You Can Learn a Lot of Things From the Flowers - May 2016 TR *NEW* 12/30 x3 *COMPLETE!*

[khertz]

Day 1 Continued: Thursday May 26th

After a long day and a half in the car, and unpacking at Wyndham Cypress Palms, we were ready to head to a park! We had decided to spend just a few hours at DHS since there isn't a whole lot we need to do there, and so that the rest of the trip we could focus on mainly MK and Epcot.

Our first stop was inside at Guest Services to get DH a birthday button, and we decided to get DS an I’m Celebrating button since this was kind of a trip celebrating the end of the school year as well! Then we were ready to have some fun.

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We stopped first for some Photopass pictures before heading further into the park.

PhotoPass_Visiting_STUDIO_386474076564 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


PhotoPass_Visiting_STUDIO_386474076552 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We still had some time before we could use any of the FP we booked, so we decided to spend some time in the Star Wars Launch Bay. DH had brought some stuff to trade with the jawas, so DS was excited to do that. We ran into some Stormtroopers on the way.

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DD was just as impressed as me.

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She found her thumb more interesting.

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DH had brought a few Mardi Gras beads to trade with the jawa, so DS was excited to do that and get a droid piece in return!

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We decided to go see Muppets after that since it was close to Star Tours, which was our first FP+ at 5:05 pm, but it wasn’t quite time to use it yet.

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It was closed! So we killed time by waiting in the shade, and then checking out some of the new Jedi Training Academy show nearby because it wasn’t enough time to go off and do much else.

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Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 1 Continued: Thursday May 26th

Once it was time for our FP+, we went up to the entrance to get a rider swap. Then while DH and DS went to ride first, I took DD over to Backlot Express and got myself the chicken & waffles meal while DD had a baby food pouch and snacks.

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They met us over at Backlot, where DH got his food while I took DS on Star Tours again using the rider swap pass.

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Whenever we ride this, DS asks to build a droid. I’m glad so far he has not pushed it when we have told him he can play with them but we are not buying one. They are expensive for something I know he is going to forget about the moment we get home!

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We all met up at Backlot Express and got some dinner for DS. DD was being silly in her stroller while waited on him to eat, taking her bow off every time I put it on her.

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We had one more FP+ scheduled for 6:15 pm for our favorite, Toy Story Mania!

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We took some selfies in line.

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Untitled by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

And we noticed they added in some screens overhead with cute little instructional videos for boarding and playing the games!

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After a fun spin on TSM, we were about ready to head back to the room to get an early bedtime under our belts after such an early morning and another early morning coming up. Since DD was in the carrier, DS decided to hop a ride in the stroller. It’s hard to believe he ever fit in this thing!

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We stopped once more on the way out for some Photopass pictures.

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We had brought our small stroller with us just for this day because we could save money on the rental by only having it for 3 days instead of 4, so I had chosen to have them deliver it Friday morning instead of Thursday. But once we got back to the resort, I told DH to stop by the main building and let me check to see if they had delivered the stroller already instead of having to go back early in the morning to check. It had been delivered! It may have been there when we checked in, but we hadn’t thought to ask. So that was one less thing we’d have to worry about the next morning.

It was a little before 8 pm when we made it back to the resort and got upstairs to get ready for bed.

UP NEXT: Bring on the Flowers!

 

[missangelalexis]

Love the PP pics at the entrance, especially the silly face one!

I'm glad DS & DH had fun in Launch Bay!

I'm sure it was great to get to the park for a little on your arrival day and get to do some rides! Those selfies in line for TSMM are too adorable!

 

[amazingact21]

You are really on the ball with getting your TRs posted! I wish I had half your initiative!

We stopped around 11 for lunch when we saw a Chick Fil A in Lake City, FL and thought that would be a good place to stop. DS went nuts playing in the play area while I nursed DD and DH got the food. Then

That Chick Fil A is part of our travel day tradition! (Well, it used to be when we lived in FL.) I love that play place. The kids can run around and burn off energy.

Your DD's reaction in your DHS photopass pictures is hilarious. She looked so bored.

 

[afwdwfan]

I don't blame you one bit for letting those APs burn a hole in your pocket. You've paid for them so you might as well get as much use out of them as possible!!!

