Epcot, first weekend of Food and Wine Festival

[Disney Jenn]

I'm wondering about the crowds for the first weekend of October. Our family was planning on going to Epcot on Oct. 2nd. Now I'm wondering if it'll be too crowded for us with the Festival and the half marathon. Any one ever been during this time, how crowded is it really?

 

[idofabric]

We will be there starting Oct 2 also... and have done F&W for the last 5 or 6 years. The first weekend is usuall a little ...disorganized...some of the booths did not have CMs that were used to the crowds so we hav to wait just a few min. more. And they did not have the smooth system of who does what that we noticed later in the week... It is like setting up a new restraunt, only they are doing 30 of them all at once.

However, with all that, the crowds were light on Sat, and on Mon no one was there. And the first weekend had some of the best food in some booths and some of the serving were much larger then latter in the trip... almost double serving for somethings!
If you like lamb chops ask for a thick one. No just to get more meat, but some of the thinner ones were overdone, the thick one I got was just perfect, but my DNs,(who did a cooking course in College), said hers was way overcooked, and it was about 1/3 thinner then mine...

Love this and can't wait till Oct2! We will have a ton of family/friends coming down and we will be there till the 11th.

Are you thinking of doing the new Illuminations Desert Party? souds great! And I think the 2th is the first night?

Have a Great Time! Get the new Passport to keep track of what you eat/where/how you like it.. and get the Disney reloadable wrist card-it makes it so much easier and faster to use at the booths. There is also a cookbook,, or there has been in past years with the food from some of the booths. How ever, not all, but you can ask for the head Chef and then give them your email and they will usuall send you the receipt you like/want...
Sorry this was so long....

 

[fairestoneofall]

we were there the first saturday of F&W last year. future world wasn't bad. but world showcase was packed on saturday evening.

 

[Disney Jenn]

We'll only be there until 3 or so that day, so maybe it won't be too bad afterall. We have other plans that evening. We'll actually be done with the park by 1 because we have ADRs at the Biergarten for lunch! I would love to do the Illuminations party, maybe another time though! Thanks for the info!

 

[wendy1974]

I hope it's not too crowded. I'll be there for the marathon and this will be the first time I'm there right at the beginning, on the 1st week of F&W. Last year WS was packed and it was hard to walk around with all the people. Hoping for a little less of a crowd this time

 

[TDC Nala]

If you don't want crowds when you tour the World Showcase, avoid Saturdays during the festival. The better the weather, the bigger the crowds will be, too. Crowds peak in the evenings with the concerts and hundreds of persons attending the Party for the Senses. If it must be a Saturday that you go, get there when WS opens.

 

[2Tiggies]

What would the Sunday Oct 3rd be like? We are planning to do rope drop until around 3 pm that day. I though we would be fairly safe. I am also riding on the fact that we have only ever been in peak times so crowds and Disney go together for us. I figure WS on the opening weekend of F&W can't be worse than MK over the Easter weekend.

 

[Mr Wes]

I'll be there for the first day of the F&W Festival, for the first time.

Anyone been there for the first day? I'm hoping that Friday doesn't get that packed.

 

[elbowglitter]

As was mentioned above, that is the weekend of the Wine and Dine half-marathon, so there may be a number of extra people there that particular weekend for the event. As the race is Saturday night, I bet most people running will be checking out the festival on Sunday.

 

[wendy1974]

I'm actually running in the race and there's a party in Epcot for race participants and they're also selling tickets from 10:30 to 3 a.m. on October 2nd. That may mean people there for the Marathon won't go to Epcot the next day.

 

[mom2cookies]

can't answer your question, but Dh, DD, DDf, and I will be there ( wdw) from the 5th - 12th. hopefully we'll get to see some LGMH's! lol

 

[lustergirl]

we were there last year during the first week of October. The weekends are definitely more crowded than during the week. We went early and had a great time.

 

[orangecats2]

I have been there on the first friday of F&W and it is packed! As in we couldn't wait to get out of there. We go at that time because the crowds are low so we hated the first weekend crowds in WS. HTH