Food and Wine Nickel and Diming

[EPCOT Explorer]

However, you are leaving out key components in making that decision.

No offense, but you and others are just seeing in the past it was free and now they are charging and that is bad.

You are not taking into account the situation. Over the course of the Food and Wine festival, before they reduced wine tastings, waits were still hovering around 45-60 minutes to get in.

It seems to me that Disney is charging a fee to help reduce the wait times.

If this is effective, then the quality of my experience will go up.

Just because something that used to be free is now being charged for doesn't make it bad out of prinicple.

But what about wine sales? That's like saying don't complain about potato chips, because pretzel sales are still strong!

True. And that's what it looks like now. If it's for the same quality, I feel it was in bad taste. If the quality and quantity goes up....I'll gladly eat crow.


They serve that at FAWF?:lookaroun:lol:

 

[The Mom]

That could be fun.... :lookaroun



How was it in the beginning Mom? I have only experienced it once and found it to overpriced (for the portion sizes) and sort of lacking. I greatly preferred F&G. :shrug:

It was not crowded, and food & wine samples were about $1-2. I remember paying about $10 for a wine exhibit, but it was composed of about 6 wineries -Australian, as I recall - and you would go from booth to booth, once you were admitted to the area, and you would get a good sized portion at each booth. I definitely got my money's worth.

There were hardly any lines for anything, and you didn't have to fight your way through the crowd.

 

[The Mom]

Agreed, its becoming very expensive - basically out of my price range now. It's been heading this way for the last few years. You can basically buy a sit down lunch somewhere now for the price of trying a few tiny samples. I cant imagine what it must be like for a family of 4 heading around World Showcase trying to do some of the samples - $100+ for some very small offerings.

I'll treat you.

 

[yankspy]

Perhaps the wineries can't afford to give the wine away anymore? They've been hit pretty hard, as wine is something that can be easily cut from a family budget. Too many people were taking advantage of the free wine, but not buying the featured brands when they went home. (Which is the whole purpose of the wineries being there.)

It reminds me of a neighborhood shopping center's Christmas party. It started as a way for local merchants (in a shopping district) to thank their patrons, and have their shops open later. They would provide liight refreshments, and have music, sleigh rides, etc. It has gotten so crowded with people from outside the neighborhood that the locals don't go anymore, and the shop owners no longer provide free wine, cheese, etc to shoppers. In talking to a merchant, it really doesn't increase sales, so many will no longer participate.

I would be willing to pay extra to attend an "after hours" F&W Festival, if it meant returning to the atmosphere of the original.

They can't, or they just do not want to, I am not sure. I have put together a few tastings and I can personally say that what used to be the norm as far as freebies go is no more. Whether Disney is gouging people or not I could not say without having all the info.

As far as charging people for something that used to be free, happens all the time.

 

[Phonedave]

Perhaps the wineries can't afford to give the wine away anymore? They've been hit pretty hard, as wine is something that can be easily cut from a family budget. Too many people were taking advantage of the free wine, but not buying the featured brands when they went home. (Which is the whole purpose of the wineries being there.)

It reminds me of a neighborhood shopping center's Christmas party. It started as a way for local merchants (in a shopping district) to thank their patrons, and have their shops open later. They would provide liight refreshments, and have music, sleigh rides, etc. It has gotten so crowded with people from outside the neighborhood that the locals don't go anymore, and the shop owners no longer provide free wine, cheese, etc to shoppers. In talking to a merchant, it really doesn't increase sales, so many will no longer participate.

I would be willing to pay extra to attend an "after hours" F&W Festival, if it meant returning to the atmosphere of the original.

THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cant believe I had to scroll though 7 pages of the latest 74 vs. jt Thursday Night Smackdown to find your comment.

That was the FIRST thing I thought of. As far as I know, the free tastings are sponsored by the wineries.. Now when I buy wine at my local wine shop (which has free tastings, some sponsored by the wineries, some by the importer, and some by the shop itself) I usualy end up buying 3, 4, or 5 bottles (I don't drink like that, they sit here and age, I also like the ability to select from a variety when I do decide to have a wine with dinner ) There is a direct feedback in that case, the store knows what is going out the doer.

However in WDW, I have NEVER bought a wine there. I doubt I ever will. I see no need to schlepp it home on the plane. If its something I like, chances are I can find it here - I have a number of times. Nobody asks me where I first sampled it.

