EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival Starts March 2nd

Coming soon! The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival at Disney World will be starting on March 2, 2022 and go all the way until July 4, 2022 this year! This is much longer than usual.

We love this festival! The most unique feature of this festival is the awesome topiaries. There are so many incredibly detailed and life-like floral topiaries of Disney characters and various other objects all around the park. They are amazing! If you go, definitely go around to find them all.

Another favorite is all of the different food kiosks with such creative foods and drinks to try. It’s fun to go with others so you can share a little something from each kiosk. There’s no way you can eat everything yourself, at least not in one day. Check out this Food Kitchen page for a full list of the offerings.

The Garden Rocks Concert Series is also returning to the America pavilion theater with a long lineup of artists. View the concert lineup here.

Concert series

There will also be scavenger hunts, cooking demonstrations, a butterfly house, play areas and other activities for the little ones, and of course, plenty of merchandise. For more details, view this page for the festival:

There’s no shortage of things to do at EPCOT for the next few months. Hopefully, you can make it to Orlando to check it out. Let me know if you want me to help you with your trip.

Pics ©Disney

Support for Ukraine

With everything going on in the world, we should take pause to remember those in the midst of it. Consider how fortunate we are if we’re not directly affected and try to help in whatever way we can.

There are some sources in this article to help the Ukrainians, but you may know of others that you can support as well.

Bring Him Home – Streaming and purchase proceeds will be donated to relief efforts. See his description.

As travelers, we all know how small the world really is. Let’s support each other and pray for a quick, peaceful resolution.

Pic ©The Points Guy

Park Ticket Discount for SoCal Residents

©Disney

Southern California residents can purchase a special 3-Day weekday ticket with admission to 1 park per day (no hopping) for as low as $67 per day. They are valid for select days from Jan 3rd – May 26, 2022, subject to park reservation availability. You need to live in zip codes 90000-93599, and provide proof of residency, including valid government-issued photo ID, for purchase and admission.

For specific details on this offer, read this Disneyland SoCal Offer page.

Ride Changes in Genie+

©Disney

UPDATE 07/24/2024: The Genie+ service has now been retired at Disney World in Orlando. View my Lightning Lane page to learn all about the new service. The Genie+ functionality at Disneyland California remains the same, just renamed to Lightning Lane.

From Feb 25 – Aug 7, 2022, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Hollywood Studios, Frozen Ever After at EPCOT, and Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom will be a part of the Disney World Genie+ choices instead of the Individual Lightning Lane choices.

This might add some more value to your Genie+ purchase if you intend to ride these. However, it could also change your Genie+ strategy as far as what order to get which rides. Plan ahead!

For more details on Genie+, check out my previous blog post:

Feel free to comment below or email me if you have any questions. It all sounds very confusing, but not too bad when you go to use it. We had a chance to try it out on our last trip. I’ll write about it in our Dec 2021 trip recap.

Livestream of Final Disney on Broadway Concert

©Disney

February 21, 2022 is the last night of the EPCOT Disney on Broadway concert series from the Festival of the Arts at Disney World. Disney Parks has announced that they will livestream this last concert on their “Disney Parks” YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok channels at 8pm ET.

The concert series usually has two performers, but this special last performance will feature four performers who have sung in Disney musicals on Broadway – Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”), Josh Strickland (“Tarzan”), Kissy Simmons (“The Lion King”), and Michael James Scott (“Aladdin”)!

Set a calendar remindar to tune in! Should be awesome!

Harry Potter™: The Exhibition Opens in Philadelphia

Where are my Harry Potter fans?? You have to check this out! There’s a brand new Harry Potter exhibit in Philadelphia that just opened at the Franklin Institute, a science museum! It runs through Sept 18, 2022.

I haven’t made it to this one yet, but went to one of the touring Harry Potter exhibits years ago where they had costumes and scenes from the movies and that was awesome. I’m sure with the advance in technology now, they can have even cooler stuff. I can’t wait to go!

Here’s what their website says about it:

This groundbreaking exhibition will celebrate the iconic moments, characters, settings, and beasts as seen in the films and stories of Harry Potter and the Wizarding World using best-in-class immersive design and technology. From the mysteries of Hogwarts™ castle to the antics of its mischievous yet brilliant students; from daring duels to dragons and Dark Arts; from glittering Gringotts™ to the magnificent Ministry of Magic – the exhibition will bring magic to life, connect visitors with the larger global community of fans of the Wizarding World, and reveal the artistry and craftsmanship behind the blockbuster films.

