EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, Sept. 25 - Nov 16 2015

[Tozzie]

Hello! I'm new to posting, but only because I haven't really felt like I had much to add to discussion. These boards are a wealth of knowledge. DH and I are headed to F&W for our honeymoon starting October 25. We went once before in 2013 when I was in a friend's wedding at Epcot, which just happened to fall over F&W. Wow, what an experience for us both!!! We vowed to return before we had kids, so that we could ride rollercoasters together and drink wine without worrying about kids. DH does not drink alcohol at all, but does not care if I do. We both appreciate the small portions and wonderful preparation of F&W options.

We got the premium package, and are still trying to wrap our heads around how to get two bottles of wine home from Disney to Seattle.

Does each premium pass area count as one "transaction" spot for purposes of QS credit use toward snacks in lieu of meal? We have free dining (a happy accident, as we debated long and hard until we found out it was included during the time we were there), and want to use some of those credits toward F&W purchases. If all of the selections we want are served by the same Premium area, can we combine them from different but served-at-that-area kiosks for our QS credit?

For instance: I want two things from Scotland and one from Hawai'i. They are both served by the same premium area. Has anyone had success trying to use a QS credit for something like that? I understand they are only good for non-alcoholic choices, and that they should be the only three things in the transaction. Those are not a problem. With two of us, it should be pretty easy to do. We may even be able to hit three from the same booth (I'm looking at you, Dominican Republic!), without trying. If not, I'd love to know what the results have been for those attempting to use QS dining credit and maximize it using their premium package location in lieu of kiosks for paying.

Thank you, and I look forward to contributing more to the community as well as MANY more trips to the world. It's such a wonderful place!!!

I pack wine in my suitcase all the time, I like bringing wine home especially from Europe. Here is how I pack it I wrap it in bubble paper and paper towels, you can probably get packing material from the gift shop in your hotel. I then put it in 2-2 gallon ziplock bags and then pack it between my clothes in the suitcase and it makes it home fine. The 2 gallon ziplock bags can be difficult to find so I usually get them from amazon. Have fun

 

[SarahInMN]

We got the premium package, and are still trying to wrap our heads around how to get two bottles of wine home from Disney to Seattle.

We travel a lot with wine - for just one or two bottles, I'd recommend these wineskins.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I know that the special events are "non refundable" but has anyone ever had any success. I have Wine View at PFTS and some other events booked for next week. Found out just a little while ago that my mother has breast cancer and we are trying to do surgery Wednesday. There is no way I am going to be able to go to Disney this weekend and next week. Just hate to waste that $300 on the Wine View.

 

[karrit2000]

I know that the special events are "non refundable" but has anyone ever had any success. I have Wine View at PFTS and some other events booked for next week. Found out just a little while ago that my mother has breast cancer and we are trying to do surgery Wednesday. There is no way I am going to be able to go to Disney this weekend and next week. Just hate to waste that $300 on the Wine View.

You can try calling & explaining the situation to them. I had success a few years ago cancelling several events while actually at WDW. My mother ended up in the hospital while we were there. I went to the Concierge desk at my hotel and they were able to cancel & refund the events we couldn't attend. I don't know how much luck you will have over the phone but considering the circumstances it's worth a try. I would ask to speak with a supervisor if the person answering won't help you.

 

[jerseygal]

I know that the special events are "non refundable" but has anyone ever had any success. I have Wine View at PFTS and some other events booked for next week. Found out just a little while ago that my mother has breast cancer and we are trying to do surgery Wednesday. There is no way I am going to be able to go to Disney this weekend and next week. Just hate to waste that $300 on the Wine View.

You can try calling & explaining the situation to them. I had success a few years ago cancelling several events while actually at WDW. My mother ended up in the hospital while we were there. I went to the Concierge desk at my hotel and they were able to cancel & refund the events we couldn't attend. I don't know how much luck you will have over the phone but considering the circumstances it's worth a try. I would ask to speak with a supervisor if the person answering won't help you.

OrangeCountyCommuter, sorry to hear about your Mom's recent news. Hope that the prognosis is as good as possible and recovery quick! I think I would do as Karrit2000 suggests..It is always worth a call to see if they will consider the health circumstances and grant a refund! GOOD LUCK!

 

[angel0321]

We travel a lot with wine - for just one or two bottles, I'd recommend these wineskins.

For years my family has been successful in using our dirty clothes as padding for wine / liquor when traveling when we forget to take bubble wrap with us. Just needs to be in checked luggage.

 

[SarahInMN]

FWIW - we tried this strategy once with a bottle of vermouth. It shattered and leaked all over our checked luggage.

 

[YodasMom]

So, what happens if the TSA opens the wine bag to check it and then cannot or does not reseal the Wine Skins or one of the other brands? I've heard of that happening, too, though they're otherwise a good idea.

 

[SarahInMN]

So, what happens if the TSA opens the wine bag to check it and then cannot or does not reseal the Wine Skins or one of the other brands? I've heard of that happening, too, though they're otherwise a good idea.