I can just picture the importers there, eyeing the crowds who line up, gulp down their wines, and make comments like "Its almost as good as Arbor Mist" and saying "well we are not going to do this for free anymore"

I heard comments in the Sam Adams tastings about people liking Bud Lite better (and SA is really not that great a beer - good, but not earth shattering) I asked the guy a question about their hopping schedule, mentioning that they ones they said they used were all aroma hops, and there seemed to be no bittering hops in the mix. He almost had a stroke. I think I was the first person who asked him an actual question.

As far as the portion size and price for the samples by Disney. I have to agree with 74, in that the prices have gone up and sample size has gone down. Maybe not to the extent that he describes, but I have noticed it. I have also noticed a downturn in what was allready only passable quality. Last year there were precious few (maybe about half a dozen) sample items that I was happy with as far as price/quality/quanitiy was concerned - the bobotie was one of them

-dave

 

[WDW1974]

It was not crowded, and food & wine samples were about $1-2. I remember paying about $10 for a wine exhibit, but it was composed of about 6 wineries -Australian, as I recall - and you would go from booth to booth, once you were admitted to the area, and you would get a good sized portion at each booth. I definitely got my money's worth.

There were hardly any lines for anything, and you didn't have to fight your way through the crowd.

Yeah, I did that Australian wine walkabout at least one or two years. And I did get my $$$'s worth.

My issue, which I think gets pushed over in a hyperbole haze, is that Disney has been cutting quality from the event while raising price points of the samples.

Now, the freebies (and after paying $79 a day or whatever someone's media price is) are no more.

Sorry, I'm not buying the excuse/PR spin that this is being done for guests' own good. That's the same as taking prime rib off all the menus across property (first buffets, then very quietly full serve ... can't even get a slab at Yachtsman Steakhouse) and saying it was because guests wanted to try more things and prime rib is cut thick when Disney cuts it thinner than anywhere on Earth and they attract a huge portion of middle Americans that are strictly meat and taters and mac n' cheese and plain pizza diners.

Or this is like when they took the appetizer and tip off the DDP and dropped the price ... by a whole $1.

Disney consistently, in Orlando more so than elsewhere, drops quality/quantity while raising prices.

They are doing this because some middle manager did a Power Point showing how much money could be made if the same number of samples that were given away free in 2008 ... nah, they probably went back to like 2003 when they gave away vastly more ... and said 'imagine if all those samples cost $8 a piece'.

Oh, and if it's $8 this year, you can be sure they're already projecting it to be $10 in 2010.

That's how TDO operates.

As to someone saying it's been common knowledge since the spring, this is the first I've heard of it or read of it. I may follow Disney closely, but I don't live it ... and I certainly don't know everything that's happening or going to.

But since we're less than two months away, I did think it was quite pertinent.

I also see people focusing on the wine tastings, but the food ones will also be $8.

I'd have no issue with this whatsoever if Disney dropped its F&W booth prices back to 2000 levels ... but we know that's not going to happen.

Of course, I could always ignore all of this and just go to Feast For the Senses ... wonder if that's up to $200 (plus admission) yet?

 

[WDW1974]

Im sure a few days ago, this gentleman did a piece on how Johnny Foreigner has destroyed the US's beer production and through socialist imposed taxes drink sales have plummeted. An opinion Im sure that is fair and balanced.


Thats why when they tell me the date I check the calender.

Some of us think/know that man is mentally unbalanced ... and scary as well as he appeals to the most ignorant folks in the good old USofA.

 

[WDW1974]

I'll treat you.

Treat me instead!

I'm a fun date and I can share my plans for evil World domination if you liquor me up!:drevil::drevil::drevil:

 

[EPCOTPluto]

Plus, there's an additional revenue with the wine sampling pricing besides the wine sold there as well.

Some wine, I observed over some years, are so popular, they do not return the year after.

For example, the Argentinean El Portillo, a $9 a bottle, was always sold out back in 2006. Haven't seen it since then.

Think it may return this year?

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Treat me instead!

I'm a fun date and I can share my plans for evil World domination if you liquor me up!:drevil::drevil::drevil:

Frightening.:lookaroun:lol:

 

[jakeman]

Yeah, I did that Australian wine walkabout at least one or two years. And I did get my $$$'s worth.

