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Old 01-08-2017, 09:52 PM   #1
revral
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Flower & Garden Festival: What should I know?

I'm considering (aka number crunching, doing Disney math, playing with the budget or creative financial wrangling) an end of April/beginning of May 2018 trip. Which obviously puts me in WDW during the Flower & Garden Festival which I've never been to before. What do I need to know? Should know? Any must sees/do's? What are crowds like? Are they as bad as Food & Wine? If you've done the Flower & Garden in a scooter or wheelchair is there anything I should know that will make doing the Flower & Garden Festival in a scooter easier for me & safer for everyone involved? I've done Disney on a scooter before & attempted Food & Wine in 2014 but gave up because of the insanely huge crowds & the fact that I didn't feel safe operating a scooter in the huge crowd. Thanks in advance for the information.
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Old 01-09-2017, 06:17 AM   #2
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The Flower and Garden Festival is lovely. There are food kiosks but the crowds don't approach the F&WF crowds -yet, at least. Do try them as they are quite good. The topiaries are beautiful. Get a passport to keep track of what you would like to see and try. You sound like you are planning a visit during a less busy time, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to check a crowd calendar for your dates to choose a less busy day for your Epcot visit. If you head to WS as soon as it opens, lines at the kiosks should be light to nonexistent. I have never seen large crowds around the topiaries, with the possible exception of the entry plaza which can be busy. Enjoy your trip!
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Old 01-09-2017, 10:37 AM   #3
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You're pretty experienced with scooter use at Disney from what you've said elsewhere on these boards.

I expect you'll manage fine and better yet will have a great time. Enjoy!
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Old 01-09-2017, 11:47 AM   #4
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I did the Flower and Garden last year the first week of May on a scooter. I didn't have any problems at all. I'm hoping I get to go this year. Maybe I'll see you there and we can scoot together. lol
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Old 01-09-2017, 11:54 AM   #5
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You're pretty experienced with scooter use at Disney from what you've said elsewhere on these boards.

I expect you'll manage fine and better yet will have a great time. Enjoy!
Thanks Dot. Getting good using a scooter at Disney is something that I was forced in to if I wanted to continue going. My concern was/is the crowds as I was afraid of either running over someone or being trampled at Food & Wine in 2014. But from what Holly H. said it sounds like it's not anywhere near as bad as Food & Wine.
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Old 01-09-2017, 12:02 PM   #6
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The Flower and Garden Festival is lovely. There are food kiosks but the crowds don't approach the F&WF crowds -yet, at least. Do try them as they are quite good. The topiaries are beautiful. Get a passport to keep track of what you would like to see and try. You sound like you are planning a visit during a less busy time, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to check a crowd calendar for your dates to choose a less busy day for your Epcot visit. If you head to WS as soon as it opens, lines at the kiosks should be light to nonexistent. I have never seen large crowds around the topiaries, with the possible exception of the entry plaza which can be busy. Enjoy your trip!
Thanks for the info & suggestions Holly. I'll definitely make a note to pick up a passport and I already use a crowd calendar. Based on the 2017 Easy Guide that time is a crowd level 4 for this year. So hopefully it will be that next year.

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I did the Flower and Garden last year the first week of May on a scooter. I didn't have any problems at all. I'm hoping I get to go this year. Maybe I'll see you there and we can scoot together. lol
JackieB, I wish I could swing a trip this April/May but there's just no way. It would be fun to have a partner in scooting around the parks. Hope you have a wonderfully magic trip with lots of pixie dust. I think Tinkerbell emptied out her bag of pixie dust that has my name on it during my last trip (November/December2016)
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Old 01-09-2017, 12:16 PM   #7
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I understand (indirectly, I admit) being forced to use a scooter, especially at Disney. There's no way in the universe we could go if DH didn't use one.

It's tough when a person just can't go and do anymore without such aid. At least, you and he CAN still enjoy Disney with scooters which is something, huh?
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Old 01-09-2017, 12:57 PM   #8
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I understand (indirectly, I admit) being forced to use a scooter, especially at Disney. There's no way in the universe we could go if DH didn't use one.

It's tough when a person just can't go and do anymore without such aid. At least, you and he CAN still enjoy Disney with scooters which is something, huh?
Yeah it's definitely tough but I'm happy that I can still do Disney I just have to roam around seated on top of four wheels & a motor. I really really HATE needing it but am so very very grateful that I had/have the resources that let me have it. I imagine this is how people with service animals feel about their animal. And oddly needing a scooter bothers me less at Disney than it does at home when I'm out shopping and I see someone who is clearly in say their 80's walking along without a problem while I at 45 am using a scooter.
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Old 01-09-2017, 06:27 PM   #9
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Thanks for the info & suggestions Holly. I'll definitely make a note to pick up a passport and I already use a crowd calendar. Based on the 2017 Easy Guide that time is a crowd level 4 for this year. So hopefully it will be that next year.)
Pick a recommended day for Epcot too. I find that the General crowd calendars (I.e. This week is a 4, this week is a 6) don't help me nearly as much as the daily recommendations do, probably because I don't have a lot of options when it comes to dates I can vacation but I can order my parks however I wish. If I know that, say, Thursday of my week Epcot will be the most recommend park and on Wednesday Epcot is the least recommended park, well I'll plan to be there on Thursday!
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