2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival *HAS ENDED*

[smile4stamps]

It used to be that you would have to pay for each one as you booked it, reading your credit card number over and over again.

Now, they can hold them when you request them, and pay for them all at once. They do have to apply your credit card to each individual reservation, but it has been worked to where you should only need to give the number once.

You should ask for the most popular events first. In your case it would be the Grand Marnier, as there are only three sessions and they are much smaller than either PFTS or 3D Dessert. The only difference might be if you are looking to get the Wine View Room for the Party for the Senses, but they have thrown a wrench into the works by initiating a middle category with assigned seating, so we don't yet know how fast those categories will go.

Thanks for the info!! I am planning to pay with Disney Gift Cards. PLEASE tell me I can do this!!

 

[TDC Nala]

Yes you can, but if you are paying with multiple gift cards you will have to read a series of numbers to the CM. Be sure they have held the events for you.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Did the PFTS, 3D Dessert Discoveries, or Grand Marnier sell out in the first couple hours last year?

Last year, they were still pushing each Party for the Senses on the day of the event. To book the spots for the Party for the Senses, I wouldn't even bother to set my alarm clock.

My guess is that Grand Marnier would be the first priority, followed by "3D" Disney's Dessert Discovery. Even for those, I don't think they'll sell out the first day. But I could be wrong.

 

[Brocktoon]

Has anyone done The Discovery of Chocolate?

I attended Chef Julian Rose's event last year and thought it was great. The event may vary depending on the presenter, but I think Chef Rose is doing two events this year.

EDIT: adding that besides the chocolate, we were served a boneless chicken with a chocolate mole sauce

 

[kabuki]

I attended Chef Julian Rose's event last year and thought it was great. The event may vary depending on the presenter, but I think Chef Rose is doing two events this year.

EDIT: adding that besides the chocolate, we were served a boneless chicken with a chocolate mole sauce

Thank you!

 

[Inkmahm]

Discount tickets for Robert Irvine may be sold out. Try and ask for full price tickets if they tell you sold out and see what happens.

Thank you again! It took until now for me to b clear headed enough to find my planning schedule for the F&W WDW trip. I have no short term memory with these narcotics, none at all.

I checked our plans against the offerings and the one seminar that we actually WOULD like to do is the Robert Irving one on the 25th. We are doing nothing that day except walk around EPCOT to eat and then go to the MNSVSHP. I think a demo that starts at 1 should get us to WDW for the party by about 5 pm. Now I just have to call in the morning to see if there are any seats remaining. If not, I can live with it. We also plan to book the lunch with Robert Irvine on Oct 26th. We did his presentation last year and thought it was excellent. He is quite entertaining in person!

In the meantime, if anyone purchased two tickets for Robert Irvine and decides they can't use them on Oct 25th, please let me know.

 

[Inkmahm]

I was lucky enough to score 3 Robert Irvine tickets. Set the alarm for 5:00 am, called Disney and was put on hold....put it on speaker, and put on my make up (can you tell this isn't my first time to this rodeo? you have to multi-task because you never know how long you'll be on hold!) CM finally answered and told me to call back at 8:00 EST.

Well, immediately went to the real source...the DISboards and saw someone else was able to book, so I knew instantly that it was another case of "depends on the CM". Called back and was able to book Robert Irvine. I want to say it was around 5:45am my time. It appears they sold out within the next 1/2 hour after that.

Uh oh. I'm hoping it is just the discounted tickets that are sold out and not all of them? Any chance they are still selling ful price tickets for Irvine?

 

[Inkmahm]

I do not ever give my resort reservation number, this year for the festival I will probably have five separate resort reservations due to adding a day on here or there before a DVC stay on three separate trips. They once got so confused trying to guess which stay I am booking which event for that I thought I would not get the events I wanted because they would sell out while the agent was trying to find the room reservation. So if they ask, I say I am staying offsite. I'd rather have enough time to book the popular stuff than have it show up in the reservations tab.

I think this is excellent advice.

I keep track of all of my reservation numbers for dinners/excursions separately, anyway. I don't have to have a central spot at Disney to look at all my reservations together.

 

[pmdeve]

Is there an age limit for PFTS. I would like to take my 18 year old grandaughter. I know she will enjoy the food and she is looking forward to seeing Circ

 

[skunk]

That doesn't work either. Because then when you ask to book an event that is OUTSIDE that reservation, they get confused. And when time is of the essence as it will be on Tuesday morning, I do not want the booking agent confused. I've found saying I was offsite to be the best way to handle multiple resort reservations. For the deminars I called DVC and she just booked me under my first reservation because DVC has all that info already, but when I am calling WDW-DINE I do not want to confuse the agent with multiple reservations, especially since they start in three different months.

