Epcot weekend crowds during Food & Wine?

[BrittyRo]

I have my first of two full Epcot days planned for Friday September 26th.

I see that Saturday is completely out of the question...
I added this Epcot day when I moved my schedule around due to HS getting extra hours on only 1 day of my trip
How is future world on fridays? Is it really affected?
I usually get to WS around 2pm? Would it be a complete disaster by then?
It's DBF first trip I don't want him to get overwhelmed by crazy crowds

TIA

 

[Dawn Dis]

I just moved everything around. I could only get Akershus on Sunday or Saturday during F&W so Sunday it is. Fingers crossed for us. Resi for lunch a little late 1:30

 

[Dawn Dis]

Why would touring plans still be showing the crowd level at epcot as a 1 out of 10

 

[Mikie]

Oh pooh! We're going in October with extended family and picked our 6 park days based on touring plans and easywdw crowd calendars without spending too much time analyzing F&W And days of the week myself. Our second Epcot day is supposed to a F&W Saturday. . . Since we're going with little ones, I'm thinking that's a really bad choice. No clue what to change to since we're pretty excited about our current ADRs all the other days and it would be pretty hard to get a new reservation for 12ppl on that day. . . Is Future a World any better than WS, or is the entire place crazy? Bummed about my bad planning as it's also our last day of the trip. . .

 

[PFopma]

I forgot to mentioned in my earlier post that during our dinner at Rose & Crown I needed to use the restroom. There were tables blocking the entrance to the bar area and restrooms from the dining room. I asked our waitress and she told me they did this to prevent the F&W bar crowd from spilling over into the dining room. She suggested that I walk out the side door and go to the restrooms across the street from the Rose & Crown instead of walking outside and around to the bar entrance and trying to fight my way to the R&C restrooms.

That is a good example of the insanity that is Epcot Food & Wine on a Saturday!

 

[laura428]

I'll echo the sentiments of the PPs. DH and I have done date nights at F&W for the last two years. In 2012, we stayed at the Poly and dropped the kids off at Neverland Club on a Thursday to check out F&W. So much fun - great food, great music, lines were so-so but not too bad. I'd say the maximum wait was maybe 5 minutes for the more popular booths.

Fast forward to 2013 - stayed at Beach Club, dropped the kids off at Sandcastle Club on a Saturday night and walked over to F&W. Holy COW!!! Still had a great time, but the crowds were massive - huge lines for the popular booths, very crowded walkways, and a ridiculously high number of very intoxicated people. I mean, DH and I indulged as well, but I'm talking falling-down-drunk intoxicated.

Both times, we were glad we didn't take the kids with us. During the day, sometime between Monday thru Thursday might be fun to have them try out various foods. But weekends, especially evenings, weren't kid-friendly at all.

 

[TDC Nala]

Because of the local factor, Friday night and all of Saturday are the busiest times to be at the festival.

If you do not want to be in crowds, I wouldn't recommend either unless that is absolutely the only time you can attend. You will not be doing any comfortable "strolling around" World Showcase on a Friday night or Saturday. It's mostly shoulder to shoulder people in some areas. The Britain-Canada bottleneck is the worst.

Those who must attend on a Saturday can avoid the longest lines by showing up at opening, and can avoid them further by heading for the kiosks furthest from the entrance. Guests using the main entrance generally gravitate to the first kiosks they see.

The lines will be massive at the kiosks but they've got it down to where they will move relatively quickly. There will also be lines for everyplace in WS that sells food or drink. And for the bathrooms. Remember the huge bathroom at the American Adventure!

I just looked at touring plans crowd calendar for Sept. 20 which is the 1 st day of Epcot f&w and the crowd level is still at a 1. We have reservations at Akershus for lunch that day and DHS Hollywood and vine for Sunday. We will have a 4yr old and 7yrold with us...May switch days. Any thoughts please?

The touring plans and crowd calendars are generally based on average attraction wait times. The crowd in the World Showcase during the Festival is not there to do attractions.
Switch days if your major plan was to spend time in world Showcase with your small children. If you wanted to concentrate on Future World it won't be an issue.

