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

[TDC Nala]

Yes they do allow under 21 in the events - but they can't have alcoholic beverages and there is no reduction in price.

Either you will be able to drink what is served for him or they won't serve it at all. I have seen it done both ways in various events.

I did like the sushi pairing. But it's been confirmed that this year I'm not going to do one. Will take that $55 and spend it at Kimonos or California Grill (now I have to pick one)

 

[DisneyDeeva]

No waaay

Even if it weren't too expensive, I have somewhere else I need to be that night.

I'm betting you'll be closing down The Adventurer's Club. As for me...I'll be running my little tootsies off at the Expedition Everest Challenge.

 

[TDC Nala]

I'm betting you'll be closing down The Adventurer's Club. As for me...I'll be running my little tootsies off at the Expedition Everest Challenge.

I'd absolutely rather sit in a show and drink than do any running.

 

[DisneyDeeva]

Is that all there is???????? I am sooooo disappointed in the offerings for the time we will be there. This is our first and it will definitely be our last. Thank goodness I love disney and will occupy myself with dining at Disney restaurants. Sorry to say this, but all the hype I've read about this "festival" doesn't seem to be panning out . It looked so very good in years gone bye that I couldn't wait to go. This is definitely not what I thought it would be.

It's funny - this will be my eighth F&W Festival in a row (I remember when the food booths were not much more elaborate than a lemonade stand with a few potted plants scattered around). This is the first year I'll be going to one of the paid events - doing my very first PFTS...if I can find someone to hang out with.

That being said, I've always had a wonderful time at the festival - spent many and afternoon wandering from booth to booth eating and drinking myself silly. Each year, I discover something new. Three years ago, I discovered the tea seminar in England. I never realized until two years ago that they had free food tastings in the Oddessey. Last year, I did my very first free wine tasting.

Give it a chance - go with an open mind. You might be pleasantly surprised. Look at it this way, what you don't spend on paid events will make great souvenir money!

 

[DisneyDeeva]

I'd absolutely rather sit in a show and drink than do any running.

LOL - but I get a really cool medal - and I get to stay in the Animal Kingdom until midnight (EE in the dark...yay!)

 

[dizneykid]

LOL - but I get a really cool medal - and I get to stay in the Animal Kingdom until midnight (EE in the dark...yay!)

Oh, last year we were invited to a company party at Animal Kingdom. We stayed until midnight and it was amazing. A totally different experience. It was really cool to walk out at the end when there was only the two of us and some cast members!!

 

[dvc at last !]

Thanks to everyone's suggestions on skipping the Cheese Tastings and 'saving up' for the PFTS. There are just not that many events this year. I was really disappointed in the amount of choices for the Food & Wine pairings. They only have 3 options (non of which I'm interested in).

My tentative plan is to get to Epcot on Thursday for the first free wine tastings/demos and do the 'free' stuff on Thursday before the weekend crowds get there. (That is if there are any free stuff this year!)

We want to book the City Tastes for Friday night, and PFTS on Saturday night. Last year the crowds were so bad on Saturday that we may just decide to lay out by the pool and get to the park before PFTS. Sunday we will be driving back to Tampa, so we won't be drinking on Sunday.

We are going in October where are the Free tastings/demos ?

 

[BearFan]

There have to be some unannounced chefs showing up. I know for a fact that Chef John Besh is supposed to be there but I couldn't find his name anywhere on the literature. He's supposed to be there along with Chef Steven McHugh. I thought he'd be there on the day they highlight NOLA but it doesn't say anything about them. Maybe Disney has some surprises instore?!?

 

[ElizabethB]

To the DISney Family:

I didn't see the link, so, no, I did not read the article. Next time make the link larger.

Will the "Best Sommelier of 2007" be participating in the perfume promotion brunch? If so, perhaps it makes some sense. But, if it's just a Christian Dior exec promoting a new fragrance, I don't see the connection to Food and Wine. Sorry.

My comments were not intended to be rude, but rather a comment on the overall poor quality of the Festival and the events.

Dh and I have attended the Festival every year since 1998, and I'm truly disappointed this year with the event offerings and the overall tone of the Festival. They can't even print a brochure that indicates the right days for the Vertical Tastings.

I'm a F&W Festival veteran of long-standing and, more than ever, I see it as nothing more than a promotional opportunity for publishers of cookbooks and TV chefs wanting to promote a book, a new food line, a new TV show, etc. Add to that a promotion for perfume and I'm "promoted" out.

 

[Simba's Mom]

We are going in October where are the Free tastings/demos ?

That's what I'm waiting for in October too-the FREE stuff! This is our first F & W Festival, so I don't want to spend extra money. At the F&G Festival, I got to plant a seedling, then keep it, all for free! What better souvenier?! I'm hoping for some free events here too.

 

[DisneyDeeva]

In years past, the food tastings were in the Oddessey Restaurant. However, it sounds like, this year those might be moving over the old Wonders of Life building which has become f&W central. You can buy souvies there, bottles of wine, attend free wine tastings (and sometimes other alcohols like sake).

