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

[gottalovepluto]

What's the strategy for 7am booking with regards of when to call. Is it 'call at 7am on the dot' or does a sort of virtual cue start forming before the lines are up and running?

 

[karrit2000]

I think it's the special line for Chase Disney Visa card holders. Don't know what would happen if you tried to use it to book the regular F & W events next week. I know a couple of years ago I tried to circumvent the Dining & Festival lines by calling DVC and was told they couldn't book the special F & W events only the deminars. The year before I was able to book all events through DVC. Like everything it all depends upon the CM who answers the phone.

 

[F&W_CRAVERS]

Has anyone had success linking their deminars to their MDE account?

 

[karrit2000]

What's the strategy for 7am booking with regards of when to call. Is it 'call at 7am on the dot' or does a sort of virtual cue start forming before the lines are up and running?

You start shortly before 7AM & keep calling until you don't get the recording saying they are closed.

 

[YodasMom]

Has anyone had success linking their deminars to their MDE account?

Mine automatically linked themselves to MDE after I made the Deminar reservations. I checked MDE about a half hour after I made the ressies and they were there.

 

[karrit2000]

Has anyone had success linking their deminars to their MDE account?

I was told mine would be there automatically when I logged in. I just looked & it wasn't there so I linked it. It's showing now but I haven't linked my DVC reservations yet so maybe that's why it wasn't showing.

 

[F&W_CRAVERS]

Mine automatically linked themselves to MDE after I made the Deminar reservations. I checked MDE about a half hour after I made the ressies and they were there.

I was told mine would be there automatically when I logged in. I just looked & it wasn't there so I linked it. It's showing now but I haven't linked my DVC reservations yet so maybe that's why it wasn't showing.

Thanks. At least I know now that my seminars should link to my MDE acount.

 

[ksromack]

As of 5PM on 7/24 Cat Cora on 10/17 @ 5PM is sold out.

Is there some place published that indicates which events are sold out? I can't book until next week so I'd like to scratch things off my list if they are no longer available so I can make alternate plans.

Where can I purchase the ebook about the 2015 Food and Wine Festival? A few people mentioned having one, and I'd like to buy one for my dad for our upcoming trip. He has a Kindle but Amazon only had one listed from 2014.

I bought the 2014 book a few months ago because they offered first crack at the 2015 for free. I got the email a couple days ago and am trying to make my way through the book now. It's published by the Disney Food Blog so check there. I'm sure there's a link to purchase it.

 

[plutolovr]

Booked the PFTS on October 3rd for 9 in reserved seating. I had to call Member Services. Called right at 9:00 AM and waited about 9 minutes on hold.

 

[Ceryssa]

I haven't booked one of these special events before. I'm looking at booking the Sampler Package, so obviously no one has any previous experience with it, but with other packages does it link to MDE? Or do they send you something you use to check in for the package? I'm kind of wondering how they'd tell the package entitlements from the DDP snack entitlements in this case...

 

[karrit2000]

I haven't booked one of these special events before. I'm looking at booking the Sampler Package, so obviously no one has any previous experience with it, but with other packages does it link to MDE? Or do they send you something you use to check in for the package? I'm kind of wondering how they'd tell the package entitlements from the DDP snack entitlements in this case...

No one knows exactly how they will be handling the Sampler Package as it is a totally new offering. For the Late Night Live event last year we had a special lanyard with tabs that were detached when you used your entitlements at each both. I would expect they will do something like that for the Sampler Package. Your reservations should show up in MDE although you may need to link them yourself. Last year some events were showing up with incorrect names because of how they programmed them in the system. Also there were some events that you couldn't get to link because they were still trying to program them into the system but they did eventually show up in MDE.

 

[bcarey2k]

Dining Plan Question - Has anyone else done the math to see if the QS dining plan is actually useful now that you can trade a QS meal for 3 snack credits? (albeit at the same kiosk)

Brian

 

[pepperandchips]

Dining Plan Question - Has anyone else done the math to see if the QS dining plan is actually useful now that you can trade a QS meal for 3 snack credits? (albeit at the same kiosk)

Brian

I was wondering this myself and did the math. Assuming they will let you even do the "meal swap" at the booths, you'd be able to exchange your $42 qs dining plan for two three-snack "meals" per day plus the extra snack, for a total of seven snacks a day. That's $6 per snack and very few f&w items met that price point last year (steak, lamb, lobster items if I recall). I just can't imagine eating enough of those items to make it worth the hassle and expense, but perhaps if you were on a short stay or had gotten free dining entitlements you wouldn't want to use elsewhere, that might be a good option!

I'll be interested to hear whether the snack swaps are permitted at the f&w booths.

 

[Straughn]

When you book using the Disney Chase Visa, do you have to show the card at the event like you do with your DVC/TIW/AP for the seminars. I don't have a Disney Visa, by my BIL does. He will not be with his wife and me for our week of F&W. Can he book for us, but put the reservation in her name or my name or does the cardholder have to be present? Specifically thinking of PFTS?
Thanks!

 

[karrit2000]

When you book using the Disney Chase Visa, do you have to show the card at the event like you do with your DVC/TIW/AP for the seminars. I don't have a Disney Visa, by my BIL does. He will not be with his wife and me for our week of F&W. Can he book for us, but put the reservation in her name or my name or does the cardholder have to be present? Specifically thinking of PFTS?
Thanks!

You have to show ID when checking in for PTFS or when picking up the seminar tickets so the reservations need to be under the name of at least one person in the party. Don't know how they would handle it if he called to make reservations under someone else's name.

 

[KBoopaloo]

Does anyone know how many spots they allocate for the early bookings? I tried for three different culinary demonstrations the week of October 4 and was told that all of the early slots were booked and I should try back on the Chase early booking day. I expected to have trouble with the demo I wanted on Sunday but figured the other two wouldn't be a problem. I forgot how much this process drives me crazy. LOL

 

[BwoZoo22]

Has anyone tried booking any of the Chase Disney Visa special events? I call about the Creation of Food and Wine Marketplaces. At first the CM had no idea what I was talking about. She finally did find the special Chase events, but apparently the Making of the Party for the Senses was the only one open. I'm going to call back in a bit to get a different CM, or answer the computer questions differently for a different 'room' of CMs.

 

[BwoZoo22]

It took two phone calls, but I finally got a CM who found the "Chase Member Exclusive events" and was able to book my party for the Nov 9 Creation of F&W Marketplaces. We have gone to F&W every year since 2000, so finding new and different events is always exciting; we do more events than marketplace browsing these days.

If you call for the Chase events, I recommend requesting to talk to a representative right away, rather than going through computer questioning. Once you get a CM, ask for the Chase Card Member Exclusive Events. This seemed to direct the CM to exactly the information she needed.

 

[loves to dive]

I called around 6 last night, got in right away, cast member was very helpful, even asking if I had a Chase card to see if I wanted any of those events. I do and I didn't, but I did book all the culinary and wine demos I wanted. She made sure to give me my TIW discounts. I have to wait until next week to book the one meal I want but I have 2 demos on each day I'm there except the day I want to get the meal so I'm thinking I should be well fed and nice and buzzed my whole trip.

 

[HikingBelle]

Still found availability for several of the $15 demonstration events Oct 17-19 when I just called.