2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival beginning August 31st

[draybook]

Do you think that any of the kids there taking the orders or serving know how to spot someone over the limit? Other than randomly checking IDs there is very little Disney is doing to detur the people that ruin these events.

Limit the amount of drinks per guest. Scan MBs with each drink served. The only problem with this solution is the loss of revenue.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

What do you want Disney to do? what is your propsed solution? Should they just stop the very popular and very well loved festival? Extending it and adding another festival (the arts festival) are a ptactical way to spread out the crowds. Even adding more future world attractions wont change much because people are coming just for food and wine because they like it.

But why would you want your theme park to be an open air bar in the first place?

Disney would make a killing by turning DAK into a gambling and strip club park. Casino here, pole dancing club there. That doesn't mean they should do it.

 

[shipley731]

To be fair, I've seen groups of obnoxious drunks running around Epcot during non-festival times. There's always the bachelorette parties with idiots dressed up in tutus, spandex, tiaras, & matching t-shirts drinking WAY more than they can handle. Bachelor parties with dudes in hats they've bought around the world showcase, chest bumping, and challenging their "bros" to man up & drink another shot. And finally, the groups of 6 or more idiots in matching shirts indicating their mission to drink around the the world. (Sometimes celebrating a birthday, sometimes not.). I can't remember a trip to Epcot in the last 6 years were I haven't seen a minimum of 3-4 of these groups in the park on any given day. We live about 2 hours away and come down about 8 weekends a year. Not all of those times are festival days. Folks should have more self respect for themselves and behave appropriately. If you can't handle your liquor, stop before making an out of yourself.
I'm now going back to drinking my whisky and yelling at kids to get off my lawn. Happy college football Saturday.

 

[JohnD]

Not sure if you were following the news this past week coming out of Destination D, but they announced a massive investment in Epcot to hugely improve the park over the next 3-5 years.

A running theory on another site is they are extending the festivals to offset closures that would be all around Epcot. Apparently, the theory goes, this is to correct the mistake of closing off half of HS and people are now avoiding it because not worth the money. Don't shoot the messenger!

 

[Pi on my Cake]

But why would you want your theme park to be an open air bar in the first place?

Disney would make a killing by turning DAK into a gambling and strip club park. Casino here, pole dancing club there. That doesn't mean they should do it.

Look, the World Showcase is a celebration and showcase of various cultures from around the world. Food and drinks are a big part of a culture. Naturally these should be a part of the World Showcase. Some people go too far, especially during the food and wine festival. Aside from drink limits (which would probably be difficult to enforce and punish the more sensible people who still want to do small samples around the world), there isn't really a way to fix that.

Right now the problem is made way word by the crowds. The crowds will spread out a bit once Pandora and Star Wars Land opens, but still Food and Wine is a big draw. It's popular, well liked (outside these forums), and fits the themes of the world showcase. Extending it and adding the arts festival should spread out the crowds.

Other than maybe slightly stricter security, I don't see what they could realistically do to fix the problems you have with it. What do you want Disney to do? Are you asking for a complete ban on alcohol or to abolish all festivals? what are you asking for? Or do you just want to complain.

 

[matt9112]

What do you want Disney to do? what is your propsed solution? Should they just stop the very popular and very well loved festival? Extending it and adding another festival (the arts festival) are a ptactical way to spread out the crowds. Even adding more future world attractions wont change much because people are coming just for food and wine because they like it.

Id rather they turn it back into a theme park and not a giant outdoor bar? asking too nuch am i?

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Id rather they turn it back into a theme park and not a giant outdoor bar? asking too nuch am i?

In practical terms. Are you asking that they stop selling alcoholic beverages completely? Move the Food and Wine Festival? Where would they move it to? It's a festival about fo of and drinks from countries around the world. It seems like the world showcase is a perfect place to have it.

What makes you refer to it as an outside bar and what could Disney do to fix that?

 

[JenniferS]

what are you asking for? Or do you just want to complain.

I can only speak for myself - I would like them to return to the marginally shorter duration of 2016, or the even shorter duration of years past.

I, as well as many others, deliberately choose the first two weeks of September to take advantage of the lowest crowds. I have already booked and put a deposit on next year's trip - 9/6-9/16. Pardon me for thinking that I would only be subjected to a few days of F&WF. Nope, my favourite part of Epcot will now be wall to wall people for my entire trip.

Having been at Epcot during F&W for four years (maybe five?) of the past eight, I know that each year the crowds and some of their behaviour become slightly less tolerable. Basically your only horde-free time is before 2:00 p.m. Yes, 2:00.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

I can only speak for myself - I would like them to return to the marginally shorter duration of 2016, or the even shorter duration of years past.

I, as well as many others, deliberately choose the first two weeks of September to take advantage of the lowest crowds. I have already booked and put a deposit on next year's trip - 9/6-9/16. Pardon me for thinking that I would only be subjected to a few days of F&WF. Nope, my favourite part of Epcot will now be wall to wall people for my entire trip.

Having been at Epcot during F&W for four years (maybe five?) of the past eight, I know that each year the crowds and some of their behaviour become slightly less tolerable. Basically your only horde-free time is before 2:00 p.m. Yes, 2:00.

I agree it's an overcrowded horse at the festivals, but extending the festival is the only real way to reduce the crowds. Shortening the festival (or keeping it the same length while crowds grow) will lead to those weeks being ridiculously unbearable (instead of just regular unbearable like it is now). Extending F&W and adding another festival should (in theory at least) make the festivals less of a burden for those that hate them and more enjoyable for the larger number of people who love them.

