EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, Sept. 25 - Nov 16 2015

[Kimi313]

This November will be my first F&W and I noticed some mentioning 'a sampler'. What is a sampler?

 

[hsmamato2]

Oh I am so excited for this!!! We will be there for 1 1/2 days..... I am thinking we will get a passport to booths,and just start walking and looking, to find food we want? There will be 3 of us so we will share,thus being able to sample more things..... or is this too simplistic? I know for sure we will be there for plenty of meal times.... the Chase lounge- is that worth stopping by at all?

 

[hsmamato2]

and the concerts..... if they are across from the America building, I assume they are pretty easily visible even if just walking by,or standing way in back to see what's up?

 

[AngiTN]

I have no doubt in my mind that at 9am Monday morning someone on here will post photos of the credential card showing the designated areas as well as the goodie bag with the coveted MagicBand.

I'm counting on it! We go in 3 weeks and can't wait to see what is in the package and how it all goes with pick up and such

Usually if you just hang around the booth for a couple minutes you will see folks coming away with every food item they sell and you can kinda lurk for a minute to see what they all look like! In addition, Disney food blog and easy wdw will post pictures as the festival goes along (as well as folks here). Even if Disney posted photos I wouldn't trust my order to come out looking anything like the styled press photos you see on the official food and wine festival page... They are basically food glamour shots and what you get at the festival is more... Uh... "Candid". It still usually tastes great though!

FYI - Josh posted his first partial review of what he got to try yesterday just a few moments ago.

This November will be my first F&W and I noticed some mentioning 'a sampler'. What is a sampler?

Disney is selling a sampler package that gets you 8 (I think it's 8) items from the kiosks and seating for the concert that day. I think it's $69 or so. Unless you just want the seating it's not a terrific deal

 

[brnrss34]

I'm counting on it! We go in 3 weeks and can't wait to see what is in the package and how it all goes with pick up and such


FYI - Josh posted his first partial review of what he got to try yesterday just a few moments ago.


Disney is selling a sampler package that gets you 8 (I think it's 8) items from the kiosks and seating for the concert that day. I think it's $69 or so. Unless you just want the seating it's not a terrific deal

It's $62 with tax and also get a limited edition food and wine pin.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Usually if you just hang around the booth for a couple minutes you will see folks coming away with every food item they sell and you can kinda lurk for a minute to see what they all look like! In addition, Disney food blog and easy wdw will post pictures as the festival goes along (as well as folks here). Even if Disney posted photos I wouldn't trust my order to come out looking anything like the styled press photos you see on the official food and wine festival page... They are basically food glamour shots and what you get at the festival is more... Uh... "Candid". It still usually tastes great though!

DH & I will eat almost everything, even if it looks strange. DS will not, even if I tell him it tastes good or it is something he likes. Ugh, kids. There are a bunch of things I'm sure he will eat though, like anything in China pavilion & pierogis & anything chocolate.

 

[weeniecat2442]

I'm sure this has been answered but it is a VERY long thread...how many dining plan snack points is the festival booth food worth? 1 or 2 points? or does it depend on the item.
Thank you!

 

[ksromack]

This November will be my first F&W and I noticed some mentioning 'a sampler'. What is a sampler?

The Sampler Package gives you 8 snack entitlements, a pin, and a seat at the Eat to the Beat concert. You have to use all 8 entitlements in one day as that is all the package is good for. The entitlements can be food and beverage but there are exclusions and we don't know what those exclusions are.

 

[loves to dive]

Oh I am so excited for this!!! We will be there for 1 1/2 days..... I am thinking we will get a passport to booths,and just start walking and looking, to find food we want? There will be 3 of us so we will share,thus being able to sample more things..... or is this too simplistic? I know for sure we will be there for plenty of meal times.... the Chase lounge- is that worth stopping by at all?

I actually sat down and made a list last year before I went, very diligently putting in prices so I'd know how much I was going to spend. When I got there that went out the window and I did just what you are thinking of doing, although I was solo so I didn't get to sample as much. I just walked around, watched what people were getting to see the actual size and to see what it looked like, read the menu boards and went for it. I bought one of the gift cards that went on your wrist and loaded it with $50, telling myself that was all I was going to spend. Yeah, not so much, I reloaded it twice. Don't know about the Chase lounge, I do have a Chase Card but I just didn't go there.

and the concerts..... if they are across from the America building, I assume they are pretty easily visible even if just walking by,or standing way in back to see what's up?

The concerts are in the amphitheater that is right across from the America, it is open air and yes you can see it when walking by and you can pretty much hear it as soon as you get to the bridge from GB to France. I usually wait until everyone has settled in and either just stand in the back or perch on a planter.

 

[mejo]

Does anybody have the Sampler Package today, I leave tomorrow and it would be great to know the exclusions.

 

[MartDM]

Can anyone confirm whether the F&WF merchandise is in the stores? If so, where (Festival Center, MouseGears?)

My husband is in Orlando this weekend and I was going to send him over to Epcot to snag me a Dooney & Bourke tote if they have been released.

