F&W Dwindling ???

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I went in September and between Disney not doing the Premium Package (love, love the CM's getting the food for me in the past) and how busy it was, I only went for 1 day and an hour the next day to grab some Cheddar soup and a filet from Canada and got the heck out of dodge.
I was even staying at the Beach Club and planning to go more, I just decided it wasn't worth it. I went to a 2nd MNSSHP instead and then the rest of the money I was planning on spending at F&W came home with me.

 

[crazy4wdw]

I can tell you from the posts on the main F&W thread, people seemed to have a much easier time getting through on the phone lines the day reservations opened up for the special events. Typically you'll see people posting waits of over an hour to make reservations. Made me wonder if Disney had upped the prices for this year's special events to the level people were either priced out or were unwilling to pay.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I think that they should offer a better deal on the sampler tickets or some other discount offer for people who want to try a variety of items.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Normally we go with children, so I avoid F&W, but this last trip in September just DH and I went, so I planned to stroll; and enjoy F&W. It was so hot (heat index/humidity felt like 100 plus), the food and alcohol smells were a bit overpowering for me and I ended up neither eating or drinking, but rather retiring to the resort for swimming and resting. As for price, when we go to Disney World, we know we're going to spend lots of money, but the overall coat increases (resorts, food, tickets, pretty much everything) have us taking a break for a year or so.

 

[Lisa F]

I can tell you from the posts on the main F&W thread, people seemed to have a much easier time getting through on the phone lines the day reservations opened up for the special events. Typically you'll see people posting waits of over an hour to make reservations. Made me wonder if Disney had upped the prices for this year's special events to the level people were either priced out or were unwilling to pay.

there is similar with the hard ticket parties... didn't disney add some CM discount days to MNSSHP nights due to lackluster sales? Seems like Disney has found the tipping point.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but in all the years I've been going to F&W I've never seen anyone falling, tripping, or throwing up. Never.
I have seen people drinking and having a good time... Good for them!!
I have been known to have numerous drinks myself, and when I find a beer I like I double fist so I can have a back up.

I really don't care if somebody else doesn't like it.

MG

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but in all the years I've been going to F&W I've never seen anyone falling, tripping, or throwing up. Never.
I have seen people drinking and having a good time... Good for them!!
I have been known to have numerous drinks myself, and when I find a beer I like I double fist so I can have a back up.

I really don't care if somebody else doesn't like it.

MG

I tend to think there are always incidents, but they are not the norm. We did go to Epcot 3 times during our September trip, and I did not see anyone falling down drunk or exhibiting any other obnoxious behavior, though I am sure it does happen from time to time, pretty much any venue you attend where alcohol is present. For my part, I am just sensitive to smells, and with the heat, the smells were just overpowering. I just couldn't bring myself to eat or drink.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Now we enjoy it, we cant wait to go back.

1) Glad you were happy with the experience.
2) Obviously, people do enjoy the F&W, as Disney keeps expanding it.

 

[crazy4wdw]

there is similar with the hard ticket parties... didn't disney add some CM discount days to MNSSHP nights due to lackluster sales? Seems like Disney has found the tipping point.

There were much fewer sold out Halloween parties this year as compared with 2015. I think Disney has definitely reached the tipping point with what people are willing to pay for those tickets.

 

[TeresaWen]

Not saying we will not ever go back for f&w but I don't think we will plan around it. In past years end October was our favorite time. Could not make that work due to a family wedding & other travel so we went in September. That I will say never again. Weather is just so bad. Way too hot! We were there in July and this way worse. If we can't do end Oct / early nov we will skip f&w.

Funny story - I WAS the fabled Epcot drunk. My leg was badly injured this past trip. My husband did a lot of lines for us. One time a line was very short so I did it. Well the register broke down. By the time it was fixed (5 min max) I was hurting. When I went to move I tripped and bumped into the person behind me. Before I could say "excuse me" he snorted "damn Epcot drunks"

 

[Mome Rath]

I think there is a world of difference between people enjoying alcohol and people being tipsy and people being so drunk they are throwing up. I've been going to F&W since it started and there has been a noticeable uptick over the years of people being sloppy drunk there. I think it has plateaued at some point... I would also say that if someone is going to drink until drunk at such a public place, you ought to make sure you know what kind of drunk you are. lol

 

[L&Lfan]

I'm too old now to get sloppy drunk. When I overindulge I just get sleepy.

