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

[BriarRosie]

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.

That's a tough call. If they brought back the Signature Dinners or similar events of multiple course meals, I'd say those are special enough. I don't think Party for the Senses is conducive to a fun date night if you don't like throngs of people in a bustling venue. I've liked PFTS because I'm not tied down to another person. There's a lot of people who guard their tables zealously, and if you feel the need to be at a table all the time, that can be difficult at times.

If there aren't any meal events that aren't grazing stations, you could always do what I did last year: I went to Victoria and Albert's main dining room.

 

[DisneyCruiser83]

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.

I have a SP, but my husband has an AP because we hate paying for parking and use the TiW card. The savings we have throughout the year more than make up for the expense of a full AP. Just my two cents!

 

[DisneyCruiser83]

My husband and I are planning a trip in October for the F&WF. This will be our first trip (and our last for a while) so I would like for us to do as much as we can. I plan to do a PFTS and Sweet Sunday as well as browse the kiosks, two Eat to the Beat concerts and perhaps some seminars if something sparks our interest. (This would be over the course of 4 days). I also would like to go to Victoria and Albert's. We will be there for nine days and eight nights. Do you think this is too much to do in that time frame? Any input is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[kathiewe]

I have a SP, but my husband has an AP because we hate paying for parking and use the TiW card. The savings we have throughout the year more than make up for the expense of a full AP. Just my two cents!

That's a good idea.

 

[oybolshoi]

That's a tough call. If they brought back the Signature Dinners or similar events of multiple course meals, I'd say those are special enough. I don't think Party for the Senses is conducive to a fun date night if you don't like throngs of people in a bustling venue. I've liked PFTS because I'm not tied down to another person. There's a lot of people who guard their tables zealously, and if you feel the need to be at a table all the time, that can be difficult at times.

If there aren't any meal events that aren't grazing stations, you could always do what I did last year: I went to Victoria and Albert's main dining room.

I agree with Lori ... PFTS isn't really a date night in my book, either ... too much work. My hubby and I haven't had a chance to do any signature dinners or regional dinners but I've heard they are quite nice (and pricey) and would make for a lovely date night. The regional lunch we tried at Bistro Paris was very nice and could be a good alternative as a date afternoon.

And Lori's V&A suggestion is great - the price for two people to attend PFTS is comparable to what you'd spend for dinner in their dining room (without booze) and it's a wonderful elegant place with amazing food.

My husband and I are planning a trip in October for the F&WF. This will be our first trip (and our last for a while) so I would like for us to do as much as we can. I plan to do a PFTS and Sweet Sunday as well as browse the kiosks, two Eat to the Beat concerts and perhaps some seminars if something sparks our interest. (This would be over the course of 4 days). I also would like to go to Victoria and Albert's. We will be there for nine days and eight nights. Do you think this is too much to do in that time frame? Any input is appreciated! Thanks!

You're going to be at WDW for 9 days but you're only planning F&W for four days? It sounds like you're planning to spend most of your time at the festival on the weekend (maybe I'm reading too much into your post) and that's usually when it's the most crowded. You're probably looking at waiting in line for about an hour for any seminars / tastings that will be offered and lines at the food booths are likely to be long, too.

For what it's worth, here's what we try to do (we usually spend 10 days at WDW) ... we graze around the World Showcase in small bursts during the week (Mon-Th) when the crowds are typically much smaller. If there's a special event offered during the week that we're interested in we book it as soon as possible since seating is limited.

The weekend events you picked are fun, but do you really want to be at PFTS stuffing yourself silly (and maybe drinking yourself silly, too) on Saturday night only to get up early for Sweet Sundays the following morning? I think it usually begins at 9AM on Sunday morning ... or it did we when attended.

Personal preference, but we would choose one or the other, but not both. Now last year we did PFTS on Saturday night and then followed that up with the French lunch at Bistro which started at noon. That was nice because we were able to sleep in and relax before hitting up our second event in 24 hours.

I'm long winded ... (nothing new there ) but I'd say that you need to decide what kind of plan works for you. We like spreading things out but we also stay at the Beach Club Villas so that makes it a lot easier for us to do since we're so close to Epcot.

Just have a good time ... it's impossible to do everything so just focus on those things that you really want to do and then slow down and enjoy them.

 

[dizneykid]

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

Remember, those wrist bands are re-loadable. They do make great souvenirs, but we are still using them every time we go to Disney.

They are very convenient having them on your wrist or as my dh does he attaches them to his belt. You don't have to fish out your money each time you want to buy something.

I hope they bring them back with a new design for this year's F&W.

 

[oybolshoi]

Hi Jeanne!

Remember, those wrist bands are re-loadable. They do make great souvenirs, but we are still using them every time we go to Disney.

They are very convenient having them on your wrist or as my dh does he attaches them to his belt. You don't have to fish out your money each time you want to buy something.

I hope they bring them back with a new design for this year's F&W.

 

[dizneykid]

I agree with Lori ... PFTS isn't really a date night in my book, either ... too much work. My hubby and I haven't had a chance to do any signature dinners or regional dinners but I've heard they are quite nice (and pricey) and would make for a lovely date night. The regional lunch we tried at Bistro Paris was very nice and could be a good alternative as a date afternoon.

The weekend events you picked are fun, but do you really want to be at PFTS stuffing yourself silly (and maybe drinking yourself silly, too) on Saturday night only to get up early for Sweet Sundays the following morning? I think it usually begins at 9AM on Sunday morning ... or it did we when attended.

I agree also! We have been able to do some signature dinners and they are fabulous!

This was just our experience, but maybe it would help. We did PFTS and didn't leave until the very end, and then had Sweet Sundays the next day. We realized we will NEVER do that again. It was very early and we didn't feel like eating no less having three desserts!

There is a lot of food and drink at the PFTS. Plus, you may want to sleep in the next day. We did.

 

[TDC Nala]

The problem with the signature dinners (if there are any) as a "date night" is that they will not seat you at a table for two. You will be seated at a large table with other people. Even at Bistro for the French lunch it is likely youwill share your table with others. Only once have I been at a table for two at a signature dinner and that was last year at Bluezoo. If you had an intimate dinner for two in mind, and was going to pay the kind of price required by the festival events, Victoria & Alberts is the place.

If you have a TIW membership, you can use it at V&A if you eat in the main dining room (not Chefs Table) and it isn't a major holiday which TIW blacks out. Then the cost with booze is pretty much a wash with the F&W events.

I have done three Sweet Sundays and will never do another one - have learned that there IS such a thing as too much dessert.

 

[oybolshoi]

I have done three Sweet Sundays and will never do another one - have learned that there IS such a thing as too much dessert.

who would have thought that could even be possible?

 

[TDC Nala]

honestly I think maybe part of it was the stunt cookie - at the last one my mother and I were given a standard theme park issue macadamia nut cookie with icing on it and I think they were trying to pass it off as the thin butter cookie that was part of the demo. How clueless do they think we are? When asked, the explanation was that they wanted to provide "a variety" but then why give only one table of guests a stunt cookie? They brought more butter cookies but the icing was runny - that may have been the reason why they didn't want to serve them in the first place.

You guys have posted so many links it'll take me forever to repost them on the first post - may have to pick out some good overview reviews. But I am working this weekend so don't know when I will have time!

 

[oybolshoi]

honestly I think maybe part of it was the stunt cookie - at the last one my mother and I were given a standard theme park issue macadamia nut cookie with icing on it and I think they were trying to pass it off as the thin butter cookie that was part of the demo. How clueless do they think we are? When asked, the explanation was that they wanted to provide "a variety" but then why give only one table of guests a stunt cookie? They brought more butter cookies but the icing was runny - that may have been the reason why they didn't want to serve them in the first place.

Ick. I'm not a big cookie person, anyway, but that just sounds gross.

