Food and Wine Festival

[TexasCourt]

I am thinking about going to the Food and Wine Festival this year and was looking for some opinons on it? Is it fun? Is the food good? Any info on it is appreciated!

 

[Dad's Not Funny]

We went last year and are planning our trip around it again in 2006.

It was a lot of fun to eat at the little stands all around Epcot WS. There were foods from countries other than the normal ones in the buildings and a lot of different wines to try. It can fill up a whole day if you let it. The DDP snack credits can be used at the stands if you do that on your trip.

There is also some special musical entertainment each day this year like the Beach Boys and Three Dog Night. The very best part was the evening Party for the Senses on the weekends. It costs about $95 per person but you get really great food and an up close performance by some of the Cirque de Soleil cast. My DW went and is going to do it again this year.

It adds adds a whole new dimension to a Disney trip for adults!

 

[misslissa]

We just ate around the little stands at Epcot on our first night and had an absolute blast! We had to cancel our ADR for that night actually as well.

I would definitely recommend it.

 

[Redwitch]

This is what Mousesaver has on the F&WF. We enjoyed it last year and have a day of snacking around the world planned for October. We did not do any of the ticketed events, so I can't comment.

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival
Each Fall, Epcot hosts the International Food and Wine Festival, a several-weeks-long celebration that includes both "free" (i.e. included in Epcot admission) and separately ticketed events such as Food and Wine Pairings, Specialty Dinners, wine classes and Party for the Senses.

The 2006 Festival will be held 9/29/06-11/12/06.

More than 100 wineries offer tastings, and guests can sample the marketplace cuisine in tasting portions ranging from $1.50 to $4.50. Other highlights include:

The Festival Welcome Center, with a Champagne and Sparkling Wine Bar, commemorative posters and other festival keepsakes.

Some 250 Disney chefs and guest chefs conducting culinary demonstrations and hosting elegant dinners and tasting events -- 2005 guest chefs included Cat Cora, Ming Tsai and John Ash.

Up to 1,200 wine and beer seminars providing complimentary samplings.

Elegant dinners, the weekly Party for the Senses grand tasting with entertainment by Cirque du Soleil and other by-reservation-only events (see below).

Along with the music, dance, acrobatics and avant-garde entertainment showcased at Epcot pavilions, festival guests can enjoy Eat to the Beat! concerts performed three times each evening at America Gardens Theatre.

Entrance to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, plus wine and beer seminars and cooking demonstrations, is included with regular Epcot admission.

Certain International Food and Wine Festival events, including special dinners, vertical wine tastings, cooking classes and Party for the Senses, require advance reservations and cost extra.

2006 Food and Wine Festival ticketed events will go on sale at 7:00 am EST on July 31.

On that date, call (407) WDW-FEST (939-3378) and have your credit card ready.

These events are very popular and it is advisable to call immediately when the reservations open.

Enjoy musical evenings during the Food & Wine Festival with the "Eat to the Beat!" concerts scheduled daily at 5:45, 7:15 and 8:30 pm on the America Gardens Theatre stage.

Tentative "Eat to the Beat!" concert series lineup for 2006:

September 29 & 30 - Survivor
October 1-3 - Family Stone Experience
October 4-7 - Starship featuring Mickey Thomas
October 8-11 - Loverboy
October 12-14 - David Sanborn
October 15 & 16 - The Beach Boys
October 17 & 18 - Little Richard
October 19-21 - Three Dog Night
October 22-25 - The Four Tops
October 26-28 - Gloria Gaynor
October 29 - November 1 - The SOS Band
November 2-4 - The Contours
November 5 & 6 - Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
November 7 & 8 - Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
November 9-12 - Jon Secada

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We went to the F & W festival for the first time last year and had a blast. We enjoyed eating at the booths and doing some of the free beer and wine seminars. We even did the free tea seminar in the UK area.

 

[disneyde]

how hard is it to get tickets for the party for the senses? I know tickets go on sale 7/31 am but I was just wondering if anyone had any expereince with this?

 

[DVCconvert]

how hard is it to get tickets for the party for the senses? I know tickets go on sale 7/31 am but I was just wondering if anyone had any expereince with this?

If you order them when they come out -- you'll have no problem getting them!

HTH

 

[byoung]

Once you go you will go every year.

 

[webray]

how hard is it to get tickets for the party for the senses? I know tickets go on sale 7/31 am but I was just wondering if anyone had any expereince with this?

It is not hard to get party for the senses tickets, if this is the event you want to attend you do not have to be one of the first callers. Wait a couple days, even weeks, until the phone lines slow down and you will still get the ressie.

 

[Donald is #1]

I will also be making my first trip to the Food & Wine Festival. Are there any paid events in particular that you would recommend? By the way, I am not a big wine drinker.

 

[ImprovGal]

Party For the Senses is the highest capacity event. Occasionally a date will sell out, but I wouldn't rank it anywhere near as competitive as the other events.

I'd say book it when you feel comfortable booking it.

For those new to the F&WF ticketed events:

Some events do book up reeeeally quickly. For low capacity events, I'd do the 7am July 31st call. That would be things like: Epcot Cooking School, Signature Dinners, Exquisite Evenings, etc.

