**2011** Epcot Food & Wine Festival HAS ENDED. 2012 Festival 9/28 - 11/11

[redzinner]

Hello all, I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question. We are Disney vets, but this is our first F&W Festival and we are going over Columbus weekend. Would love some tips on how to approach this and if we should consider any of the seminars. We are staying at the Beach Club Villas, so it should be an easy walk over. Plan to do Epcot F&W and maybe an afternoon at HS, in addition to pool time. Have only made one ADR assuming that we would want to eat around the World Showcase. Tips?

That is a very busy, as in crowded, weekend at the Festival. Go early on Saturday, the food booths start to open at 11 am. By 4 there will be lines, by 7 there will be crazy lines and shoulder to shoulder walking around the showcase. You can still enjoy it, just go early in the day.

Go to a nice restaurant in a resort for dinner.

If you've never done a culinary demonstration, you might find them interesting. Just make sure it is something that perks your interest.

Wine/Beverage seminars are okay if you know nothing about wine or liquor. They are basic in their knowledge and are really selling platforms for the distributing companies, IMHO.

 

[DisneyFreq]

I've done a search but had no luck. Without actually thumbing thru all 93 pages, can anyone tell me how to book the lunch special events?

Thinking of doing the Tequila lunch...anyone else?

 

[TDC Nala]

I've done a search but had no luck. Without actually thumbing thru all 93 pages, can anyone tell me how to book the lunch special events?

Thinking of doing the Tequila lunch...anyone else?

Call 407-WDW-FEST or 407-WDW-DINE (both lines end up in the same queue) and inquire about the lunch you want. They are presented on Saturdays and Sundays during the festival.

Make sure the cast member is booking you for the LUNCH event at the La Hacienda de San Angel, and not the tequila tasting event at La Cava del Tequila.

Remember you have to pay for the event in full when you book it, plus tax, and the events are not cancellable or refundable (although you may be able to cancel one if you are missing it due to extreme circumstances).

 

[zima-cheryl]

Subscribing to this thread.

This will be our 2nd F&W festival. DH & I are wicked excited.
Our TA e-mailed us that we got the 2 events we wanted (Tequila Tasting & 3-D Dessert party).

Only other event I'm considering is the Chateau Ste. Michelle wine tasting on 10/6. We haven't booked yet since we plan to start that day at HS before hopping over to Epcot & I'm not 100% sure we can be there for 4p (depends on how many times DH wants to ride RnR or ToT).
Do folks know, can you show up & get in on those day of, assuming there are still seats available?

 

[TDC Nala]

Subscribing to this thread.

This will be our 2nd F&W festival. DH & I are wicked excited.
Our TA e-mailed us that we got the 2 events we wanted (Tequila Tasting & 3-D Dessert party).

Only other event I'm considering is the Chateau Ste. Michelle wine tasting on 10/6. We haven't booked yet since we plan to start that day at HS before hopping over to Epcot & I'm not 100% sure we can be there for 4p (depends on how many times DH wants to ride RnR or ToT).
Do folks know, can you show up & get in on those day of, assuming there are still seats available?

Yes, but you have to have the ticket purchased before you enter the seminar. There is a separate area at the festival center to buy tickets. Make sure you have enough time to buy the tickets (if they're still available) before the seminar starts.

 

[FloraFauna]

Yesterland had an article in 2010 with a description of how the Culinary Demos work and examples of the taste samples:

http://www.yesterland.com/culinary2010.html

It the article, the plates look bigger than they really are. The plates and samples are small.They're not meals or even appetizers, but it's nice to have a chance to taste what the chef is making.

Thanks for posting this. I am excited now and glad I booked it

 

[mama03]

Here is an update from the past threads I have posted about the Signature dining events at Flying Fish and Fulton's Crab House.
FF:
Good Day,
This dinner was only able to be booked through our normal Disney Dining Reservation System.
If you were lucky enough to have gotten a reservation, this has been the highlight of the Signature wine dinners for the past 3 years.
The dinner will be 5- 6 courses, with all courses paired with Champagnes.
Dinner will start at 6:00, and expect to be here until 9:00 PM.
Let me know if I can be of further service!
Sincerely, Keith
FCH:
This is the second year that Fulton's has participated in the Food and
Wine Festival.We will not be co-hosting with a winery this year.

Still waiting to see if Fulton's will give out anymore info. I also boldly asked if perhaps FF could offer at least one course with red wine. Highly Doubt it since they are sponsored by Moet&Chandon.

 

[TDC Nala]

Here is an update from the past threads I have posted about the Signature dining events at Flying Fish and Fulton's Crab House.
FF:
Good Day,
This dinner was only able to be booked through our normal Disney Dining Reservation System.
If you were lucky enough to have gotten a reservation, this has been the highlight of the Signature wine dinners for the past 3 years.
The dinner will be 5- 6 courses, with all courses paired with Champagnes.
Dinner will start at 6:00, and expect to be here until 9:00 PM.
Let me know if I can be of further service!
Sincerely, Keith
FCH:
This is the second year that Fulton's has participated in the Food and
Wine Festival.We will not be co-hosting with a winery this year.

