Food & Wine Festival Tips for Visitors...

[mjaclyn]

Hi all! I just finished listening to the podcast about the Food & Wine Festival this year and I can't wait to go! DH and I decided to skip the S&D Classic after the price increased, so instead we are heading down the weekend before for the opening of the Food & Wine Festival. After hearing about how crowded the weekends are with locals, I was wondering if any of the podcast crew (or other DISers who are local) have any tips for avoiding the most congested times? Is it less crowded as soon as World Showcase opens at 11am? Or is it better to wait until the afternoon or evening? I want to try and sample something from each booth this year, so we will definitely be going throughout the weekend. (I've tried in the past to make it all around the lagoon in one fell swoop and have ended up being rolled out of the park before I even reached the halfway point)...

Also, are there going to be any DIS Meets during that weekend or are any of the podcast crew going to be attending the opening that weekend? We would love to say hello!

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

 

[dansyr2514]

My tip is to go early in the day. It didn't start getting busy until around 3pm.
We are doing our GKTW grand gathering on 10/3 and I believe there is a jellyrolls meet on the 7th.
Also if you are on the dining plan, use your snack credits for the more expensive items.

 

[BriarRosie]

You're already at a disadvantage by going on a weekend, because the locals (sorry Kathy, I don't like saying "townies") will be going then. If the weather cools off, the crowd levels increase even more.

I definitely think going as soon as World Showcase opens at 11am is a good thing. You'll start noticing bigger crowds an hour or so later. If you had the option of visiting on a weekday, you'd notice the lines for the food kiosks are much shorter.

I listened to the podcast, too, I have my own opinions of the Festival from the viewpoint of someone who just goes to the World Showcase kiosks, but also as someone who has attended "deminars" in the Festival Center, and paid for the special dining events with food and wine pairing meals.

Party for the Senses has gotten more expensive over the past few years, and it's getting to the threshold of what I'd pay. I would not pay for the Wine View Lounge seats, because I'm fine just grazing from table to table. The year that Kevin and John went, it was the craziest year for the event. You were getting the regular crowd of returning guests from prior years, but you were also getting a TON of people with "comped" passes from Year of the Million Dreams clogging the event.

That was the year that you heard about people nearly coming to blows with fistfights over the low tables with chairs. In past years, this was NEVER a problem. That year, it was majorly hostile. Disney has since reduced the number of tickets for the event to prevent that. I haven't been back since then, but the friends I've gone with in the past have, and they assured me that it was back to "normal" levels.

There was a comment made that the most expensive events wouldn't sell out. That's not true. Victoria and Albert's does an event for over $400 that I just wouldn't pay for. But I know others who would pay for it. And it sells out almost immediately. Many of the special dinners (aka Culinary Adventures in Signature Dining) will sell out the day the events can be booked. Unfortunately, that first day was August 16th, which was Tuesday of this week.

Calling on that day was similar to the phone frenzy that occurs when people are calling for their 180 day mark for ADRs. That should give you some idea how frenzied the "foodies" can get when we call at 7am. The downside is that Disney still has call center cast members who have NO IDEA where to find the festival events to book in their system. If you call and get someone competent, who is aware of the festival events, that's half the battle. Some of my friends have discovered that "that's all booked up" can also mean "I don't see it in my system because I'm looking in the wrong spot". It never hurts to call back, and it can help if you specify that you're calling for the food and wine festival special events.

The cooking and wine tasting "deminars" in the Festival Center used to be free of charge for years. Only a couple years ago, Disney started charging for them. You can purchase tickets in advance, or you can take your chances and get "same day" purchases if you go in early.

The only caveat I have when booking festival dining events is that they are non-refundable.

I'm sure I can probably think of other things, and if I missed anything important, I bet SamSam will chime in if she sees this thread.

 

[mjaclyn]

Unfortunately we are limited to a long weekend because we are leaving the kids with my parents so that DH and I can have an 'adults only' trip. We arrive on Friday but probably won't be able to get to the park until the afternoon. We may be able to squeeze in some time at Epcot on Monday, so hopefully we can enjoy some of the food without the crazy lines! I think we will most likely get there right at 11 and do as much as possible before it becomes unbearable. Let's hope for good weather! There's nothing worse than standing in a long line in the hot hot sun!

 

[DisneyKevin]

There was a comment made that the most expensive events wouldn't sell out.

I think that comment was in regards to the $300 seats for Party For the Senses.

 

[BriarRosie]

I think that comment was in regards to the $300 seats for Party For the Senses.

Yes, the Wine View Lounge. Those seats do sell out quicker than the "general grazing" tickets. You can almost always get PFTS tickets same day.

 

[heartsy77]

Good info! We are going next year!