Food and Wine...get me up to speed, PLEASE

[ngb2w]

Long story, made short:

DVC owner and former DisBoard user is totally out of the loop on all the particulars about the upcoming Food and Wine Fest. We are going to be at BCV from Oct 16-23) I had tried searches, tried WDW's official website, tried ALLEARS.net. I still feel like I don't have a handle on what all this is about.

But first, before I get all worked up and curious, am I too late to get any of the numerous types of tickets they are offering? If I am, then maybe I should drop my quest right now. Please set me straight...where can I find valuable and up-to-date information?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks for asking this. We will be at SSR and OKW October 15-22, and I have no idea what F&W festival events are all about!

 

[kathleena]

I think you should post this on the theme park board.

 

[Frozenfingers]

Have you tried here

Can't say for sure where you purchase tickets, but it would seem reasonable to call the dining reservations number.

 

[ngb2w]

Yep....saw that, too. But can't tell how to get tickets from that info. I soooo hate to call Disney, especially on a Monday.

 

[Happy2BGrumpy]

First off no reason to get worked up over the planning for F&W. Not sure where you're staying but you have a week (sat - sat). I'm not sure what tickets you are referring to; there are daily sign-ups for some of the wine/beer seminars or cooking demos.
EPCOT admission gives you "access" to everything going on at F&W. That does not mean that everything is paid for.
My best advice is to leisurely stroll around world showcase your first day or two there. Get an idea (and a program) of the happenings. There
is great food to be sampled, great libations, a concert series in the American Gardens - 3 sets each evening beginning at 5:45 (I think). Once you get that program you can plan accordingly, but the spontaneous nature of everything going on is half the fun!!! So what if you miss the first concert.....catch the second or third!! And just a tip from a "somewhat" seasoned F&W vet, each concert set is somewhat different each night (except for the hit songs), but the same the next day!!

 

[mikesmom]

If you are looking for tickets to things like The Party for the Senses, I would not stress too much. Are things likely to be sold out? In a word, yes. Do you need tickets to ANY of those events to experience the F&W Fest? Not at all. They are awesome dining and drinking events, but the Fest does not hinge on those. You can walk around the World Showcase and wine & dine to your heart's content. Each country (and a few they've brought in special) has booths with lovely things to buy and try. There are also (free!) seminars on wine & beer (with samples!), there are wonderful displays.

Frankly, we are headed out for our third year there and the thought of trying to eat our way thru one of the special events after spending the day grazing the World Showcase area is more than I could handle. It normally takes DH and I two or three days to cover the ground and then we always miss something because some classes are simultaneous.

The best place I've seen to describe things is over on Deb Wills site. They have menus each year. They don't usually get posted until after the first week when someone has gotten back, but you can look at the postings from last year to get an idea of the range of goodies and events.

 

[spiceycat]

call the number
1-407-WDW-FEST

ask if anything is left for the dates you are going. if no - then stop worrying - if yes - then you have decide what you want and what you want to spend

 

[lovwdwalot]

Like mikemoms & Happy2begrumpy stated, the the F&W Fest is like a Taste of Chicago. If you don't know what that is , it is where alot of diffrent restaurants come and cook their best dish at an outdoor food fest. But at the F&W fest it is at Epcot. There is no extra charge to enter but the only extra you pay is to try out diffrent kinds of food from other countrys from all over the world not just the world showcase.

 

[TiggerFreak]

DW and I have a week penciled in for every October until 2042

If this will be your first experience, don't worry about all the additional cost offerings.
Just visiting and sampling ALL of the food kiosks takes 2-3 nights unless you are the owner of a hollow leg.

Then once you have tried all of the ones you are brave enough to, you will want to go back to the ones you really liked.

So there's one more evening of gastronomical bliss!

Last but not least, eat a full meal at your favorite WDW eatery for fortitude and then start a beer/wine crawl around the world showcase.

(WARNING for safety reasons - beer/wine crawl is only recomended if you are lodging at BWV,BCV,Swan or Dolphin)

 

[WKUMAD]

WE have been about 4 times. Have never done one of the dinners. They are real pricey and sell out fast despite the price. When you enter Epcot you will pick up a brochure which will be a big help to what is going on and tells you the times on the wine seminars and what is being served at the food kiaosks. Some of the food samples are not too good. Some are very good. They cost from $1 to $4 dollars. The wine samples also cost varying amounts. The wine seminars are put on by different wineries and change by the day and week.. If you like wine you should try the seminars. If you like beer try the Sam Adams tasting and last year they had a beer tasting next to Rose and Crown. This was great.
One of our favorites are the cooking demos between France and Morocco, The have some great chefs preparing very good dishes and they will give you a sample to taste and the receipe.

 

[vonderbar]

The Home Page of this site has all the information on this year's International Wine & Food Festival. You can call 1-407-939-3378 to get information on availability of "special" events, such as Wine Parings, etc. As you see on the site, there is an additional charge.

If you can't do any of the special events, there are still other free things happening as someone else shared on this forum.

Enjoy!!

 

[Ted and Holly]

Originally posted by vonderbar
The Home Page of this site has all the information on this year's International Wine & Food Festival. You can call 1-407-939-3378 to get information on availability of "special" events, such as Wine Parings, etc. As you see on the site, there is an additional charge.

If you can't do any of the special events, there are still other free things happening as someone else shared on this forum.

Enjoy!!

We checked tonight at guest relations at Epcot to see if they have mnore information. They have nothing printed yet. They have been taking reservations for some of the dinners however.

They gave us the same number as above, for easy rememberation ( ) it is 407-WDW-FEST.

I can't wait to see a list of the guest chefs and speakers that will be around the world showcase. I want to see some of the presentations they give.

Ted

 

[Maddle]

I thought Food and Wine was a lot of fun last year. All we did was wander, try the many different samples and soak up the Epcot atmosphere.

Having said that, I did think the samples were pricey, considering the size of them. They were teeny tiny, and we spent quite a bit of money. (Still thought it was a good time.)

Maddle

 

[ngb2w]

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. We are staying at the Beach Club Villas so that should work out nicely. One of our first trips to Disney as Vacation Club owners was in the fall of 1999, the F&W was being set up just as we were leaving so that is why I have no real idea of what it was all about. Thank you to the person that described it like a "Taste of <every city>". Glad to read that ressies are not required to participate. My husband, will LOVE to sample the beers, good thing our accommodations will be close. I, on the other hand, have never cared for beer...which is another good thing. Our two girls 8 and 2 will be along for the trip. Thank you ALL again for your expertise! 38 days and counting!