I booked Cake Boss seminar thru DVC Friday. When I tried to add the confirmation number on Disney.go, I realized I had 13 numbers instead of 12(I know, should have confirmed the number with her). Called Disney Dining to see if they could pull it up. She figured out that there was an extra 1 in the number I gave her, and it was for the correct seminar. Unfortunately it was under a different name. MS evidently tied the seminar confirmation to my last room reservation, the one I booked for my sister's family. Dining CM advised that she could not change the name, but could cancel and rebook. She checked first to see if any availability, but there was none. Told her not to cancel, as no guarantee it would still be there if trying to rebook.

Called MS and explained the situation. He called dining people, and was advised there was no way to change the name, but that MS could add a system note saying the reservation should have been in my name.

Not convinced a note will get me the tickets, so I emailed my sister to tell her she is going to Epcot on 11-6.

 

[PNO4TE]

Is there an age limit for PFTS. I would like to take my 18 year old grandaughter. I know she will enjoy the food and she is looking forward to seeing Circ

We took our younger DD three or four times before she hit that "Magic 21" and she loved every minute of it. Seeing the chefs and eating the food offerings was enough those first few years.

 

[rentayenta]

DH finally gave me a little input and he said a mixology seminar sounds fun. He doesn't want to be tied down to *having* to be somewhere so he doesnt want me to book the Italy Beer Pairing. I'm kind of a planner. Anyway, is there a chance of walking up to the mixology seminars or should I just book one?

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Last year, they were still pushing each Party for the Senses on the day of the event. To book the spots for the Party for the Senses, I wouldn't even bother to set my alarm clock.

My guess is that Grand Marnier would be the first priority, followed by "3D" Disney's Dessert Discovery. Even for those, I don't think they'll sell out the first day. But I could be wrong.

If you want a reserved seat for PFTS you will need to call

 

[betterlatethannever]

According to the Disney Web Site, the wine schools are at the World Showplace this year.


BUT, according to the festival booklet TDC Nala posted, at least one is at the festival center and the rest are at the World Showplace.

Were the schools there last year? if so, how many people could get in at World Showplace? (I am anticipating they are not going to sell out as fast as a signature dinner)

I only remember them being at the Festival Center.

Ed

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

Has anyone done The Discovery of Chocolate?

I was torn between that and Sweet Sundays!!

 

[dahirsh]

I know the Italian Regional Lunches are new this year, but based upon the French ones in previous years, what would you expect? How would they differ from the food and wine pairing?

 

[Inkmahm]

Uh oh. I'm hoping it is just the discounted tickets that are sold out and not all of them? Any chance they are still selling ful price tickets for Irvine?

And to answer my own question, the answer is 'no." All of the tickets for Irvine's 1 pm presentation on 10/25 have been sold. I guess DH and I are out of luck and will have to pray that I can be awake and book the Irvine Kitchen Memories right away on Tuesday morning.

 

[RachelTori]

And to answer my own question, the answer is 'no." All of the tickets for Irvine's 1 pm presentation on 10/25 have been sold. I guess DH and I are out of luck and will have to pray that I can be awake and book the Irvine Kitchen Memories right away on Tuesday morning.

I could very well be wrong (and someone will correct me if I am ), but I don't believe they release ALL the tickets for a culinary demo on the TIW/AP/DVC early booking date. I am sure every Robert Irvine ticket they had available to sell on 8/10 has been sold, but I'd be surprised if there weren't tickets available on 8/14.

Of course, that still means you have to be awake and on the phone at 7am and hope you can either book his demo or his Kitchen Memories. Good luck!

 

[NOLA_Tink]

His protege, Sarah Gruenberg, was also a finalist on Top Chef. I should add him to my celebrity list.

Speaking of which, Disney also misspells the name of the Top Chef contestant whose culinary demo I signed up for...her name is Grayson Schmitz, not Schmidt.

They also misspelled Ed Blinn's name on the mixology schedule. I remember a few mistakes from last year's line-ups too, but I can't recall any specific ones right now.

 

[VrBchJ]

I do not ever give my resort reservation number, this year for the festival I will probably have five separate resort reservations due to adding a day on here or there before a DVC stay on three separate trips. They once got so confused trying to guess which stay I am booking which event for that I thought I would not get the events I wanted because they would sell out while the agent was trying to find the room reservation. So if they ask, I say I am staying offsite. I'd rather have enough time to book the popular stuff than have it show up in the reservations tab.

This is my exact situation. I have three reservations numbers spanning two months, Oct. and Nov. I'm afraid this will cause confusion and delay. Is the only advantage to giving the BWV reservation number that the bookings can be linked to my regular dining reservations?