This has never been a problem for us. I just would hate for someone to wrap a bottle of red wine in their clothes and then have it shatter - red wine is so hard to get out - plus there's the possibility of it leaking onto another passenger's suitcase.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

This might already be in the thread but I don't have the patience to read thru the whole thing....

Is it faster to pay at the booths with a gift card OR with your magic band?

Is it easier to pay with which one?


Thanks!!!!

I used both this weekend and saw no discernible difference between the two. Cash, however, slows it WAY down.

I know that the special events are "non refundable" but has anyone ever had any success. I have Wine View at PFTS and some other events booked for next week. Found out just a little while ago that my mother has breast cancer and we are trying to do surgery Wednesday. There is no way I am going to be able to go to Disney this weekend and next week. Just hate to waste that $300 on the Wine View.

I had to call last year to cancel due to a health emergency at the very last minute and they were very accommodating. If first agent doesn't seem to "get it", I'd call back or ask for a manager. No guarantees, of course, but they were very understanding with my situation. Best wishes for your mom and hugs to you as you support her.

 

[lovingeire]

We got the premium package, and are still trying to wrap our heads around how to get two bottles of wine home from Disney to Seattle.

I pack wine in my suitcase all the time, I like bringing wine home especially from Europe. Here is how I pack it I wrap it in bubble paper and paper towels, you can probably get packing material from the gift shop in your hotel. I then put it in 2-2 gallon ziplock bags and then pack it between my clothes in the suitcase and it makes it home fine. The 2 gallon ziplock bags can be difficult to find so I usually get them from amazon. Have fun

I'm from CA and my parents and both frequently pack wine in our suitcases. (Although I miss being able to carry on a box of wine!) We wrap ours in bubble wrap, then take a kitchen trash bag and put it in that and wrap it up. We normally just tie the cinch straps of it around the wine. You could easily pack both in your suitcase on the way out since they're rather flat.

 

[Tozzie]

I'm from CA and my parents and both frequently pack wine in our suitcases. (Although I miss being able to carry on a box of wine!) We wrap ours in bubble wrap, then take a kitchen trash bag and put it in that and wrap it up. We normally just tie the cinch straps of it around the wine. You could easily pack both in your suitcase on the way out since they're rather flat.

I use the ziplock bags because in the event of the wine breaking it is better than a garbage bag to hold the liquid

 

[gottalovepluto]

We got the premium package, and are still trying to wrap our heads around how to get two bottles of wine home from Disney to Seattle.

I ended up travelling with 2 bottles of wine in my checked luggage a couple years ago. I knew before I left home so I saved a couple toner cartridge containers from canon that fit wine bottles perfectly (basically like a ton of bubble wrap) and wrapped each wine bottle in a couple sham-wow things before placing them in the containers (yellow towels that soak up LOTS of moisture) in case anything broke, everything came out fine. My best advice is don't pack it with anything you aren't willing to have come out soaked in wine though (that shirt you supper love? that perfect summer dress? yeah, pack it in your carry on) something can always break if TSA gets lazy repacking. (And they did inspect my bag, I think the wine bottles might have looked funny, maybe?)

 

[gottalovepluto]

I do love the big ziplock idea for holding wine!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Those wineskins look awesomely convenient!

Speaking of wine... What is the price range for wine bottles at the festival? If everything they sell is $50+ I know I don't have to bring stuff with me cause that's not in my budget but if there's something more in the $20 range I'll get some of those wine skins just in case I find something I like unique to the festival.

 

[mbtohill]

What were the crowds like this Saturday?? Looked like opening weekend was CRAZY crowded, how did this weekend compare?

 

[lovingeire]

I use the ziplock bags because in the event of the wine breaking it is better than a garbage bag to hold the liquid

I agree, these sound great! I hadn't even discovered these until our last trip when looking for something to put autograph mats in. Then I was like, who knew? But they would work well. I won't personally need to travel with wine for a while, but I might mention it to my dad...just in case he wants to bring some amazing California wine I can't get here with him when he comes to visit next!

 

[ChrisNY2]

Those wineskins look awesomely convenient!

Speaking of wine... What is the price range for wine bottles at the festival? If everything they sell is $50+ I know I don't have to bring stuff with me cause that's not in my budget but if there's something more in the $20 range I'll get some of those wine skins just in case I find something I like unique to the festival.

There are definitely options in the $20 range.

 

[Tozzie]

Those wineskins look awesomely convenient!

Speaking of wine... What is the price range for wine bottles at the festival? If everything they sell is $50+ I know I don't have to bring stuff with me cause that's not in my budget but if there's something more in the $20 range I'll get some of those wine skins just in case I find something I like unique to the festival.

In past years I have found very reasonably priced wines at the Festival not close to $50 then there are some that are

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

here's the reason I prefer to have a GC in addition to my magic band... we have free dining. We usually plan out which items we want to use snack credits for (higher priced items) and which ones we'll pay OOP. It is easier to use a GC for the OOP items instead of trying to explain that we don't want to use a snack credit. That's just us and the way we prefer to do it. Otherwise, they're equally easy to use.