured was $6.38.  This salad is super tasty and I wouldn’t hesitate to get it again.  (As a side note…adults can order from the kid’s menu at any quick service dining location!  It’s cheaper and typically comes with a drink and 2 sides.)

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      From here, we went to ride Living with the Land.  There was actually a line for this!  We probably waited 20ish minutes.  We had some other people who were meeting up with us at this location, so we didn’t mind the wait.  I couldn’t help but take a picture of this quote on the wall.  (Which I never see because there’s never a line when I ride it!)

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      From here, we headed over to Journey Into Imagination with Figment….which was down!  So to regroup, we headed to the DVC Member Lounge located directly above Figment.  This is a great place to get a drink, snack, charge your phone, get out of the rain/heat/crowds, etc.  We chatted for a little bit and got to actually know each other and then headed back down to Figment.

      Fun fact!  Did you know that there are several photo booths all around?  These are included if you have Memory Maker!  This one was at the end of Journey Into Imagination with Figment.  Typically it looks nice and professional, but we all 3 jammed in the booth so had to push the curtain back out of our way.

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      Now it was time to head to the World Showcase and check out some of the Flower and Garden booths!  (These booths are similar to the Food & Wine Festival booths.  They offer snack sized foods and different beverages.)

      Our first stop, which ended up being my favorite out of them all, was The Honey Bistro hosted by the National Honey Board.

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      We ended up splitting things so we could sample more!  This was the Honey Tandoori Chicken Flatbread with White Cheddar Cheese, Charred Vegetables, Clover Honey Sour Cream and Micro Watercress ($5.25 and DDP Snack Eligible!)  This was my favorite out of everything I tried at the booths!  It had such a good flavor.

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      This was the Roasted Cauliflower with Buckwheat Honey Carrot Puree, Wild Rice Pilaf, Asparagus, Honey Blistered Grapes and Sunflower Brittle ($4.50 and DDP Snack Eligible.)  This was also very good!

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      We made our way around counter-clockwise.  I personally didn’t eat anything at the next few stands.  Besides food booths, there were so many amazing topiary displays!  This was one of my favorites.  We had a FP+ for Frozen Ever After.  I’ve only been on this once before so I wanted to make sure to ride it this time!

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      My next food booth was Bauernmarkt Farmer’s Market.  I tried the Potato Pancake with Caramelized Ham, Onions, and Herb Sour Cream.  ($4.50 and DDP Snack Eligible!)  This was good.  Not great, but good.

       

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      We had a FP+ for Spaceship Earth and had to be exiting the park by 6 p.m. ish, so we started to make our way back to the entrance.

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      I had to make one quick stop before exiting to check out some merchandise!  I completely regret not getting this backpack…

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      Up next… {AEP Day 2!}

       

       

      Posted in AEP, Epcot, Flower & Garden Festival | 2 Comments | Tagged AEP, Disney, Epcot, Flower & Garden Festival, Memory Maker, Port Orleans French Quarter, Spaceship Earth, Sunshine Seasons, Walt Disney World
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