2011 Epcot F&W first timer

[EvilQueen-T]

We're disney veterans but haven't ever done the F&W festival. This year my daughter will be turning 22 and has asked for a day at epcot during F&W to snack and drink around the world as her birthday gift. Is there a better day of the week to go or is it less busy but the "same" if we go during the week rather than over say a busier weekend? we're flexible on days/dates. any other thoughts or suggestions that would make it a fun time? my daughter has FINALLY been bitten by the food and cooking bug over about the last 2 years so i want to try to get the most out of our day. thanks in advance.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Weekends are busier because the event brings in a lot of local people. However, the last two years I made a day of the festival on a Saturday and I didn't really find myself waiting in line too long. They are fast and efficient with the lines at the booths. If you are looking for lower crowds then I think that the earlier in the week the better off you will be.

 

[SerenityinPA]

Get the Snack size for each thing you want to try. Then you shouldnt be too full to try everything. :slurp:
If you get the Dining Plan, you can use your snack credits.
Grab the touring booklet and make sure the CMs stamp your book for each country/cart you went to.
Have a great time!

 

[roaddogg6420]

Last year we want on a Tues and Sat, in the middle of Oct. Tues was less crowded then Sat. There was a lot of locals there on Sat., but still Sat was not that bad. The only long wait we had was 15 mins at Germany.

 

[xdan0920]

We're disney veterans but haven't ever done the F&W festival. This year my daughter will be turning 22 and has asked for a day at epcot during F&W to snack and drink around the world as her birthday gift. Is there a better day of the week to go or is it less busy but the "same" if we go during the week rather than over say a busier weekend? we're flexible on days/dates. any other thoughts or suggestions that would make it a fun time? my daughter has FINALLY been bitten by the food and cooking bug over about the last 2 years so i want to try to get the most out of our day. thanks in advance.

The weekdays are significantly less crowded then the weekends. The difference between Thursday and Saturday was staggering last year. On Thursday we never waited for more then 3 people ahead of us. And we always found a cocktail table or a bench to enjoy our food and drinks. On Saturday, lines were 15-30 people deep, and the tables were always filled up. Go on a weekday if you can, it is a far more enjoyable experience, IMO.

Also, Serenity mentioned getting Snack sizes. That is not an option, as far as I know everything is one size. And it is a small small serving for most items.

 

[828tnt]

Weekends are busier because the event brings in a lot of local people. However, the last two years I made a day of the festival on a Saturday and I didn't really find myself waiting in line too long. They are fast and efficient with the lines at the booths. If you are looking for lower crowds then I think that the earlier in the week the better off you will be.

agreed ^^^^

also, some of the crowds really follow a basic lunch/ dinner schedule, if you're willing to take advantage of the "off" hours, you may enjoy less of a wait.

 

[dreamfinder]

The evenings/weekends definitely have a crowd bump. And its not just an issue with the lines at the kiosks, but also the general crowd in the area. People will congregate around the few tables/benches to eat/drink and some places can get a bit busy. Midweek is definitely easier to navigate, and as a PP said, the non meal hours is key. So if you simply start snacking at noon or so and go til 7 just slowly eating your way around the world can work real well.

 

[Sloan]

veteran

I've been to the last 8 Festivals, and from what I've seen, a weekday visit would be best for a first-timer as far as checking out the booth offerings. However, there are a lot of 'special' events that are only offered on the weekends - some of which could be a good gift for your daughter.

For instance, on most Saturday nights during the Festival is the Party for the Senses, and it is fantastic. Cirque du Soleil performing in the venue - at least 20 fantastic chefs creating a signature dish, about 60 or more wines on offer - its a great party (but a bit expensive). Like many other special Festival events, it requires advance purchase - this year the special 'hard-ticket' events go on sale at 7:00 a.m. on August 16 - some sell out in a matter of minutes, so be ready if there's something you have your heart set on (the Party for the Senses does not typically sell out nearly that fast, and some times not at all).

The French Regional Lunches are excellent. There's a new lunch offered with the popular tequila tastings. There are many presentations, demonstrations, etc.. If you do a search, you should be able to find a guide listing all of the events (though I think one has yet to be released). If you have a developing foodie, you should look in to some of these offerings in addition to just wandering and trying the tasting portions. While that type of wandering and grazing can be fun, the best events (and the better food, by far) are the 'special' events.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

good to know. will look into the special events now since we're getting close to that deadline.

 

[Lexi]

Last year was our first year at the Food and Wine Festival..we planned for two full days in Epcot but we found our selves constantly gravitating back at random times during the days we planned to be elsewhere..like one of the posters mentioned above make sure you get the Food and Wine Passport from the festival center (which is in future world, we had a bit of trouble figuring that one out last year) and make sure to get it stamped all around the worlds and the drink stands..if you have the dinning plan this is the perfect place to use your snacks (save them for the more expensive things..well expensive for snacks is like the $4 or $5 ones)..we made a quick loop once around just looking at everything to see what looked good and then dove right in..we even missed our reservations at the Turf Club one night because we were having so much at the festival..have a great time!!!! :sohappy:

 

[SerenityinPA]

Im pretty sure each cart I went to read "Snack" and when I ordered it I said "Snack" size and paid for it with a "snack" point from my dining plan.... :shrug:
At any rate my advice was to get the smaller portions of different foods so you can sample more, of course if this is an option as a previous poster said, maybe I just read it wrong? There's a lot of great food! We enjoyed the Ginger ice cream! :slurp:

 

[Lexi]

Im pretty sure each cart I went to read "Snack" and when I ordered it I said "Snack" size and paid for it with a "snack" point from my dining plan.... :shrug:
At any rate my advice was to get the smaller portions of different foods so you can sample more, of course if this is an option as a previous poster said, maybe I just read it wrong? There's a lot of great food! We enjoyed the Ginger ice cream! :slurp:

There is only one size, they are like tapas. I think where you are getting confused is that fact that you cannot pay for every food item with a snack credit. So you might see a menu at a kiosk and 2 out 3 of the food items might have the purple snack sign next to it, but that doesn't mean they give you a smaller size because you are paying for it with a snack credit. You get the same size whether you pay out of pocket or use the credit. Hope this helps! Our favorites were the potstickers and the lobster roll.

 

[lbrad]

Can't wait to try some of the exotic foods.

Going to my first F&W festival this Sept :slurp: