2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival 9/19-11/10

[TDC Nala]

Welcome to the 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival thread. The Festival is scheduled to take place September 19 - November 10. For the first time, the Festival has been extended to start a week earlier than usual.

This thread is for discussion of and information about the 2014 Food and Wine Festival only. Please, no discussion of regular restaurant reservations, possible meets, comparing dates you're going, or off-topic chat.

The first post is where the links to festival information will be placed!

For detailed information on 2014 events and offerings, and past reviews, use this link:
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014-epcot-food-and-wine-festival/

Marketplace (World Showcase Kiosk) menus (no prices yet):
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014-...val-marketplace-booths-menus-and-food-photos/

Special events list:
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-special-events/
NOTE: Italian Regional Lunches are Mondays, Wednesdays and FRIDAYS (not Saturdays)

"Deminar" schedules via the Disney Food Blog:

Culinary demonstrations
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-culinary-demos/

Beverage seminars
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-beverage-seminars/

Mixology seminars
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-mixology-seminars/

All are $15. $2 discount is being offered to TIW/DVC/AP/Golden Oak residents on all deminars Monday-Thursday only.

BOOKING AN EVENT? SEE THE FULL BOOKING TUTORIAL IN POST 2

By popular demand, here is the list of ways you may pay for items at the Food and Wine Festival Marketplace Kiosks:

- Cash
- Credit or debit card
- Disney gift card (including the wristbanded special Festival gift card)
- Disney resort key card with charging privileges (tap-to-pay with magic bands or with RFID-enabled resort key cards that have PIN numbers established)
- Disney Visa reward dollars

Although it is not at this time official for 2014, we are anticipating that Disney Dining Plan snack credits will be accepted for all kiosk items with the exception of alcoholic beverages.
ONLY SNACK CREDITS ARE ACCEPTED AT THE KIOSKS. QUICK SERVICE CREDITS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
DINING CREDITS ARE NOT ACCEPTED FOR ANY OTHER FESTIVAL OFFERINGS with the exception of the Eat to the Beat Concert Dining Packages (see below).

NOTE THAT AS OF SEPTEMBER 2014 ALL TUESDAY LATE NIGHT LIVE AT EPCOT EVENTS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED BY DISNEY. Thursday Late Night Live events will continue. Those who booked Tuesdays are being contacted by Disney.

Here is the Eat to the Beat Concert lineup:
•Jo Dee Messina September 19-21
•The Pointer Sisters September 22-23
•The Commodores September 24-25
•Christopher Cross September 26-27
•Hanson September 28-29
•Air Supply September 30-October 2
•Starship Starring Mickey Thomas October 3-5
•Sugar Ray October 6-8
•Fuel October 9-10
•Sister Hazel October 11-12
•Richard Marx October 13-14
•Billy Ocean October 15-16
•Night Ranger October 17-19
•Smash Mouth October 20-22
•Jim Brickman October 23-24
•Los Lonely Boys October 25-26
•Wilson Phillips October 27-28
•Dennis DeYoung, original member of STYX October 29-31
•38 Special November 1-2
•Boyz II Men November 3-5
•David Cook November 6-7
•Big Bad Voodoo Daddy November 8-10

LINK TO INFO AND PRICES REGARDING EAT TO THE BEAT CONCERT AND DINING PACKAGES:

http://allears.net/tp/ep/fw14/2014-...estival-eat-to-the-beat-concerts.htm#packages

This is new for 2014 and seems to be identical to the Candlelight Processional dining package offering. Which means that package guests will likely be allowed entry to the theater before the general public. Note that on the Regular and Deluxe dining plans it's 2 table service credits!

LINK TO WDW EXPANDED INFO REGARDING THE FOOD & WINE PREMIUM PACKAGE:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/food-wine-new-experiences/#

 

[TDC Nala]

FOOD AND WINE BOOKING TUTORIAL

JULY 25 (Friday) bookings open for:

Festival Center "deminars" ONLY
FOR TIW/DVC/AP and Golden Oak residents ONLY
Discounts of $2 off "deminars" are being offered to TIW/DVC/AP/Golden Oak for weekdays (Mon-Thurs). No discounts on Fri-Sun deminars

Book by phone at 407-WDW-FEST. Phone booking at 9 AM Eastern.

JULY 29 (Tuesday) bookings open for:

"Select" special events (limited availability)
For Chase cardholders only.
By phone only at 407-WDW-FEST, opening 7 AM Eastern
If you call on July 29 and are told an event is sold out, you can call back on July 31 to try for the remaining inventory.

JULY 31 (Thursday) General booking opens for all events.

Most events book by phone only at 407-WDW-FEST, opening 7 AM Eastern
Some events ("deminars" and general admission only for PFTS and 3D Dessert) may be booked online at epcotfoodfestival.com (PLEASE NOTE the Disney Food Blog has indicated there will be no online booking for the PFTS on October 25 only. Not sure where that info came from so keep it in mind if you are interested in that date).

Remember that all Festival events are paid for in full at time of booking and are not cancellable or refundable. However, if you need to cancel, you can always try calling WDW with an explanation. There's no wait list, because the events are not cancellable. It's sometimes possible to pick up a no-show spot on the day of and you'll pay for the event then.

SOME HELPFUL HINTS FOR THAT PHONE CALL

1. Once you get through, do not hang up. Even if you don't hear any hold music. Hanging up and redialing will just send you to the back of the queue.
Remember that 1 hour plus waits are not unusual on booking day.

2. IF YOU ARE CALLING IN THE AM ON 7/31 AND ARE BEING TOLD THE EVENT YOU ARE BOOKING IS SOLD OUT:

Use your judgment. If it's a small event (< 50 guests) and you got through outside an hour to an hour and a half after 7, then the event may very likely be actually sold out. But remember 2013 when about half the events didn't load in the booking system until about 40 minutes after booking opened, and some phone agents were telling callers that events were sold out? Keep an eye on this thread, see what others are being told before you write your event off entirely. If you can't watch the thread, it can't hurt to call back later if you think something seems "off"

3. Have the full name of the event as published by Disney available. For example, ask for "A Tribute to Walt Disney" (according to a phone CM this is how the event is listed in their system) instead of "The Walt Disney dinner." The phone agent may know what you mean, but they may not. If it's not a large event, you don't want them to waste precious time searching for the event on their list. Also have the time available, especially for signature restaurant meals, so you are sure the agent is booking you for the correct event and not a regular restaurant reservation.

4. Have your credit card ready to go, and your TIW/AP/DVC membership numbers if you will need them. One thing I always do is that if they ask if I'm staying onsite, I say I am not, because if I say I am, the agent then spends a bunch of time trying to locate the correct room reservation for the reservation including asking for reservation numbers (and as I have 3 separate ones it takes time). If you have only a single room reservation it is being said that it is far more efficient to give them your room reservation number, so you may want to have that on hand.

5. Paid event admission will be required for everyone attending a food & wine event, including children and infants, so remember if you intend to bring your kids that you must purchase the event for all attendees. There have been a few reports over the years of children who are not listed with the party being denied admission to events, so that means a parent has to sit out also (or pay for the child to be admitted). Valid admission to Epcot is required to attend events inside Epcot.

 

[Brocktoon]

Nice to see the F&W sticky thread back for 2014

I really enjoyed the 3D Dessert party last year with the sweet seats. No mention yet that it will return this year, but I'm hoping it does. If it doesn't I'm figuring there will be some other sort of party/function going on at the World Showplace for Friday nights ???

 

[smcabee]

Yeah my favorite thread of the year has arrived.

 

[crazy4wdw]

Yeah my favorite thread of the year has arrived.

My favorite thread also! Another Food & Wine Fest will be starting soon!

I wonder if the release of the seminars/special event info and date to make reservations will be moved up this year as the festival will start one week earlier?

Only time will tell.

 

[SoonipiLady]

Going for my 4th time this October! Hubby & I are bringing my bff and her hubby along with my DH. They've never been to DW before & hoping to make them new DisFanatics!

Glad to have a thread dedicated to my obsession so I can make the m o st of our four measly days at the F&W festival!

 

[kabuki]

 

[sunshinecruise]

Yeah my favorite thread of the year has arrived.

This is my favorite thread too! I am so happy that it has returned. My husband and I have been going to the food and wine festival for many years. Last year was our first French regional lunch and we can't wait to go back.

Oh no! I just realized that I don't have annual passes, ours expired in May and I was going to get new ones when we go in Oct. But I might need them to make reservations. Hmm, can you make reservations with a voucher or do the passes need to be activated?

 

[LucyBC80]

F&W newbie here.

We're only able to go on the last day so I'm wondering if they offer events like the cheese tasting on everyday or is the last day pretty much all about the booths and no events are offered?

 

[redzinner]

Thank You from the bottom of my beer glass cocktail glass or whatever glass is available, TDC Nala for pinning the sticky.

 

[TDC Nala]

This is my favorite thread too! I am so happy that it has returned. My husband and I have been going to the food and wine festival for many years. Last year was our first French regional lunch and we can't wait to go back.

Oh no! I just realized that I don't have annual passes, ours expired in May and I was going to get new ones when we go in Oct. But I might need them to make reservations. Hmm, can you make reservations with a voucher or do the passes need to be activated?

You must have tickets on your account to make Fastpass Plus reservations but not restaurant reservations or reservations for the Food & Wine events.

