*2013* epcot food & wine festival 9/27-11/11

[gwynne]

I've been adjusting my dining reservations, noticed they are working on the website. So far I haven't seen any links (or hints of links) for online booking.

 

[disneynme]

PFTS reserved seating is booked up for 10/12 (don't know about WVL), so we settled for general admission. Oh well. More money for the booths.

 

[sunnygal041]

After 1 hour on the phone, I finally got tequila lunch on 10/4 for 2. Good luck everyone!

 

[Shelli_5]

They really didn't start booking this 10/25 lunch right away this morning. I think I got it maybe at 7:35 am? It wasn't open to book but I refused to hang up until a supervisor could figure it out. I had a great CM who didn't give up on me, she worked at it until she got me booked. And then asked me to stay on the line to give feedback on my experience after I told her I was so happy to get a CM who knew what she was doing since so many of them don't! I DID stay online and gave her great feedback. She went above and beyond when I insisted there was a system glitch.

In other words, you may still be lucky enough to join us for lunch because a lot of the CMs were telling people the same thing you were told! And they won't know to call back so soon to try again...

Thank you for the encouragement!

Shelli

 

[Inkmahm]

I must admit I am green with jealousy! The CM I got was very apologetic but said there was nothing she could do except suggest I call back later and talk to someone else. She wouldn't get her supervisor even when I specifically requested it.

So here again on hold -
1st time 701 EST -> 743 EST -> off at 755 EST
2nd time finally got in queue again at 819 EST and still waiting.

Good luck to you! We'll have a toast to good fortune at lunch on the 25th if you get in. Whatever they tell you this time, just refuse to hang up until you get a supervisor if the CM can't help you.

 

[4everGoofy]

Booked PFTS reserved 10/5 this morning...was on hold for an hour starting at 7.

 

[Tamar]

Really? Then I AM lucky to get it today. The CM said she tried to get it for someone yesterday at 7:01 am and it showed as sold out. We both know that isn't possible. So she figured it never had opened up at all yesterday. Must be it was sold out for VISA and they had just not opened the rest of the seats when I got in this morning and asked about it.

At least I have enough experience doing this over the years with Disney to know not to take "no" for an answer. At least not the first couple times I get it on a call. My "go to" request is always to get a supervisor to help. The CMs may be very inconsistent but I've had pretty good luck with supervisors being able to figure things out over the years.

That is the ONE event I really really wanted so now I am pretty excited about our trip. I love the booths, my DH loves the PFTS. But we BOTH love the Voltaggios so this will be great! I hope they are as entertaining as Chef Irvine has been the last two years. I'll miss seeing him this year but I'm glad if he isn't there to do the lunch that it is someone else that I really want to see who will be there instead.

I got in with NO wait music yesterday. Just a fluke. Still didn't get the V&A dinner, which is what I asked for first. Asked for the Jiko dinner second and the 10/25 Kitchen Memories third (so it was probably 7:05am by that time).

I'm now on hold again to quadruple check that the V&A dinner is really booked, and wasn't just a casualty of not being loaded or whatever....

 

[Mac4life30]

Anything Sold out yet?

 

[Abby's Dad]

Just got back in the cue. Hoping for better luck this time.

Shelli

I'm there with you - after collecting myself and calling DW to find out what she wanted, which was Scotland even if GA, fought the "all circuits busy," and I'm back in the que since 0830.

 

[SarahInMN]

Good luck to you! We'll have a toast to good fortune at lunch on the 25th if you get in. Whatever they tell you this time, just refuse to hang up until you get a supervisor if the CM can't help you.

Thanks for the encouragement!

In reality, we weren't super excited about either Kitchen Memories on the 18th or the 25th but have enjoyed them in the past (ie with Cat Cora, Jamie Deen, Robert Irvine, etc). I'm glad we decided to give the cheese seminar a whirl this year - I know eventually I'll get that booked and am more excited about that. I'm also glad we decided to skip PFTS WVL this year - we just couldn't stomach the price of it. And I'm trying to be grateful that we got all our dining ADR's - artist point, jiko, and BOG dinner. Or so I keep telling myself at minute 48 on hold for the 2nd time this morning.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

We are a Disney-adoring family - truly - you can check my past posts!

But this is ridiculous. It's not like with FP+ where they are putting together a massive undertaking, breaking new ground in some respect, etc. There I expect mess-ups initially.

But this? They do this EVERY YEAR! And this is not exactly a mystery: Broadway shows and theaters around the world do it every day -- differential pricing for events, different booking windows, different promotions depending on a card you hold, etc. This is already-discovered, and well-traveled territory. Can't imagine what the excuse is for Disney not getting this right.

