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

[zima-cheryl]

How crowded will Sunday Oct 2nd be approximately? Trying to decide if I will go then, or on the 3rd.

Right now the Crowd Calendar is showing the 2nnd as a 1.1 & the 3rd as a 1.7 for Epcot, so I would say it is a wash. I'd pick your day based on what event(s) you might want to do.

 

[RAPstar]

Right now the Crowd Calendar is showing the 2nnd as a 1.1 & the 3rd as a 1.7 for Epcot, so I would say it is a wash. I'd pick your day based on what event(s) you might want to do.

The only event I want to do is to stuff my face!! I think I'll pop in on the 2nd and watch Illuminations, then do the whole park on the 3rd. So glad I got the park hoppers this year!

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Yes, I noted that the Food & Wine Festival event bookings are officially non-refundable and non-transferable. However, Disney is a company focused on guest service, and Disney would face no financial loss in refunding mama03's booking and selling the spots to someone else.

If someone had to cancel because of illness or a family emergency, I have no doubt that Disney would be accommodating. In mama03's case, I'm not suggesting that she lie about such an emergency. I think that admitting an honest mistake and politely asking for an exception to the rule this far in advance will be honored by a supervisor.

I posted a few pages back about our latest family snafu. We are going over the F&W opening weekend. Our party has diminished in number and that leaves us with extra tickets to several events ($460.88 in tickets, to be exact.... ). I called Guest Relations to see if we could give these tickets away. I was told that we could certainly offer the tickets to someone else, but that the "party" would still have to enter as one group. So, we would have to wait until the extra folks showed up before we could check in for any event. That seems a little risky, so I guess the tickets will now go unused.

I didn't ask about a partial refund, though I'm not hopeful that one would be granted. The reason for our group shrinking was certainly misfortune that cannot be overcome (job loss), but not tragedy.

 

[NOLA_Tink]

I just booked our Mixology Seminar reservation for 10/28! It's the Cointreau seminar: The "Original" Margarita, The Cosmopolitan, Fall Festive Sangria. Whoop, whoop! Can't wait!

 

[NOLA_Tink]

I just noticed that the culinary demonstrations & mixology seminars are both at the Festival Welcome Center. Are they held in the exact same area or in two different areas? I would like to do Chef TJ's culinary demonstration at 5:00 pm, but I don't know if I would have enough time to make it to our 6:00 pm mixology seminar afterwards. Thanks for any insight!

 

[redzinner]

I just noticed that the culinary demonstrations & mixology seminars are both at the Festival Welcome Center. Are they held in the exact same area or in two different areas? I would like to do Chef TJ's culinary demonstration at 5:00 pm, but I don't know if I would have enough time to make it to our 6:00 pm mixology seminar afterwards. Thanks for any insight!

They are held in the back of the Welcome Center. Two different areas but the areas are right next to each other. You should be able to make both but depending on timing of the first, you may be a little late for the second. The organizers are aware that some people book back to back deminars.

Make sure you get the hard tickets for both events at the same time.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

That's nuts! In California you had to be there by 9:30AM for a 2PM demo if you wanted to see Robert Irvine!

even if you had tickets you had to be there 5 hours early?

I am referring to the demos you need tickets for (that sold out ahead of time) and then, if you wanted a close table you had to be there 45-60 mins early

 

[NOLA_Tink]

They are held in the back of the Welcome Center. Two different areas but the areas are right next to each other. You should be able to make both but depending on timing of the first, you may be a little late for the second. The organizers are aware that some people book back to back deminars.

Make sure you get the hard tickets for both events at the same time.

Thanks!!! I really appreciate your helpful response! I am SOOOOO excited!

 

[franandaj]

even if you had tickets you had to be there 5 hours early?

I am referring to the demos you need tickets for (that sold out ahead of time) and then, if you wanted a close table you had to be there 45-60 mins early

When CA had a festival there were "Signature Events" that could be booked (and cost money), all the other events (celebrity demos, sponsor demos, etc) were complimentary and on a first come first serve basis. I bet if they bring back the festival it will be very different.

It took me several weeks of trying to get into celebrity demos before I realized that I needed to be in line shortly after park opening to get in.

 

[vitalogy]

For the food and wine festival.

 

[disneydreamgirl]

I posted a few pages back about our latest family snafu. We are going over the F&W opening weekend. Our party has diminished in number and that leaves us with extra tickets to several events ($460.88 in tickets, to be exact.... ). I called Guest Relations to see if we could give these tickets away. I was told that we could certainly offer the tickets to someone else, but that the "party" would still have to enter as one group. So, we would have to wait until the extra folks showed up before we could check in for any event. That seems a little risky, so I guess the tickets will now go unused.

I didn't ask about a partial refund, though I'm not hopeful that one would be granted. The reason for our group shrinking was certainly misfortune that cannot be overcome (job loss), but not tragedy.

Sorry to hear about your dilemma...it might be risky to have to meet up with others, but at least that situation would not be a total loss for you. Are your sessions on October 1 and 2 only?

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Sorry to hear about your dilemma...it might be risky to have to meet up with others, but at least that situation would not be a total loss for you. Are your sessions on October 1 and 2 only?