Still waiting to see if Fulton's will give out anymore info. I also boldly asked if perhaps FF could offer at least one course with red wine. Highly Doubt it since they are sponsored by Moet&Chandon.

If you ask while you are at FF, it is possible that they might give YOU some red wine. I do not think they will change the schedule and substitute an entire course for everyone with red wine.

 

[tortoni]

That is a very busy, as in crowded, weekend at the Festival. Go early on Saturday, the food booths start to open at 11 am. By 4 there will be lines, by 7 there will be crazy lines and shoulder to shoulder walking around the showcase. You can still enjoy it, just go early in the day.

Go to a nice restaurant in a resort for dinner.

If you've never done a culinary demonstration, you might find them interesting. Just make sure it is something that perks your interest.

Wine/Beverage seminars are okay if you know nothing about wine or liquor. They are basic in their knowledge and are really selling platforms for the distributing companies, IMHO.

Thanks. Do you know if the kiosks are open during EMH?

 

[theycomefromallover]

Thanks. Do you know if the kiosks are open during EMH?

I WISH! But alas unless they change it this year, they will not be open!

 

[TDC Nala]

No, they haven't been open during EMH.

 

[cloudnut220]

I needed to report back on the bit of pixie dust I received from guest relations this afternoon. Out of nowhere, my phone rings with a 407 number. I answer, and it's a woman from guest relations trying to help me with the food and wine situation. I give her our reservation number and 20 minutes later she calls me back...somehow they're managed to squeeze a 5th person onto our messed up sold out FRL booking that was only made for 4!!!! I give her my CC and now we can all go together! yahoo!!

 

[NejTheLion]

I needed to report back on the bit of pixie dust I received from guest relations this afternoon. Out of nowhere, my phone rings with a 407 number. I answer, and it's a woman from guest relations trying to help me with the food and wine situation. I give her our reservation number and 20 minutes later she calls me back...somehow they're managed to squeeze a 5th person onto our messed up sold out FRL booking that was only made for 4!!!! I give her my CC and now we can all go together! yahoo!!

Yay, Disney! Glad they were able to fix it

 

[cloudnut220]

Yay, Disney! Glad they were able to fix it

I'm so happy!!

We're doing a Dream Cruise/Food and Wine trip too!

 

[PNO4TE]

I needed to report back on the bit of pixie dust I received from guest relations this afternoon. Out of nowhere, my phone rings with a 407 number. I answer, and it's a woman from guest relations trying to help me with the food and wine situation. I give her our reservation number and 20 minutes later she calls me back...somehow they're managed to squeeze a 5th person onto our messed up sold out FRL booking that was only made for 4!!!! I give her my CC and now we can all go together! yahoo!!

That is terrific news! The manager of Tutto Italia did that for us last year for their F & W pairing. There were three unsold seats the day of the pairing but there were four of us. The CMs in the Festival Center suggested I go right to the restaurant and see what they had to say. He asked me to come back in about 30 minutes and he would let me know one way or another if they could make it work. They did!

 

[mama03]

Is the Odyssey Lounge still a go?

 

[BriarRosie]

Is the Odyssey Lounge still a go?

Is the Odyssey still a go for what? They haven't had events at the Odyssey since they started holding them at the Festival Center in the Pavilion Formerly Known as Wonders of Life.

I actually liked the Odyssey better, because you didn't have the drawbacks at the Festival Center dealing with Palmhenge.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Is the Odyssey still a go for what? They haven't had events at the Odyssey since they started holding them at the Festival Center in the Pavilion Formerly Known as Wonders of Life.

I actually liked the Odyssey better, because you didn't have the drawbacks at the Festival Center dealing with Palmhenge.

Here's what the Disney Food Blog reported on June 13 of this year:

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2011/...-and-wine-festival-introduces-odyssey-lounge/

However, the blog entry was subsequently updated: "UPDATE: This will not be happening at the Festival after all. Unfortunately, that 'all items subject to change' policy is alive and well!"

I liked the culinary demos better when they were in the spacious Odyssey Center, but I have to admit I also like having the culinary demos, wine seminars, wine bar, wine shop, festival gifts, and other activities all under one roof in the former Wonders of Life pavilion.

 

[redzinner]

I liked the culinary demos better when they were in the spacious Odyssey Center, but I have to admit I also like having the culinary demos, wine seminars, wine bar, wine shop, festival gifts, and other activities all under one roof in the former Wonders of Life pavilion.

The biggest benefit to Welcome Center is queuing up for the deminars indoors instead of in the heat/rain outdoors as we did for the Odyssey!

Too bad about the lounge not opening though.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

The biggest benefit to Welcome Center is queuing up for the deminars indoors instead of in the heat/rain outdoors as we did for the Odyssey!

But it felt so good when you finally got inside the Odyssey, out of the heat or rain!

Too bad about the lounge not opening though.

It surprises me. It seemed like a brilliant idea to have an indoor part of the Food and Wine Festival at the edge of World Showcase. That way, Epcot guests could continue to give Disney their money for $9 beers and other festival-priced food and beverages, even if the the weather was far less than ideal.