***Epcot Food And Wine Festival Info 2008***

[Inga]

Just not a big french wine fan...

 

[oybolshoi]

Here's the problem with the French lunch. I can go to the Boujolais one but I don't like Georges DeBeouf. I could go to the Burgundy one but I did the Burgundy wine school last year - same winery.

The only other one I can get to is the first one (Bordeaux) so it's a possibility if nothing better comes along. And it'd be nice to know what they cost.

Don't you hate it when that happens? The only lunch we can do is with the one winery that I don't recognize ... Jean Sauvion Wines.

We're both big fans of Louis Jadot so it would have been nice to be able to get to that one, but I'll probably try to get us in for the lunch on 10/12 as long as the price isn't too outrageous.

 

[TDC Nala]

Their wine school was awesome.

I think it's interesting that I have four separate trips during food & wine and have so far found only four events (other than the Party for the Senses) that I might sign up for.

 

[oybolshoi]

We were going to by-pass PFTS this year but as Inga said ... it's starting to look like a bargain compared with some of the other events. I never thought I'd say that

 

[PatriciaH]

This might be fun:

November 7: Taste of Louisiana (City Tastes)

We will probably do the 10/18 PFTS that Caymus might be at. It looks like Jamie Deen might be there too that w/e. I was just saying I wish the Deen brothers or Paula would come to F&W.

Not really seeing anything else I love yet.

 

[oenophile]

Ok, I might have missed this, but:

The vertical wine tastings are scheduled for Saturdays, but all the dates in November are for Sundays, what is the actual date of the tastings? Specifically, is the Bordeaux tasting 11/1 or 11/2?

 

[ElizabethB]

I'm wondering the same thing. In previous years the vertical tastings have always been on Saturdays. The dates indicate Sunday, but I wonder if they're correct.

 

[PNO4TE]

We were going to by-pass PFTS this year but as Inga said ... it's starting to look like a bargain compared with some of the other events. I never thought I'd say that

I agree, Brenda. We have very few choices since we are going from September 27-October 1. Many big ticket events don't even begin until later in October. I will keep an eye out and see if there is anything else that catches my eye. But, for now at least, I am thinking about the Sweet Sundays that first weekend, but I know nothing about the two gentlemen presenting that morning!

 

[westcliffemom]

I agree, Brenda. We have very few choices since we are going from September 27-October 1. Many big ticket events don't even begin until later in October. I will keep an eye out and see if there is anything else that catches my eye. But, for now at least, I am thinking about the Sweet Sundays that first weekend, but I know nothing about the two gentlemen presenting that morning!

I will be there the 28th also, and was wondering about the presenters:
9/28: Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito - Baked in Brooklyn, NY

any imput?

 

[PNO4TE]

I will be there the 28th also, and was wondering about the presenters:
9/28: Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito - Baked in Brooklyn, NY

any imput?

I checked their website and still don't know anything.

 

[RachelTori]

I agree, Brenda. We have very few choices since we are going from September 27-October 1. Many big ticket events don't even begin until later in October. I will keep an eye out and see if there is anything else that catches my eye. But, for now at least, I am thinking about the Sweet Sundays that first weekend, but I know nothing about the two gentlemen presenting that morning!

I will be there the 28th also, and was wondering about the presenters:
9/28: Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito - Baked in Brooklyn, NY

any imput?

I saw these 2 guys at one of the free demos at Odyssey last year and I was smitten!

They were fun to watch, informative, and their food was delicious (although for the life of me I can't remember what it was I sampled!) I do remember though that "Baked" went to the top of my list for my next trip to NYC!

The concept of Sweet Sundays has never appealed to me, but when I saw Matt & Renato scheduled for 9/28......... I'm definitely considering booking this one. I'd love to see them again!

 

[mikaj3645]

DH and I have planned to go back to Food and Wine for 2 years, and are booked for the first weekend. Now we find there will be no PTFS, and the food and wine pairings have gone up to $110/couple plus tax!

As I recall, Morocco and Japan were outstanding in 2006, but for a little more money, you can get a really nice dinner for two, including wine! I'm going to have a great time anyway, but it's disappointing - I won't be going to any ticketed events at all this year.

Cathy

 

[TDC Nala]

This is when it's great that I am not a couple - everything's cheaper.

 

[kaseyC]

DH and I have planned to go back to Food and Wine for 2 years, and are booked for the first weekend. Now we find there will be no PTFS, and the food and wine pairings have gone up to $110/couple plus tax!

As I recall, Morocco and Japan were outstanding in 2006, but for a little more money, you can get a really nice dinner for two, including wine! I'm going to have a great time anyway, but it's disappointing - I won't be going to any ticketed events at all this year.

Cathy

We feel somewhat the same. We are going the first weekend, me, my sis and two friends and the only ticketed event we wanted was PFTS. So I think we will stick to the booths and maybe Sweet Sunday.