The only thing you might need an AP for is if you want discounted tickets for the Festival Center culinary, beverage and mixology demonstrations and even then I do not know if you have to have the pass active at the time you make the reservations. Discounts on these events have also been available for DVC and Tables in Wonderland members.

We're only able to go on the last day so I'm wondering if they offer events like the cheese tasting on everyday or is the last day pretty much all about the booths and no events are offered?

You're talking about Monday the 10th? There may be some events on that day but it won't be anything that is not regularly offered on Mondays. You'll have to wait for a schedule to see if there is a cheese seminar offered on that day. Those events are offered only on certain days, not every day.

There will be culinary, beverage and mixology demos at the Festival Center.

 

[sunshinecruise]

You must have tickets on your account to make Fastpass Plus reservations but not restaurant reservations or reservations for the Food & Wine events.

The only thing you might need an AP for is if you want discounted tickets for the Festival Center culinary, beverage and mixology demonstrations and even then I do not know

I know that the past few years as annual passholders we could make reservations for the special events, like the French Regional lunch, a few days before the general public. And I know that a lot of the events sell out quickly.

 

[TDC Nala]

They have never had advance booking on the events for annual passholders, with the exception of the general admission for the large events like PFTS and the Dessert event at World Showplace, made available in 2013. These did not sell out. French Regional Lunch wasn't included.

There was a couple of days advance booking for the seminars and demonstrations at the Festival Center, plus discounts (which weren't valid on weekends).

Last year there was limited advance booking for all events one day prior to the regular booking date for Disney Visa Card holders. Only a few slots for each event were made available, and they were gone within an hour of booking opening.

 

[redzinner]

Last year there was limited advance booking for all events one day prior to the regular booking date for Disney Visa Card holders. Only a few slots for each event were made available, and they were gone within an hour of booking opening.

I sincerely hope they don't do that again. What a fiasco. If they do, I hope they educate the phone reservationists a bit more.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I sincerely hope they don't do that again. What a fiasco. If they do, I hope they educate the phone reservationists a bit more.

Agreed! Announcing that so shortly in advanced sucked.

 

[TheLodgeLady]

Well, hello all! Glad to see you. Can't wait.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Yay festival!

 

[TDC Nala]

There were several issues with booking last year (not really going to get into the late release on the seminars, that wasn't so unusual) the first being the unexpected inclusion of the general admission for Party for the Senses, 3D Dessert Discovery, and 2 large special events in the World Showplace with the seminar advance bookings for AP, TIW and DVC members. You couldn't get any VIP or assigned seating this way - just general admission.

The second was the Disney Visa pre-booking. Which would have been fine had anyone involved bothered to explain (to us and to the cast members) that only limited spots at each event would be made available. Therefore you had a bazillion people calling in a day early with their VISA cards, only to be told that "everything is sold out" which since we didn't know it was limited availability, led to some guests thinking that all spots for certain events were sold out - for the entire festival. If you weren't talking to a reservationist within 45 minutes of calling in, then you didn't get anything on the Visa pre-book. If they do it again I am hoping we will be prepared.

Then came booking day. Not only did we have folks believing that some events had totally sold out the day before, when 7 AM rolled around it turned out that half the events hadn't loaded for booking. I don't think the cast members knew what was going on either, because if you called in and were one of the first through, you were being told that certain events were "sold out." Combine that with the confusion over the Disney Visa prebook and you had folks giving up on getting the events they wanted.

The result was that about 40 minutes after the booking opened at 7 eastern, the events that weren't previously showing on the CMs computers loaded. So if you called back, you would probably have been able to get your events unless they were really small events and you didn't know when to call back.

I know it took me three phone calls and at least 2 hours actually on the phone to get everything I was trying to book, and that was with a friend booking a French Regional for me because she happened to get through before I did.

We're going to see if we can fight through the Disney confusion this year, but the best I can say is, if they tell you that your event is sold out and that doesn't make any sense because you called in early, then think about calling back.

It was also of major assistance to monitor this thread, because as soon as folks started getting the blocked events, they posted.

I do kind of hope that we don't have to use the thread to thwart Disney IT this year, but if we do...then it's here.

I'm also interested in seeing if there will be any impact regarding Fastpass Plus because I just got back from Star Wars Weekend and you could fastpass the shows. I do not think they will have fastpass for anything that you have to pay for, though.

 

[tkbk]

Question - does anyone know if in the past there was a limit on how many tix you can buy for the various events at one time? The most we ever traveled with to f&w was four of us and this time there will be seven. I am normally the designated person to call in for my group, I am A DVC , AP and disney visa holder so I try to take advantage of any early booking offers. This will only be our fourth F&W fest trip.
Thanks in advance for any help on the answer to my question.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[TheLodgeLady]

Do you think they will ever include the concerts in the FP+?