Epcot Morning during Food & Wine

[firefly_ris]

Hi all... looking for more strategy thoughts again!

We are taking a short 3 day trip in October. I have all of my FPs set. The only park I don't have any FPs for is Epcot. My husband wanted a less "commando" trip and to be able to have some laid back time, so I left 2 of our mornings totally open until FPs begin in the afternoon. Here's my current loose itinerary:

Tuesday October 10th: Arrive at POFQ around 5:30ish depending on the ME bus. Spend the evening at the resort, pool, bar, or take the boat down to Disney Springs if we feel like it. Quick service meal either at the food court or somewhere at Springs.

Wednesday October 11th: Epcot has morning EMH. What time do food booths open at Epcot, 11 with Showcase? I enjoy the rides at Epcot but none of them are really "must dos" for me except maybe an obligatory ride on Spaceship Earth. We won't have the kids with us so I don't feel a burning need to get on FEA or anything. Would it make sense to get there at park opening and take advantage of EMH, then just mosey around World Showcase? We plan to try a couple of booths and then that will be our lunch. We can stay at Epcot until... not sure what time to leave -- we need to hop over to MK for our first FP for 7DMT at 2:55-3:55pm. We will be staying at MK the rest of the night, which has a 9-11pm EMH so I'm hoping to close that park out.

Thursday October 12th: Again another open morning. Epcot does not have EMH. Not sure if we should make this the Epcot morning instead? We will hop over to AK this day, but our first FP there isn't until 4:25. We'll stay there until close to closing then head over to POR for dinner.

Friday October 13th: Check out of room, leave bags with bell services, head over to Hollywood Studios for our morning FPs, grab some lunch there then head back to FQ to wait for ME.... our flight that day isn't until 8:25pm so I'm not sure exactly how long we can stay in the park or what.

OK, that was a little long winded. But, I've never been to Food & Wine before. I don't want to be there in the evenings for it, but I don't really know what to expect as to how the whole thing operates and if mid-morning/lunch is OK or what.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

The booths don't open until 11 AM so you won't have much time.

 

[firefly_ris]

OK thanks! We have to be fairly thrifty with the food for this trip, so I'd really only want to stop at maybe 2 or 3 booths tops, and spend a little time just people watching. Would that be more do-able? I don't need to do the whole shebang.

 

[GeneralTso]

Just a thought---you might want to re-prioritize the $$$ part

You will want to buy at more than a couple of food booths. The offerings are really awesome. You can share and try more items.
Booths don't open until around 11am, so you can make the afternoon lunch and dinner if you pace yourself. The money you would spend at a QS or sit down might be better spent at booths. It's a fun thing.

 

[jaysmom4285]

I think you would have plenty of time to visit a few food booths, if you're going to make them your lunch. That's what we've done, and we always plan to be in the WS at 11 AM when they open. There's never been a line to speak of at that time of day on a weekday, so you can get what you want fairly quickly, and it doesn't take long to eat the small portions, which are rarely more than a few good bites. I've found that 3-4 food booth samplings are plenty for me for lunch, but your mileage will vary, especially if you split things with your spouse. Assuming you have access to the food both menus, just plan out in advance the ones that sound the most appealing and hit those. Evenings are more crowded, and weekends can be impossible, so the weekday plan is a good one. It should allow you plenty of time to eat at several booths, and you'll get to look around the WS a little as you progress on your food journey, and you should still be able get to MK for a 2:55-3:55 FP+.

 

[firefly_ris]

Thanks guys. Yes jaysmom I have been looking at the menu online -- I'm going to make my husband look at it and then write down which couple booths we really want to do so we aren't just aimlessly wandering around. It sounds like it is do-able then... and I guess if we really want to, we could return the following day and do it again before we hop over to AK.

 

[jaysmom4285]

I think you could easily do it again if there are more food booths that you want to try than you could get to. Going at 11 on a weekday means that you practically have the WS, and the food booths, to yourself. It is honestly more expensive than a counter service lunch - many of the entree-type portions are $5-7 each, and if you do that a few times, it adds up. But I think it's worth it for the unique things that you get to sample.