Party for the Senses or Victoria and Albert's?

[ems_mom]

I'd like to do both, but...DH brought me back to reality!

For those who have experienced both, which one would you choose for a first-time experience, knowing now what you didn't know before?

Anyone who has experienced one or the other, what makes you want to go back again, or not?

I would appreciate any feedback/suggestions. We are not foodies, per se; but we have been to all the signature restaurants (except for V&A) on property and eat at our favorites (Roy's, McCormick and Schmick's, Sullivan's) several times a year. So not gourmets but we like to eat!

(Actually we haven't been to Bistro, but have a reservation for our next trip.)

 

[redzinner]

Tough decision! First, are you talking about V&A on a 'regular' evening or the Food & Wine Signature Event?

 

[ems_mom]

V&A's for a regular evening. We will probably do the wine pairings.

 

[redzinner]

Personally, I would do Party for the Senses as a 'first experience' if deciding between PftS and V&A. We have done both.

Totally different venues of course and with that comes the difference in atmosphere, service, quality of food and wine.

V&A is a relaxed, sedate dining experience offering quality food in type and presentation, paired with better wines. The wait staff is highly trained to make your dining experience memorable.

PftS is fun, upbeat, noisy, your senses in overdrive tasting all the types of food, wines and beverages. No wait staff, unless you upgrade to the Wine View Lounge area. There are CMs there to clear away empty dishes but that's about it.

I guess it depends on what kind of evening you 'feel' like enjoying.

 

[Aanna]

I think the PP described the two events very well. The Party for the Senses is a amazing, chaotic, wonderful tasting experience -- you will be overwhelmed, stuffed, and probably rather tipsy by the end. Victoria and Albert's is amazing and fascinating and perfect in a quiet and elegant way. Perfect if you want to be a real princess for an evening.

If it were for a special occasion or romantic dinner I would probably choose V&A. That is where we celebrated my DFIL's 77th birthday. But where are we going for on our October trip? Party for the Senses.

 

[OhThePain]

Do you go to WDW often? Do you only go durring F&W? Are you driving or flying?

If this were a once in a lifetime type trip, I think the decision would be much tougher. If you are WDW regulars, I would go with PftS. V&A's will be there for you on future trips where as PftS is only there durring F&W. If on your next trip you wanted to go in, say, May, you could go to V&A's on that trip but wouldn't be able to do PftS. Know what I mean?

Also, if you are flying and luggage weight is an issue, keep in mind that V&A's is strict with their dress code and DH would have to pack a sports coat and such, so that may be an issue to help make your mind up for you.

 

[AnotherPrincess]

We absolutely LOVE Party for the Senses. It's not something we do every year, but every few years we indulge. It's just an amazing experience. They have Cirque de Soleil dancers there that interract with the guests in addition to the wonderful food and wines. Even though it is a "tasting" event, everything is unlimited. If you have a dish you love, go back and get more. If you have a wine you love, get refills. You also get to experience some higher end wines and even French champagnes that you might not fork out the dough for at home. I discovered my absolute favorite Malbeq there a few years ago. I would have never paid the price for it at home before trying it, but it's now my red of choice. Many times they have at least one celebrity chef there, too, which makes it even more special. It definitely feels like a foodie, gourmet event, but it's not the slightest bit intimidating or stuffy.

 

[ElizabethB]

We don't like the Party for the Senses, so V&A would be our choice.

 

[Aanna]

We don't like the Party for the Senses, so V&A would be our choice.

What in particular turns you off to PftS?

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I'd like to do both, but...DH brought me back to reality!

For those who have experienced both, which one would you choose for a first-time experience, knowing now what you didn't know before?

Anyone who has experienced one or the other, what makes you want to go back again, or not?

I would appreciate any feedback/suggestions. We are not foodies, per se; but we have been to all the signature restaurants (except for V&A) on property and eat at our favorites (Roy's, McCormick and Schmick's, Sullivan's) several times a year. So not gourmets but we like to eat!

(Actually we haven't been to Bistro, but have a reservation for our next trip.)