I'd love to be able to do a F&G trip sometime, so I can't think of a good reason to not go!

May 01-018 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

I just thought these 2 pictures were kind of funny. Different vehicles but both look like they're doing similar poses.

 

[therealdisney01]

I'm so pumped for this trip report! You're such a great trip report writer and I absolutely love F&G!

 

[amberdc1987]

Yay! Can't wait for this installment of your trips. Have loved all your previous reports and love seeing your babies, who are absolutely adorable. Can't wait to read more!

One question, can you tell me what kind of stroller you rented and where from? Our youngest is 5 and we are going in February and I would like to get one she will be able to fit in, just in case we need it. And it appears she is smaller than your DS.

 

[khertz]

Love the PP pics at the entrance, especially the silly face one!

I'm glad DS & DH had fun in Launch Bay!

I'm sure it was great to get to the park for a little on your arrival day and get to do some rides! Those selfies in line for TSMM are too adorable!

Those were some fun photos to take! I think DS likes it better when he gets to act silly. lol

It was cool getting to see him trade with the jawa. I have since read some horror stories about it, so I'm glad his first experience trading was a good one.

It's so nice getting just a little glimpse of the magic on arrival day. It has been a nice perk of having APs to be able to do that! Especially on these short trips we have taken here and there. Our time in the parks is already so short, it's great to get just a little extra time.

You are really on the ball with getting your TRs posted! I wish I had half your initiative!

That Chick Fil A is part of our travel day tradition! (Well, it used to be when we lived in FL.) I love that play place. The kids can run around and burn off energy.

Your DD's reaction in your DHS photopass pictures is hilarious. She looked so bored.

It's been tough keeping up with them all! I try to work on them as much as possible by typing them up in Word so that all I have to do is copy & paste. It's been harder lately because DH has to do his editing on my computer now instead of his laptop, so I don't use mine in the evenings as much as I used to to keep up with reading & replying.

I love places with a good playplace for the kids, especially on those long car rides! Not that many McDonald's restaurants have them anymore, so it's nice to know we can stop at that Chick Fil A on the way and have a place for DS to run around a bit.

In her everyday life, she smiles SO much! But put her in front of strangers or a camera and she turns totally straight faced. Her 6 month old pictures, she didn't even crack a smile!

I don't blame you one bit for letting those APs burn a hole in your pocket. You've paid for them so you might as well get as much use out of them as possible!!!

I'd love to be able to do a F&G trip sometime, so I can't think of a good reason to not go!


I just thought these 2 pictures were kind of funny. Different vehicles but both look like they're doing similar poses.

That was exactly our thinking! Especially having the timeshare and being able to stay in our rooms for free. No hotel and no ticket costs made these little quick trips a total no brainer.

We really enjoyed our first trip to F&G. It was a little strange to plan a short trip focusing almost entirely on Epcot instead of MK, but it ended up being a lot of fun! And the park is absolutely gorgeous.

I never noticed that, but you're right!!

I'm so pumped for this trip report! You're such a great trip report writer and I absolutely love F&G!

Thanks for joining in! You're too kind.

Yay! Can't wait for this installment of your trips. Have loved all your previous reports and love seeing your babies, who are absolutely adorable. Can't wait to read more!

One question, can you tell me what kind of stroller you rented and where from? Our youngest is 5 and we are going in February and I would like to get one she will be able to fit in, just in case we need it. And it appears she is smaller than your DS.

Thanks so much!! It's great to have you along!

Sure! I ended up renting the City Mini Double from Orlando Stroller Rentals (https://www.orlandostrollerrentals.com). They also have singles available, and the price is great! They come with a free rain cover, a small softsided cooler, and a parent console with a couple of cup holders because the stroller does not have any. The only complaint I had with the stroller was that the basket was somewhat difficult to get in and out of, so we had to strategically place items with the things we thought we might need more frequently near the back or sides to have easy access. Otherwise, I loved the huge sunshade, and the seats recline almost completely flat, which was great for DD. They also have free delivery and pickup from most resorts in the area, not just Disney ones.

 

[amberdc1987]

Thanks so much!! It's great to have you along!

