Will somebody describe the Flower and Garden Festival?

[Ametista]

Are they handing out free food samples at the outdoor kitchens thing? Do I need restaurant reservations somewhere at Epcot or will there be enough at the stands? I have only been to Epcot twice and I have never done F&G.

Thanks in advance!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

We usually go during F&G but to be honest have never really stopped and ate at their food kiosk places. A lot of places I noticed last year had special types of souvenirs. There were a couple of food places but not like at the food festival in Septemberish. I would still plan on eating somewhere and maybe snacking at the kiosks.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

No...the food is not free.

You can get enough at the kiosks if you want to purchase enough food for a meal. In many cases, the portions are larger than those offered at the fall Food & Wine Festival.

I believe this year there are thirteen food and beverage kiosks available. If you want to see what food is offered, there will be reviews and photos on www.disneyfoodblog.com

 

[LinderInWonderland]

Are they handing out free food samples at the outdoor kitchens thing? Do I need restaurant reservations somewhere at Epcot or will there be enough at the stands? I have only been to Epcot twice and I have never done F&G.

Thanks in advance!

The outdoor kitchens have snacks and beverages for purchase. If you are on a dining plan, you can use snack credits on many of the snacks and special non-alcoholic beverages.

If you look at the Disney Food Blog link @MakiraMarlena shared, you can get an idea of whether or not you would like enough of the snacks to make a meal of them. We are going next month and have a whole day devoted to eating/drinking at the Outdoor Kitchens, as well as exploring World Showcase.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

The outdoor kitchens had enough food for me for a lunch and a dinner. I looked at the menus at Disney Food Blog to list what I wanted to try and when I saw my list I cancelled my dining reservation. LOL

Everything I tried was delicious. Now if you have a really big eater, it may not be enough so definitely check the menus and decide from there.

I'm sure someone else let you know - but the food and drinks aren't free. You get in line, order and pay and then line up at the next spot which is where you pick up the food you ordered for the booth.
I was there when it first started so there were no lines for anything and it could be like that still - hope it is!

 

[tomatecerise]

You can use snack crédits at booths

 

[Ametista]

OK thanks you guys. I will just wait till I get there and buy whatever looks best!

 

[Magpie]

OK thanks you guys. I will just wait till I get there and buy whatever looks best!

Make sure you try the Corned Beef at the Cider House in the UK! By far the most delicious thing we ate all trip. Second was probably the Jerk-spice Grouper with Mango Salsa at La Isla Fresca (it was not spicy!). And third goes to the Beef-Brisket burnt ends Hash at the American pavilion.

There are free "passport" booklets you can pick up at any F&G booth, that list all the various things going on and the food and drinks for sale. There's also guide maps. The passports have room for stamps, so we like to go around trying different foods and collecting stamps. The food generally runs about 5 dollars for a tasting portion. But, I find that three or four of those fills me up nicely and comes to about the same cost as a quick service meal.

I don't generally bother to make sit down reservations for Epcot. There's always something available if you just inquire at Guest Services when you arrive at the park. And all the restaurants are good!

 

[rpb718]

Are they handing out free food samples at the outdoor kitchens thing? Do I need restaurant reservations somewhere at Epcot or will there be enough at the stands? I have only been to Epcot twice and I have never done F&G.

Thanks in advance!

Free stuff at Disney? That's crazy talk.

 

[GPC0321]

OK thanks you guys. I will just wait till I get there and buy whatever looks best!

That's a good plan. We didn't get to WS and the Outdoor Kitchens until our last day, and we wished we'd just eaten at those the entire time! Best food we had, and fun to walk around and try all the neat things. You'll eat well!

 

[WEDWDW]

Make sure you try the Corned Beef at the Cider House in the UK! By far the most delicious thing we ate all trip. Second was probably the Jerk-spice Grouper with Mango Salsa at La Isla Fresca (it was not spicy!). And third goes to the Beef-Brisket burnt ends Hash at the American pavilion.

Add the Shrimp and Grits with Andouille Sausage, Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, and Cilantro at Florida Fresh and that would be my favorites!

 

[WEDWDW]

There are free "passport" booklets you can pick up at any F&G booth, that list all the various things going on and the food and drinks for sale. There's also guide maps. The passports have room for stamps, so we like to go around trying different foods and collecting stamps.

And the stamps are all "themed".

For example,we took the Tea Gardens Tour in the UK and the stamp was a "tea kettle".

 

[Magpie]

Free stuff at Disney? That's crazy talk.

Although I am always surprised how many freebies we do generally collect over the course of a typical trip...

A company had set up a temporary booth at Epcot and were handing out applesauce samples in squeeze packs. We got our little free Festival poster for being passholders. Of course, Club Cool is always a good place to grab some free drink samples, no matter what time of year it is. A castmember surprised me with a bonus SOTMK card at the Firehouse. On the previous trip, they were handing out free Tomorrowland pins at the end of Test Track. And then there's all the little magic moments (like getting a Happy Anniversary call from Mickey at the American Adventure), which usually include a certificate.

They're all very small things, but we usually come home with free souvenirs of one sort or another.

 

[WEDWDW]

Although I am always surprised how many freebies we do generally collect over the course of a typical trip...

And sometimes we get unplanned freebies.

The MagicBand reader wouldn't work when I placed my order at Restaurantosaurus and the CM went and got my order-I had ordered a cup of water to drink with my salad,but she put a bottled water on my tray with the salad,handed me the tray and said it was on Mickey!

She didn't asked if I had another form of payment.

In the "old" days,I would have INSISTED on paying with another form of payment,but with the "new" nickel and dime Disney,I graciously accepted Mickey's offer(and DIDN'T feel bad about it!)

 

[Magpie]

And sometimes we get unplanned freebies.

The MagicBand reader wouldn't work when I placed my order at Restaurantosaurus and the CM went and got my order-I had ordered a cup of water to drink with my salad,but she put a bottled water on my tray with the salad,handed me the tray and said it was on Mickey!

She didn't asked if I had another form of payment.

In the "old" days,I would have INSISTED on paying with another form of payment,but with the "new" nickel and dime Disney,I graciously accepted Mickey's offer(and DIDN'T feel bad about it!)

Hm... that's probably policy, whenever MagicBand readers fail. It costs more (in terms of mucking up crowd flow, hassle, time, etc) to stop the line and try to ask for alternative payment, then it does to just give someone a free meal and then quickly swap out the reader.

Another "freebie"... sometimes when I order apple slices they will accidentally give me fries. When I point at the receipt and say, "No, I asked for apple slices," they always hand me the apple and tell me the keep the fries. I suppose it's because they'd be throwing away the fries anyway!