Dont you wonder how they can run out of items when it's a pre-booked event with limited seating? Makes me wonder sometimes about the folks doing the plannng.

You guys have posted so many links it'll take me forever to repost them on the first post - may have to pick out some good overview reviews. But I am working this weekend so don't know when I will have time!

Why don't you just link to each post instead? That way you'd only have three links and you could just list them under a general heading that reads something like ... F&W Festival Pictures & Reviews. Just a thought, and then it wouldn't be very much work or take much time.

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

Hate to be the voice of dissent... but we really love Sweet Sundays! Last year we went to Gale Gand's demo and it was wonderful! She's an amazing pastry chef and we are so lucky to have her close to home in Chicago! Here are some pics of the event...

The table set up in the Chef's Showplace in the Festival Center. The wine glasses were full of Asti Prosecco and it flowed freely the entire event.

The Sweet Sundays buffet...

The buffet food was surprisingly good!

We got to speak to Gale before the Demo started...

My daughter was thrilled to get her autograph!

After a toast to the audience, Gale began to make her magic...

I don't have the 'official' descriptions of what she made handy, but here is the 1st sample. Vanilla custard with berries.

Pineapple Peppercorn Cake...

Chocolate sampler with a chocolate meringue cookie. Gale explained the differences with chocolate and what is the best kind to use for different recipes.

Gale & her son, Gio.

The book signing after the Sweet Sundays demonstration. It's held near the gift shop at the front of the Festival Center.

So, for us, Sweet Sundays is a winner. We saw Colette Peters the year before and she was also fun to watch... but her dessert samples weren't as good as Gale's.

If you don't want to pay to go to Sweet Sundays, the pastry chefs usually do at least one or two free demos during the weekend that they are booked. Keep an eye on the Festival booklet - it will list the free demos. We also ran into Gale at the Party for the Senses the night before. (Yes, we did both, back to back, and survived to tell the tale! LOL! )

 

[DisneyCruiser83]

My plan is to do PFTS our first Saturday, maybe an event if it works out.
Sunday we will walk around the Land and do Future World. Then go graze at the kiosks for dinner and see Sister Hazel. We might do a seminar if anything looks good.
Monday we will do any seminars that look good and tour the kiosks. Then see Kool and the Gang.
Our last Sunday was when I was planning to do the Sweet Sunday.
I wouldn't do PFTS and Sweet Sunday back to back. I was just wondering what others thought of doing V&A that same week.

 

[oybolshoi]

My plan is to do PFTS our first Saturday, maybe an event if it works out.
Sunday we will walk around the Land and do Future World. Then go graze at the kiosks for dinner and see Sister Hazel. We might do a seminar if anything looks good.
Monday we will do any seminars that look good and tour the kiosks. Then see Kool and the Gang.
Our last Sunday was when I was planning to do the Sweet Sunday.
I wouldn't do PFTS and Sweet Sunday back to back. I was just wondering what others thought of doing V&A that same week.

doing V&A the same week would be fine in my opinion. it was hard for me to tell from your initial post how you were thinking of planning your event schedule so that's why I thought you meant back-to-back. Anyhoo ... we did Sweet Sundays and then followed it the next night with dinner at V&A ... no trouble at all. Go for it!

Michelle, your pics from Sweet Sundays are great! I love how they decorated the tables.

 

[TDC Nala]

My other comment is that there is no way on earth I plan to pay a lot of money for an event that takes place in the Festival Center at Wonders of Life if all they are going to do is block off part of the pavilion with potted palms. (If you'd like more detail on the reasoning read Oybolshoi's review of a Kitchen Conversation from last year. I did a Cook Book & Bottle and while I did not have a seat in the back of the venue the close seats were not much better due to the enormous amount of noise in the pavilion.) Unless they move the high-priced events back to a more private venue like the Odyssey or a restaurant, that's it for me. I do understand that they need the Odyssey for the evening Grand Gathering events which are popular but couldn't daytime events take place there?

