I think it’s obvious that we just love it here.

So for today’s Mini-Vacation Wednesday, I had to pack you in my pocket for Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival going on right now.

It was spectacular.  Blooms and color and topiaries everywhere.  I’m envious of the long growing season in Florida!

These are the Victoria Gardens representation over in the Canadian pavilion.  This washed-out photo doesn’t even begin to do this beauty justice.

Another look at Victoria…

Lest you think this was just for the grown-ups…

This giant butterfly topiary signaled the entrance to the Butterfly Garden.

Love the fairies!

My photos of the butterfly garden were not great, but rest assured there were plenty to see.

In addition to the gardens, there were numerous play structures scattered throughout the park so the adorables could run and play while I oohed and aahed.

The excellent news is that the festival runs through May 16th, so you can still make it!

I’ve mentioned her before, but this is the 4th trip we’ve booked through Ears of Experience and we’ve been thrilled with everything Amy has done for us.  Call her and make your Disney trip planning super easy – without paying a dime more (and trust me, she’s worth that dime, but she’ll keep working to make sure you’re getting the lowest possible price).  You can reach Amy and her team at 1-877-80MOUSE or email: info@themouseexperts.com.

Have a magical day!

Starting at the high end first… If money is not an issue (and if you fall into this category, please feel blessed), I would recommend the following 3 hotels:

The Yacht Club – we stayed here when we got engaged.  It was very, very special.

The Beach Club (which is attached to the Yacht Club, but technically a separate hotel)

(this is the pool that the 2 hotels share)

And across the lagoon, the Boardwalk Hotel.

All 3 of these hotels are within walking distance to Epcot (my all-time favorite park of the four), and a long walk to Hollywood Studios.  Boats are also available to both.  At the Boardwalk, there are numerous restaurants (in addition to those within the parks), so meal options are abundant.

The Running Man grew up staying at The Polynesian, which is on the monorail directly across from the Magic Kingdom.  He would probably say this is still his favorite, perhaps for sentimental reasons (though it is very beautiful).  It also is in a prime location with an easy-as-pie commute to the Magic Kingdom, though we’ve never been able to stomach the $300-400 dollar per night price tag for our family.

Since we travel often and don’t want to break our travel budget on one vacation, we’ve been very happy staying at the Port Orleans French Quarter, a moderately priced Disney World hotel.  A short bus ride to all the parks (my eldest adorable counts the bus ride as one of his favorite rides – go figure) and a boat ride to Downtown Disney, we’ve been pleased as punch with this resort and the rate.

Main Street at the Port Orleans French Quarter

All the rooms are set along these streets that wind throughout the complex.  The rooms are very clean and have 2 double beds (think Hampton), and they do include refrigerators, which we stock with our breakfast food so we can be out the door and in the park ASAP.

A playground, which is marvelous after dinner for wresting those last drops of energy from the adorables…

And a fun Mardi Gras-themed pool with a slide.

Now if you have young adorables and plan to spend the bulk of your day in the park, I cannot stress to you how convenient a food court is when the adorables are well past tired and you need to feed them before they fall down asleep.  This food court has one of the 3 best pizzas (it’s the large supreme) I’ve ever tasted.  Ever.

We are off-season visitors because the adorables are not yet in grade school, but we’ve been paying $89-$139/night (depending on time of year) for this hotel.  In addition, we use Disney’s Magical Express, a free bus service to and from the airport, so we don’t have to rent a car.  This price seems very fair for what we get.

Just my 2 cents…

We’ve also stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Wilderness Lodge, the All-Sports, Port Orleans Riverside (which is next door to the Port Orleans French Quarter) and the Carribean.

I would be remiss not to mention that we’ve now used Ears of Experience for 3 trips and have been thrilled with everything.  Amy just checked our rates we had booked for an upcoming trip and rebooked one of our party’s reservation at a much lower rate.  Seriously, she’s magical.

So where are your favorite hotels at the park?  Where have you stayed?  Have any tips for us?

Can you believe it?  Holy WOW.  That’s 2 stories folks.

The details were incredible.

And it’s all edible – obviously my favorite part.

So here’s what it takes to make this (in case you’d like to attempt it in your backyard):

• 1,050 lbs of honey
• 800 lbs of Flour
• 600 lbs of Chocolate
• 600 lbs of Powdered Sugar
• 140 pints of Egg Whites
• 35 lbs of Spices

You’ll also need 2 months and more than 840 hours to stir, cut, and bake the 5,089 “shingles” used to decorate the Gingerbread House.

But I bet your neighbors would think it was worth it!

And if you set up shop directly from inside your house and handed out cookies and treats, all the local adorables would certainly elect you mayor.

Ahhh, the World of Disney is magical at Christmas!

I have to thank Amy at Ears of Experience for setting up another amazing Disney trip for us: the best room rates, dining reservations, full park itineraries, and all the holiday festivities and hoopla mapped out so we wouldn’t miss anything.  Thank you!!

Oh my goodness, this really is the happiest place on earth.

Clean, wholesome, happy.

Thunder Mountain is my favorite ride.   Others are higher, faster, longer; but this is the original of my childhood and I’m nostalgic that way.

Warning: Splash Mountain can be kinda mean with the sprayers.  On a cold day, they turn them all off and you really won’t get that wet.  On a hot day, you’re toast.  Hint in any weather: last row is best; 2nd row is the soaker.

Hello to Fantasy Land.  It’s a Small World is a must even if it drives you a little crazy.  Peter Pan is the best.

For the 2-3 year-old adorables, this is a major highlight.

This Dumbo ride usually has a HUGE line.  Try the Magic Carpet Ride in Adventureland or the Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland.  They are essentially the same rides with much shorter waits.  The Astro Orbiter is atop the People Mover building and it affords one of the best views of the park – don’t miss it!

This is the cargo boat for Tom Sawyer’s Island.  The Running Man and his family and friends would have huge parent vs. kiddo hide and seek  games here when he was a mite adorable.

The Hall of Presidents is a 30-minute show.  It’s excellent, but is also great for a wee little nap.

The Jungle Cruise is hokey, but always fun and good for a laugh.  It’s one of Walt’s originals for both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.

Isn’t this the face of joy?

There is no place like the Magic Kingdom.  It is just magic!

The Running Man and I live for Disney.  We both grew up going every year with our families, we used to run down every chance we could for the weekend, we were engaged there… You get the idea.

It is seriously a magical place.

Then we had our first adorable and thought we needed to wait a little while until we took him.  It cracked us up that having the little one actually kept us from Disney.

We waited all the way until he was a year (it killed us) and then booked our trip.

While the parks are magical, booking the actual trip requires a PhD in Disney.  There are so many options, so many hotels, so many different plans (Disney dining? Park Hopper? Parties? Character dining?) to wade through.  This is not the simple Disney World of our youth!

As luck would have it, friends put us in touch with a classmate of the Running Man’s from high school days who owns Ears of Experience.  Ears of Experience is a travel agency that solely books Disney vacations.

Hello easy!

We made one call, were given the best price (of course we checked) and were provided with a thorough itinerary for our trip.

And then we wondered why we suffered through all those years before.

I just had to share…

If you’re planning a trip to see Mickey (or take a cruise), give Amy a call at 1-877-80MOUSE and she’ll help you wade through it all.