Food and Wine Festival - what is the attraction?

[bsusanmb]

DH and I happened upon the food and wine festival during our last stay. What am I missing? What does everyone love so much about this? The food samplings were just average. Is it the wine tasting? Or do most of you purchase a special event ticket? Help me to love this as I will be there again this year. Maybe we need a special topic for wine enthusiasts on this message board so I can learn about wine. I fell in love with California Canundrum at the WDW restaurants. Can't get it here in PA in our state owned wine and spirit stores - can you believe the state of PA controls these? Can't buy wine in any other stores.

Someone tell me some great things to experience. We are 55 and going to have our 35, 31 and 28 year old kids and their spouses with us.

Really want to enjoy this event!

 

[Figment2]

A group of us go every year. Most of us are not wine drinkers but we love knoshing around the world at least a couple of times. Our favorite, though, is the Party of the Senses (one of the private dinners). They are held every Sat. night throughout the Festival. This year we're going to do two of them. Last year we did the Spirited Ball and it was okay but decided we got more for our money at the POS.

We also go to some of the seminars (and not always the wine seminars). Last year I finally got to do the tea seminar and then did the beer seminar again.

We also go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party (we love to dress up)! We're also hoping that Disney will hold the Happy Haunts Ball again (a haunted mansion merchandise event).

Our ages run from 26 to 64, some couples, some not. Our group size runs from 10 to 45, some related, most not. It's a chance for us to catch up with one another (we're from all overy the US including some FL locals).

Most of us go other times during the year but this is always our longest trip and the one we look forward to the most. We love the time of year and feel the F&W festival is the icing on the cake!

If I may make one suggestion, don't try to stay together as a group. Last year we had 16 at MNSSHP. We met for dinner before the party and then split up. Our groups do that all week. A group will head off to MGM while others head to EPCOT. We meet up several times during the week for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner (making ADRs can be very interesting).

Sometimes we even do a tour together (Segway, Backstage Magic, etc.).

Have fun!

Cyn

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We have been there twice during the F&W and hated it! I love the World Showcase and was getting very aggravated that we could barely move around due to all the lines of people waiting to buy samples of food or wine. Plus, there were many people that had sampling a bit too much.

I think it's almost getting to the point that they should change the venue a bit to have it run longer in the evening and not allow minors.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

We love the F&W Festival! We enjoy sampling many different kinds of food. We also manage to do a few wine tastings. We're wine novices, but we always learn a lot at the tastings/seminars.
Maybe it's just us, but the whole atmosphere of the place just seems fun.
Next year we are going to try the Party of the Senses. I don't really know anything about it yet, but many here speak highly of it.

Bon Appetite!

MG

 

[Lenc324]

What does the private dinner Party of the Senses consist of? I'm interested in going to one.

 

[jarestel]

I tend to agree with you, there's not much there that attracts us. Don't care for the crowds at Epcot during F&W, and we've never found any of the food or wine samples that did anything more for us than dent the pocketbook. Too expensive, too crowded, too mediocre.

We love WDW in October because of the weather, we just tend to avoid World Showcase when the F&W festival is happening.

 

[auntsue]

We also did not care for it. One of the worst parts for us was that you had to stand in line over and over again to get your food and wine, and then you pretty much had to eat standing up. We just didn't understand the appeal and yet so many people love it. To each his own.

 

[Deb & Bill]

See, now, I have to disagree with some of you folks. I love going around buying the samples of food and making a gourmet dinner out of them. Plus washing them down with a small glass of wine. No ADRs required.

 

[nestlejean]

We didn't see the attraction to it and I was looking forward to going. There may be several reasons why we didn't LOVE it:We had kids with and it got expensive buying the small samples of food to try to fill them up, the wine sample was too small for the money but, it's Disney....the kids hated the lines, they wanted to go on rides, WShowcasw isn't their favorite part of Epcot anyway, we only had a part of the day since we park hopped, I didn't get to go to any seminars or other special things. If we go back for it, it will be without kids and I will pick a cooking seminar or wine seminar to go to also. We may enjoy it more then.

 

[mark&sue]

"the samples" seem very pricey. However I quite like the atmosphere.


Susan

 

[rinkwide]

Pay $63 just to get through the gate but then complain when the food costs $3.50? I love it.

 

[Lenc324]

I'm going back in Nov I thought it was great and the crowds weren't bad at all.

 

[jarestel]

Pay $63 just to get through the gate but then complain when the food costs $3.50? I love it.

