A Disney day is by far one of our favorite kind of days around here, but for Dan and I, an Epcot day is in the top two of all Disney days. The food, the drinks, the World Showcase, and the rides, every bit of it we love and now our girls love too. Only one more thing can boost an Epcot day a little bit higher on our Disney scale and that’s a day at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival! We’ve vacationed a few times now during this festival and have loved every second of it. Our toddler has enjoyed tons of different treats, live music, floral playgrounds, and topiaries that inspire our at home gardening, no not to Disney’s scale but a certain herb display had me thinking about a new garden next year. Lucky for us, Disney decided to extend their festival this year so our littlest family member could experience her first Disney festival!

Our next full day of Disney Vaca 2016 was our first Epcot day! We were greeted with some of the best topiaries yet, not to mention these amazing herb and flower displays which I’m already sweet talking my husband into helping me recreate at our new house next Spring. Once we were through the gates and under Epcot’s iconic landmark it was onto an early morning ride on The Land, Nemo, and Test Track and some meet and greets with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Baymax! For my toddler all of her friends were a huge hit, especially newbie Baymax who happens to star in one of her new favorite movies, and for her little sister, well she was cautiously happy to meet them as long as she was safe in Mommy’s arms. 

One of the flower/herb towers that little one happen to love too!

Soon enough, World Showcase was opening and bellies all around were growling. Another bonus on top of the gorgeous topiaries everywhere, the food, some of which happens to be gluten free! Surrounding the lake are festival stands which note gluten free on all of their signage and in the food passports that you can pick up at any store or food stand. 

A tip, some of these gluten free items are safer than others. I always double check before I order anything anywhere, but especially at smaller stands like these, if there are chances for cross contamination. Some of the answers took a few things off my list but I was more than happy to avoid a possible run in with gluten. 

Thankfully, others were safe and delicious! Like Japan’s Frushi! For some reason this year this one wasn’t marked as gluten free but in past years it has been but thanks to my fellow gluten free Disney bloggers I had a heads up that it was still safe. So for starters on my Flower and Garden food adventure it was one plate of gluten free Frushi. Fresh pineapple, strawberry, and melon all rolled into some raspberry coconut rice with whipped cream on the side. First off, it looks beautiful, definitely sushi like minus the fish which is already a win in my book. It was definitely tasty but a little strange mostly because of the rice. I’m not a huge rice person anyway but the addition of the fruit, raspberry sauce, and whipped cream has made me more of a fan. Altogether pretty tasty and filling, until my next stop in Italy.

Okay Italy probably brought in the big win of the day with their gluten free food and drink options. Unlike a few others, this Disney vaca Mommy could enjoy a Mommy beverage, so that I did with a favorite of mine, the Bellini. And thanks to the festival I decided on the Cremoso al Pistacchio to go along with it. This sweet treat was amazing! Pistacchio cream with strawberries and marscarpone, perfect perfect perfect! Can you tell I liked it? And thankfully the girls had filled up on Norway bites and were on the verge of napping, otherwise I would’ve had to share this tiny tasting. Cheers to 5 minutes of Mommy time to enjoy this miniature delight and my Bellini!

We decided to opt for lighter snacks on our trip around the world on this particular Epcot day mainly because we had an early reservation at Italy’s Tutto Italia. So while I tried a few gluten free sweets, in true hubby style, Dan indulged in some savory delicacies, just enough to tide us over until dinner. While we snacked and our tiny girl napped we dodged in and out of the countries, getting a Duffy bear stamped, meeting a princess or two, and skipping out of the on and off rain storm. Finally it was time for a much anticipated dinner at Tutto Italia. We’ve dined at Tutto Gusto and have loved it so we decided to give it’s mother restaurant a try this time, especially since we never left Tutto Gusto disappointed. 

Whenever we dine in Epcot’s Tutto Gusto we’ve always been instantly transported back to our honeymoon and babymoon trips in Italy, and thankfully Tutto Italia did just the same. The authenticity of the menu options and delicious gluten free pasta brought me right back to one of our last dinners in Venice. And being an Italian who loves her cheese, pasta, and panna cotta, that can rarely get this combo in a farely non-gf US, I was pleasantly surprised by my choices at Tutto Italia. So no surprise, I started off with their Fior Di Latte Mozzarella, fresh mozzarella with roasted red peppers, basil, Maldon sea salt, and olive oil. One word, amazing! The mozzarrella was so flavorful and matched perfectly with the sweetness of the red peppers. Amazing! So much so I shared tiny bites with my girls! Also should mention that they offer some of the best fresh gluten free bread here just like their sister Tutto Gusto. Kind of the icing on the cupcake to these restaurants if you ask me.

