Food and Wine?

[kreckl]

We've been to Epcot twice during F and W, and thought it was terrible. Seriously drunk people everywhere, (one even vomiting in the grass) very long lines at kiosks, large groups of people that were tough to walk around...

We like a drink as much as the next person, but don't drink to excess- and are with our kids! Is it ever calm and family-friendly? Looks like our next trip may be in the fall..

 

[holden]

We love to visit FWF with our kids. We go when the booths open at 11 and eat around the world. DH and I split drinks so we can try more of them without drinking too much. The kids love it!

 

[puffkins]

I've been to the F+W in four different years since 2008 and have never seen what you are describing. My wife and I like it a lot. Last year I fell in love with a Grey Goose Spiced Warm Chai Tea. It was awesome and I didn't yak once.

 

[Disneylover99]

It's often calm and family friendly. Avoid evenings and weekends if possible to avoid the crowds. I prefer to go when WS opens.

 

[mom2travel]

we've been to F&W a bunch of times in recent years, in different months, different days of the week and times of day (including weekend nights) and have never seen what you describe. I'm thinking you just hit some bad luck. DH and I have actually met some really fun people by sharing tables around the booths

 

[kreckl]

Maybe thats our problem, we love Epcot at night. The worst experience WAS at night, but the other time, which was also a nightmare, was late afternoon-ish.

 

[PSUGuy]

I never question reports from DISers,you saw what you saw and your experiences were yours. That said, in 8 Food&Wine trips of from 8 to 10 park days we never saw what's described here and we're in WS every afternoon except for Sat. due to crowd size. I have seen a guest or 2 get snot slinging drunk but both times at a resort bar and not during F&W.

Bill From PA

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

went on the last day of the festival in november and didn't see a single drunk person. it also helps to go in the middle of the week, as opposed to weekends.

 

[Micca]

We do F&W on weekdays(daytime) and we don't see any objectionable behavior. There are some folks who have clearly had some drinks, but they aren't bothering anyone or throwing up in the bushes.

 

[wdw&sonny]

We went during the week, as advised on the Dis boards, mid-September, post Irma. It was calm, quiet and pleasant. The lines at most kiosks were 3-5 people, at most. My wife and I really enjoy(ed), snacking and sharing. I love the opportunity to try such a variety of flavors. We don't drink much, but enjoyed sampling a wine flight and a drink or two. I wouldn't make a trip to WDW just for F&W, but, for us, it was a nice change of pace from a TS meal.

 

[randumb0]

There is always someone on here complaining about overly drunk people at F&W. Are there drunk people there? Yes, but there are drunk people there everyday. Seeing someone puking in the grass is not commonplace

 

[BrianL]

Just avoid the weekends and peak evening hours. F&W is absolutely lovely most of the time with no rowdiness and even short lines. I do recommend having a plan of what items you want to try so you can be most efficient.

 

[BrianL]

There is always someone on here complaining about overly drunk people at F&W. Are there drunk people there? Yes, but there are drunk people there everyday. Seeing someone puking in the grass is not commonplace

Yeah, I mean, they serve alcohol all the time. Actually, the drunkest guy I ever saw at WDW was in Magic Kingdom, so he must have arrived that way. He was a fun drink though and was singing along to the Boo to You parade (he knew the words). But yeah, it can happen anywhere. I mostly avoid F&W on the weekends because of the crowds, not necessarily the rowdiness. I have seen a few people who definitely overdid it, but it does not seem to be the norm. Obviously, there is an occasional idiot trying to climb the Mexican pyramid, but that's pretty infrequent.

 

[disneyvoice]

You should be fine if you go on a weekday late morning/early afternoon as soon as the booths open. I would recommend leaving by about 5:00 pm. Stay away from evenings and weekends. Although I have never seen it as bad as you have experienced it, we just find that weekends are crazy busy with wall to wall people and lines much longer than we are willing to endure. Evenings during the week are definitely crowded but I don't think you see quite as many of the dedicated "drinking teams" as you do on the weekend. When our son was young we tried to get out of Epcot during F&W as early as possible and never went on the weekends.

 

[stinkpickle]

We've been to Epcot twice during F and W, and thought it was terrible. Seriously drunk people everywhere, (one even vomiting in the grass) very long lines at kiosks, large groups of people that were tough to walk around...

We like a drink as much as the next person, but don't drink to excess- and are with our kids! Is it ever calm and family-friendly? Looks like our next trip may be in the fall..

I'm usually too drunk to even notice that kinda stuff.

 

[Simba's Mom]

We've been to Epcot twice during F and W, and thought it was terrible. Seriously drunk people everywhere, (one even vomiting in the grass) very long lines at kiosks, large groups of people that were tough to walk around...

We like a drink as much as the next person, but don't drink to excess- and are with our kids! Is it ever calm and family-friendly? Looks like our next trip may be in the fall..

We've not seen the kind of behavior. However, we only go during the week, and we leave Epcot by 5:00. DH and I don't drink (except the occasional glass of wine), and my first marriage ended due to first DH's drinking problem, so I'm Super-sensitive. But in 10 years of F&W festivals, following those 2 rules have meant we've never seen problems.

 

[JerseyJanice]

It possible to run into some guests who imbibed too much, but the vast majority of the crowd is fine.

I was there every single day of an 8 day trip last September, and the vibe was really nice almost every visit.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I've spent a lot of time at F&WF, weekdays and weekends, and have ever, ever see the drunken behavior mentioned here. Now that we're in FL and can drive in for the day, it's usually a weekend and other than higher crowds on Sat night, didn't see anything different. It's not like the weekends are drunken mobs.

No doubt it occasionally happens but it's not commonplace.

 

[kreckl]

This is good to hear. I would love to enjoy it! I don't remember if we went on weekends or not, but I do know the first time was not pleasant and the second one even worse.

 

[kreckl]

There is always someone on here complaining about overly drunk people at F&W. Are there drunk people there? Yes, but there are drunk people there everyday. Seeing someone puking in the grass is not commonplace

All I can say is what we experienced, but I guess if there are always people on here complaining, maybe its not uncommon at all.
Thanks to those who offered helpful suggestions and kind comments.