New Flower Hunt at Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival!

Before I moved to FL a year and a half ago, I wanted to fly down from NY just so I could participate in the egg hunt (or "Eggstravaganza") during Flower and Garden.  It looks like it started in 2014 with these eggs as the prizes:

from disneyparks.disney.go.com

Now that I see what the first options were, I'm so upset I didn't actually go!  😂  I think these are the cutest out of all the ones I've seen!  Later on they added ones like the Cheshire cat, Lady & the Tramp (2 different ones so you'd need 2 maps), Jessie and Woody, and Dory and Nemo.  You have to buy a map, then look around Epcot (there is also a Disneyland one, I don't know how that operates) for the character eggs hidden in all different countries around World Showcase.  It's the cutest Easter egg hunt EVER.  (They have other search-and-finds like the Ratatouille one a couple years ago you can read about here, the Festival of the Arts one where you had to locate a specific painting in each country, and the one I wrote about in my last post with Chip & Dale on hidden wreaths around each country.)

So I was thrilled when I got to participate last year and got myself a Mickey egg!  (I later found BINS of them at Cast Connection--a special store only Disney Cast Members are allowed into but they can bring friends and family as guests--I HIGHLY recommend a visit!  But this made it seem so not special that I didn't get any.  And where would I put them?  I value the one I earned!!  And I keep it on my bathroom counter.)

I saw the options for this year, and I wasn't crazy about them, but I did see a NEW search and find with a long-lost character, Spike the Bee, from Donald Duck cartoons of the 1950's and 60's!

Spike's Pollen-Nation Exploration!  Just like the other search and finds, you have to find something in almost every country.  This time you had to find a special flower or plant in each garden.  It was a bit easier than other search and finds because they were all on the ground, in specific gardens.  They each had a photo of the plant sticking up out of the ground with an adorable model of Spike hanging out right next to it.

                       

The one by Mexico was probably the hardest.  No, I'm wrong, the hardest for me was the one in Savanna because I didn't see that one!!  I'll have to check again next time if they're still up.  I didn't really mind because I had found all the rest and I could use process of elimination (plus they don't even check.  I actually heard a cast member ask if someone buying the map wanted their prize before they even started searching--where's the fun in that!!?).  

Before I bought the map (you get your usual discount if you are an Annual Passholder--which I JUST BECAME so this blog is going to get a well-deserved facelift, at least in content and frequency of posts!) I asked what the prize was.  It was a set of patches with characters on them.  (For Festival of the Arts last year, they were magnets of classic art pieces with Figment in them--I don't know if they did it this year.  For the Ratatouille one you could get a really nice quality pin with Remy and the vegetable of your choice.  For the Chip & Dale wreaths one you get a set of buttons--the circular pins with safety-pin kind of backs of the ornaments you found and one larger one of Chip & Dale.)

I was trying to be non-chalant about taking a photo of all the options so it's not the best angle:

(and someone else's hand--I'm not engaged 😂)

I was really torn between the Figment set and the Mickey set, but the Mickey set had Orange Bird, and Figment had 2 with just writing on them.  So, sorry Figment, you still have my heart, but there's just not enough Orange Bird merch going around (unless you go to the Disney dress shop--there's a dress, an adorable purse, and jewelry of him).  I haven't decided where I'm putting them yet but I'm happy with what I got!  I'd say the Exploration was totally worth it.  It's fun to have a purpose and notice things you normally may not.

As for the Eggstravaganza--the options this year include the updated cartoon shorts versions of Mickey and Minnie (not my cup of tea), Mike Wazowski and Sulley, and Cinderella and Belle.  If you are an AP you can purchase a set of 2 Star Wars eggs for $9.99 plus your discount.  They are of a storm trooper and C3PO!

I believe you can purchase the maps at various spots but I know for sure you can get them at the Port of Entry at the beginning of World Showcase, and at World Travelers, which is at the back entrance/exit by the Beach Club resort.  You can only redeem your maps at the main shops on either side of the entrance to World Showcase (definitely at Port of Entry, and I imagine at the one facing it too.  There is another one, right?  Anyway go to Port of Entry if you're in doubt!).

Tokyo Disneyland Part II

Well here is part 2 of my Tokyo Disney blogs!! Last time I covered my trip to Tokyo Disney Sea.  This time I'll be focusing on the Land!  My friend Donald and I spotted each other from far away:

Of course a huge gust of wind came right when our picture was being taken with him:

Here I am with Prince John, sucking my thumb.  (It's a reference to the movie.  Robin Hood, the one with the foxes.  Prince John sucks his thumb and goes, "Mummy!" a few times.  This isn't my normal photo pose.)

We saw the castle as we walked in!

Hooray!

 

We were there for "Easter Wonderland" (like Tokyo Disney Sea's "Spring Carnival") and there were eggs all over the park of characters!  I have at least one picture of an egg later on but here's the big egg centerpiece of the park (I forgot I'd given myself bunny ears):

 

 Here's a cute window display near the entrance:

There was a Monsters, Inc. ride (Ride and Go Seek) that I was super excited about, but the wait was FOUR HOURS and all the Fast Passes were done for the day, so I missed that.  

                            

 I found one of the eggs here:

                                      

At least they have themed souvenir shops for most of the rides!  I found a Monsters, Inc. hardhat.  It matched my dress!

Disney is so great about all the little details, like these on the walls of the shop (you can click them to make them bigger):

They also had Roz's glasses for sale, which I really wanted (with the pearl chain and everything), but ended up not buying.  Now, years later, I have real cat-eye glasses with my prescription :)

Then there were the classic rides, like It's a Small World:

I don't usually take pictures during the "cruise" because it takes away from the first-hand experience.  But this was in Tokyo so I tried to take some memories home :)  This came out a little blurry but it's the best of them:

We didn't ride Dumbo, but here's a cute photo-op next to it:

And Timothy S. Mouse on the top of the ride:

 

Here's Peter Pan's Flight:

And Pinnochio:

They also had Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain.  You could meet Cowboy Goofy, Woody, and Jesse!  The crowds were so big I hardly got to see anyone but I came pretty close!

Here's another egg in front of Splash Mountain :)

And another adorable Disney detail, a scene where I guess Chip and Dale have been:

Here's a really cute snack we had:

An awesome Up scene:

There was this really cute version of the Tiki Room featuring Stitch (in Japan they call him Stitchy, which is so cute) called Aloha E Komo Mai.  Stitch's paw prints were on the ceiling, and there's actually a whole synopsis of the ride on wikipedia (I looked it up so I could remember exactly what it was, and it's really cute).

Anyway, it was an awesome time and I just adored both days.  What a great place to spend with my brothers.  It really was the cutest.  I'd love to go back there!  Notice the eggs with Mickeys on them on this lit-up sign as we exited.  Sigh... that was so great.  Goodbye, Tokyo Disney!