Anybody been to Epcot's Food & Wine Festival?

[wallyb]

Can anyone tell me how the seating assignments for
Epcot's Food & Wine Festival Party for the Senses works?

Is it fend for yourself or are you assigned seats?

I’m trying to get tickets to go in November -
so any enlightenment would be great!

 

[Robert P]

Fend for yourself.....

At 6:30, the curtains are pulled back, and it is open seating.
You will see/encounter who insist on pushing their way through, but the majority are people who patiently make their way into the room. It is a very large space inside the building, so finding seats was not any problem for us last year, but larger groups wanting to all sit together have a more limited number of tables to pick from.

 

[wallyb]

Oh my stars
Someone who seems to know something about this event!

Once you secure seating is it yours while you walk around the chef tables?
Some kind of marker or somthing?

Is the event worth it? Fun?

About how long did you hang out?

We’re only 2 - will there be tables for 2 or will we be with others?

 

[wallyb]

HELP - Anyone been to this?

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

We went in 2004, also as a party of two. We found a high table, with four chairs and spent most of the night taking turns getting our food. If you both leave the table, consider it gone, there is no real way to save it. We would have people come and go in the other two seats all night, which was fine, we got to talk to lots of people. The event is very fun but the seating is always scarce. Perhaps it's changed since 2004 though.

 

[wallyb]

Scrounging for a seat all night dose not sound so fun?
Is it kind of cocktail partyish - stand mingle eat?
Anyone been lately - is it still the same?

 

[Robert P]

"Once you secure seating is it yours while you walk around the chef tables?
Some kind of marker or somthing?

Is the event worth it? Fun?

About how long did you hang out?

We’re only 2 - will there be tables for 2 or will we be with others?"

We went last year....
After the 'cattle gates' opened, we sauntered in about 1/2 way, and found 2 seats at a large table. We were joined by various other small parties (2's and 3's) looking for places to sit. The 2 of us took turns making trips to the various stations close by, for about the first 35-45 minutes. Indeed, if you both leave the table, there is a good chance your dishes will be cleared by a cast member, and someone else will be in that spot when you return.
After the stationary dining, we went mobile, and walked around to the MANY other booths we had not tried yet. Seating was harder to come by once we did that, but occassionally we would find empty seats and sit for a station or two, then go mobile again. Alot to see, and sample, so staying in one place did not work well for us. Others may disagree. Standing and eating was not that big of deal, considering the layout of the event.
The frequent seating changes generated alot of conversation with others, doing the exact same thing.

The event was the highlight of our trip. It is pricey, but alot of fun, especially with the Cirque acts they had performing last year. We will very likely be attending again this year.

We were there from 6:30 until about 8:30. Just couldn't sample any more food. And the plentiful wine sampling is why I am not sure the exact time we left, but I know it was well before Illuminations.

I would agree with most everything the wdw_dine_junkie had to say about it.