Visitors will get an up-close look at authentic props and original costumes from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts™ films as they engage with innovative, awe-inspiring, and magical environments and installations in this: the most comprehensive touring exhibition ever presented about the Wizarding World.

For more details and to buy tickets, go to their site:

Disneyland Toontown Closing Date Announced

©Disney

Last November, Disney announced that the entire Toontown area in Disneyland, California will be renovated to “feature new play experiences, as well as open, grassy play spaces for everyone to unplug”. Yesterday, they finally gave the specific date when it’ll be closing for this renovation work – March 9, 2022.

It will reopen approximately Spring 2023, no exact date yet on the reopening. However, it will reopen with the new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride, like the one at Disney World.

If you want more details on what the new Toontown will be like, check out this article from Disney Parks Blog:

So, if you want to visit Toontown one last time in its current state, go before March 9th!

Theme park masks are optional again

Mickey mask

Universal Orlando, Disney World Orlando, and Disneyland California just announced that masks will no longer be required in indoor attractions and settings for vaccinated guests. This is in effect already at Universal Orlando and starts Feb 17, 2022 for both Disney parks. They will still be required on transportation, such as shuttles, buses, monorails, and the Skyliner.

Here’s the text snippet from the Disney World site:

Beginning February 17, 2022, face coverings will be optional for fully vaccinated guests in both outdoor and indoor locations. We expect Guests who are not fully vaccinated to continue wearing face coverings in all indoor locations, including indoor attractions and theaters. Face coverings will still be required by all Guests (ages 2 and up) on enclosed Disney transportation, including Disney buses, monorails, and Disney Skyliner.

UPDATE: As of March 15, 2022, masks are optional for vaccinated guests on the Skyliner also.

Here’s the snippet from the Disneyland site:

Beginning February 17, 2022, face coverings are required for unvaccinated Guests (ages 2 and older) in all indoor locations, including throughout indoor attractions and indoor queues. Face coverings are required for all Guests, regardless of vaccination status, in certain indoor settings including Disney shuttles and in health settings, such as in First Aid. Face coverings are optional for Guests in outdoor areas.

Here’s the snippet from the Universal Orlando site:

Face coverings are optional for fully vaccinated guests. For guests who have not been vaccinated, face coverings are encouraged while indoors.

For the full details on this and other current restrictions, refer to the following pages from the parks:

As of this writing, Universal Hollywood and other parks have not announced any changes to their mask requirements, but be sure to check the website for each park before you go.

Disney Wonder Announces New California Sailings

©Disney Cruise Line Blog

Disney Cruise Line has suddenly surprised us with new sailings from San Diego, California for the Disney Wonder between Fall 2022 to Spring 2023!

There are several 3, 4, and 5 night Baja, and 7 night Mexican Riviera sailings. Port stops include Catalina Island, Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

Bookings begin tomorrow (didn’t give us much warning, huh?), Feb 16, 2022, for Platinum Castaway Club members, and continue the 17th and 18th for Gold and Silver/DVC/Adventure Insiders members, respectively. Bookings for the general public begin February 22nd.

For details on the new sailings, check out the following Disney Cruise Line article. They have paused all updates and bookings for all San Diego cruises on the Disney Cruise Line site until they open on the 16th.

You would like to chat about Disney cruises or would like me to help you book your future cruise on these new sailings or any other sailings, feel free to contact me. We sailed on the Wonder on an Alaskan cruise several years ago and it was amazing!

Disney Wish Float Out

©Disney Cruise Line

Did you catch the Disney Wish float out a few days ago?

Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Wish, hit the water for the first time as it floated out of the hall where it was constructed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. This is our first look at the entire ship! It’s gorgeous! So majestic! This major construction milestone was celebrated in true Disney style with fireworks, musical fanfare and a special appearance by Captain Minnie Mouse.

You can watch the float out live stream videos here:

No, unfortunately, this doesn’t mean the ship is ready to sail. It sounds like there’s still testing and interior work that needs to be done. DCL just announced a few weeks ago that the inaugural sailings will be delayed 6 weeks, pushed out til mid July 2022. Check out my blog post on the delay if you want more details.

It’s still exciting to know that the ship construction has reached a major milestone and we are finally able to see it in real life, as opposed to just the artist renderings. It is so beautiful! I can’t wait to see the inside. We will hopefully be sailing on it soon! Crossing fingers!

Let me know if you want me to help you plan your sailings on the Wish or any other cruise.