I have been to the Party for the Senses twice and dined in the Main Dining Room of Victoria & Albert's three times.

While I enjoyed the Party for the Senses, the best value for money in my opinion is Victoria & Albert's.

At $145/head fpr PFTS you do get to sample dozens of wonderful food & wine offerings, but the atmosphere and lack of service are the key issues for me. The commonly known "running of the bulls" has you lining up at least an hour before the doors open. We lined up an hour and a half before the event, were right at the gates and we still struggled to get a table.

Now, I know that people will say PFTS is a cocktail party where wandering and eating is to be expected. However, for $145 I expect a seat to be available should I want one, not a reserved seat per se, but a seat period. They do not have enough seats for the capacity, in fact, they don't even have enough tables.

On the other hand, for $180/head at V&A you will get a sublime 7 course experience with wine pairings and extraordinary service.

I would go for V&A.

 

[ElizabethB]

What don't we like about the Party for the Senses --

1. The crowds -- Disney sells and gives away far too many tickets; this event used to be called a Grand Gathering and was done on a much smaller scale in the now defunct Odyssey Restaurant. We found it rather fun when it was a smaller event with fewer people.

2. There is no place to sit unless you (1) buy the Wine View Lounge, which we do not consider to a good value for the money or (2) join the run for the seats at the opening of the doors and spend a good part of the night guarding those seats.

3. We have noticed that the wines being poured are generally the cheapest wines a producer offers because so many people need to be served.

4. For the price charged and the fact that it is an evening event, we're not crazy about trying to go around the room eating things in no particular order -- an entree of sorts, then a dessert sample, then an appetizer, then another dessert, then another appetizer. We don't mind doing this at the food booths, but for the price paid for PFTS, it's not our cup of tea.

5. We are not Cirque de Soleil fans. I know, I know. Flame us. Just doesn't do anything for us.

6. People dress in park wear. Okay, but it takes away from the ambience.

For us, a quiet dinner for two at V&A, with amazing food and excellent wines wins out over PFTS.

 

[Aanna]

What don't we like about the Party for the Senses --
...
For us, a quiet dinner for two at V&A, with amazing food and excellent wines wins out over PFTS.

Cool, thanks for the explanation. Those points all make a lot of sense.

 

[cdtommie]

We had done PFTS every year of the festival (except year one) at least once (sometimes twice and have also done the VWL twice). We skipped last year to go to V&A's and didn't miss it. We are doing V&A's again this year (first time at the Chef's table). For a first experience, you can't go wrong either way but we just started to get tired of the cattle rush, table hoarders (it is ridiculous that Disney allows people to claim a table for the entire night) and the decline in quality of wines served.

 

[Aanna]

We had done PFTS every year of the festival (except year one) at least once (sometimes twice and have also done the VWL twice). We skipped last year to go to V&A's and didn't miss it. We are doing V&A's again this year (first time at the Chef's table). For a first experience, you can't go wrong either way but we just started to get tired of the cattle rush, table hoarders (it is ridiculous that Disney allows people to claim a table for the entire night) and the decline in quality of wines served.

Ok, just realized the last time I was at PftS was in 2006. Heavens! Has it really been THAT long??

Can you folks with more recent experiences tell me if I will be disappointed now? We loved going from about 2003-2006.

 

[TDC Nala]

Completely depends on the atmosphere you want.

Want a noisy, vibrant atmosphere in which you can walk around and try lots of different foods from the imagination of the chefs, and sample a number of different wines? Choose the party.

Want a quiet, intimate dinner where you are waited on and brought fabulous food and wines? Do V&A.

If you're looking to sit at a table with just you and your spouse and be waited on do NOT do the party for the senses. Unless you are willing to spring for an extra $115 per person for the Wine View Room and at that point you might as well just go to V&A. No, I do not wait an hour to get in when the doors open, but I've learned to do PFTS without a table, so I can walk in whenever I want to. And I personally wish they'd get rid of the Cirque and entertainment altogether and make it just about the food.