 

[oybolshoi]

DH and I have planned to go back to Food and Wine for 2 years, and are booked for the first weekend. Now we find there will be no PTFS, and the food and wine pairings have gone up to $110/couple plus tax!

As I recall, Morocco and Japan were outstanding in 2006, but for a little more money, you can get a really nice dinner for two, including wine! I'm going to have a great time anyway, but it's disappointing - I won't be going to any ticketed events at all this year.

Cathy

That's too bad ... I'm so sorry. It's getting more and more difficult for us to plan for some of these events, too, given the price increases. I wonder when Epcot is going to reach a price threshold on some of these events? Sooner or later it's going to get to a point where it just doesn't make sense to spend the money on certain of these events, although I'm sure there are plenty of people who have waaaaay more disposable income than the hubby and I do.

I personally find it frustrating because the variety just isn't there in the food booths any longer, and by that I mean that the menus aren't changing much at all. I can look at my programs from 2006 and 2007 and compare it to the partial list of marketplace booths for this year and I'm less than impressed with the effort to change things up. Granted, there are some new offerings but not many. Take the booth that sells all the Sam Adams beers ... are you telling me that a crab cake and a lobster roll are the only items that anyone from Boston ever eats? Puh-lease. If you ask me it's laziness and complacency on the part of the Festival organizers ... it smacks of a total lack of effort to offer new and interesting tasting portions.

Just my opinion. I know we'll still have fun but they're making it easier and easier to wean ourselves from the Festival and consider other options for our annual October trip. I'm not even sure right now if I want to go back next October before our cruise ... I'm kinda leaning towards USO right now.

 

[TewEpcot]

Those Friday night City events sound fun. And Todd English is back, my DPs saw him last year and got me a signed book but I won't be there when he is...

Just POTS for me! But that's enough. It is so fun!

 

[TDC Nala]

Disney is currently interested in quantity, not quality, i.e. how many people can we pack in, how much can we get them to pay, and how fast can we turn them around?

Food booths are easy, they can charge what they want and no one is taking up quantity-driven tables in restaurants. Party for the Senses, same thing. LOTS OF PEOPLE can be accommodated at each booth or PFTS. The other events are small and they're going to charge a lot more for them because small doesn't turn the sort of profit that large does.

If they're not really interested in repeat travelers, why should they change things? They're going for the once-in-a-lifetime splurge and spend only at Disney family vacationer, not the repeaters.

What I'm going to do with my DVC points is sort of beyond me, at least I can trade them.

 

[oybolshoi]

Disney is currently interested in quantity, not quality, i.e. how many people can we pack in, how much can we get them to pay, and how fast can we turn them around?

Food booths are easy, they can charge what they want and no one is taking up quantity-driven tables in restaurants. Party for the Senses, same thing. LOTS OF PEOPLE can be accommodated at each booth or PFTS. The other events are small and they're going to charge a lot more for them because small doesn't turn the sort of profit that large does.

If they're not really interested in repeat travelers, why should they change things? They're going for the once-in-a-lifetime splurge and spend only at Disney family vacationer, not the repeaters.

What I'm going to do with my DVC points is sort of beyond me, at least I can trade them.

You're right but it still makes me kind of sad because F&W could be so much more than it is.

Jay (the hubby) said he thinks the blame for some of this can be laid at the feet of the Food and Beverage head honcho who supposedly came from Fridays. The marketplace menus are becoming almost as homogenized as the TS restuarants.

The interesting thing, though, is that there do seem to be a lot of repeat visitors at F&W. A lot of the people who we've met in the last few years are annual F&W pilgrims and we've seen them at different events over time. Certainly it seems like an awful lot of DVC members (this poster included) are at WDW at some point every year during the festival. Taking that into consideration you'd think that they might want to factor in the "loyal base" when making some decisions.

But what do I know?

And we've been thinking that it may be time to start using our points for other trips, too.

 

[TDC Nala]

Sure, and a lot of locals too.

But my impression of the recent moves by Walt Disney World make me believe the following:

1) WDW doesn't care about catering to the locals or frequent travelers because they can make more cash off everyone else who isn't concerned about whether or not they keep things fresh. (Of course their idea of fresh is closing PI to put in more shops.) All we do is cut the potential profit base regarding food and merchandise even though we did shell out for DVC.

2) WDW isn't terribly interested in the custom of childless adults. Families spend more.

This may change if the increase in airfares and gas prices means a lot of families stay home.

and as I am on my way out and should be at Old Key West by 3, I will have to see how things are going right now as far as restaurants...

 

[PNO4TE]

I saw these 2 guys at one of the free demos at Odyssey last year and I was smitten!

They were fun to watch, informative, and their food was delicious (although for the life of me I can't remember what it was I sampled!) I do remember though that "Baked" went to the top of my list for my next trip to NYC!

The concept of Sweet Sundays has never appealed to me, but when I saw Matt & Renato scheduled for 9/28......... I'm definitely considering booking this one. I'd love to see them again!

hmmmmmmmmmmm... maybe I have found an event to book! Thanks, Laura!