Sure! I ended up renting the City Mini Double from Orlando Stroller Rentals (https://www.orlandostrollerrentals.com). They also have singles available, and the price is great! They come with a free rain cover, a small softsided cooler, and a parent console with a couple of cup holders because the stroller does not have any. The only complaint I had with the stroller was that the basket was somewhat difficult to get in and out of, so we had to strategically place items with the things we thought we might need more frequently near the back or sides to have easy access. Otherwise, I loved the huge sunshade, and the seats recline almost completely flat, which was great for DD. They also have free delivery and pickup from most resorts in the area, not just Disney ones.

Awesome! My daughter should be just over 42" by time we go in February so this sounds like it will work great! I will definitely check them out. I had looked at Kingdom Strollers, but I'll look at Orlando Stroller Rentals also. Nice to know about the basket. Can't wait for your next update.

 

[khertz]

Day 2: Friday May 27th

The next morning, DD was evidently really excited to be in Disney because she tried waking us up at 5 am! But after a little cuddling in the bed with me & DH, we managed to get her back to sleep for a little while longer until 6 when we decided to go on and get the day started.

We got ourselves up and dressed, and were ready to go at 7:40! Despite making great time, it was still awhile before we actually left the parking lot due to forgetting not one, but two, things that required running back up to the room to retrieve. It was closer to 8 by the time we left Cypress Palms, and by 8:15 we had made it to Epcot.

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The security CM at gate check was trying to get DD to smile. She was not impressed.

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We settled in for the wait until 9 am when the park opened. We had brought breakfast to eat on the go, so that took up a few minutes in line, but not enough of them when you have two fidgety kids. The map kept DD busy for a little while.

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CM Bob was working the tapstiles this morning, and got the crowds waiting excited for the day in Epcot by coming out and getting us all to sing the Mickey Mouse Club theme song. It was a lot of fun! And helped pass the time. A little before 9 am, they let us in to the park! Very cool to see the F&G topiaries at the entrance.

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We were stopped at a rope over on the side of Future World heading to Test Track. I had only been able to get a late afternoon FP+ for it, so we had decided to try our luck at hitting it for rope drop and picking up a rider switch pass. While we waited, I wanted a picture of DD’s full outfit because I had specifically bought it for this trip since it had Minnie & flowers on it. Perfect for Flower & Garden!

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After about 10 more minutes of waiting, the internal rope dropped and we hurried over to Test Track. DS and I hopped in line while DH and DD went to get the rider swap. Normally we would all go together, but the line at TT gets so huge so fast, we did it this way instead and I had to wave to the CM giving out the pass to show we were with them and in line already. It worked fine, and DH got the pass.

DS was REALLY excited!!

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In just a few minutes, we were in the design studio, and DS was ready to build his car. I think this is his favorite part of the ride!

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Then we were ready to ride!! As we got in the car and buckled our seatbelts, DS said, “This is going to be the greatest ride of my life!” lol I love him so much.

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One of these days, DS will be visible in the ride picture. One of these days!

While we were having a blast zooming around the track, DD and DH were having a much more relaxing time as they found some shade and DD ate one of her fruits. She was happy enough afterwards playing with the plastic lid from her baby food.

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Nearby to where they were waiting over by Mouse Gears were the Lightning and Mater topiaries. Definitely one of the favorites of F&G!

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DS and I were gone for about 20 minutes while riding Test Track, so DH and DD went on a little exploration after her breakfast so that DH could take some photos of the beautiful flowers. This was what had sparked the idea of taking this trip, after all!

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There was an adorable Chip & Dale topiary that they visited first.

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Continued in next post...

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[khertz]

Day 2 Continued: Friday May 27th

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In all of their walking and photo taking, DD had fallen asleep in the stroller. So I took her on a stroll through Mouse Gears to do some shopping and stay in the a/c while she slept, and DH and DS went over to Test Track to ride using the rider swap pass.

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Once they were done riding, we met up by the Lightning and Mater topiaries because DS really wanted to play on the nearby playground. But first, a photo with Lightning was in order!

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We found the back entrance of the Innoventions building where the Mickey meet is where they were handing out the F&G prints for the AP holders. It was SO cold in there and it felt absolutely great. There was a separate one for each month of the festival, but if you asked, they would give you all 3, so that’s what we did for DH’s AP.

