Using Dining Plan during Food&Wine?

[crazymomof4]

My sons are planning their 1st WDW trip w/o parents. They are thinking of experiencing the Food&Wine Festival (they are legal drinking age)
There is some overlap of the Free Dining with the Food&Wine dates, so looking at that.

I've never been for the Food&Wine, so clueless there.

I've heard the kiosks for Food&Wine take mostly snack credits (?) Since they only get one snack credit per day......
Would they probably be looking at a lot of out-of-pocket food costs over and above what's covered by the Dining Plan if they really wanted to experience the Food&Wine Festival to the fullest?

Any info/input would be appreciated.

 

[aaarcher86]

You get 1 snack per night of the stay. You can use all your snacks in one day if you want.

 

[crazymomof4]

You get 1 snack per night of the stay. You can use all your snacks in one day if you want.

Thats true! Hadn't considered that. Thx!

 

[LATJLP]

Hopefully they're going after the first week or so.....by then photos of the menus available at each kiosk should be available. They should plan carefully which items to use their snack credits.....obviously the most expensive that they want to try. They can use their snack credits all in one day.

Should be interesting to see if the rumored changes in the dining plan, where you can use 1 CS for 3 snacks (in the same transaction) will be allowed during F&W. Most of the places have 2 or 3 foods, so it would be so cool to use a CS to get three items.....and if done with care probably cost effective as well, since F&W items tend to be rather expensive and times 3 would probably be about the same or higher as a CS meal. Hopefully by September these changes will become official and in writing and then we can all ask "but what about.....", lol.

 

[PFopma]

I am going during Food & Wine and have free CS dining. I also went last year and from my experience I would suggest that they plan 2 F & W days at Epcot. Avoid weekends if possible for the crowds. Maybe use their dining credits for breakfast on those mornings. Then head to Epcot mid day to evening to attend F & W. They can use their snack credits for the most expensive items (except alcohol) and pay OOP for anything else (get the gift cards - makes paying so easy). Start at Showcase Plaza and work your way clockwise or counterclockwise. Then on the other day go in the opposite direction. This way they will get to sample what they want and have less chance of being full and having to skip some booths. If they are drinkers they will need to pace themselves and drink lots of water and eat in between. Don't try to do it all in a day.

 

[TDC Nala]

Should be interesting to see if the rumored changes in the dining plan, where you can use 1 CS for 3 snacks (in the same transaction) will be allowed during F&W.

They won't, not at the kiosks.

 

[JimmyBean42]

We usually skip QS or TS meals during the F&W and use all a lot of our snack credits at the kiosks. Which works out great since usually on our last day we have like 8 snack credits left and our at the store picking up a lot of rice krispie treats to bring home so we don't waste our credits.