F&W- Is It Worth It?

[palhockeymomof2]

I see many people talking about the small portions and the high prices. I really don't feel we spent more than we would have if we would have gone to TS restaurants on out Epcot days. And the portions were not that small to me. Not a meal by themselves, but after a few booths I was satisfied.

I agree we(hubby and I) just got back on 10/31.....three times we made a meal of "eating and drinking around the world" also did 2 TS meals......we were full all nights andthe 3 nights we "ate around the world" were cheaper than the 2 TS restaurant meals

 

[SEC71]

It is worth it! We are going twice this year and F & W is the reason we bought DVC.

 

[nexttripdisney]

We were at Epcot on Sunday, October 31 and the crowd was very light. Maybe because it was Halloween and Epcot is not very Halloweenish?

I love the F&W Festival and the Eat to the Beat Concert Series has awesome talent on the schedule. We saw Starship--LOVED THEM.

The only thing I would do differently is skip the big expensive meal. I'd rather stroll around leisurely sampling wines and snacks. I'd leave the kids home too, if I could.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Thanks for all of the awesome feedback! The pics of the drinks are great! Have been going back and forth about the week. Think we've decided on the last week of Oct. now. Nervously waiting for Nov. 24 th so I can book my beloved BWV boardwalk view for F&W!! I don't think life gets any better than this!

 

[Chellymouse]

We just got back 2 weeks ago from a 10 day trip and it was wonderful! We did many things at F&W, including getting at least one thing from each country (it took us 5 days), we also did a few special events at F&W and MNSSHP. WELL WORTH IT. It was not very crowded at all. F&W was mostly crowded mid-late afternoon on Sat and early Sun until mid-late afternoon. Parks weren't crowded at all and we used very little fast pass.

 

[Cee]

We were just there 10/31-11/7. I think somebody said it was Jersey Week. I didn't see any problems with crowds. We ate around the World and loved every minute of it! The F & W Festival ROCKS. It started to look a little crowded on Friday evening but the lines moved well. We stayed away on Sat/Sun. It's fantastic. I can't wait to go again.

 

[thndrmatt]

Just a random tip, the DDP "snack" credits are usable at all the booths. This means instead of a $4 or less item like you would get in any other park, you can use it for almost anything at the booths, including those up to the $7 or $8 price range like the lobster roll.

DW and I took 12 snack credits each around Epcot on one of the days and nearly needed a wheelbarrow to get to the car...

 

[TDC Nala]

Yes it is worth it. If you want to avoid crowds, just don't go to World Showcase on a Saturday.

The festival begins on 9/30 next year so the last week of September won't get you much time at the festival at all.

 

[Ms. WDW]

We were just there 10/31-11/7. I think somebody said it was Jersey Week. I didn't see any problems with crowds. We ate around the World and loved every minute of it! The F & W Festival ROCKS. It started to look a little crowded on Friday evening but the lines moved well. We stayed away on Sat/Sun. It's fantastic. I can't wait to go again.

Wasn't it fantastic?? What was your favorite thing???

 

[Cee]

Linda, my absolute favorite thing(s) were the lamb slider from New Zealand and the Fisherman's Pie in Ireland. I can't tell you how many times I went back for those! The lettuce wraps in South Korea were also a favorite and I totally forgot how much I enjoy Moosehead beer. I'm embarrassed to tell you how many times I got back in line for THAT.

I also thought the wristband giftcards were a godsend. So easy, TOO easy!

What about you??

 

[Ms. WDW]

Morning Cee!!

Gosh... I had a few that I went back for through out the week:

South Korea BBQ Short Rib and the Lettuce Wraps
Greek Spanakopia (hope I spelled it right)
Ireland Hot Lava Cake
Germany Apple Strudel
Argentina Beef Skewer
Belgium's Iced Godiva Chocolate Coffee
And last but not least.....Margarita's at Mexico!! I think Mango was my favorite and like you I won't say how many I actually had!

Oh those wrist band cards were the best. I think I still have some money left on mine so I've got it tucked away for next year. Just made my ressie for next October....and the countdown begins!

 

[rangermom]

We went in the middle of Oct 2008 and loved it. We never fought crowds for food. I would love to go back again sometime during F&W. Maybe 2012.

 

[HGLightlyj]

Well with all things it's a personal choice.

For us it was worth doing it once, but we won't repeat.

We enjoyed the concert more than the food.

It is really expensive.

