F&W Festival Party for the Senses question...

[trampslady]

...if you aren't a wine drinker, but love great food, would the party still be worth it?

 

[Robert P]

Tough call. If you weren't trying any of the wines being offered, you would have to justify (for yourself) the total price against only the food part. I think it would still be worth it if you were a serious foodie, but for that price, no wine being tried would make many individuals have to reconsider the cost vs. benefit.
We'd probably still go, but last year's new price (increase) would make it almost a toss-up.

 

[shovan]

If the price doesn't increase again this year, I would say yes it is still worth it! As far as bang for your buck goes, there was a lot of food and everything was at such an impeccable level.

 

[nbodyhome]

I thought it was a little crowded, but I really enjoyed the event. I am not into trying new things as much as some, but being able to try just a bite was very helpful. I think it'd still be worth it, though trying new wines helps with the cost!

 

[juju]

I'm not a drinker and have gone. I enjoyed it thoroughly. My husband loves his wine, but it seemed to me that he was concentrating on the food as well. It was fun, hopefully the price won't go up again this year.

 

[Momof6]

DH and I went last year for the first time. I thought it was worth it. We really don't go out just the two of us (yes, we really do have 6 children!), though they are finally growing up and out! We don't drink at all. What I liked was trying so many different things, getting dressed up, the 'excitement' in the room, and getting to talk with some of the chefs who were there. We really had a blast. I think we will go again this year if we make it to the F&W fest...but we are already going to WDW for 10 days the end of this month and beg. of July, so I'm not sure! Hoping we can!

denise

ps - if you aren't an adventurous eater then I would say it would not be worth it.

 

[debbiepump]

Even though the food is wonderful and you can get all you want, man, I sure wouldn't spend that kind of $$.........are you a beer drinker? they also have beer there besides the wine, come to think of it champagne, water.........
still wouldn't spend that kind of money for just the food

 

[SauceBoss]

That's an intersting one... Let's see if we can break this down and help you make a decision.

First off, it's $125 .. at least that is what it was last year.

If you do not drink wine, there is beer, champagne, bottles water, soft drinks and coffee.

You get a souviner wine glass.

You get to sample food from about 20 world class Chefs, from WDW and invited guest chefs, some that are VERY notable.

In addidtion to the food stations, there is lots of dessert and artisinal cheese.

Entertainment is provided by Cirque du Soliel

It really is a cool event, definitely I would recommend to do once. Just to say that you've been there. It's one of the events that makes the F&W Festival really special.

Hope this helps - need any more info, just email me.

 

[jimwebster]

i have to say, i LOVE this event, but they found my limit last year. the first time i went, bobby flay, rick bayless and francois payard were there -- all on the same night -- and it cost $60. last year, i thought the level of the visiting chefs was WAY down for the whole festival, and very few of the ones i HAD heard of were doing the PftS, and it was $125? i just thought that price was crazy. it is a WONDERFUL event, and may be worth it, but the $30 jump in one year when the star power has been consistently falling just turned me off. and its hard to turn me off anything disney related, and anything food related. maybe i was spoiled by how wonderful it used to be in the past. i was hoping that others would share my feeling on the price jump and that the attendance would go down and make them re-think it. but it certainly sounds like that didn't happen.

that's not to take anything away from the chefs that do the event. the disney chefs are wonderful, but i expect to find disney chefs at disney. the f&w festival was always about something extra, and the past couple of years, i just haven't felt like there is much extra. again, i could be spoiled by its wonderful history.

to be clear, i am not stingy when it comes to dining. i have paid the equivalent of the GDP of some developing countries for dinners at some of the nicest restaurants in the country. i just want to know i'm getting what i'm paying for. and when i see starpower and amenities go down, and the price skyrocket, i'm left scratching my head.

all that said, and to answer the specific question, it is a great event, and i personally think you can enjoy it greatly without being a wine drinker. i have gone and not had any wine (we're local and i was the DD), and that didn't make the event suffer at all. if you like to try new, different and innovative foods, you will find them there. probably several. you just have to decide for yourself if $125 is an acceptable price tag.

i don't know what i'm going to do this year. i missed going last year, i really did. and i am petrified to see if the prices jump again.

 

[ElizabethB]

It's a fun event, but I don't think it's worth it if you don't drink. Tasting the wine is a lot of the pleasure of the evening (which is true of most of the events that we've attended).

 

[Figment2]

I'm not a wine drinker (I do have one beer while there) and I still enjoy the event. I do hope though that they don't raise the price again.

Cyn