Two years ago I did a chocolate tasting at the Oddessey and listened to a rep from Callebaut Chocolate (the samples were yummy). I've learned about honey, almonds and strawberries. Obviously, I love the food side of the festival more than the booze - that's why I took up running...so I can eat more. LOL!

 

[TewEpcot]

I see it as nothing more than a promotional opportunity for publishers of cookbooks and TV chefs wanting to promote a book, a new food line, a new TV show, etc. Add to that a promotion for perfume and I'm "promoted" out.

Don't you think that's a tribute to how the festival has grown in popularity as well as how the "foodie nation" has grown in general? We have made cookbook authors "rock stars" and their creations are now our destinations.

My DH & I have based entire vacations... to places other than Disney... solely on food. I'm sure you have too. Why should this be any different? In fact, with the amounts of people F&WF draws each year, it would almost be a disservice to the masses if Disney didn't bring in newness, authors, and TV personalities. We could only hope that someday the McDonald's quietly disappears from WS because people are demanding a Todd English kiosk year-round instead...

 

[TDC Nala]

In years past, the food tastings were in the Oddessey Restaurant. However, it sounds like, this year those might be moving over the The Land building which has become f&W central.

It's not the Land. It's the Pavilion Formerly Known As The Wonders of Life, which is actually across Future World from the Land. It's between Mission Space and the Energy Adventure.

I am against "newness" as a means to an end, if "newness" also means a dimunition of quality because they can't afford to provide quality to the masses. We'll see when we get there. (Two and only two signature dinners is definitely a dimunition in quality as far as I'm concerned)

Now I need to drag this out again

 

[cityofweasels]

I finally got my paper-mail schedule today. But I thought it would be nice to have one sortable by dates, so you could easily see all that's going on on the days you're there... so here it is:

http://onlyabill.com/2008/08/22/epcot-food-and-wine-festival-2008-schedule/

(You'll need excel or OpenOffice or some equivalent.)

 

[WoodysRoundup]

http://allears.net/tp/ep/foodwine.htm

The 13th annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival will run
September 26-November 9, 2008!


This page doesnt list a Sept Saturday for Party for the Senses! still $135 - but all the others look tempting too -

I noticed that too! Does that mean there is no Party fo the Senses that last Sat. in Sept.????

 

[TewEpcot]

That's good stuff. I will just say that some of us (**ME**) live in places where we still have to drive 30+ minutes to eat somewhere OTHER THAN a ffchain or a wing place... so going to WDW for F&WF (or any other "dining destination") and getting it all in one take is worth it.

And to that end I am still quite pleased with a weekend at F&WF.

 

[NejTheLion]

It's funny - this will be my eighth F&W Festival in a row (I remember when the food booths were not much more elaborate than a lemonade stand with a few potted plants scattered around). This is the first year I'll be going to one of the paid events - doing my very first PFTS...if I can find someone to hang out with.

That being said, I've always had a wonderful time at the festival - spent many and afternoon wandering from booth to booth eating and drinking myself silly. Each year, I discover something new. Three years ago, I discovered the tea seminar in England. I never realized until two years ago that they had free food tastings in the Oddessey. Last year, I did my very first free wine tasting.

Give it a chance - go with an open mind. You might be pleasantly surprised. Look at it this way, what you don't spend on paid events will make great souvenir money!

It's not that I think the festival will be bad or that we won't have a good time. For people who don't participate in the paid events, I hope they don't see much of a difference. It would be a shame if the free events were cut down as well. Time will tell.

From the perspective of those people who usually participate in many of the paid events, it is a disappointment. Those events are a big part of what we look forward to at the festival. How would you feel if Disney announced that they would only have 8 food booths this year? And that the offerings would be the same as last year? (Oh, wait, that's kind of true...) Or that free wine tastings would only be held two days each week? We've seen many of the paid events cut down to a third of what they used to be or eliminated completely.

So, it's not that the festival will be bad, but seeing as you've never done a paid event and never really had the desire to, your festival experience probably won't be too different from past years. For those of us looking forward to the extra events, we're sad to see them cut back so much.

 

[DisneyDeeva]

It's not the Land. It's the Pavilion Formerly Known As The Wonders of Life, which is actually across Future World from the Land. It's between Mission Space and the Energy Adventure.

Oops!! What the heck was I thinkin'? I should not try to put two coherent words together this close to my bedtime

You're absolutely right, of course. I'd better go back and edit my post before I confuse the heck out of folks

 

[Pumbaa_]

There is a sticky thread at the top of the biard for F&W info and discussion, merging into that thread

thanks,

 

[TDC Nala]

I noticed that too! Does that mean there is no Party fo the Senses that last Sat. in Sept.????

There is no PFTS on September 27. The first PFTS is October 4.

The Bocuse d'Or Gala is being held in the World Showplace on September 27 and they'd much rather have you shell out $450 per person to go to that.