Next up, the main course! While the girls nibbled on mouth watering chicken fingers and veggies, my Penne Caprese was delivered. Rice pasta with pomodoro sauce and burrata cheese, a regular for me now from Tutto Gusto but always a winner. I’m a creature of habit and tend to stick with what I know and love, and this I know and love. The pasta is always cooked to perfection and lathered in the most flavorful pomodoro sauce, and don’t get me started on the creamy burrata cheese on top.

Last but not least, dessert time! In the past at Tutto Gusto we’ve shared a chocolate and cherry panna cotta that was always my favorite. This time around they marked a different and somewhat surprised dessert option as gluten free. A vanilla and chocolate panna cotta with fresh strawberry compote and crumbled cookies on top, in it’s original version was gluten free! The cookies on top were actually almond-hazelnut meringue cookies which happened to be gluten free but after my first bite, I hesitantly waved the manager over for some questioning. After all, how often can us gluten free vacationers get cookie topping on our desserts? But sure enough these were gluten free cookies for certain which added the perfect crunch to one of my favorite desserts!

All together this was an amazing day of gluten free sweets and eats thanks to Epcot and it’s always wonderful Flower and Garden and Tutto Italia’s gluten free menu! Thankfully with our slightly longer trip we got to enjoy all of it that much longer and managed another whole Epcot day along with some nights here and there!

Every trip I look back at our pictures in the weeks and months that follow, counting down the moments until we can return to Disney. And when I see these faces, these expressions make us want to keep going back. We’re making memories, all four of us. So thank you Disney for another wonderful day at Epcot, and stay tuned for more Disney fun!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

Been a little bit since a Disney recap but with birthday celebrations and summer recoveries I’m finally looping back to our Disney vaca! With our first day of Magic Kingdom fun in the books, we were up and ready for our second day of water park fun and our first delicious gluten free dinner! Nothing beats the Florida heat then a morning at one of Disney’s water parks, and first up for us was Blizzard Beach. 

The water park was a huge hit this year, for one of our girls at least. While our toddler was running, swimming, sliding, floating, and tubing all over, her little sister was snug in Mommy’s arms slowly getting used to the water, splashing a bit in the kiddie zone, floating down the lazy river, and ending it all with a nap in Mommy’s arms. Bet not too many Disney goers can say they napped at a water park! Well my baby girl can!

Lunch is always my toughest meal on vaca. And even though there were definitely gluten free options at the water park of the chicken finger/ french fry variety, I was more in the mood for a light snack, so Disney popcorn it was. The salty, buttery popcorn is highly recommended for any Disney patron but if you’re gluten free, it’s a must! So after a late light lunch for all, it was back to the hotel to freshen up in our amazing studio, grab some fruity drinks at Trader Sam’s, and finally to enjjoy some dinner at Ohana!

With sangria, a toddler friendly slushie of some kind, and hubby’s favorite drink in a tiki man glass in hand we were seated for a much anticipated Ohana dinner. The chef was over shortly to go over my options and quickly after that my first round of food appeared. That’s one thing with Ohana, you won’t have an empty table for long, when food arrives, it keeps coming the whole dinner. The rolls were warmed well and with butter hit the spot perfectly since we were pretty much starving by this point. Next up, the salad, which I love! I could eat bowls and bowls of just the salad, topped with just the right amount of my favorite fruity dressing. Not too long after, some chicken wings with seasoned veggies arrived. The veggies I loved, the chicken wings had way too much seasoning for me, please keep in mind though that I’m super sensitive to any seasoning, so less is so much more for me. Next time I definitely have to remember to remind the chef of my preference but totally forgot. 

Finally it was time for the main course and what Ohana is known for, meat skewers! While all of the meats are gluten free, I’ve watched many a skewer touch down on plates that have gluten filled lomein on them, so I requested my very own portions of new meats. Grilled chicken and steak came out perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection! And to sweeten our first Disney dinner a little more, the chef brought out a chocolate cookie ice cream dessert. Not nearly as appetizing as the mouth watering and legendary Ohana bread pudding but free of gluten and a sweet ending to my meal!

Altogether, great gluten free dinner but the highlights were my sweet little ones getting serenaded and participating in the coconut race, well our toddler at least. Amazing that last time at Ohana we had just one little girl who was only old enough to sit tableside and nibble on lettuce, bread, and noodles. Now we were back still with a high chair but with a new little one in it, amazing how fast time goes once your a parent.

Anyway, as soon as dinner was over we couldn’t wait to hop on the monorail to enjoy a night of fun at the Magic Kingdom. Nothing beats topping off a relaxing day of water fun then with a nighttime ride on Dumbo and the most amazing views of Cinderella’s castle!

