09' Food and Wine Festival

[ohtarabell]

I know it's early, but you got to plan! To those that have done this on many occasions, I will be joining you for my first next year Can you generally describe when you go and why? I would be there almost entirely for food and wine and hanging at the resort. The parks will have to wait until Thanksgiving. Here are some other questions:

Is any week okay and are weekends better than weekdays? How long do you stay or, when is enough, enough?

Is the opening week best or should I wait until October (better weather etc)?

If I have BWV as my home resort, how early do I need to book for this event?

Is the seated sampling held every weekend (25 wines 25 chefs event)?

And finally, will I need to bring a red wagon so someone can pull me back to the resort.

DW and I are really looking forward to this event!!

 

[CraftyMouse]

I know it's early, but you got to plan! To those that have done this on many occasions, I will be joining you for my first next year Can you generally describe when you go and why? I would be there almost entirely for food and wine and hanging at the resort. The parks will have to wait until Thanksgiving. Here are some other questions:

Is any week okay and are weekends better than weekdays? How long do you stay or, when is enough, enough?
Weekends are crazybusy. Lines at the food booths can get very, very long. Personally, I'd try to stick to weekdays.

We usually do 1/2 of the booths on one day and the other half on another...although there are four of us. We usually get one of each item from each booth and all have a taste. Occasionally we will get a serving of a favorite item and keep it to ourself <insert evil laugh here> but usually we share each item.

Is the opening week best or should I wait until October (better weather etc)?
Opening weekend will be extra busy. I'd go with mid-October or just after Halloween and, again, stick to the weekdays.

If I have BWV as my home resort, how early do I need to book for this event?
You should book at the 11-month window, if possible, as this time is a very busy one at the BWV. Even owners can get shut out if they don't plan early enough.

Is the seated sampling held every weekend (25 wines 25 chefs event)?
Can't help with this one.

And finally, will I need to bring a red wagon so someone can pull me back to the resort.
If only they offered that service!

DW and I are really looking forward to this event!!

Hope that helps.

 

[ohtarabell]

Crafty:

You bet it does!

 

[disneynutz]

You might take the time to read through this thread.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1964173

 

[wdw1972]

Party for the Senses is every Saturday night. Like someone said, weekends are really busy. Miserably busy. Enough to make you run screaming out of World Showcase But, weekdays are nice.

As for which week - you HAVE TO book at 11 months, so you won't be able to see what events are happening before you book. By the time that comes out, it's too late - we're all locked in. However, the early weeks are brutally HOT & HUMID It gets more pleasant by the end of the festival, but be aware the last week the parks will be busier and filled with escapees from New Joisey.

 

[GuySmiley]

I'm planning on a no-kids trip for my wife and I in Oct 09 for food and wine. It'll be my first trip. I was planning Oct 23-27 but based on this thread I think I'll move it to Oct 24-28, to get two weekdays and only one week end day. I chose that week though cause my kids dont have school the week before Halloween and it'll be easier on whoever watches them.

 

[TDC Nala]

Party for the Senses is every Saturday night. Like someone said, weekends are really busy. Miserably busy. Enough to make you run screaming out of World Showcase But, weekdays are nice.

There was no Party for the Senses the first weekend of this Festival. The World Showplace was in use for the Bocuse d'Or competition. There are reports that the competition will return again next year. We can't speculate what weekend they'll have it - it may be the first weekend again, it may not - but whenever they have it, it's likely there won't be a PFTS.

Lately there has been a lot of difficulty planning for F&W paid events as the event list does not come out until August and most of us have to book rooms and airlines a lot sooner than that - so we have not been able to plan our trips around the events, but have been forced to plan the events around the trips.

 

[huey578]

Here's a link to the 2008 F&W Festival Guide book. It will give you an idea of what to expect.
http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...c/parks/epcot/events/foodandwine/F&W_2008.pdf

 

[eporter66]

I love the F&W fest, we have been 3 times. If you have the park hopper passes, that would probably work best, as it is too much to sample in one day.

It can get a bit expensive with the prices ranging from $3 - $5 for just a small sampling of food. And that is not counting the beverages!!!

I have tried 1 item from almost every booth now over the course of my 3 visits. This year they had a few new booths, Lousiana was my favorite with the gumbo sample. I liked it a lot.

I hope to go back again next fall - I would definitely recommend going to EPCOT during the week, as most people say the weekends draw much bigger crowds with the locals coming out.

 

[ohtarabell]

Thanks all!! Have booked Oct 10-13 at AKV. I however have a new resale contract pending for BWV and I will change the res if the contract comes through in time to book there!!!! Will probably move it back a weekend if that contract closes.

Not sure I will go to PFTS based on the threads I have read. Not in the mood for a mob scene. I will definitely book the high end lunch or dinner if availalble on my trip. Either way, it will be a good time.

