The flowers are blooming and spring is in the air at the 30th Anniversary Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. Enjoy this overview of the gorgeous topiaries and floral displays at Epcot. There are many food treats at the various booths as well, all floral themed. Be sure to pick up a Festival Passport, found at the entrance to Epcot, to get an overview of the: Topiaries and Gardens, Food and Beverage, Garden Rocks Concert Series, Festival Merchandise and to participate in Garden Graze.

Moana II characters welcome you to the International Flower and Garden Festival

Be sure to pick up your Festival Passport at the entrance to Epcot

Greeting you at the entrance is the Disney’s Moana 2 topiary with Moana, Maui, Heihei and Pua. Further into the park, in the World Celebration Gardens are these beautiful topiary flowers.

The Lion King is in all of his splendor,

Of course the grounds in World Celebration are awe inspiring with these freshly planted annuals. I love the vibrancy of the colors, it just puts you in a celebratory spring mood!

Orange Bird welcomes you to the 30th Annual Flower and Garden Festival

There are signs all over the park welcoming you to the 30th anniversary of the International Flower and Garden Festival. Both Orange bird, (isn’t he darling), and Spike the Bee are iconic and found throughout Epcot.

Since I think Orange Bird is tres adorable, I made a pit stop at The Citrus Blossom located in The Odyssey. Orange Bird is featured throughout this well decorated (and air conditioned) eating area. Just check out the decor

Needing a snack, I chose the Citrus Baked Brie. This treat has citrus baked brie with orange-lemon marmalade, limoncello macerated blueberries and spiced marcona almonds.

The orange and lemon flavors were evident and a nice combination of sweet and tart. The blueberries absorbed all of the citrus flavor and brought texture to this treat, as did the almonds. The heat generated by the almonds was a surprise when combined with the sweetness and acidity of the lemon and orange flavors. The crust was flaky. My only criticism of this dish is the brie cheese needs to be warmer and thus lacks the melty texture I expect from baked brie. Overall, this treat is an 8/10 for me (with 10 being the best). I recommend this treat for a quick snack and respite from the heat to keep you going on a warm spring day.

My favorite topiaries are the Bambi and friends located near the Refreshment Port on the Canada side of the World Showcase. A classic Disney fan, I found them to be adorable.

Bambi looks sweet here and is ready for Spring.

Wandering into France’s Boulangerie Patisserie de Halles, this Ham and Cheese Croissant spoke to me. As you can see from the picture, this treat is stuffed with ham and has a flaky crust. While sustenance, this crust was not quiet as light, and was somewhat oily. This was a disappointment for someone who loves a good croissant. Nonetheless for $6.95 plus tax, it was enough of a lunch (my rating is 6.5/10) to keep me moving through the World Showcase.

As I travelled around the world, I found some beautiful floral displays.

Anna and Elsa welcome you to the Norway Pavilion.

Annual flowers on display near the Italy Pavilion.

Lady and the Tramp on display at the Italy Pavilion.

Near Germany you will find Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in full bloom. Aren’t they gorgeous?

Did you know that the Mexico ride, The Three Caballeros, closed on January 6th for refurbishment? It reopened just this week, and I was among the first to ride it. (HINT-Use your My Disney experience app to track the wait times for this ride. Early in the day, the wait times are as long as a 1/2 hour. I went at dinner time and only waited 10 minutes.)

Excited to ride this attraction, I took a few pictures to showcase the updates. The sound system, lighting, and paint have all been redone, as well as the images of Donald throughout the attraction are now LED vs projection screens. Overall, it is a very pleasant experience. I noticed you could actually hear the fireworks exploding at the end of the ride.

The updated lighting system increases the visibility of the steam emitting from the volcano.

Updated paint refreshes the colors in this attraction.

Capping off my day, and in need of one final treat, I wandered to Florida Fresh. The strawberry shortcake has been getting good reviews (after all it is strawberry season), and I wanted to try it.

This treat consists of a vanilla pound cake, macerated strawberries, strawberry sauce and whipped cream. Oh my, it is amazing. The strawberries are fresh, the pound cake is delicious chilled and the strawberry sauce is the perfect enhancement. Overall, I give this treat a 10/10 and recommend that you stop by this booth!

That’s all for now, folks.

Happy Spring and remember the International Flower and Garden Festival is in bloom until June 2nd.

All the best,

Jennifer

Spring into Epcot’s 30th Annual International Flower and Garden Festival

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