F&W Festival for Dummies?

[skellinton]

Hello,

I have never been to WDW during the Food and Wine Festival and just found out that I will be there this year! (Our trip is booked for September 27- October 9th).

I will be traveling with 3 other adults and a 3 year old- I kind of understand the jist of F&W, but not really. Can someone break down what to expect, what to avoid (and yeah, our ADR include 2 sit downs on the 30th in Epcot ).

I saw that the marathon is on the 1st- but fortunately our ADRs for that day are at MGM.

I am a bit scared now- we picked our time span originally because it had Free Dining, the Halloween Party and when I was there the same weeks 3 years ago the crowds were light (no F&W festival till after we left I guess). Is it going to be insane? What exactly does the F&W festival entail?

Thanks!

 

[Jaime4004]

Hello,

I have never been to WDW during the Food and Wine Festival and just found out that I will be there this year! (Our trip is booked for September 27- October 9th).

I will be traveling with 3 other adults and a 3 year old- I kind of understand the jist of F&W, but not really. Can someone break down what to expect, what to avoid (and yeah, our ADR include 2 sit downs on the 30th in Epcot ).

I saw that the marathon is on the 1st- but fortunately our ADRs for that day are at MGM.

I am a bit scared now- we picked our time span originally because it had Free Dining, the Halloween Party and when I was there the same weeks 3 years ago the crowds were light (no F&W festival till after we left I guess). Is it going to be insane? What exactly does the F&W festival entail?

Thanks!

We have gone the past 2 years, not specifically because of the F&W, just because we love October there... We went both times on a weekday and I don't think it was any more crowded than normal. From reading on here, it seems that weekend nights might be more busy. It is mostly a bunch of food booths from different countries set up around the World Showcase (way more countries than the regular world showcase), each offering a few different choices in foods/wines/drinks. My husband had a great time eating his way around the world. I'm a picky eater so it doesn't do much for me... The first time we went, we didn't bring much money and didn't know what to expect. This time, I brought a $100 gift card and we used almost the whole thing between the 2 of us.

 

[TDC Nala]

You will be fine in Epcot on the 30th if all you want to do is go to the restaurants where you already have a reservation. If you want to visit the food kiosks, there will be lines - longer lines toward the evening when the locals start getting off work.

If you are interested in experiencing the festival, that is best done some time other than a Friday evening or a Saturday.

 

[Pugmalion1]

Yeah, just stay away from doing actual Food & Wine stuff after 1 or 2 PM on Friday through Sunday, and you should be fine. It's really no more busy than any other typical mid-season day, except for the actual kiosks on the weekends.

I do recommend that you participate in some of the Food & Wine festivities, though. It's a fun experience walking around the promenade and sampling items from the various countries.