Food & Wine Festival

[KyleRayner]

How far in advance to you need to make reservations for the ticketed events at the Food & Wine Festival (e.g. Food & Wine Pairings, A Party for the Senses, etc.)?

 

[KyleRayner]

How far in advance to you need to make reservations for the ticketed events at the Food & Wine Festival (e.g. Food & Wine Pairings, A Party for the Senses, etc.)?

 

[SoThisIsLove]

Hi,

Since many events are popular and have limited seating, I would book them on the day they go on sale. Last year MS opened early to take resveration calls. I am not sure when tickets will go on sale but my guess is sometime in the summer.

 

[debbiepump]

As soon as you can purchase the tickets!!! We were there last year (first time) and stared longingly at those lucky folks who got their tickets being able to participate. The Taste for the Senses is not to be missed. We're going again this year-the only reason DH is going, actually!

 

[Figment2]

You can also call the 1-407-WDW-DINE number. They open at 7:00am EST.

Cyn

 

[Figment2]

I know the tickets for the Spirited Ball sold out in 5 hours as friends tried and couldn't get them.

I agree with buying them as soon as you can. I usually call first day at 7:00am

Cyn

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

In 2005, Disney began accepting bookings for Epcot International Food and Wine Festival events on Monday, July 25, at 7:00 a.m. EDT. No date has been announced for 2006.

Some events are sold out in less than an hour. Other events are still available weeks later, such as The Party for the Senses (which has a huge capacity) and some less popular events. (Two years ago, the Food & Wine Pairings at China had to be cancelled due to lack of interest.) Every year, they add more events, but the demand increases every year too.

For the past few years, sites such as DIS and AllEarsNet have published a detailed schedule around early July. That makes it possible to pick and choose the events that you're interested in.

It can get expensive quite quickly. It's easy for a couple to spend a thousand dollars for a half dozen events. Officially, Disney charges your credit card immediately — in 2004 it actually took about a month, but in 2005 it only took 2 days. After the charges hit credit cards, there seem to be a fair number of cancellations, so that's another opportunity to book events that were previously sold out.

Good luck! Have fun!

 

[goofy4dvc]

Where can I get detailed information or reports of the varous F&W events? We've never been to them but want more info on them before I commit. Any good links? Thanks.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Where can I get detailed information or reports of the varous F&W events? We've never been to them but want more info on them before I commit. Any good links? Thanks.

You can find detailed reports at http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/ep/foodwine.htm — just click on the links in the left column under "AllEarsNet® Reports."

Keep in mind that in addition to the paid events such as "The Party for the Senses" and "Lunch and Learn," there are also free culinary demonstrations (which include a complimentary, small food portion) and free wine tastings. For most free events, there are no advance reservations.

For the paid events, it's a good idea to like a lot of different kinds of food. At most events, you're served a set menu. For example, you may have an opener with raw salmon, a course with scallops, and another course with lamb. If you don't like raw salmon, scallops, and lamb, you've just paid a lot of money to leave food on your plate. There are many different choices at "The Party for the Senses," but, even there, the food tends toward more unusual ingredients and preparation — which is fun for foodies, but not fun for picky eaters. (I'm glad I'm not a picky eater!)

 

[Ms. WDW]

I'm waiting also. I check allearsnet almost everyday to see if anything has been updated.