Still LOVE the World -- go back at least once a year -- DVC, PAP, TIW, Disney VISA, D23, etc. But COME ON, PEOPLE!!

Really well said. Total Disney lover here and 7 time F&W vet and this has been embarrassingly bad. And worse, doesn't seem like anything that couldn't have been avoided with some solid planning. Ugh. I think they need to hire a DISer (like me ) to work some of the project planning angle next year!

Excellent choice! It seems like no one was able to book that one yesterday with VISA so I feel a little less bad finding out today that I could have called yesterday. Now I"m choosing to look at it as I saved probably an hour on the phone yesterday that wouldn't have gotten me anywhere.

We should have a Disboard table on the 25th for all of us that are going to be at this same lunch! Or all wear green or something to identify ourselves!

That would be great. Looking forward to seeing DIS friends there. I saw both Bryan and Michael last year with Andrew Zimmern. Super duper nice people. And great food!!

I hesitate to share this....but I booked that Kitchen Memories yesterday. See you there!

Good for you! See you there!!

Thank you for the encouragement!

Shelli

Hope to see you there as well.

 

[PatriciaH]

The Tours line gets you right in and they can check F&W events and book for you. I waited 1 minute since it is still busy on the F&W line. They still can't tell if the Hibachi Experience for the date I want is sold out. I got in right at 7am this morning and they could not book it-so I don't think it sold out that quickly. Unless they gave away all of the seats yesterday (she said they did not release them all yesterday.) I may just book a French Lunch instead. The date I wanted was still open. We decided against PFTS this year. First year we will not go in 10 years! We wanted to do some new things.

 

[TravelingMatt]

Got my Parisian breakfast. I explained there were two adults and 1 infant (10 months). They charged me for 3. Is this right? I didn't want to miss out on the reservation and was happy to get it but I didn't know it was a full ticket for a baby. Thoughts?

 

[gismo1554]

Thanks for the encouragement!

In reality, we weren't super excited about either Kitchen Memories on the 18th or the 25th but have enjoyed them in the past (ie with Cat Cora, Jamie Deen, Robert Irvine, etc). I'm glad we decided to give the cheese seminar a whirl this year - I know eventually I'll get that booked and am more excited about that. I'm also glad we decided to skip PFTS WVL this year - we just couldn't stomach the price of it. And I'm trying to be grateful that we got all our dining ADR's - artist point, jiko, and BOG dinner. Or so I keep telling myself at minute 48 on hold for the 2nd time this morning.

My lovely TA managed to get me the Robert Irvine one this morning so super exctied. Did venture online to try and get a mixology seminar but it aint working for me so never mind!

 

[jad35]

When were you able to book Parisian Breakfast for?

 

[woodleygrrl]

two hours later I got both events booked that I wanted. PFTS on October 12th and the Parisian breakfast on the same day.

I am over it. Now back to work.

 

[Inkmahm]

After the fiasco yesterday I was able to book reserved seating for PFTS on 10/26 and the Jiko dinner for 10/24, both of which I was told yesterday were completely sold out, no more seats were being released.

And because I had booked PFTS general admission yesterday since I was given the wrong info, they did cancel that reservation for me. I had to speak to someone in guest services but they did it with no problem. And the woman I spoke to yesterday in guest relations actually called me back to make sure it was taken care of since I spoke to a different agent today.

So for those of you still on hold don't give up! Hope you get through soon and get a CM who has a clue as to what's going on!

Yay!!! Now THAT is more like the customer service we expect from Disney.

We'll see you in the reserved seating on the 26th! I had considered booking Jiko on the 24th, too, but it was so expensive. And we eat there every single trip to WDW. We've done the afternoon safari at AKL several times with the group Jiko dinner afterwards. I'm guessing this Signature dinner might be quite similar? In any case, our plan is to eat our way around the F&W booths on the 24th. Last year I had to cancel our dinner reservations for that Thurs night because we were so stuffed from the festival. Definitely no room for dinner after that so I've learned my lesson in not scheduling dinner on days we are at F&W.

 

[TravelingMatt]

10/26 but it shows up as "F&W VIP Chefs Tour" Does that sound right?

 

[jad35]

Hmmm, not sure. I tried yesterday and this morning to book the breakfast for the 19th and was told it was sold out. I was thru at 7:20.

 

[thebigcheeese]

This is my first time planning a F&W trip! Called right at 7am and was on hold for a half hour. French Regional Lunch on 10/27 was initially sold out, but someone must have deleted it from their cart and I was able to get it. Also got Italian Regional Lunch on 10/30. However, my CM double booked it due to IT issues, but was able to refund one of them. Both events appear on MDE.

Good luck to all!