 

[bcarey2k]

I'm sure this has been answered but it is a VERY long thread...how many dining plan snack points is the festival booth food worth? 1 or 2 points? or does it depend on the item.
Thank you!

Any one item with the snack credit logo beside it is 1 snack credit. If there is no "logo" beside it, it cannot be purchased using your snack credits.

 

[NejTheLion]

Can anyone confirm whether the F&WF merchandise is in the stores? If so, where (Festival Center, MouseGears?)

My husband is in Orlando this weekend and I was going to send him over to Epcot to snag me a Dooney & Bourke tote if they have been released.

I'm headed over this evening, but typically merchandise can be found in the Festival Center (largest selection) and at merchandise stalls around World Showcase.

 

[Anelekcam]

So I'm trying to decide if getting the QS dining plan (and trading the vast majority of the credits in for snack credits to use at the booths) makes sense for our trip next month. I've called Disney twice and have been told twice that wine and beer qualify as a snack & I can use a snack credit to pay for them. However, it's always been my understanding that beer & wine are never included in any dining plan, nor is there a purple snack icon next to wine/beer offerings on the menu boards. Anyone have an explanation as to why cm's say I can, but the signage says otherwise?

 

[twocat]

So I'm trying to decide if getting the QS dining plan (and trading the vast majority of the credits in for snack credits to use at the booths) makes sense for our trip next month. I've called Disney twice and have been told twice that wine and beer qualify as a snack & I can use a snack credit to pay for them. However, it's always been my understanding that beer & wine are never included in any dining plan, nor is there a purple snack icon next to wine/beer offerings on the menu boards. Anyone have an explanation as to why cm's say I can, but the signage says otherwise?

Just another case of the CMs not knowing what they are talking agbout. Very, very common.

 

[lovingeire]

So I'm trying to decide if getting the QS dining plan (and trading the vast majority of the credits in for snack credits to use at the booths) makes sense for our trip next month. I've called Disney twice and have been told twice that wine and beer qualify as a snack & I can use a snack credit to pay for them. However, it's always been my understanding that beer & wine are never included in any dining plan, nor is there a purple snack icon next to wine/beer offerings on the menu boards. Anyone have an explanation as to why cm's say I can, but the signage says otherwise?

Misinformed/uneducated cast members. It happens. The reservations cast members are likely not on site and don't know better. Or it's a newer cast member who's not up on how it works.

 

[karrit2000]

So I'm trying to decide if getting the QS dining plan (and trading the vast majority of the credits in for snack credits to use at the booths) makes sense for our trip next month. I've called Disney twice and have been told twice that wine and beer qualify as a snack & I can use a snack credit to pay for them. However, it's always been my understanding that beer & wine are never included in any dining plan, nor is there a purple snack icon next to wine/beer offerings on the menu boards. Anyone have an explanation as to why cm's say I can, but the signage says otherwise?

I don't believe that purchasing the QSDP is going to be a good value for F&W. When you convert the QS credit to three snack credits they all need to be used in one transaction at the booth you do the conversion at. I think the value placed on QS credits is around $18. The snack credits can not be used on any of the alcoholic beverages despite what you were told when you called. There are very few booths where the food items would approach the $18 mark for you to break even. Take the money you would spend on the QSDP and put it on a gift card. You will be able to spend it on anything you want from the booths including alcohol and possibly still have money left over. I know people say they want everything paid for ahead of time so that's why the get the DP's but it takes a lot of effort for most people to break even let alone come out ahead on the DP. If it's "free" as part of your room Package that's another story but paying for it just isn't worth it for most people.

 

[Anelekcam]

I don't believe that purchasing the QSDP is going to be a good value for F&W. When you convert the QS credit to three snack credits they all need to be used in one transaction at the booth you do the conversion at. I think the value placed on QS credits is around $18. The snack credits can not be used on any of the alcoholic beverages despite what you were told when you called. There are very few booths where the food items would approach the $18 mark for you to break even. Take the money you would spend on the QSDP and put it on a gift card. You will be able to spend it on anything you want from the booths including alcohol and possibly still have money left over. I know people say they want everything paid for ahead of time so that's why the get the DP's but it takes a lot of effort for most people to break even let alone come out ahead on the DP. If it's "free" as part of your room Package that's another story but paying for it just isn't worth it for most people.

I've done extensive math to see if the qs ddp would make financial sense based on which particular booth items we would be purchasing. I DO believe it would have been a good value had some of the wine/beer offerings been included. Being that they ar not, it's just about a break even for us. I really don't care about having it all prepaid, I'm just trying to see if would save any money. We also never take the "free" dining plan when we book. A room only discount has always benefitted our family more.

 

[Anelekcam]

Just another case of the CMs not knowing what they are talking agbout. Very, very common.

Yeah. That's what I thought. But it was odd that I got the same response two days in a row from two different cm's. Thanks!

 

[Anelekcam]

Misinformed/uneducated cast members. It happens. The reservations cast members are likely not on site and don't know better. Or it's a newer cast member who's not up on how it works.

I thought so, but they actually put me on hold, "looked into it", and came back with that reply. I wish there was more consistency. (I won't even go into the hassles and confusion I had when we booked the premium package! Lol)