 

[LSchrow]

i just booked BWVs (10/3-10/11, BW view studio, of course ) for our 3rd F&W

we go the first week, & while i agree that the weekends are a mob scene, have to add that the first weekdays are normally slower, with the crowds growing nearer the end of our trip (we were able to do the free wine tastings without any line within the first few days, whereas there was an insanely loooooong queue on the later days of our trip).
~ having APs was great. they made it easy for us to "stop in" for an hour or two every day
~ staying in an EPCOT resort (BW/BC/YC or swan/dolphin) is perfect when you are "tasting" a lot of wines (or grey goose slushies ~ my huge downfall)
~ as others said, share samples, and/or try a few each day. personally, i also carry a water bottle to keep each sample's taste clean
~ we do try to see whichever band is playing, but prefer standing outside. you can still hear the music, but can more easily sway/sing/dance (depending upon how many wine "tastings" you've consumed )
~ avoid booking an ADR on days you plan to "eat around the world". it can definately be too much food
~we found the weather (first week of oct) beautiful: not too hot nor too cool, with little rain. temps were mostly in the mid 80's, with only the last day of our trip getting into the mid/upper 90's.


have a great time!

 

[timandlesley]

My DH and I are planning our first ADULT ONLY TRIP to go to Food and Wine festival in 2009 and I am soooooooooo excited! Thanks for this thread, I will research it. So, we are going the first weekend in November (the last weekend of the festival). We'll check it out on Friday when we arrive of course but will have to endure the crowds on the weekends, we go every June in high crowd season and being without kids will make this more tolerable for us.
IT should be running that first weekend in November, correct? What was that someone mentioned about that week being invaded from people from New Jersey????
Lesley

 

[paults]

I know it's early, but you got to plan! To those that have done this on many occasions, I will be joining you for my first next year Can you generally describe when you go and why? I would be there almost entirely for food and wine and hanging at the resort. The parks will have to wait until Thanksgiving. Here are some other questions:

Is any week okay and are weekends better than weekdays? How long do you stay or, when is enough, enough?

Is the opening week best or should I wait until October (better weather etc)?

If I have BWV as my home resort, how early do I need to book for this event?

Is the seated sampling held every weekend (25 wines 25 chefs event)?


And finally, will I need to bring a red wagon so someone can pull me back to the resort.

DW and I are really looking forward to this event!!

you do know the f&wf is in a park (Epcot) and you need park tickets to get in?

 

[skorpie]

I just booked an adults only trip for October 8-11th. It is Columbus weekend but the 8th is also my birthday. I hope to take advantage of the Free Entrance to a Park on Your Birthday that Disney is offering. We went for the first time this past Oct. It really wasn't too bad but the weekend did get busy. Since we will be going for the food and not the rides, I think we will be able to enjoy "drinking around the World!"

 

[Inkmahm]

I know it's early, but you got to plan! To those that have done this on many occasions, I will be joining you for my first next year Can you generally describe when you go and why? I would be there almost entirely for food and wine and hanging at the resort. The parks will have to wait until Thanksgiving. Here are some other questions:

Is any week okay and are weekends better than weekdays? How long do you stay or, when is enough, enough?

Is the opening week best or should I wait until October (better weather etc)?

If I have BWV as my home resort, how early do I need to book for this event?

Is the seated sampling held every weekend (25 wines 25 chefs event)?

And finally, will I need to bring a red wagon so someone can pull me back to the resort.

DW and I are really looking forward to this event!!

We went Oct 17 to 21 this year and the first day was hot, the rest were beautiful. We are going one week later next year to try to avoid the heat/humidity that October can still bring in Fl.

You need to book 11 months in advance at BWV if you want BW view. I didn't do that last year as it was spring before we decided to go to F&W. I got preferred view instead. Next year I'll be back to my BW view.

 

[juju]

Recently returned from a 2 week trip, primarily for F&W. I already made my 11 month reservation at BWV for next year because it fills up fast during this time of year. We were there the last weekend of the festival and I can say it was much, much busier than the prior weekend. I think a lot of the locals are trying to hit it before it is over. The lines at the food booths were crazy. I'd try to go sometime in the middle of the festival.

 

[ohtarabell]

you do know the f&wf is in a park (Epcot) and you need park tickets to get in?

Paults:

Thanks, I was aware. I have AP's. I just meant that I would probably only go to the parks for food and wine. I appreciate you looking out for me and others though!!

 

[GuySmiley]

Just made reservations for Oct 24-29!! I'm excited. I was suprised I got a choice between Kidani or Jambo at AKV. I figured that'd be a 'request but not guaranteed' kind of thing.

 

[epcotwanderer]

Just booked October 24-27 at the Boardwalk in a SV Studio!!! YAY!

 

[timandlesley]

Have they officially announced the dates for 09? We will be going the final weekend, only time we can fit it in unfortunately but hoping it will still run that first full week of November through that first weekend in November, anyone know for sure?
Lesley