2018 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: August 30 to November 12, 2018

[2xcited2sleep]

We are fans of the Italian events (regional lunch, whatever they are calling it now), Who knows when it will be available? the Spice road lunch event is supposed to be available to book tomorrow but it's hard to plan when you don't know when the French and Italian lunches will take place.

I wouldn’t be so sure on the Spice Road event. Someone pointed out in the last few pages that it appeared Disney Food Blog inadvertently left 2017 dates in their description and didn’t replace with “TBD” like they did for others (assuming days of the week offered remains the same). It is not listed in passholders site as being eligible for tomorrow. But who knows...

 

[kellyr66]

I wouldn’t be so sure on the Spice Road event. Someone pointed out in the last few pages that it appeared Disney Food Blog inadvertently left 2017 dates in their description and didn’t replace with “TBD” like they did for others (assuming days of the week offered remains the same).

I noticed they had the wrong dates too. We shall see tomorrow..

 

[ChanduTail]

Early booking for tomorrow confirmed on pass holder site in My Disney Experience. Starts at 9 am. Seems like phone only (vs online - but worth trying in morning). Includes only the events announced so far (per the description but can’t hurt to ask about more): Sunday brunch w/ Chef, Pairing events, Cheese seminar, food or beverage demo, mix it make it, Party for the Senses, Eat to the Beat package.

ETA: pretty extraordinary to announce with ~12 hours notice. Imagine majority of passholders will have no idea about this “ benefit”

Maybe that's the point

A study in how to offer a benefit without actually offering a benefit.

 

[The Expert]

Perhaps all this is to alleviate the crush of people trying to book everything at once? Yes, it's frustrating for those of us who have been going for years and are used to the way it worked before, but it was also frustrating to get up before 5am (my time) to redial until I got to sit on hold for hours, then have half the things I wanted sold out already.

I agree I can't really book what's there now without knowing what's coming, especially with no cancellation policy. So I'll wait. But so will a lot of others, which may just spread out the bookings enough to make it manageable. Perhaps this will actually help, with folks booking as their "must do" events are announced?

Just a thought.

 

[gottalovepluto]

...One note/tip, the Festival Center has historically opened with the park at 9 (vs. World Showcase and food booths at 11).

I do love being able to get a glass of breakfast champagne before the food booths opened

 

[gottalovepluto]

PFTS Wine View is not booking tomorrow. Only reserved and only September 22 (which is what we would book IF we were booking it). DH and I have pretty much decided not to do PFTS because we feel like they are backing us into a corner of booking it without knowing what else is being offered! No telling if they are doing Trader Sam's. I couldn't get it during early booking last year but I got it during general public booking.

Ok, so I was trying to be all chill about this and not get worked up or anything but this did it. I’m joinging the WHAT THE -uh- $*&@ party.... WHAT?! They are only booking reserved Sept 22 PFTS tomorrow despite having the dates and chefs secured for the other parties?! That is the STUPIDEST thing so far! (And after last year’s booking disaster that bar is so low it’s under the ground at this point!)

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Well for the first time in memory I'm sitting out day 1. I may just sit out the festival. We shall see.

 

[ChanduTail]

Perhaps all this is to alleviate the crush of people trying to book everything at once? Yes, it's frustrating for those of us who have been going for years and are used to the way it worked before, but it was also frustrating to get up before 5am (my time) to redial until I got to sit on hold for hours, then have half the things I wanted sold out already.

I agree I can't really book what's there now without knowing what's coming, especially with no cancellation policy. So I'll wait. But so will a lot of others, which may just spread out the bookings enough to make it manageable. Perhaps this will actually help, with folks booking as their "must do" events are announced?

Just a thought.

I would actually like it a lot if they staggered the bookings - seminars & demos one day, pairings another day, etc.

I just don't think they planned it that way because I don't think they did much planning at all

Disney puts together some amazing events for this festival every year. I just don't understand why booking has, historically, always been such a disaster. I remember my parents calling in on separate phone lines, scribbling notes to each other about what the CM was saying and trying to figure out which of the two CMs, if either, had accurate info. That was 10+ years ago.

 

[patster734]

I do love being able to get a glass of breakfast champagne before the food booths opened

One of my favorite drinks of all time was the Homemade Apple Pie Hard Cider that was available in the Festival Center 2 years ago. I was pretty disappointed that it wasn’t available last year.

 

[The Expert]

I would actually like it a lot if they staggered the bookings - seminars & demos one day, pairings another day, etc.

I just don't think they planned it that way because I don't think they did much planning at all

Disney puts together some amazing events for this festival every year. I just don't understand why booking has, historically, always been such a disaster. I remember my parents calling in on separate phone lines, scribbling notes to each other about what the CM was saying and trying to figure out which of the two CMs, if either, had accurate info. That was 10+ years ago.

