I'm sorry I can't answer your question....but I did want to say 'Thank You!'
I had been looking on and off and NEVER found where you could book these tickets online. I called this a.m. ---- was told approx 9 minute wait. 35 minutes later I came here to see how other people were doing with F&W stuff while I was on hold. I saw your post and was surprised to read the ' reg seats online'. I googled that specific event and was able to book it! I was always on the general listing of events that didn't offer a booking option. I can't help but think Im not the only one who missed this.....but maybe I am...
. I was able to get through after 50 min waiting and got our reservations 
.
Well, we unfortunately are not able to attend the F&W this year, so we won't be going to the WVL. I'm not sure if we would have chosen it or the reserved seating if we were booking, but we definitely did enjoy the WVL for the last few years. If you prefer mixed drinks, then the open bar with top shelf brands is a plus. Also, if you really enjoy the artisanal cheese presentation, that's nice too. The biggest differences I see are that the WVL gives you a private table with a specific wait staff assigned to your table, and you also receive a great gift bag and a specially engraved wine glass for each member of your party. We've always enjoyed the gifts. Another added bonus, though it's certainly not guaranteed, is that you can chat with some surprising folks in the WVL. Two years ago, we were seated by Joey Fatone and his wife, and last year, Robert Irvine stopped by our table to say hello.
Where is the WVL located in the space? It is easy to access all the sampling tables or is it off to the side? We are looking to do this becuase we are not doing anything else this trip. Thanks!!
Thanks for the heads up!FYI -
For those DVC members, Just called MS and got through at 9:am (while still on hold on the regular phone line for over 50 min.) and booked the Zimmern/Voltagio Healthy Dinner on Oct 19th @ 6:30pm with no problem within minutes of the DVC line opening! Also while waiting made reservations online for Senses Party for Oct 20th 7:30pm.
Hope this helps someone!
Last year, the WVL was sectioned off a bit toward the right of the room (as you face the stage) with food and wine selections to either side. You could enter and exit through ropes either direction to get to the outside serving tables. There were a few rows of general admission tables between the WVL and the stage. The set up was similar the year before, but last year worked better with crowd control. It seemed like there were less general admission tables available the year before, so we had lots of folks congregating and standing between us and the stage, so it was difficult to see. Last year, this was not a problem. Of course, this year, there are three levels of tickets... so I would guess that the WVL will be central, with the reserved seating making a semicircle around that and then non-reserved tables to the periphery or perhaps in that side room that has no view of the stage. We were stuck in that side room our first year at F&W (before any reserved seating was an option). My parents were with us that year and have mobility issues. I was really scared that they would be injured in the initial stampede for a table that year, so we opted for the safety of the side room! It looks like the reserved seating options have made it better for everyone. It seems like those folks who are truly aggressive about wanting "the best" tables can try to call early and reserve them (table location within the WVL is assigned by the time of your reservation) and there never seems to be a stampede for the peripheral spots.
Well, I was a lazy-bones-jones and didn't call until 7 am west coast time. I only held for about 10 minutes before a very helpful CM picked me up.
I wanted the Tequila Lunch on 10/28 and got it.
I wanted the VIP Chef Tour on 10/31 and it is SOLD OUT.
I guess that's what I get for not getting up at 4 am.
At least the 5 deminars I wanted I got on Aug 10th.
I agree there has to be a better way.
I'm sure we will have a great time.
We used the "divide and conquer" strategy for the stations! With a specific wait staff, we just let our waiter know that we wanted to keep our food and wine on our table until we asked for it to be cleared. We first went to stations that had no wine offered, returned with the food, set it on the table and noted which station we had visited, and then headed out to another station (without eating). We did this until all of the stations without wine had been visited and samples were at our table. We also would grab samples from any station that offered a separate beverage glass (such as the beer stations). Finally, we each selected a different station that offered wine and went for samples with our wine glasses. With a WVL wristband, we found that the pours were a bit larger... and with so much food, we certainly were able to share the tastings without "wanting" for more. Additionally, we asked our waiter to bring us some glasses for water to somewhat clear our taste between bites, which he did. After the table was full with choices, we sat down and shared everything, making notes in our program about what we tasted. After we'd gone through all of those, we went the rest of the stations that offered wine, and the lines had diminished substantially at those locations because those folks were now in line for dessert (which was already sitting safely back at our table). This strategy worked out very well, and we were able to experience everything offered this way.