Well, one small appetizer plate costs $3.50, but if you plan on allowing your wife to have some as well, you can double that. Then double that for a couple of sips of wine and then times that by how many "samples" you intend to try at the various booths. It generally adds up to a tad more than $3.50, even for the most frugal of visitors.

 

[Figment2]

Party of the Senses is somewhat like the little booths they have set up around WS. Cost is $99 (about 104 with tax). They have approximately 25 food stations set up with wine stations set up next to them. Sam Adams also has a booth.

There are NO soft drinks. They do have Evian water (actually to rinse out your wine glass) but you can use it as drinking water. Cirque du Soliel is the entertainment.

You get preferred seating at the Eat to the Beat Concert first show (we always skip this). There are tables set around and you wander from booth to booth trying different foods (just a small plate) Each party has a different menu.

This is some of what was offered at our

Beef tenderloin w/roasted beet salad & a porcini Tuile
Pan Seared scallops on pumpkin risotto with a Pancetta chip
Lobster corn chowder
Hoisin roasted duck on Fried wontons
Oyster Stew with Scallop cream
and much, much more.

Believe me, there is a lot we liked that we probably wouldn't have tried in a restaurant. We had one very picker eater with us last time and she was even able to find things she liked. The desserts were outstanding too!

Usually we find the booths we like, go grab a couple of plates and then sit down for awhile while we enjoy good food, company and drink.

As far as the booths around WS, I think they are fairly reasonable. But then I'm used to Taste of Chicago. Cost is about the same but I'd rather do the F&W Festival!

Cyn

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Food and Wine Festival - what is the attraction?

Ummmm............ How about Food and Wine? What could be better? (Don't answer that)

We went last year and had a great time. This year we are staying over at the Hard Rock Hotel for a few nights but will travel over to EPCOT just for the F&W Festival. Our kids loved sampling items from around the world and it ended up costing less than a sit down restaurant meal for our group.

HBC

 

[CarolA]

I love this event, but I have a suggestion... If you can only go on Saturday... just skip it. F&W is VERY popular with the locals and they are there on the weekends which makes the lines MUCH longer. Reading these posts I got the feeling that some of you were there on weekends and/or holidays (Vets day) I plan my visit for weekdays on non-holiday weeks and practically never wait in line.

The wine seminars alone are worth it to me. They are free and you can learn a lot.

I did Party for the Senses last year and really enjoyed it. It may go back on the schedule this year. Just depends.. right now I am only booked Sun - Thurs.

 

[TCPluto]

Pay $63 just to get through the gate but then complain when the food costs $3.50? I love it.

I would be surpirsed if most of those folks who go to this event weren't doing so on an AP. I also suspect that that have enough visits that a day at the park costs them $10-20, based on the frequency of visits.

I can see after all of the sampling, a person finding themselves $100 lighter and still hungry.

 

[bsusanmb]

OP here. Dh and I were there on AP on a weekday. No lines at all. The food was the same that you get in the restaruants - nothing special. I just thought since everyone on the DVC boards seems to say that it is difficult to get ressies for Oct due to the F&W festival, there must be something other than what I experienced. I always get a glass of wine at the booth in France which is there all year long. Thought there must be some special event that you paid separately for that I missed and want to experience if it is that great.

I like the weather in Oct. I love EPCOT in December.

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

We love it. But then the World Showcase is one of our favourite places in WDW. We've been a number of times but 2005 was our first time without kids and with AP's. The wine seminars were great, food was great, concerts were fun. Just standing in wine seminar lines and meeting other DVC members was entertainment in itself. As new members (Nov 2004) we really learned alot about DVC from them.

Everyone highly recommends Party for the Senses. We hope to try it this fall. Is this an event where you need to purchase tickets ahead of time?

 

[CarolA]

Party for the Senses does not sell out near as fast as the other special dining, but you do need to buy it ahead of time since it does sometimes sell out.

As for the food being the same as the resturants... at last check there was no Polish, Indian, Austrialian, Greek resturant at WDW so the only place you got those special items was the food and wine fest..... If however, you are a real picky eater... this may not be a good event.

Last time I went I used about $100 in Disney reward dollars over the course of a week stay... I was stuffed A LOT, I can't imagine even two people spending $100 and not being full in one day!

I am actually glad some of you don't like it... fewer folks mean shorter lines for the seminar. Of course, in return during my Oct visit I spend NO time at MK so that gives you a break if that's your favorite park.... (it's my least favorite LOL!)