The Disney Exchange: Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival

By: Nick

One of my favorite albums of all time is Blue Oyster Cult's "Agents of Fortune." Then there are incredible tunes like Godzilla, Burnin' For You, Career of Evil, to name a few, which are among my all time favorite songs. Yet I never saw them live. Cut to a few weeks ago, and I see that they're on the list of musical acts playing EPCOT's International Flower and Garden Festival's Garden Rocks Concert Series March 19th and 20th! To say I was excited is an understatement.

I planned on trying the Regal Eagle Dining Package, as I love their food, and thought $35 a reasonable price to pay to get good seating without waiting in line.

Regal Eagle Smokehouse is located at The American Adventure Pavilion, across from America Gardens Theater. Their barbecue is fantastic, up there with The Polite Pig in Disney Springs, and I've never had a meal I didn't love.

At this point I will share that I've become completely lax in planning since moving here, because I never bothered to find out how the dining package worked.

Here was my experience:

I walked into Regal Eagle about 4:25, as the sign out front said there was still limited availability for all 3 shows. I walked up to register and asked about the package. The Cast Member was unfamiliar with how to ring it up, so asked a manager that was nearby. She came back, took a ticket out, stamped the date, and tried to ring up my order. But it wasn't taking, so she asked another Cast Member nearby who asked what show I wanted to attend. I said 5:30, to which he explained that dining packages should be made 2 hours prior to show time. I was about to say that was fine, I'd take it for the 6:45 show, when he said he'd ask his manager. She gave the okay to make an exception, but I want to stress this was an exception. After the first show, I walked by the sign again, and it was updated to all shows being sold out. I also noted that it doesn't specifically state that there is a 2 hour window.

The package includes entree, drink and dessert, so I ordered the Memphis Dry Rub Pork Ribs, a Coke, and the Tiana Banana Pudding.

There is plenty of seating inside and out, and I took my dinner to a bench outside as it was a lovely cool day. As an unexpected and mind blowing bonus, I got to sit and eat while watching BOC doing sound check.

The ribs were tender and juicy, the sauces are always good, the coleslaw could use some salt, and the pudding was delicious.

When I walked over to enter at a little after 5 for the 5:30 show, I was brought to a section to the left of the stage, and there was plenty of space to sit in the front row! Oh, and the ticket is a sticker!

For $35 I got about $25 worth of food, and an awesome seat in the front row. It was a packed show in the rest of the theater, but the dining section wasn't crowded at all.

Relative to the sit down restaurant packages, which start at $60, I feel it's a good bargain.

All that being said, you may be able to get a better viewing spot waiting in line, or, as was the case for the 6:45 show, no line at all. I literally walked in at 6:30 and was able to get an aisle seat with a great view, and I could've gotten even closer if I didn't mind sitting mid row.

Then again, if I hadn't been in the front, I would not have gotten this awesome shot of rock icon and original founding BOC member, Eric Bloom!

Will you be at Flower and Garden this year, and will you be seeing a show?

By Nick

Even as the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is wrapping up, (the last day is today, 2/20, actually), preparations are well underway for the Flower & Garden Festival, which begins on March 1st and runs through July 5, 2023. Many gardens, displays, and topiary's have been springing up recently.