I feel your pain about your vacation now being during it. I avoid the festival myself because I'm not a foodie and I don't drink. I went once and are around and it was a lot of fun, but I'd rather just one big meal midday as a good rest recharge type thing. It's just during the festival though and that can make it tough when I'm not taking part in the activities. Hopefully the surge of cross will be less extreme this year though.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

Anyone ever dare ponder that F&W might keep getting longer because it's popular and the public might be demanding more days of it?

Food, or wine, for thought...

Jimmy Thick- Bueller....? Bueller....?

 

[jt04]

Anyone ever dare ponder that F&W might keep getting longer because it's popular and the public might be demanding more days of it?

Food, or wine, for thought...

Jimmy Thick- Bueller....? Bueller....?

I love when the other JT speaks truth to the dour.

 

[TeriofTerror]

Anyone ever dare ponder that F&W might keep getting longer because it's popular and the public might be demanding more days of it?

Food, or wine, for thought...

Jimmy Thick- Bueller....? Bueller....?

Assuredly.
But perhaps, even more so, a way to eliminate Free Dining?
Just another thought upon which to chew...

 

[rael ramone]

Do you think that any of the kids there taking the orders or serving know how to spot someone over the limit? Other than randomly checking IDs there is very little Disney is doing to detur the people that ruin these events.

A real bartender can, and will, cut someone off once they believe they have reached the point that they have had more then they can handle.

Solution:

1. All orders for adult beverages during F&W should be at the counter and not a register a few feet away.
2. The beverage order should be handled by a real bartender, and not a CP kid. You're selling a high margin beverage, you can afford to pay a higher wage CM who can handle it properly.
3. The equivalent of one drink per face (sample sizes can be paired to equal the 'proof' of a standard size beverage) for each transaction.

 

[monothingie]

Anyone ever dare ponder that F&W might keep getting longer because it's popular and the public might be demanding more days of it?

Food, or wine, for thought...

Jimmy Thick- Bueller....? Bueller....?

I love when the other JT speaks truth to the dour.

Oh god they're multiplying.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

I love when the other JT speaks truth to the dour.

I try.

Funny thing is, and I have said it before, but the negative Nancy's of this forum are an extremely small sample size, microscopic, and I highly doubt Disney entertains such drama.

Food and Wine is extremely popular, I would love to see some kind of pie chart about attendance when it's going on compared to when it's not. I'm sure Disney has some kind of hard analytical evidence that can prove my point splendidly compared to the handful whining about cheapening Epcot. WDW is a business, if it does not make money there will be no Epcot. Not hard to comprehend but still..

Assuredly.
But perhaps, even more so, a way to eliminate Free Dining?
Just another thought upon which to chew...

Honestly, I can care less if they get rid of free dining. So on that subject, I shall politely pass.


Jimmy Thick- Free dining and a $700 cabana? Pfft I shall soil my white glove and slap someone over such silly contradiction.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

A real bartender can, and will, cut someone off once they believe they have reached the point that they have had more then they can handle.

Solution:

1. All orders for adult beverages during F&W should be at the counter and not a register a few feet away.
2. The beverage order should be handled by a real bartender, and not a CP kid. You're selling a high margin beverage, you can afford to pay a higher wage CM who can handle it properly.
3. The equivalent of one drink per face (sample sizes can be paired to equal the 'proof' of a standard size beverage) for each transaction.

See, this is an actual, practical solition. Couple real bartenders to fix people who way over do it with the extra festival/extended F&W to fix overcrowding and we have a real solution to the problems with F&W that won't hurt the fans of it.

Perhaps they could also link the number of drinks to a person's magic band and have per person limits, but that much be tough if some people only drink a bit of each to sample everything.

 

[carriebeth]

This past fall was our first time at WDW during the Food and Wine. We planned our park days to avoid the larger drinking crowds at EPCOT (weekends) so our family would not be exposed to it. The problem I found is that even if you avoid EPCOT those days, you can not avoid all the unpleasantness it creates. While eating at Chef Mickey's on a Saturday evening our family got to witness a drunken woman in her 50's, I'd say, who had made her way back to the Contemporary. We all got to see her undies as she lifted her dress above her head. She had my small daughter cornered while she ohh'ed and ahhh'ed over her princess dress and spouted lines of profanity, scaring her until I could grab my daughter up and remove her.

 

[Frankie The Beer]

I love the food and wine event. Funny how I don't see all these drunk people that always seem to be brought up. Maybe I just miss them, yeah that's it, they just completely miss me when I go there for a week or two.

 

[peter11435]

I love the food and wine event. Funny how I don't see all these drunk people that always seem to be brought up. Maybe I just miss them, yeah that's it, they just completely miss me when I go there for a week or two.

Same. Don't get me wrong I have seen drunk people at food and wine. But not nearly to the extent people complain about here. I probably visit a dozen times during each festival and may see one or two in all of those visits.

 

[Musicman20]

Trust me, being from the UK, I'd much rather spend a few extra dollars enjoying the amazing weather and much more 'safe' environment of EPCOT when tasting alcohol etc, and trying new foods, rather than go around some grubby little market in London in the rain with zero space.

A/C is lovely...we need it over here sometimes, but man, that Florida sun is spectacular. Makes me really appreciate how cool this planet can be when I'm there...and I forget that it isn't just wind/rain/doom and gloom.

If you think there are drunks at EPCOT, wait to you see what it's like at a festival in the UK...and prepare yourself for awful toilets and drunks at 11 am.