We spotted a Photopass photographer by the Chip & Dale topiary, so we decided to stop there for photos. DD was still snoozing away in the stroller.

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Shortly after that, DD woke up and it was about time for her to eat. So I thought where we had just come from would be the perfect place to go since it was quiet, in the a/c, and there were some tables and chairs where I could sit. We went back inside where she ate for a few minutes while DH and DS checked out the butterfly garden and the nearby playground.

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After some fun exploring, it was time to use our first FP+!

UP NEXT: Character Spot

 

[khertz]

Awesome! My daughter should be just over 42" by time we go in February so this sounds like it will work great! I will definitely check them out. I had looked at Kingdom Strollers, but I'll look at Orlando Stroller Rentals also. Nice to know about the basket. Can't wait for your next update.

Yeah, DS is pushing 45" and he still fits fine, so your DD should be good too! They are so easy to push. While I haven't used Kingdom, I have seen them recommended a lot on different Disney Facebook groups, so you should be good with either one!

Looks like we were posting at the same time.

 

[amberdc1987]

Yeah, DS is pushing 45" and he still fits fine, so your DD should be good too! They are so easy to push. While I haven't used Kingdom, I have seen them recommended a lot on different Disney Facebook groups, so you should be good with either one!

Looks like we were posting at the same time.

Yeah it appears we were. Great to know.

 

[amberdc1987]

Great update. I love Epcot when F&G is going on! I found out it starts on March 1, which is smack dab in the middle of our trip. So March 1st became our Epcot day for next year lol. I love all the playgrounds and the butterfly part. I know my girls will be excited about it. Will be hard to get them off of the playground stuff i'm sure. The picture of your DD sleeping is precious! She is a doll!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Hi there joining in!

He had about 25 minutes or so to play, and then we took his food with us so he could eat in the car.

Not sure why I never thought to save DDs meal till we got back in the car but that is pretty smart!

While we waited, I wanted a picture of DD’s full outfit because I had specifically bought it for this trip since it had Minnie & flowers on it. Perfect for Flower & Garden!

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What a cutie! and it truly is the perfect outfit for flower and garden!

 

[afwdwfan]

Nice start exploring F&G.

I really like the cars that he designed. One of these days he might actually get to ride in the front row on TT and be able to see where he's going.

 

[missangelalexis]

DD's not impressed face is so funny!! I love her outfit!

Glad you were able to get on TT right away!

DH's Flower & Garden pictures are gorgeous!

 

[Dugette]

And we noticed they added in some screens overhead with cute little instructional videos for boarding and playing the games!

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Wow, first time I've seen that addition.

Since DD was in the carrier, DS decided to hop a ride in the stroller. It’s hard to believe he ever fit in this thing!

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I bet it was a lot harder to push than with DD!

It had been delivered!

The next morning, DD was evidently really excited to be in Disney because she tried waking us up at 5 am!

Ugh, glad she went back to sleep for a bit!

Very cool to see the F&G topiaries at the entrance.

Love those topiaries!

While we waited, I wanted a picture of DD’s full outfit because I had specifically bought it for this trip since it had Minnie & flowers on it. Perfect for Flower & Garden!

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Perfect!

Then we were ready to ride!! As we got in the car and buckled our seatbelts, DS said, “This is going to be the greatest ride of my life!” lol I love him so much.

One of these days, DS will be visible in the ride picture. One of these days!

She looks like she's wondering, "Am I camouflaged with this flower on my head?"

There was an adorable Chip & Dale topiary that they visited first.

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Super cute! Love seeing all the gorgeous F&G pictures!

 

[amazingact21]

Very cute outfit for your DD!

I can't believe Paxton was in the same seat both rides on TT. Probably the ONE spot you can't see him.

Man, I didn't know they would give you all 3 prints if you asked. We just have the one.

Those flowers on the water are what I picture when I think of Epcot...the F&G Festival is just so gorgeous. Your photos are making me wanna switch my return trip from Evie's birthday to Landon's.

 

[vamassey1]

I love Epcot during Flower and Garden. So many pretty sights. The playground are the best for entertaining the kids. Glad you got a Test Track ride in.