 

[Hopefully]

We have been going to F & W in October for 10 + years. Each year is busier than the year before. I had been reading here on the DIS about the bad behaviour on Saturday evenings, and I did not agree. Until last year. It was awful. I finally personally experienced the obnoxious, falling down drunk masses who were intent on "Drinking Around the World". It was horrible, so much so that we left Epcot and only went back for our ADR for dinner.
Sunday afternoon was still crowded and there still were the intoxicated groups, but less so. It became more manageable as the evening progressed.
We are all adults and I was appalled. We partake and enjoy drinking while noshing. But not to the point of becoming drunk. I would not take young children to WS on a weekend evening during F & W, especially and probably not at all on Saturday.

 

[Dawn Dis]

Because of the local factor, Friday night and all of Saturday are the busiest times to be at the festival.

If you do not want to be in crowds, I wouldn't recommend either unless that is absolutely the only time you can attend. You will not be doing any comfortable "strolling around" World Showcase on a Friday night or Saturday. It's mostly shoulder to shoulder people in some areas. The Britain-Canada bottleneck is the worst.

Those who must attend on a Saturday can avoid the longest lines by showing up at opening, and can avoid them further by heading for the kiosks furthest from the entrance. Guests using the main entrance generally gravitate to the first kiosks they see.

The lines will be massive at the kiosks but they've got it down to where they will move relatively quickly. There will also be lines for everyplace in WS that sells food or drink. And for the bathrooms. Remember the huge bathroom at the American Adventure!

The touring plans and crowd calendars are generally based on average attraction wait times. The crowd in the World Showcase during the Festival is not there to do attractions.
Switch days if your major plan was to spend time in world Showcase with your small children. If you wanted to concentrate on Future World it won't be an issue.

Thank you. The best we could do was switch to Sunday. My girls have their hearts set on Akershus and the only day available during our stay was Sunday at 1:30. Hope its a little better

 

[Dawn Dis]

We have been going to F & W in October for 10 + years. Each year is busier than the year before. I had been reading here on the DIS about the bad behaviour on Saturday evenings, and I did not agree. Until last year. It was awful. I finally personally experienced the obnoxious, falling down drunk masses who were intent on "Drinking Around the World". It was horrible, so much so that we left Epcot and only went back for our ADR for dinner.
Sunday afternoon was still crowded and there still were the intoxicated groups, but less so. It became more manageable as the evening progressed.
We are all adults and I was appalled. We partake and enjoy drinking while noshing. But not to the point of becoming drunk. I would not take young children to WS on a weekend evening during F & W, especially and probably not at all on Saturday.

Thanks. I have switched to Sunday and will check continuously for openings at Akershus for another day. Unfortunately we made our ADRs 180days in advance and got everything we wanted. Then they announced the F&W dates and uh oh!!
I can only hope Sunday is better.

 

[TDC Nala]

Why would touring plans still be showing the crowd level at epcot as a 1 out of 10

Because they are basing their estimates on attraction wait times and not taking into account the crowds who are only there to eat and drink, and are not getting in lines for attractions. The festival in general does not impact Future World at all, but on any given Saturday, absent some bad weather (I don't mean just a little bit of rain) the World Showcase will be slammed from about noon on.

 

[Dawn Dis]

Because they are basing their estimates on attraction wait times and not taking into account the crowds who are only there to eat and drink, and are not getting in lines for attractions. The festival in general does not impact Future World at all, but on any given Saturday, absent some bad weather (I don't mean just a little bit of rain) the World Showcase will be slammed from about noon on.

Thanks TDNala. Any thoughts on Sunday? And/or a 1:30 ADR @ Akershus vs 1130 or 12?

 

[herb102211]

Saturday nights are generally busier. We were there last year over Columbus Day Weekend and planned on hitting up a few booths on Saturday night. Big mistake! I've never seen Epcot so crowded. If you can go during the week, you'll be much better off!