F & W question

[Goseethemouse]

Our last possible days at Disney will be August 30 and 31. I would love to go to the Food and Wine festival as it sounds lots of fun and I have never been (didn't it used to be in October?). I am not planning on any events there but would like to try some of the booths.

However, now I read in different posts that weekends there are much too crowded. I will be travelling with two teenagers so not sure how patient they would be with long lines etc. They do enjoy World Showcase but it sounds like we would have to do the usual stuff there on another day as it will be too crowded? Also I am a bit concerned about drunkenness - kids would not deal well with that. How bad is it? Is it a problem in the morning/around lunch time or only later?

So should I just forget about F&W, get all Epcot stuff done on prior days, and avoid the park on that weekend or is there a way to make it work?

 

[gharter]

The weekends are very busy. If you start World Showcase right when it opens at 11 am, its not too bad. By evening, its crazy and you will see many more intoxicated people walking around. Probably want to leave before that.
If the weekend is your only option, I would do it, just understanding how busy it may be.
I would also research ahead of time so you know which kiosks you really want to visit.

 

[Goseethemouse]

The weekends are very busy. If you start World Showcase right when it opens at 11 am, its not too bad. By evening, its crazy and you will see many more intoxicated people walking around. Probably want to leave before that.
If the weekend is your only option, I would do it, just understanding how busy it may be.
I would also research ahead of time so you know which kiosks you really want to visit.

So if we did Future World for two hours until World Showcase opens and then walked around once, stopping to get a couple of treats (say until 1 pm) and then left the park it shouldn't be too bad? Which day would be better, August 30 or 31?

 

[JerseyJanice]

If you go on Thursday, 8/30, you won’t even have to hightail it out of there.

It’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday that get crazy busy. Thursday will be fine.

 

[gharter]

I looked at the wrong date. Thursday should be good, even into the evening. It might get a little crowded later in the evening, but shouldn't be too bad.

 

[holden]

We like going when it first opens at 11am. We eat lunch (and drink!) as we stroll around.

 

[lovin'fl]

I have been going to F&W for the last 5 years and have not seen any drunken craziness. I am sure it's there but not as bad as some make it out to be. I have seen one drunk person at Epcot and it was on an Aug trip.

As others say, on Sat and Sun it is best to go right at 11 and hit some booths for lunch and get out of there. Though we have been on the weekend evenings and the lines look super long but move quickly. Most of the time. And the regular stuff in the world showcase isn't too busy. Most of the crowd is just strolling the world showcase.

OH, and Friday doesn't get busy until evening whereas Saturday starts to get busy around noon. And Sunday night isn't bad.

 

[Goseethemouse]

Great! I actually was confused about the dates myself (thought I was talking about the weekend but now see that it is actually Thur/Fri). So I guess we will do Epcot on Thursday and if F&W is really fun we can go back in the morning on Friday and leave early on. Thanks!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I have it down to a science, August is brutal, weather wise. Get fast passes for the things you want to do, timing going in and out of the park is key. As others have said, we make sure to be there early, by 10:30 because some booths are open early. We hit Hawaii at 10:35am this past October on a Saturday and enjoyed the freshest tuna tataki and from there forward all
booths were opened. With the sun high and at full blast, we head back to the resort no later than 1, usually doing Spaceship Earth (FP)on the way out! The heat is draining, by 1pm the crowds are huge and the wait time starts to increase. Swim, cool down, change clothes and then we head back out to Epcot at 5pm for round 2. Yes weekends are more crowded than weekdays but the waits are manageable. Some booths like Mexico because they offer better known foods rather than a more adventurous selection have the longest lines. I skip these altogether. France is popular and it usually runs 2 lines. Drunks, well there are groups that seem to get more gregarious than others but I haven’t seen ugliness or behavior that would prevent me from bringing younger people. And since you are bringing teens, some of the frozen drinks do come without alcohol as an option. Of course, Thursday would be a better option! Check out who’s playing on both nights, might be the deciding vote!

 

[samsteele]

You've received some good advice OP. Make Thurs your F&W day and go early just as soon as World Showcase opens usually at 11am. Over the next few months, detailed info about the booths will be released so prioritize those booths that most interest your family and hit those first. I would suggest going counter-clockwise around the lagoon on your first pass as many guests opt for Mexico first and proceed clockwise from there. In terms of weekends at F&W, Sat & Sun is usually jammed by mid afternoon into the evening. The drunk issue is hit & miss at night. I have never seen it wildly out of hand but if a concern double down on Thurs.

 

[lovin'fl]

Here is the concert line up thus far:

• 8/30-31 – Blue October – “Into the Ocean”
• 9/1-3 – Tiffany – “I Think We’re Alone Now”
• 9/4-5 – MercyMe – “I Can Only Imagine” NEW
• 9/6-7 – Glass Tiger – “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone) NEW
• 9/8-9 – Tauren Wells – “Hills and Valleys” NEW
• 9/10-11 – Postmodern Jukebox
• 9/12-13 – TBD
• 9/14-16 – Baha Men – “Who Let The Dogs Out”
• 9/17-19 – TBD
• 9/20-21 – Living Color – “Cult of Personality”
• 9/22-23 – Sheila E – “The Glamorous Life” NEW
• 9/24-26 – Sugar Ray – “Every Morning”
• 9/27-28 – David Cook – “Light On”
• 9/29-30 – Jeffrey Osbourne – “On The Wings of Love”
• 10/1-2 – Jim Belushi & The Sacred Hearts – Various Hits
• 10/3-4 – Everclear – “Santa Monica”
• 10/5-7 – Mark Wills – “19 Somethin’”
• 10/8-10 – Air Supply – “All Out Of Love”
• 10/11-12 – TBD
• 10/13-14 – TBD
• 10/15-16 – 98 Degrees – “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)” NEW
• 10/17-18 – 38 Special – “Hold On Loosely”
• 10/19-21 – Devon Allman Project – “Ragged and Dirty”
• 10/22-23 – TBD
• 10/24-25 – Billy Ocean – “Get Outta My Dreams”
• 10/26-28 – Starship featuring Mickey Thomas – “We Built This City”
• 10/29-31 – Hanson – “MMMBop”
• 11/1-2 – TBD
• 11/3-4 – Taylor Dayne – “Prove Your Love”
• 11/5-7 – Boyz II Men – “End Of The Road”
• 11/8-9 – The Hooters – “And We Danced”
• 11/10-12 – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – “Go Daddy-O

shows are 5:30, 6:45 & 8:00.

 

[loves to dive]

I go to F&W every year and while Friday and Saturday nights can be crowded, I don't think it's any worse than weekends close to Christmas. I know there are reports of drunken people wandering around but I really haven't noticed it being any worse than any night at any of the parks that serve alcohol. Or for that matter, I've seen just as bad at MK where they don't serve alcohol. Also, make note that many of the booths actually have lines on both sides, many people don't notice this and there will be long lines on one side and the other absolutely empty. Japan comes to mind, France has had two side open in the past and so has America. I always just kind of wander around grabbing something from a booth that looks good and walking around until I'm ready for something else. I usually stop and look at the menu board, notice how the lines are moving, watch what people are getting to see if something looks good to me. Sharing is also a way to experience more, the portions look small but there are always at least 3 or 4 bites (even for growing boys) if not more in each serving so if you order two things from one booth, share them between the 3 of you and you can experience more booths before getting fuller than a tick.