I'd also do the 7am call if I've got a non-PFTS gotta-do event (a lunch & learn or a food & wine pairing on a specific day, for example).

Warning: It's sooooo easy to get caught up in "event fever" and book a slew of stuff! In years past, there was a bit of a lag between when we made reservations and when Disney actually got around to charging our credit cards. Last year, the lag vanished! So if you're going to book a bunch of events, be prepared!

Also, pay attention to the cancellation window -- I think it's 48 or 72 hours. If you get shut out of an event, try booking at the cancellation point since people constantly change plans and spots can open up. I've talked to people who at many events who were able to snag a spot at the last minute.

 

[Rudy6]

If you like food and wine, by all means go for it.

We went last year, and enjoyed the meals we booked. We did a banquet sponsored by Samuel Adams beer. It was called "Brewers Banquet" or something like that. What a blast. You get to try many, if not all, of Samuel Adams beers. The founder of the company spoke. The food was great, and with each food, a chef came out to talk, too. A guy played a guitar and sang, getting the crowd to join him, which they did - "Do, the stuff we buy beer with; Re, the guy we buy beer from; Me, the one we buy beer for; Fa, we will go far for beer; So, I think we'll have more beer; La, la la la la la la; Te, no thanks, I think I'll have a beer; then back to Do, but forgot the line" Needless to say, you are feeling it by the end of the night. But, it sure brought me back to my college frat days. I am sure we will go again, and if they are still offering that meal, we will take it. Even though the beverage is beer, it is a very nice meal, so you can easily dress up for it. Not really tuxes, but dress pants and dresses are appropriate. The food is great. The hostess made everyone feel welcome, too. She would walk around and chat with everyone. Very nice lady.

We also did a wine pairing in Italy. I know nothing about wine, but like wine. The wine was good, and we eventually found a liquor store selling it in our area. The wine pairings are a reasonable price. I would recommend a wine pairing.

That is all we did, as we had the kids. Luckily my mom came with us to WDW, so we had a babysitter. I really do not think that any of the special meals, wine pairings, etc are for kids.

You also get to see some good entertainment in America, for free. They basically do their greatest hits, so it is enjoyable.

We did walk around the countries and tried different foods and wines. I enjoyed that. You could actually make meals out of doing this.

This year we are trying the free dining, so we will not be able to go. Sure wish we were.

Have fun.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

We are taking our first Adults only trip this fall and we will be there the first weekend of the Food and Wine Fest - We are interested in "Party for the Senses" - Does anyone know the dress code for this event?

 

[LibertyLover]

Last year my DH and I went to Food and Wine Festival for the first time as the result of a totally unscheduled trip to WDW (my uncle died in Ft. Myers and since I had to go to the funeral, we figured why not pop on over to WDW for a couple of days). We both enjoyed it - so much so that we are planning on going back this October on a scheduled trip to take it in. We'll celebrate our 8th anniversary too. Tasting the wines at the different stands was great because we got to try different ones than we normally drink. In Germany we found a riesling that we liked so much, we asked our liquor store to get us a half case. And we had a lovely dish at the Turkish stand made from tomatos, cucumbers and pomagranate molassis that we liked so much we bought the official recipe book so we could make it at home. You should have a wonderful time if you go.

 

[UKDEB]

The IF&WF is absolutely our favourite thing to do at WDW. It's a few years since we were last there and it's definitely adding to the anticipation of our October trip this year.

Really, though, we should all be keeping quiet about it!

 

[vascubaguy]

I'm also going for the first time this year and have just started really looking into the prior year events. I guess I got discouraged, initially, because I am not a big fan of beer or wine-just hand me the liquor! When I started reading over some of the events, I figured we would spend most of our time going to the different stands and participating in the different free things, though I hoped to do the Party of the Senses (but that will depend on if it is still on Saturdays only as I ended up planning the trip around maximizing DVC point use rather than trying to make sure I booked a Saturday stay for PotS). Anyway, I'll still check for other things and I'm sure we'll enjoy it!

Who knows, if I sample enough beer and wine, maybe I'll find one that I really like, then I can kick those mixed drinks to the curb!

 

[Noelle]

Just like everyone else...We tried it the one time and now we're hooked. Between the Food & Wine Festival, the great weather, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, we've found the perfect time for us to go each year.

Last year we did the Party for the Senses and LOVED it. We also did the "Mastering Wine 101" - Wine school. It was amazing. I learned so much. I used to be one of those people that thought I didn't like red wine, only white. After taking the class, I realized that there are plenty of red wines I do like. I just needed to know how to identify what characteristics I liked and then be able to know which wines had those characteristics. I'd recommend it to anyone!

 

[AJA55]

Have to agree with Debbie… wish people wouldn’t find out about the Food and Wine gem. We couple it with national elections. Every four years, off to the Festival. It helps us ignore the “media mess”. Just a quick bit of info. If you have food allergies. They are more then happy to substitute. But be forewarned that even when we called to confirm this fact twice, I was still given an item that I couldn’t eat. Even after I touched bases with the manager just before the lunch.