Since the economic debacle began, I've noticed that Walt Disney World has consistently found ways to scale back a bit without seriously eroding the entertainment value we've come to expect. But still, the erosion has been noticeable--and somewhat bothersome.




But judging from the opening weekend of the Flower & Garden Festival, I'm becoming optimistic that maybe--just maybe--Walt Disney World is trending away from scale-backs to "e-plussing"--a term from customer service courses signifying the "wow" factor, or giving the  guest/customer more than he or she expects.





Make no mistake. Disney is still being cautious. The Flower & Garden Festival Center, known as Garden Town, is open only on weekends, and the miniscule shop reflects a limited supply of goodies. Educational gardening seminars also occur only on the weekends--making "turnaways" inevitable because of limited seating capacity. I attended a seminar called "Easy to do Water Features" in a space seating only 77 guests. About 10 others who waited in line were turned away. Those lucky enough to participate received a potted iris--well, actually, we did the potting, but we were allowed to take the plant home with us. Since guests who visit from far away are less likely to have the wherewithal to take such a souvenir home with them, I was struck by the impression that the Flower & Garden Festival had become more of a local festival. Though I am a recently-transplanted local, I do hope Disney moves back into the truly international flavor of the Festival once the bucks start flowing a bit more freely for us.









I was also disappointed by the Festival-specific gifts. Other than the required shirts, mugs, caps and poster (a beautiful design by Randy Noble), there were very few unique gifts featuring this year's theme, "Celebrate the Great Outdoors." However, quite a few operating participants (vendors) were in attendance, selling items from original floral art to flower-scented soaps, thereby diminishing Disney's risk of possibly developing new items that wouldn't sell. I was, however, very impressed with a butterfly limited edition pin, which is pictured here.






With those criticisms aside, I found a lot to love about the Festival. Topiary seems to be all the more plentiful this year. But even better, the horticulturalists and Imagineers have positioned these pieces much more creatively than in the past. In fact, I was surprised more than once when I turned a corner and was face-to-face with a Disney character molded from organic material. The huge topiary display at Epcot's front entrance is one of the best I've ever seen in all my years of visiting, and it was difficult to squeeze in among all the guests to get a decent photo!




Despite the reduction in number of educational seminars, the quality of the few that happen has, so far, been high. Additionally, presenters seemed very conscious of our current cost-consciousness. On Saturday, the presenters spent some time explaining cost-effective ways to get a water feature up and flowing in your yard, and explaining on-the-cheap ways of turning sandy "soil" into a richer planting base. During the week, even without the seminars, a kiosk is open in Future World where you can "Ask An Expert" your own gardening questions. And you can always send a Disney garden specialist an email with your questions at wdw.disney.gardener@disney.com.




Though I spent 6 hours at the Festival on Saturday (March 6), I still didn't get to see all the Flower & Garden featured displays. Over the next couple of weeks, I hope to bring you more of the Festival's surprises. That fact alone--that Walt Disney World's Flower & Garden Festival offers at least a full day of Festival events--indicates that Mickey's reputation for e-plussing is not irrevocably tarnished, even by the horrible financial "set-back" we find ourselves in now.




Don't forget: If you need a thorough Walt Disney World vacation planning guide--actually, ours is called a "System"--please consider "Mousin' About Walt Disney World." More information can be found at http://www.mousinabout.com.

I also have a newsletter that's released about twice a month, called Aronda's NewsPad. Follow this link to sign up: http://www.arondaparks.com/NewsPad-Signup.htm.

Until next time,

Peace! Love! And Mickey Mouse!
Aronda Parks