Food and Wine Festival..Party for the Senses

[Pennykay]

Has anyone done this? Are tickets difficult to obtain? Do you get a table to eat at? Can you sample as many things as much as you want? Thanks!

 

[TDC Nala]

1. They are not that difficult to obtain because they sell at least 350 of them per party. But I personally would not wait until the last minute to get them, some of them sell out before the day of the party.

2. You don't get a table. To keep one, you'd have to stake one out and take turns going for food. It's supposed to be a wander and sample thing.

3. It's all you can sample of both food and beverages.

 

[ebenmax]

Is it worth going to if you are not alcohol drinkers? I mean, I know we are paying for it in the admission, but we were wondering if the food, atmosphere, etc. would be worth the ticket w/out alcohol.

Thanks

 

[TDC Nala]

Yes, there is plenty of food, and you can get water. I don't know about the availability of other nonalcoholic beverages.

 

[Pennykay]

Isn't it difficult to walk around and eat off of you're plate while holding a drink? Are there many tables?

 

[ImprovGal]

Isn't it difficult to walk around and eat off of you're plate while holding a drink? Are there many tables?

When you enter the pavillion, you're given a souvenir wine glass and a plate to carry around that has a little cutout where you set the wine glass as you carry it around. In addition to the tables with seats, there are also standing tables scattered around so you can just momentarily park to eat/drink before going to the next station.

 

[Pennykay]

Oh, ok! Thanks for explaining.

 

[nbodyhome]

There aren't really enough standing tables, since a lot of people camp out at them (especially earlier on). Later in the evening, it wasn't a big deal.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did this past year. I think it is great! It was a gift to us, and I plan to go again this year.

 

[leanan]

There is a main part of it that is open to all guests who enter Epcot. This part is ok. Mostly no where to sit. You wander eating food getting in one line and then another.

I was disappointed in the variety of food available. A lot of the stuff I saw was nothing new to me. The average price was $3.50 for an item and portions were small.

On the upside that means you can try a bunch of stuff. The stuff I had was good quality. Definately restaurant quality with fresh tasting ingrediants. Some stuff was actually spicy for me. A rare thing treat for me on Disney property.

Tons of wines and even beers to taste. If you do like to drink get there earlier and get a room at one of the hotels that night so no one has to pull the unlucky designated driver straw.

One related non Disney event in the area is Universal's Beer fest where for $25 flat rate you get to try a bunch of different beers. For an additional $25 you get access to a VIP room which has free food and extra beers which I would encourage you to get. My dad and I really felt the VIP ticket was worth the extra money for us. A cool quiet place to hide and free food when everyone else had to pay for food. We were totally loving that.

 

[webray]

There is a main part of it that is open to all guests who enter Epcot. This part is ok. Mostly no where to sit. You wander eating food getting in one line and then another.

I was disappointed in the variety of food available. A lot of the stuff I saw was nothing new to me. The average price was $3.50 for an item and portions were small.

On the upside that means you can try a bunch of stuff. The stuff I had was good quality. Definately restaurant quality with fresh tasting ingrediants. Some stuff was actually spicy for me. A rare thing treat for me on Disney property.

Tons of wines and even beers to taste. If you do like to drink get there earlier and get a room at one of the hotels that night so no one has to pull the unlucky designated driver straw.

One related non Disney event in the area is Universal's Beer fest where for $25 flat rate you get to try a bunch of different beers. For an additional $25 you get access to a VIP room which has free food and extra beers which I would encourage you to get. My dad and I really felt the VIP ticket was worth the extra money for us. A cool quiet place to hide and free food when everyone else had to pay for food. We were totally loving that.

Party for the senses is a ticketed event...you are describing the regular food/wine fest. Once you pay for ticket for the party, you do not pay again for food/wine/beer, etc.

 

[newholidayx2]

how much are the tickets?

 

[BoosGram]

how much are the tickets?

We're going at the end of Sept. I'd be interested in the cost, too. TIA.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Last year they went up in price...to $125 per person. Because of the cost, I personally would not go if I was not planning on sampling a lot of wine.

We have gone 2 years in a row and plan to make it an "annual" event for us! The first year, DH was skeptical...but we were really blown away by the food selections and yummy wine. I LOVE my souvenir glass and drink wine out of it often...makes me smile(the glass, not the wine. Well, ok, the wine makes me smile, too!)

The first year I got a picture taken with Ming Tsai, and last year I had my picture taken with Cat Cora.

This past year we made a point to snag a table, and we had different people join us throughout the night and that made it fun.

We are already tossing around dates for our trip next year.

If you do a search (not sure if the search function is working) you can find lots of reviews, or if you do a search on Deb's site allearsnet.com

 

[BoosGram]

Last year they went up in price...to $125 per person. Because of the cost, I personally would not go if I was not planning on sampling a lot of wine.

We have gone 2 years in a row and plan to make it an "annual" event for us! The first year, DH was skeptical...but we were really blown away by the food selections and yummy wine. I LOVE my souvenir glass and drink wine out of it often...makes me smile(the glass, not the wine. Well, ok, the wine makes me smile, too!)

The first year I got a picture taken with Ming Tsai, and last year I had my picture taken with Cat Cora.

This past year we made a point to snag a table, and we had different people join us throughout the night and that made it fun.

We are already tossing around dates for our trip next year.

If you do a search (not sure if the search function is working) you can find lots of reviews, or if you do a search on Deb's site allearsnet.com

Thanks for the info. That sounds like a lot of fun. From what you said, I gather the food isn't like what they serve on the kiosks and was made specially for the party. What kind of stuff did they have?

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I love Party for the Senses, and it is the must-do event for me during the Food and Wine Festival.

I don't drink a lot, I'm pretty picky when it comes to wine. The last time I went, in 2005, I found a few I liked, and stuck to them all night.

The food is wonderful. There were so many things I had that I enjoyed. I can't remember exactly what they were called, (I'll try and find a link to the thread,) but there was some kind of pumpkin cream cake, kobe beef, and a pork dish that I loved.

Definatly look at the reviews on All Ears since they have some full menus there, though the menu changes at each Party, that should give you a good idea of what to expect.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Here's a link to the thread with the review of the Party I attended. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=933933 My opinion is on post #21. The thread was not started by me, it was started by Forever42, who attended the same night as me, and I just added my food reviews to the thread instead of starting my own. Also, the thread is more then a year old, but it seems from reading 2006 reviews that nothing much has changed, except for the price.

 

[BoosGram]

Here's a link to the thread with the review of the Party I attended. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=933933 My opinion is on post #21. The thread was not started by me, it was started by Forever42, who attended the same night as me, and I just added my food reviews to the thread instead of starting my own. Also, the thread is more then a year old, but it seems from reading 2006 reviews that nothing much has changed, except for the price.

Thanks so much!! Sounds so good !

 

[TDC Nala]

The food is not equivalent to the mass produced items that are served at the kiosks outside. The chefs are present and they cook and assemble their dishes at their tables.

Due to the quality of the food, I believe the price is worth it even if you don't drink wine.

 

[oybolshoi]

Thank you for providing that link, disneyfav4ever! The hubby and I have been aching for a chance to try Party for the Senses and we're finally going to get our chance this fall. It sounds wonderful!

 

[parrotheadlois]

The food is not equivalent to the mass produced items that are served at the kiosks outside. The chefs are present and they cook and assemble their dishes at their tables.

Due to the quality of the food, I believe the price is worth it even if you don't drink wine.

Me too!!!

I didn't realize people were already "talking" about the festival!! We've been there every year for a number of years now and love it every time! Last year we went with my sister and her husband (their first time). We did the Illuminations Cruise (with Sharon and her Mom - Hi Sharon!) and Dabney and Troy (Hey Dabs!!!) This year we're going with my daughter and her dh.

Now it's only March and I'm getting psyched already!!!