Nope, we have extras for Opening Bites (Sept 29), French Regional Lunch (Sept 30), Italian Food & Wine Pairing at Tutto Italia (Oct 1) and Mexico Tequila Lunch at La Hacienda de San Angel (Oct 2), plus some wine seminars and a mixology seminar. We've had problems in the past with members of our own party arriving late to events... so I'm nervous about passing the tickets on to strangers. I would hate to miss our own events waiting on someone else to arrive for checkin.

 

[disneydreamgirl]

Nope, we have extras for Opening Bites (Sept 29), French Regional Lunch (Sept 30), Italian Food & Wine Pairing at Tutto Italia (Oct 1) and Mexico Tequila Lunch at La Hacienda de San Angel (Oct 2), plus some wine seminars and a mixology seminar. We've had problems in the past with members of our own party arriving late to events... so I'm nervous about passing the tickets on to strangers. I would hate to miss our own events waiting on someone else to arrive for checkin.

I can understand your trepidation...I hope you get it worked out somehow.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Nope, we have extras for Opening Bites (Sept 29), French Regional Lunch (Sept 30), Italian Food & Wine Pairing at Tutto Italia (Oct 1) and Mexico Tequila Lunch at La Hacienda de San Angel (Oct 2), plus some wine seminars and a mixology seminar. We've had problems in the past with members of our own party arriving late to events... so I'm nervous about passing the tickets on to strangers. I would hate to miss our own events waiting on someone else to arrive for checkin.

You could tell them. "if you are not here by x we will not wait you will just not enter"

 

[HelenParr]

Stipulating that the real asner is I need to call WDW Dining...looking for input: I booked, bu phone, a F&W Cat Cora F&W dinner. Credit card shows the correct charge (not cheap). But my online reservation simply shows "8pm, 2 guests, Kouzzina by Cat Cora." No mention of the F&W event. Online reservations appear to let you book regular dinner there that night (which I found surprising, but I digress).

Question is how worried should I be? I don't have time this morning to deal with WDW. (Yes, I have time for DIS boards though! )

 

[marshwiggle]

Stipulating that the real asner is I need to call WDW Dining...looking for input: I booked, bu phone, a F&W Cat Cora F&W dinner. Credit card shows the correct charge (not cheap). But my online reservation simply shows "8pm, 2 guests, Kouzzina by Cat Cora." No mention of the F&W event. Online reservations appear to let you book regular dinner there that night (which I found surprising, but I digress).

Question is how worried should I be? I don't have time this morning to deal with WDW. (Yes, I have time for DIS boards though! )

I wouldn't worry as long as the time and confirmation number match. You'll probably be set up in a separate room - I don't think any of the Signature dinners buy out the entire restaurant, although that might have been preferable (imo) than 5 nights of Kouzzina hogging up the schedule.

 

[mama03]

Just an update. I was able to cancel my FF signature dinner on Thursday. Will now be attending FF signature dinner on friday. Congrats to whomever got those reservations.

 

[RookieDisneyMom]

This will be my family's first trip to Disney during the F&W Festival. I saw some where that there are fees to taste treats at the countries. Is this correct? Do you have to pay at each country you sample or do you just pay once? I don't want to participate in any seminars just wanted to know if we could purchase a card to try some different things while we are there. Thanks for your help.

 

[Tess]

This will be my family's first trip to Disney during the F&W Festival. I saw some where that there are fees to taste treats at the countries. Is this correct? Do you have to pay at each country you sample or do you just pay once? I don't want to participate in any seminars just wanted to know if we could purchase a card to try some different things while we are there. Thanks for your help.

It's a "pay as you play" kind of situation at F&W. There are kiosks all around World Showcase each offering several items for sale. You simply decide what you would like to sample and pay for those items at the time.

The only type of card you need (and it really isn't necessary, but fun) is a "passport" which lists all of the booths and the offerings. You can then check off those you have tried and get a stamp from the country. You can also load a "card" with cash and use it to purchase items at F&W. It is a wristband type of credit card. You decide how much cash you wish to have pre-loaded and then use the card instead of cash. This is not necessary either, only an option if you desire to use it.

Have you checked out the links for F&W yet? If not, here is a link to the Disney Website and specifically the map of WS for the event. If you click on the map you will get a list of offerings from each marketplace. It's a good starting point for you.

Bon appetit!

 

[redzinner]

This will be my family's first trip to Disney during the F&W Festival. I saw some where that there are fees to taste treats at the countries. Is this correct? Do you have to pay at each country you sample or do you just pay once? I don't want to participate in any seminars just wanted to know if we could purchase a card to try some different things while we are there. Thanks for your help.

Each International Marketplace (food booths) will have about 3 individual food items and 3 beverage items to buy and taste. The prices for the food and beverages will range from about $3 up to $8 per item. There are cash registers at each booth so you pay individually. You can also put money on a Disney Gift Card and use those at the individual booths. The other options of payment are most major credit cards or a Disney Resort room key card, if you have charging privileges on the card. Oh, and cash too! There is no 'buy a card, eat what you want' type of set-up.