Another amazing day in Disney! Stay tuned for more of our adventures!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

Finally fourteen months and one more little girl later we returned to Disney World. Not only was this our baby girl’s first trip to Disney but also our first vaca as a family of four aka Dan and my first vacation with two very small little girls. With disposable bottles, squeezable baby foods, containers of formula, and diapers, diapers, diapers all packed in every nook and cranny of our suitcases, we were off early and driving, shuttling, flying, and busing to Disney!

The flying part of any vacation is probably the part I worry the most about, flying wise and in general with small kids. We’ve traveled quite a bit with our first daughter and some flights have certainly been rougher than others, so for this one we weren’t really sure what to expect from our newest flyer. So I packed my Disney backpack aka diaper bag aka snack cooler aka Mommy’s a pack mule for her little girls and we buckled up for that sometimes very long 2 1/2 hour flight. For baby I made sure we had plenty of nibblers from dried fruit and puffs to gold fish and yogurt melts along with the essential bottle for taking off. And then there were the not so small and not so easy to pack baby toys which were overflowing out of the backpack, and yes all of them were played with since a crawling baby only likes sitting for two minutes not two hours. But with her sister occupied beside her eating her bagel while coloring, playing a PBS kids game on the ipad, or watching a Disney favorite, our baby managed to have a cat nip for the first bit leaving the last half with Mommy and Daddy playing pass the potato. But 2 1/2 hours later and we landed in sunny and humid, I mean really humid, Florida!

A grueling 15 minutes later of repetitive “Mommy are we here yet?” while the pilot slowly parked and everyone disembarked ahead of us, we were finally free! With two girls changed into summer Disney gear and plopped in the double stroller (which was such a blessing!), we headed straight for the Magical Express. Nothing beats catching your first glimpses of Disney at Orlando’s airport, checking in with your magic band, and your girls getting their first princess greetings, you know the fun is just beginning!

During the final leg to Disney, the anticipation was a little too much for our toddler who fell asleep during the intro videos aboard the Magical Express. But not her little sister who’s tiny cat nap seemed enough to beat that early morning wake up call, for now at least. Once we arrived at our home away from home for the week, the Polynesian Villas, our toddler woke without too much trouble, especially once she got her special flower necklace, which she wore proudly for the days ahead. 

We checked in and took a little walk around our new hotel. We normally stay at the Wilderness Lodge which is by far our favorite Disney home but as our first vaca with DVC we opted for a special treat and decided to try the Polynesian. It was gorgeous and a wonderful change, but I’ll spend a whole post just reviewing the hotel later! So after our toddler took in the tiki man in the lobby and Minnie dressed in her hula skirt in the hall we headed straight to Magic Kingdom via the monorail. We were there in no time and soon enough standing on Main Street staring straight at the castle.

I remember a few years ago on our toddler’s first Disney trip when we finally made it to Magic Kingdom she had just fallen asleep after our long morning of travel. So the fact that her little sister was awake, a little hot and blinky from the bright sun, but taking it all in was really special. She couldn’t get enough of the hustle bustle but her favorite were the Mickey balloons flying above her, someone is just like her sister. So a Mickey balloon for two it was, red was the choice this year and our toddler even got to play the role of a coveted Disney Balloon Cast Member for a minute! 

Balloon split between four tiny hands, we headed off for our first rides and lunch. Small World, Peter Pan, Cinderella’s Carousel, are always top on the list of firsts and for a certain tiny little girl these I’m sure will become favorites like they are for her sister. Finally it was time for our first Disney meal, a Mickey pretzel and fresh fruit of course for the girls and a turkey leg for this Mommy and Daddy. This is by far one of our favorite lunches at Magic Kingdom, a Frontierland favorite and conveniently located next to the Mickey pretzels! Smoked turkey meat that fills any starving vacationer for their afternoon of fun, absolutely delicious! The only downside are the carnivorous tall, skinny birds that you see lurking around Frontierland, well they just so happen to love turkey legs and aren’t shy about it. Their presence wasn’t exactly welcomed with our toddler who literally fell off her seat trying to escape them, thankfully Mommy and Daddy were there to protect her. 

We decided pre-vacation to take the first day pretty easy and call it an early one, with no dinner reservations. In the past we’ve all been too exhausted, mainly the miniature, to really enjoy a meal so we figured short and sweet this time would be the way to go, absolutely right decision. We enjoyed an afternoon of rides at the park before we got caught in a massive downpour and headed back to the Polynesian. Once the monorail brought us back home we stopped into Captain Cook’s for a “quick dinner,” which thanks to the rain made the wait for dinner a little lengthier than we wanted. But after speaking to the chef I was able to enjoy a sandwich, nothing spectacular, but just enough so we could call it an early night in our Tokelau suite!

Stay tuned for more Disney fun and gluten free deliciousness from our 2016 Disney Vacation!

Sincerely,

Lindsay