Epcot Dining during F&W?

[mfly]

We have a trip planned for this fall, which happens to be during Food & Wine. We're not going for F&W, but I'm wondering how this will affect dining during our trip. Do reservations at Epcot restaurants become BOG-level scarce, or are they easier to get because most people are eating at F&W?

We've never been to WDW at all, so I'm just trying to prepare as best I can.

As a sidenote: is there some sort of ADR FAQ somewhere? I looked (briefly) and didn't find one. This 180-day-in-advance reservation concept is proving a bit stressful/challenging - I really don't know where to begin.

 

[Hopefully]

We go to F & W every year. Epcot World Showcase is definitely more busy and crowded. Weekends, when the locals come, is the worst. But you should still be able to get your ADR's at 180 days without problems. F & W is worth experiencing, even if it is not the focus of your tripl.

We start our planning by looking at best parks for which day. Take a look at the recommendations at easywdw.com for the time you will be there.
Then we choose the park by day, and restaurants that interest us in or near that park. It is crazy to be traveling great distance to a distant ADR.
Take a look at menus here on the DIS or at allears.net to see where you might like to eat.
Good Luck

 

[Pepper pots]

Avoid the weekends like the plague..On our last trip two years ago, we had an ADR for VN on a Saturday night and when we walked out the restaurant about 9.00pm it was pandemonium ...Aarrgghh...

 

[disBEAST]

I see weekends at F&W as a good time to book ADRs for the restaurants at Epcot and special events like the cheese tasting seminars at the Festival Centre. You definitely want to avoid the booths during the weekend, unless its 11:00-12:00. Even then it can get crazy. Some of the Epcot restaurants also run special meals on the weekend, such as the brunch at Chefs de France. There is also the Party for the Senses in October that you can attend, it's a lot of fun.

Most Epcot ADRs don't need to be made 180 days in advance, unless it's Akershus. You can make a few reservations now and then wait for the F&W calendar to be released and then rearrange your schedule accordingly. Events at F&W do tend to book up though so be on it when they are released.

 

[PSUGuy]

In our experience a lot of guests 'Graze Around the World' during F&W making fewer TS ressies, we sure do. We'll make 2 dinner ADRs for the Cape May Clambake on a 10 day WDW vacation, probably keeping only one. Also we'll do Raglan Road on Sat to avoid the weekend crowds others have mentioned. We only avoid WS on Sat., Sun. isn't too bad, maybe we'll leave WS early evening on Fri depending on the crowd level. Even before F&W we'd hit a park at Rope Drop, tour until noon or so then hop to Epcot. Despite not going 'for' F&W you're missing a great time if you don't give it a whirl. There are Eat to the Beat concerts every evening, 3 times, the first show tends to be the most crowded, we hit the later ones.

Bill From PA

 

[PeasandCarrots]

I could be wrong but I would think if anything it would be easier to get ADRs at Epcot. My husband and I love F&W so when we go we do not make ADRs or only 1 for the week. I would imagine others are like us as well. I just put out a video that shows what F&W looks like on a Saturday night (evening part starts around 11:09):

 

[crabbygal902]

I wanted to throw in my support of what has been said: the weekends are NUTZ although the TS places are probably less booked that usual. I know that we are going sans ADRs (for the 1st time ever!) in order to enjoy the F&W booths...on weekdays!

 

[Tom P.]

We went during Food and Wine last year, and we had a Friday night ADR at Akershus. The ADR wasn't especially difficult to get, and the restaurant itself did not seem unusually crowded. But walking through World Showcase to get too the restaurant... that was a different story. Friday evening at World Showcase during F&W is absolutely packed. Future World was not nearly as impacted, but if you're walking through WS, allow yourself plenty of time.