***2009*** Epcot Food & Wine Festival ENDED NOV. 8

[copperbrick]

FREE = GOOD!

We like to attend as many free seminars as we can. Here are a few pics from a food & wine seminar in the Festival Center...


Hey everyone! Have a great time at F&W Fest!
-Michelle

Michelle, thank you (and everyone who responded to the free wine and food class "is it REALLY free" post I posted. Your pics are the greatest!

This is the most awesome forum. I love the people here.

As for the free food and wine . . . all I can say is WHOOOOOO-HOOOOO!

What's amazing is that I didn't know we scheduled our vacation during the Food and Wine Festival. This is perfect. With hubby and me, it's all about the food! Oh good grief I can hardly stand it!

 

[blissventure]

We pulled out our glasses from The Party for the Senses (from last year) yesterday and enjoyed using them.
Now I'm just waiting with anticipation for the release of further information. -
We're planning to do the PTFS again this visit on Oct 10th.

 

[chip&dale&fun]

FREE = GOOD!

We like to attend as many free seminars as we can. Here are a few pics from a food & wine seminar in the Festival Center...

******************
Hey everyone! Have a great time at F&W Fest!
-Michelle

Michelle - Hi - hope all has been good with you this past year. Can you believe it is time to get excited about food and wine again??????

 

[oybolshoi]

We're hoping that there will be more events to choose from this year at last year's painful but still do-able prices.

TDC Nala ... Would it be OK to link a bunch of F&W reviews here for the newbies to look at so they might have a better idea of what some of the "vets" are talking about? I'd be happy to start it off tonight after I get back from the office (and I'm not just talking about pimping my own ... BriarRosie and Kabuki and TheDISFamily come to mind initially as some great examples to use).

Let me know if it's worth the trouble. Thanks.

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

Michelle - Hi - hope all has been good with you this past year. Can you believe it is time to get excited about food and wine again??????

I know! It's nice to 'see' you again! My daughter will be living down in Disney on the College Program, so she will be updating us on ALL of the F&W events this year! She's going to try and attend as many events as she can.

We're hoping that there will be more events to choose from this year at last year's painful but still do-able prices.

TDC Nala ... Would it be OK to link a bunch of F&W reviews here for the newbies to look at so they might have a better idea of what some of the "vets" are talking about? I'd be happy to start it off tonight after I get back from the office (and I'm not just talking about pimping my own ... BriarRosie and Kabuki and TheDISFamily come to mind initially as some great examples to use).

Let me know if it's worth the trouble. Thanks.

Unfortunately, my F&W reviews are long gone, so don't bother looking for them. The only one still floating around on the DIS is our last family V&A dinner. I'll pipe in here every so often when I can answer something.

I agree, if you want to get up to speed really quick on the Food & Wine Festival, read oybolshoi, BriarRosie, and Kabuki's excellent reviews!!!

 

[TDC Nala]

You all may link anything you like if it is about the Food and Wine Festival. I'd actually like to put them in the first post but I never figured out how to give the links a name. Will follow yours if you post them and put them in the first post if they're about the Food and Wine Festival.

 

[kabuki]

1st! Thank you both DISneyFamily and Oybolshoi for the nice comments on the reviews. I am in GREAT company!
TDCNala - I hope I am doing this the way you want!
Here are links to my past Food and Wine Reviews!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1983874

WE took 1300 pictures I better do a report! (updated 2/20 DONE!) Food Booths 2008


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1624523Wine Classes? Beer School? How do I sign up? Review w/pics

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1982564 PFTS 2008

 

[webray]

Looks like that first night of F&WF Epcot closes at 8pm. Which almost made me change my mind. But then I realized not many locals would likely some out for only 2-3 hours. Assuming they get outta work at 5, travel time to get there, paying for parking, etc. I know I wouldn't bother.

YAY!

The locals...drive straight to EPCOT for F&W, before going home, and don't have to pay for parking because they have annual passes (well most of them anyway)

 

[Melanie151]

Does this happen every year? We are trying to plan when we will attend and this would fit nicely into our schedule. We are only looking at trying a few snacks at the different pavilions.

 

[oybolshoi]

The locals...drive straight to EPCOT for F&W, before going home, and don't have to pay for parking because they have annual passes (well most of them anyway)

Ahhhh, would that be the life or what?

 

[MissMet]

Were the gift cards on the wrist band new for '08?? I don't remember them my last two times. Where do you buy them? Does it cost extra for them or is it just like buying a normal gift card?

Thanks guys.

Can't wait!!!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Were the gift cards on the wrist band new for '08?? I don't remember them my last two times. Where do you buy them? Does it cost extra for them or is it just like buying a normal gift card?

Thanks guys.