Oh I completely agree it's not on purpose! But maybe it'll be a happy accident?? And yes, I know all too well the pain of multiple lines dialing in on hold and trying to explain to the CM how to find something you KNOW Is there. UGh.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Oh I completely agree it's not on purpose! But maybe it'll be a happy accident?? And yes, I know all too well the pain of multiple lines dialing in on hold and trying to explain to the CM how to find something you KNOW Is there. UGh.

Multiple lines reminds me of a tale... for those who use the multiple line tactic: DO NOT HANG UP AFTER YOU GET AN ANSWER ON ONE LINE! I will never forget the tale from here on the DIS a few years ago from the person who waited an hour (or more?) on the lines and finally got an answer so they hung up on the other line- and then their call dropped on the answered line. Keep all your lines active as long as you can. This is also a good tactic in case CM #1 cannot book what you want but you know it’s there so you can try with CM #2. Sometimes you can’t book because it literally isn’t there but sometimes people come back to report they couldn’t book here on the DIS only to see others booked the same event before they even tried and they just had an incompetent CM. IF you use the multiple line strategy use it to the fullest extent!

...not that it may be necessary if they are only booking a few events with no descriptions tomorrow...

 

[gottalovepluto]

...Disney puts together some amazing events for this festival every year. I just don't understand why booking has, historically, always been such a disaster. I remember my parents calling in on separate phone lines, scribbling notes to each other about what the CM was saying and trying to figure out which of the two CMs, if either, had accurate info. That was 10+ years ago.

Oh. My. ...New theory! Booking F&W events is such a minor detail for Disney they turn the entire process over to their new batch of summer interns each year. With no instructions.

 

[randumb0]

Has anyone attended the Swan and Dolphin classic? I'm leaning towards booking that instead

 

[AJW]

I wouldn’t be so sure on the Spice Road event. Someone pointed out in the last few pages that it appeared Disney Food Blog inadvertently left 2017 dates in their description and didn’t replace with “TBD” like they did for others (assuming days of the week offered remains the same). It is not listed in passholders site as being eligible for tomorrow. But who knows...

Hi guys! It's AJ here from DFB. Yep -- we mistakenly left the spice road table food and wine pairing with 2017 dates. As far as we know, they haven't announced the event for 2018 yet. Thanks for the heads up on that! Should be fixed now.

 

[Brocktoon]

Well for the first time in memory I'm sitting out day 1. I may just sit out the festival. We shall see.

Same here ... I'm not sitting out the festival this year, but I booked other 'special' events like a Cali Grill brunch. The only event I'm sort of interested in would be Sam's Grotto, and with no info posted I'm not going to get up early to try fighting for it.

Has anyone attended the Swan and Dolphin classic? I'm leaning towards booking that instead

I'm down at the Fest that weekend and already booked for 10/26. With no PFTS that weekend I thought Friday may be a better night as Sat could get very crowded. I've heard the food lines can get very long but that the event is good. I sprung a little extra for the Beer Garden figuring if the food lines get really bad there might be a better chance to get something to eat in the Garden area ... and I'm a beer geek which doesn't hurt either

 

[TeresaWen]

So if nothing else is announced by the general public booking date are we supposed to play the stalking game for when the lunches and such are finally released. I just cannot go through that experience.

Almost hope this "cures" me of my food & wine festival addiction. I have friends that go to the Caribbean every year during this time. I think we will be joining them in 2019.

Dear Disney - stop acting like you do not know this is a huge deal.

 

[sunshinecruise]

This is so disappointing. We love the special lunches and I love to make my planning calendar and list all of our choices to see which lunches we want to attend. They have taken away all of my excitement about planning our Food and Wine trip.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Yup. Like some others I’m sitting today out for the first time. Absolutely USELESS to me to have early booking without knowing dates/times for all events.

Can’t inagine what they’re thinking. Or if they’re thinking.

Unless everything is out before regular booking, I’m sitting that out as well and just doing booths.

 

[jimmytammy]

90 min wait at 7 am don't think so

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Yup. Like some others I’m sitting today out for the first time. Absolutely USELESS to me to have early booking without knowing dates/times for all events.

Can’t inagine what they’re thinking. Or if they’re thinking.

Unless everything is out before regular booking, I’m sitting that out as well and just doing booths.

I’m semi-local and there are a couple of things I’m really interested so I’m going to give it a try at 9. I’m not terribly optimistic it will go smoothly. Unrelated but I couldn’t sleep last night and was trying to figure out their business rationale for handling this way... I came up empty.