I might be spending most of the money I usually spend at WDW to go to the Food Network Wine and Food Festival in New York and book events there. So maybe only one PFTS and I usually do two. And no events over $100 unless a signature dinner (of the old style) appears on the schedule for one of my Florida weekends.

Colette Peters was the one that made me swear off the Sweet Sunday - not her fault. She is not a baker - she is a cake decorator. Other than the cookie the offerings were good but there was no discussion of her specialty. She did no demonstration of cake decoration techniques - I assume she was constricted to the baking part for this particular event. I wanted to see her decorate something.

Because a friend wanted to, attended her free demo the next day. Not only did we get a pretty big slice of one of the same cakes presented during Sweet Sunday, but the free demo was about cake decoration techniques. It was far more informative than the expensive event. And no stunt cookie.

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

I agree - the cookies were pretty inedible! LOL! While I was disappointed that she didn't decorate cakes during her Sweet Sundays demo, we still enjoyed her presentation. I agree, the free demo was better. I don't know why she didn't just decorate a cake for her Sweet Sundays...

Having the cooking demonstrations in the Festival Center doesn't bother me as much as you and Brenda. It is a shame that anyone standing outside the area can hear the whole demo for free... but I'll still attend the ones I'm interested in.

Colette Peters was the one that made me swear off the Sweet Sunday - not her fault. She is not a baker - she is a cake decorator. Other than the cookie the offerings were good but they were not her specialty. She did no demonstration of cake decoration techniques - I assume she was constricted to the baking part for this particular event. I wanted to see her decorate something.

Because a friend wanted to, attended her free demo the next day. Not only did we get a pretty big slice of one of the same cakes presented during Sweet Sunday, but the free demo was about cake decoration techniques. And no stunt cookie.

 

[phisigprincess]

Hi everyone! We're heading down for our first F&WF this year. We happened to be in DL/DCA last year for their F&WF, but from what I hear Epcot's is very different.

Our best friends are getting married on Oct. 24th and then instead of having a traditional wedding reception, they're just buying everyone tickets for PFTS that night! I'm so excited to check it out.

Instead of a bridesmaid dress, I'm just wearing a black cocktail dress for the ceremony. Do you think this would be too dressy to wear for PFTS? And what do the guys usually wear? DH is wearing a suit instead of a tux for the wedding, but I think the chances of him wearing a full suit for the entire day is pretty slim. My parents are going to the wedding as well, and they keep asking me what would be appropriate for PFTS.

Thanks!

 

[kabuki]

Hi everyone! We're heading down for our first F&WF this year. We happened to be in DL/DCA last year for their F&WF, but from what I hear Epcot's is very different.

Our best friends are getting married on Oct. 24th and then instead of having a traditional wedding reception, they're just buying everyone tickets for PFTS that night! I'm so excited to check it out.

Instead of a bridesmaid dress, I'm just wearing a black cocktail dress for the ceremony. Do you think this would be too dressy to wear for PFTS? And what do the guys usually wear? DH is wearing a suit instead of a tux for the wedding, but I think the chances of him wearing a full suit for the entire day is pretty slim. My parents are going to the wedding as well, and they keep asking me what would be appropriate for PFTS.

Thanks!

Hello! What a GREAT idea for a wedding .. wow - if only we could have pulled that one off



My husband wears a nice shirt and pants. He never does the full tie and coat and most people are dressed the same. We should be at that PFTS so we will be on the look out for your group! Have fun!

 

[TDC Nala]

I will attend the free demos in the Festival Center if it's fixed up like last year - but I won't be paying for any. Unless Alton Brown shows up. But he'll be in New York...I plan to sign up to see him there... I also agree with Brenda that the Festival Center show kitchen was erratic and the Odyssey one seemed to be far more consistent for some reason.

Upon dropping sunglasses on the floor in the demo area the last weekend of the Festival it sort of became obvious that they apparently didn't vacuum under the tables for the full run of the festival, either. That was also a bit of a turnoff. But free food is free food.