Tips, info, recomendations for Food and Wine

[arm00leg]

Hubby and I are thinking about doing Disney at a different time of year - leaning towards fall and attending Food and Wine. What I'd like to know is ... everything! Is it a good time to go, what should we look for, what to do, etc. Sell me on the idea! Any and all tips welcome!

[faline]

Epcot, especially World Showcase, can get very crowded during the Food & Wine Festival. Lines at individuals food kiosks can also be quite long.

Special events tend to book up very quickly so if you plan to go to any, be sure to book as soon as possible.

[BigRedDad]

Here are some tips:
1. Hit WS earlier in the day. The later it gets the more crowded it gets.
2. Travel counter clockwise. If you start going to the left, the sun will be in your face most of the day. Very annoying.
3. Try doing it in more than one day. This way you can do a full section one day and move to other sections on other days.
4. Avoid weekends and after 5PM.
5. Enjoy

[arm00leg]

Good tips, never would have thought about the sun in the face! I forgot to mention that it would be fall 2012, so we have plenty of time to plan if we choose to go at this time. Are there any special events that are part of the Food and Wine that are especially good? What kinds of foods? A variety of ethnic foods, like World Showcase usually has? We are probably going to be staying at BC again - so easy easy access. I want any and all info, ha! What's the weather usually like end of Oct - early Nov?

[kemps@wdw]

the Food and Wine Fest is one of the main reasons we like going in October! Of course, the weather is better and the crowds aren't so big. But, the F&W Fest...it rocks! :thumbsup: In addition to the countries already @ Epcot, there are numerous others that are represented by food and beverage. It's wonderful just to stroll around and sample something from EACH one. And the samples are relatively small and cheap, which means...you can try them ALL!!! The crowds are a little heavier @ WS during the evening, and we always work from Canada around to Mexico to avoid looking @ the sun all the time. My tip would be...go in October, don't miss the F&W Fest, take your time and enjoy it!

[DAWS]

I think the Food and Wine Festival is our favorite time to visit, followed by Christmastime.

Personally, I loved the special events. I would read all the descriptions as soon as they come out, and pick one or two that sound great. There are so many, and they do change, so it would be hard to say which you can't miss. I did LOVE the cooking class I took - way fun to see the chef make the meal, and the wine pairings were great.

I also really enjoy the Australian wine tastings.

If you do the dining package, most of the tastes count as snack credits, which is a great value.

I have always done some research before going to find out people's favorite snacks at the various booths, and then I made a list of the items I wanted to try for sure.

The Eat to the Beat concerts are fun...

[brivers222]

make sure you buy one (or more) of those wristlette gift card thingies.... I guess they are only available during the F&W fest.... we love them, so convienent!

[arm00leg]

We love the holiday time at Disney- our favorite time to go was right after Thanksgiving. It was great because it wasn't crowded - not the case any longer. So we are trying to find another good time to go and the Food and Wine gathering sounds like fun. So what are the wristlet card things? Sort of dining credit card for the special kiosks? Will there be extra beer selections for DH? He's not a vino kind of guy.:beer::beer: Thanks for all the info so far!

[brivers222]

So what are the wristlet card things? Sort of dining credit card for the special kiosks?

Actually you would think that its for special use at the kiosks but its really good for everywhere they take disney gift cards.

It's a small gift card that is attached to a one of those plastic expanding wrist chain. I think they would sell a lot of them if they actually sold them at all times of the year. Its slightly bigger than those key chain tags you get from grocery stores.

[BugeyedMuggy]

We love the holiday time at Disney- our favorite time to go was right after Thanksgiving. It was great because it wasn't crowded - not the case any longer. So we are trying to find another good time to go and the Food and Wine gathering sounds like fun. So what are the wristlet card things? Sort of dining credit card for the special kiosks? Will there be extra beer selections for DH? He's not a vino kind of guy.:beer::beer: Thanks for all the info so far!

The last couple of years there have been many drinks besides wine. Last lear there was a just beer booth and you could choose a few tastings from many selections. Also the booths themselves have offerings such as hard cider, sake, champange, some frozen drinks just to name a few.

[mdricks]

I go every year with 1-3 buddies on a golfing "get away from the rat race for a weekend" trip. There is nowhere better for such an adventure.

It is a beer drinker's paradise. Tons of choices, none all that challenging, but diverse. The Belgium kiosk, for example, is a must visit. The Leffe was spectacular. :beer:

I understand the "go early" tips but IMHO that defeats the purpose of F&W. The opportunity to hang out with old friends and make new ones is key.

Treat it as a huge street party to which the world has been invited. :party: It is crowded but a very different vibe. The crowds are less the frantic "must see everything" groups and more a laid back party atmosphere.

Pay attention to the musical groups, it is worth planning your trip around if an old favorite is playing.

My best tip would be make late dinner ressies and none for lunch. You will snack quite a bit during the day.

The weather has been awesome the years I have gone.

My last tip would be look out for the food and wine festival guide that is downloadable in PDF from the Disney website. Unfortunately they remove the guide after the festival is over.

If you print off this year's, you can use it for reference. It will answer the vast majority of your questions.

If anyone wants a copy of the 2010 guide shoot me a PM and I will forward.


:number1:

[iceicebritney]

I would suggest not getting the dining plan (unless you get lucky and it's free:thumbsup:) if your spending a lot of time at the festival. We made the mistake of having the deluxe dining plan and buying everything at the festival kiosks. It was too much food that we ended up hardly eating our dinners!
There is a wine passport for France, Germany, Italy, and maybe one other country that is affordable and fun:mickey: We purchased ours at France.
The men in our party really enjoyed the beer tasting near the entrance to world showcase. I understand that is a regular kiosk at the festival.
It is very busy so be prepared to wait in line and be patient. It was a wonderful time and definitely a must do if you've never done it in Disney.

[arm00leg]

Such good feedback, thank you much!:thanks:

[arm00leg]

mdricks
Thanks so much for the guide! It really did help seeing it, gave much more of an idea of what will be going on and what it's all about.

[mdricks]

My pleasure!

Have a great time and tell the hubby to save a Leffe for me! :beer:



:number1:

[mdricks]

Disney has released this years info on the festival! Go to the offical diz website and look on the special events page for epcot.

Or go the the food blog.

Can't wait!!!

:number1: