The Flower and Garden, Work and Play Trip – Day 4
I checked out of Pop Century this morning and moved to the Dolphin. The Dolphin is a Marriott resort located on Disney Property. It is located on Crescent Lake between Disney’s Boardwalk and Yacht & Beach Resort. It gets to enjoy all the same perks as a Disney resort, such as daily early entry to the parks, a perk that is available to all Disney Resort Guests, and the extra evening hours on select nights, which are only available to Deluxe or DVC Resort guests. If I can score an excellent annual pass-holder rate, this is one of my go-to resorts when I am out of DVC points (or if they are all tied up in future trips).
I was awake early, so I packed my stuff and ordered breakfast from the food court. Then I called bell services to help me get my luggage to the front, where I called an Uber. Once I got to the Dolphin, I went to check-in. I wasn’t expecting my room to be ready this early, but not only did they find me an open room, but I also got an upgrade to a much nicer view. I am a Marriott Gold member, and one perk is a room upgrade if one is available, so I usually book the cheapest room category to save money and hope for the upgrade. Of course, I’m always perfectly fine with what I paid for if one is unavailable. I ended up with a view of Crescent Lake and the Boardwalk, and I could see the Epcot fireworks from my window. When I was here in December, I got almost the same upgraded view, but it was two floors higher and the room next door. (Awesome view from my window)
I needed to work this morning, so I hung out in my room and did that. This resort is a convention hotel, so even if my room had not been ready, I could have found a great location to work and wait for my room.
In the early afternoon, I finished working and headed to Epcot to check out the Flower and Garden Festival. As I passed the Rose and Crown in the United Kingdom, I realized the Rose and Crown Musician would be playing his first set in a few minutes, so I grabbed a pint of Old Speckled Hen from the bar and found a seat. He was excellent, as always, so I stayed for his second set.
Then, I walked across to the other side of the UK Pavillion to listen to Command Performance, the resident band that plays 60s-90s British Rock, such as The Beatles, The Police, and The Who.
After that, I stopped in Canada to listen to the band playing there. This French Canadian band from Ontario is formally known as Les Rats d’Swompe but goes by Les Raftsmen when playing at Epcot. They are a five-piece band that plays a mix of traditional, rock, pop, and punk music and features a pretty awesome fiddle player. I enjoyed listening to them. If you want to check them out, look them up on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/artist/0obqXGMsH3EDyfqnbamcb8?si=1DYXlnAfTBilwQHxI1erPQ
By then, I was getting hungry, so I stopped to get lunch at one of the Flower and Garden Festival food kiosks. I had the Chicken and Waffle, the Honey-glazed Cauliflower, and the Copperpoint Brewing Co. Bee’s Squeeze Blonde Ale from The Honey Bee-stro kiosk.
After lunch, I headed to World Celebration Gardens to sit and relax. This newly opened area near the front of Epcot has tables, bar top seating, chairs, and many charging ports, making it a great place to sit and relax or work. I hung out, people-watched, and worked on my blog posts for about an hour or so. I was getting tired, so I made a couple more stops for a Cubanito from the Florida Fresh Kiosk, a beer flight from the Northern Bloom Kiosk, and then caught the last set of the night of Les Raftsmen before walking back to my resort.
Topiaries and Gardens – Epcot Flower and Garden Festival – For the full album of all the Topiaries, visit my photo album, 2024 Flower and Garden Topiaries
Other pictures from around Epcot
When I got back to my resort, I went to the hot tub for a quick soak, then back to my room to watch the fireworks from the window before calling it a night.
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