Can't wait!!!

Yes, I believe last year the gift card wristband made its debut at the festival. We bought one at the Festival Center in Future World and then another at the festival merchandise stand at the beginning of the showcase. They are just like any other Disney gift card (no surcharge/extra cost).

ETA: Here's a pic of the giftcard wristband:

 

[MissMet]

Yes, I believe last year the gift card wristband made its debut at the festival. We bought one at the Festival Center in Future World and then another at the festival merchandise stand at the beginning of the showcase. They are just like any other Disney gift card (no surcharge/extra cost).

ETA: Here's a pic of the giftcard wristband:

Love it!

Thanks.

 

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

The wristbands were great last year. Not only are they an easy way to pay for things but they make great souvenirs too.

 

[kathiewe]

The locals...drive straight to EPCOT for F&W, before going home, and don't have to pay for parking because they have annual passes (well most of them anyway)

That depends on what you are considering "local" many, like myself, who live less than 2 - 3 hours away will take off early Friday and go for the weekend. We have actually changed our F&W dates because of the increased FL local weekend attendance. Preferring to arrive Saturday evening and leave Tuesday. That way we still catch some of the Sunday weekend events but still miss the big local crowds.

 

[BriarRosie]

Thanks for the shout out. Here are some relevant food and wine reviews I did from last year's festival. My signature links to my various food reviews, and in the first post of every review I did, I linked directly to each review in a handy index. I'm thanking my lucky stars I did that back then. Makes it much easier to copy and paste them here.

2008:Quick F&W kiosk taste and Kitchen Conversations with Robert Irvine

2008:Epcot Festival Kiosks Nosh Heard 'Round the World

2008arty for the Senses - Part 1

2008arty for the Senses - Part 2

2008:French Regional Lunch - Burgundy at Bistro de Paris

2008:Festival kiosks - Part Deux

 

[enchantingodin]

The locals...drive straight to EPCOT for F&W, before going home, and don't have to pay for parking because they have annual passes (well most of them anyway)

I lived in East Orlando for 3 years. I had a SP - not a AP, as did most everyone I knew living in Central FL. Mostly because we didn't want to bother going in high season anyway as it's not only too hot but also WAY too crowded.

Even still it doesn't seem like it would be worth the hassle to me. Most (not all) locals work east of OBT. Unless they're in the service/tourism industry that is. Which is about 1/2 hour drive on a GOOD day to the parks. Let alone 5 o'clock rush hour. And on a friday? On I-4? Hello gridlock. For what? An hour or 2? Again - I know I wouldn't bother.

Maybe others will. Who knows for sure. But with everything else going on in the other parks (F!, eve EMH @ AK, MNSSHP) I'm hoping it'll be dead during the day anyway and I can get most of it done before any locals do decide to show up.

All I can do is plan the best way I can with what I've got.

 

[kathiewe]

I lived in East Orlando for 3 years. I had a SP - not a AP, as did most everyone I knew living in Central FL. Mostly because we didn't want to bother going in high season anyway as it's not only too hot but also WAY too crowded.

Agreed, I'd be interested to see the number of local who have full APs. We also SPs because its way too crowded for us during the high season. I cannot think of anyone we has a full AP -- we actually had them the first year we moved here and then got smart and went to the SP.

You are also right about traveling I-4 during rush hour. I do consulting work in Orlando and if you hit I-4 in the evening life can be hell both directions from outside Tampa to outside Orlando. Not sure anyone would want to rush to Epcot and have to deal with that.

 

[oybolshoi]

Here are some F&W events we've attended over the last couple of years. I'm not going to include any food booths in here because mine are so scattered that it would be painful for anyone to have to go through them.

Please keep in mind that some events offered in one year were not offered in another and there is no guarantee that they will be offered at this year's festival either. That said, I hope this is a little helpful for those of you who may be wondering about some of the different things that the festival has to offer.

2008 F&W Festival

Free Wine Seminar - Banfi Wines

Party for the Senseless, Part I
Party for the Senseless, Part II

French Regional Lunch - Bistro Paris

Kitchen Conversations w/Robert Irvine


2007 F&W Festival

Food & Wine Pairing - Le Cellier

Party for the Senseless, Part I
Party for the Senseless, Part II
A Truly Senseless Summary

Scotch & Food Pairing - Rose & Crown Pub


2006 F&W Festival

Food & Wine Pairing - Coral Reef

Sweet Sundays, Part I
Sweet Sundays, Part II

Food & Wine Pairing - Restaurant Marrakesh

 

[kathiewe]

Thanks for the reviews. So, if you were to pick a great date event for F&W what would it be? While we have go every year for the last 5 we have only done 1 event and I don't think they still have that one.

Thanks for recomendations.