My issue, which I think gets pushed over in a hyperbole haze, is that Disney has been cutting quality from the event while raising price points of the samples.

Now, the freebies (and after paying $79 a day or whatever someone's media price is) are no more.

Sorry, I'm not buying the excuse/PR spin that this is being done for guests' own good. That's the same as taking prime rib off all the menus across property (first buffets, then very quietly full serve ... can't even get a slab at Yachtsman Steakhouse) and saying it was because guests wanted to try more things and prime rib is cut thick when Disney cuts it thinner than anywhere on Earth and they attract a huge portion of middle Americans that are strictly meat and taters and mac n' cheese and plain pizza diners.

Or this is like when they took the appetizer and tip off the DDP and dropped the price ... by a whole $1.

Disney consistently, in Orlando more so than elsewhere, drops quality/quantity while raising prices.

They are doing this because some middle manager did a Power Point showing how much money could be made if the same number of samples that were given away free in 2008 ... nah, they probably went back to like 2003 when they gave away vastly more ... and said 'imagine if all those samples cost $8 a piece'.

Oh, and if it's $8 this year, you can be sure they're already projecting it to be $10 in 2010.

That's how TDO operates.

You have absolutely no proof of that other than your predetermined opinion of how TDO operates, yet you continue to insist without facts that you know exactly how the decision was made. I'm not claiming I know either, but you will not even entertain the thought that this was actually done for a majority of guests benefit.

It is perfectly logical to moderate a crowd who has no time contraints with a monitary penalty.

You are insistant on see this as a bad thing when you haven't even experienced it.

If $8 is what it takes for me to get into a tasting that I haven't been willing to wait for in 3 years then so be it. I will gladly hand over my money. My time is more important. That doesn't make me an apologist either.

True. And that's what it looks like now. If it's for the same quality, I feel it was in bad taste. If the quality and quantity goes up....I'll gladly eat crow.


They serve that at FAWF?:lookaroun:lol:

Quality in some case is a personal preference. If by pay $8 I get to participate in a tasting, even if it is the same as last year, the quality of my experience went up, because I have been able to do something I was missing out on.

It's not a black and white situation.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

That could be fun.... :lookaroun



How was it in the beginning Mom? :

Mmmmm, implying that she is both historic and a booze hound, and you got away with it. Im impressed. :animwink:

 

[NiarrNDisney]

I've personally had my fill of the jt-74 love letters, I have to say. Every thread turns into this kind of thing. Just get a room already.

I think this could be an interesting debate to read, but it looks like it's going to turn into another "Why 74 needs to lighten up/ Why jt needs to get a clue" pillowfight. That should be very enlightening, just like the previous 87 of them were.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Duckberg]

Festival @ WDW

We've gone the past two years, last year NO Scandinavian food samples will be going a month earlier this year & pass on the Food & Wine Festival. Duckberg :snore:

 

[The Mom]

Mmmmm, implying that she is both historic and a booze hound, and you got away with it. Im impressed. :animwink:

:lol:

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I remember sampling some Spanish olive oil, it ranked in the Beverly stakes in taste. And no it wasnt some weird cocktail.

 

[DougK]

Treat me instead!

I'm a fun date and I can share my plans for evil World domination if you liquor me up!:drevil::drevil::drevil:

WDW1974, if you're going to ask The Mom out you should at least offer to pay!

 

[sublimesting]

We just use free snacks from the free dining all the wat around the "world". As for drinking, we just do that before we leave the room in the morning...

 

[RealHawker]

supply and demand - this concept needs to be stressed more to kids and adults.

If $8 causes empty booths and seminars - then they will most likely go back to free or low cost.

I've found as soon as you even charge 5 cents for something, people actually take a second to think about whether they actually want something. You put "free" on a pile of garbage, people will line up to get a piece.

 

[njDizFan]

I have never been to the F&W but am considering a spur of the moment trip for October. I'm a little confused by one thing: the $8 that is in question, does that money go to disney or to the vendor?

If disney is getting the extra revenue, then there seems to be little arguement against greed being a factor.

If the vendors are receiving this fee, well, like any earlier post said; maybe they are sick of giving away free F&W to customers who have no inclination of making a purchase.

sorry, if I am way off base but I don't know how this all works.