 

[missnic]

We've gone for the past few years and always loved it. This year, we went opening week, which was slow and enjoyable. We also went 2 weeks ago, and it was much busier. I've never really seen (or paid attention to) super drunk people/behavior until our last trip. I ended up getting smacked in the jaw because some idiot wasn't paying a bit of attention to anything but his drink. We will not go back on a Friday night. We had actually planned on getting a few things, but got the heck out of there immediately - then went and had an actual dinner somewhere else, where I got an AP discount and spent less money.

The lack of variety has also been disappointing. My 'must try' list was only a few items this year. I'm not sure I'll even go back for hummus fries next week.

 

[loves to dive]

I'm another one who goes every year, went this year and still enjoyed it. I rarely get the drinks from the booths and if I do it's the wine so the prices and small pours don't bother me. I'm in the minority in that I don't think the portions are too small either. There were a number of times I actually couldn't eat all the portion, it wasn't that I wasn't enjoying it, I just got too full to eat. I do try to get something from every booth, but it's normally a food item. It could have been because I was there the first week but I didn't notice any falling down drunk people, there were actually worse at the quiet pool at YC and I was there on Fri and Sat night. I wanted to see if the prices were that bad so I filled up my gift card with the same amount I got last year and actually ended up spending part of it at shops just to spend it all, but again I don't drink the mixed drinks and don't normally go for the high ticket food items either, I must just have an unsophisticated palette.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Food prices didn't bother me, but.... beer and wine are out of line. I had one glass of wine and one Presidente Beer (for sentimental reasons). The price they want for the pour they give is out of line so I am not doing wine at the booths any longer.

As for the "I see drunks outcry" really? I walked through on a Saturday. You get two drinks per adult. The LINE to get your two beers at the Rose and Crown bore a strong resemblance to the line for Frozen Ever After (I heard it took as long too...) Hard to get drunk when you can't get close to the booze LOL! I also noticed that I was not alone in failing to order beverages at the booths.

Honestly this was the first year that after a few days I was ready to go home. I will go next year since I upgraded to the 13 month AP just for that reason, but... trips keep getting shorter. It's too hard to book the special events, the seminars have become very generic and a few days of booths are plenty.

And then they do stupid stuff to refuse money. We tried to add PFTS on 10/22. Called that day. Reserved seats were not sold out but "it was too late" at 10 AM to book. We could go to the park and ask when check in opened at 4:30. So we did... uh no we have to come back at 6 to ask again. Really? Instead we went offsite for a nice dinner. Disney's loss!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but in all the years I've been going to F&W I've never seen anyone falling, tripping, or throwing up. Never.
I have seen people drinking and having a good time... Good for them!!
I have been known to have numerous drinks myself, and when I find a beer I like I double fist so I can have a back up.

I really don't care if somebody else doesn't like it.

MG

Some people see the "groups" and assume "group equals drunk" even if it's an older adult group doing nothing but eating (been there, done that, heard the people who judged us, and proceeded to act crazy just to upset them LOL!)

 

[china mom]

Add me tot he list of people who have never seen the falling down drunks. Yes, I have seen people who have become a little boisterous in their celebrating but nothing too excessive. Maybe it is just the times I have been there.. who knows.

But, I will say that those drunks everyone has been seeing are either pre-gaming, sneaking in alcohol or have way more disposable income than I.

I don't drink much so a couple of drinks should put me under the table but the drinks at F&W are so weak that I never felt any effects of alchohol (not that I was trying to get drunk - just enjoying the drinks for the sake of the drinks). And the prices... the prices, don't get me started. I don't have the budget to get sloppy drunk at $10 for a weak drink.

 

[L&Lfan]

Next week our Food and Wine days are Monday and Wednesday. We eat exclusively at the food booths those days (no ADRs) in order to sample as much of the offerings as possible. We are both cocktail drinkers as opposed to beer or wine, so we don't really get hammered as the cocktail options are fewer. Most of the time we drink water. We prefer to do our heavier drinking at the resort lounges on our non Food and Wine days.

 

[Dug720]

5) WDW is trying to attack more people to spend their bucks, so they HOPE cast members, might make up the losses.
. . . the general public is shying away from the extended F&W dates
. . . or just eating less of the OVERLY over-priced food offerings

Maybe attacking people trying to spend their money is the problem? I don't go where I'm attacked...

 

[DisneyHardin]

We have been to Food and Wine the last 5 years (and are heading there again on Tuesday). We really enjoy it. We do try to go on weekdays to beat the crowds, but have never seen the drunks that people talk about on these threads. I guess we have been lucky or we just don't pay much attention. Of course, I wish the items in the booths were less expensive, but I do realize that prices are going up everywhere.