We also went on the 3 record heat days at the end of the October, maybe that made a difference. I enjoyed our sit down dinners more than crowds, heat and small tastings with a big price and trying to find a place to eat my tasting.

Also and I mean this as no offense to anyone that likes to drink but we are not big drinkers, so maybe the wine, beer etc. was wasted on us. The desserts were nice and not so expensive.

I guess I just expected it to be something remarkable and it wasn't.

Same here. Enjoyed the Billy Ocean concert when we were there 10/22-10/26. Small tastings with a big price for food that for the most part was not remarkable. I think I would probably enjoy the special events that need advance planning to sign up for - but we were there on a spur of the moment trip so didn't have access to those events. We went on Monday 10/25 at 11:00 and the lines were not long. It was very festive and we enjoyed walking around and trying the various kiosks but wouldn't plan a special trip for this.

 

[corpcomp]

Went for the first time a year ago last October. Found it interesting but not something I would go down for all by itself. Very crowded. DS15 was totally bored with it.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Great post! So what week in Oct. have you decided on?

Morning Cee!!

Gosh... I had a few that I went back for through out the week:

South Korea BBQ Short Rib and the Lettuce Wraps
Greek Spanakopia (hope I spelled it right)
Ireland Hot Lava Cake
Germany Apple Strudel
Argentina Beef Skewer
Belgium's Iced Godiva Chocolate Coffee
And last but not least.....Margarita's at Mexico!! I think Mango was my favorite and like you I won't say how many I actually had!

Oh those wrist band cards were the best. I think I still have some money left on mine so I've got it tucked away for next year. Just made my ressie for next October....and the countdown begins!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Went for the first time a year ago last October. Found it interesting but not something I would go down for all by itself. Very crowded. DS15 was totally bored with it.

Same here. Enjoyed the Billy Ocean concert when we were there 10/22-10/26. Small tastings with a big price for food that for the most part was not remarkable. I think I would probably enjoy the special events that need advance planning to sign up for - but we were there on a spur of the moment trip so didn't have access to those events. We went on Monday 10/25 at 11:00 and the lines were not long. It was very festive and we enjoyed walking around and trying the various kiosks but wouldn't plan a special trip for this.

I really appreciate these comments! I always want the good and bad ( haven't read any ugly yet, except for the weekends!)

 

[Sammie]

Same here. Enjoyed the Billy Ocean concert when we were there 10/22-10/26. Small tastings with a big price for food that for the most part was not remarkable. I think I would probably enjoy the special events that need advance planning to sign up for - but we were there on a spur of the moment trip so didn't have access to those events. We went on Monday 10/25 at 11:00 and the lines were not long. It was very festive and we enjoyed walking around and trying the various kiosks but wouldn't plan a special trip for this.

We were there the same day but later in the day and evening. Which Billy Ocean concert did you watch, we might have been there also.

I enjoyed the desserts and felt they were reasonably priced. The other items I agree with your "big price for food that was just ok".

We enjoyed the concert and like you we did not book any events, as I was afraid to commit to something that expensive and not know for sure if we would attend.

I am glad I did it, but I will not plan to attend specifically in the future. If we happen to be there during the time I would go over for one night.

I think if the weather had been the usual for late October and not record heat it would have helped also. Not fun to try and dine outside and be sweating.

 

[AKV707]

I agree that it is a matter of taste. My wife and I love it and have been to F&W many times and want to return as many times as we can.

We love the whole feel. We are Epcot fans and we love it at F&W. It is a little pricey, so we don't do too many tastings. We love the wine tastings though. considering attending larger events next time.

 

[jstarcze]

If you're looking for light crowds, I was just there 11/8-11/12 and I didn't see any long lines for food. I also agree with Sammie and Toddylu, it's nice to experience it, but I don't find it a must do. If you live in any major metro area or visit them, you can get anything that they serve at F&W, so it's not really special from that stand point. What's nice about it is that you can experience a lot of different food, wine and other libations easily that are not usually offered at Disney. That said, I'll probably go back the same time next year. Also I think it's expensive for what you get, but that's somewhat typical Disney dining. One added bonus though, I found it easy to get into TS restaurants without an ADR when I wasn't eating off-site or at the F&W fest.

 

[Ms. WDW]

Great post! So what week in Oct. have you decided on?

Next year I'm going 10/9 - 10/15. I didn't find the crowds bad at all in general. However I know better and I stay away from the F&W on the weekends!