Epcot Food & Wine questions

[WDWRook]

Just booked a stay Sept 11 - 16th. F&W starts on the Wednesday the 14th and Thursday the 15th. The 15th is also EMH at Epcot. We just got back from our first trip a couple weeks ago and we ate at Sunshine Seasons (good enough, easy) and SAI (loved it, one of our best dinners). But, we did not allow nearly enough time for the World Showcase area. So, we are back....and we will be hitting WS right at 11:00am this time.

1. I'm thinking we should do Epcot on Wednesday the 14th. Yes it is opening day, but it seems Thursday would be busier with the EMHs and Thursday's are (around me) a normal dining out and drinking night for locals. Agree?

2. Where to eat for lunch and dinner? Part of me says skip all food areas in Future world and snack throughout the F&W area. When we were there the Flower and Garden stuff was going, and it was great, but we didn't get much food from the kiosks. OR, we could do dinner or lunch sit down in WS, and the other via F&W kiosks. Thoughts?

3. Any preferred kiosks? Or some to avoid?

 

[JerseyJanice]

1. I personally don't think that a morning EMH is going to seriously affect the amount of the people in the park, but for that matter, I don't think being the first day of F&WF will impact the crowds much either. I believe the biggest crowds come on Saturdays and Sundays.

2. We like to sample our way through the kiosks, but that can get expensive especially for big guys and teenage boys. The bakeries in Norway and France and the QS places in Japan and Morocco are all great places for quick, inexpensive meals.

3. My advice about the kiosk offerings is to take a good look at the food that people exiting the line have. You can see if something looks appealing to you and whether the size of the sample is worth the cost of it to you. We've been two different years and I can't remember disliking anything, but a few things were really tiny relative to their price so we felt kind of hosed at those booths.

It's an awesome event overall. Especially if you enjoy sampling adult beverages. Hope you have fun!

 

[WDWRook]

If we want do to the kiosks for lunch OR dinner, then sit down for the other, which would you recommend? I'm thinking kiosks for lunch and sit down dinner since I expect the WS to be busier at dinner time than lunch time (and longer kiosk lines). BUT, sit down lunch is cheaper than sit down dinner.... And, we can get reservations anywhere for sit down lunch vs dinner is booked most places.

 

[Tess]

If we want do to the kiosks for lunch OR dinner, then sit down for the other, which would you recommend? I'm thinking kiosks for lunch and sit down dinner since I expect the WS to be busier at dinner time than lunch time (and longer kiosk lines). BUT, sit down lunch is cheaper than sit down dinner.... And, we can get reservations anywhere for sit down lunch vs dinner is booked most places.

You are correct, the kiosks will be busier in the evening than afternoon. I would skip the sit down altogether and lunch around WS, take a break and return around the dinner hour to continue munching. If the kiosk lines become too crowded then you always have QS options (we like to get sandwiches from Les Halles or items from Tangerine Cafe) which can be taken back to your room. If you are determined to do a sit down--then do it at night. Most (not all) of the EPCOT restaurants have opted to go for "all day" dining menus anyway which translates to no lunch savings.

Frankly, since you are going on opening day and it is a Wednesday, I would expect the evening crowds to be far less than you will encounter from Friday-Sunday. It may well be doable to have your sit down lunch and munch through WS in the evening. We do very few sit downs during F&W and usually return from the other parks to EPCOT at 11:00 a.m. so we can sample everything over the course of our 8-9 nights.

You are also correct about Thursdays (which was traditionally the "cast member opening" for F&W--not limited to CMs, but many came out for it). It was a trial run before the opening on Fridays. CMs (the younger set) definitely get out and about on Thursdays.

 

[abja09]

How are the food and wine crowds on a Sunday for lunch time time around 11-12pm. It will be the Sunday of the Wine and Dine marathon weekend. Or is it just best to avoid that weekend in Epcot altogether?

 

[Hopefully]

Weekends at Food & Wine are very crowded. A Sunday lunch time is not as bad as a Saturday evening, but more crowded than Sunday evening and much more crowded than any weekday.

 

[abja09]

Weekends at Food & Wine are very crowded. A Sunday lunch time is not as bad as a Saturday evening, but more crowded than Sunday evening and much more crowded than any weekday.

Thanks! I think we will just skip the weekend and go during the week.

 

[crabbygal902]

1. I would bet that both Wednesday and Thursday will be more crowded than a regular weekday since it is the opening of the festival. I hope I'm wrong! I think getting there at 11 am is a great plan for either day. If I had to pick, I'd probably choose Wednesday. Thursdays are the gateway to the weekend!

2. I am planning TS dinners and F&W booth lunches during our stay. The festival is more crowded in the evenings, and we are more likely to want to to sit down and avoid the lines with a TS dinner. I am prepared to cancel TS ADRs the night before if we don't think we need it. I am absolutely avoiding Future World restaurants because of all that amazing food available around WS, but I'm sure I'll visit my favorite CS locations at some point, Tangierine Cafe and Les Halles.

3. Our favorite kiosks are: Farm Fresh, Canada (that filet is so good!) and Greece (griddled cheese and honey!!). My DS10 loved the drinking chocolate from Ghirardelli. I have no idea if these offerings will be back this year.