New after hours street party coming to this year's Epcot Food and Festival

[JohnD]

What's the $50 gift card to in the premium package? This is sounding 1/2 appealing to me as well..

It's a regular $50 gift card. When I went to the F&W festival last year and the F&G Festival earlier this year, I purchased gift cards to visit the food booths. I was going to purchase one anyway. If it was already included and I was thinking of doing the Late Night event ($79 separately or $129 for both the gift card and the Late Night event), I figured I would go ahead and purchase the package. The other $70 likely covers the cost of the MB (special bands at SW weekend ran $29.95), wine, wine glass, truffles, and incidendals like printing credentials).

 

[Dwarful]

Getting really disappointed in the new events. If during the week it is dead by 7 and you have your 80 what benefit is there to spend the $$$ to buy 6 food / drink items that could be purchased for that same amount or far less?

Not really offering much and no creativity...so to me it seems like a cash grab. I understand others will disagree. Seems like every park is getting in on the action....and maybe I am truly naïve, but I go on all trips with a budget. I know what I am willing to spend from start to finish and I won't go over my budget. I don't do cc because I don't do debt.

 

[JohnD]

Getting really disappointed in the new events. If during the week it is dead by 7 and you have your 80 what benefit is there to spend the $$$ to buy 6 food / drink items that could be purchased for that same amount or far less?

Not really offering much and no creativity...so to me it seems like a cash grab. I understand others will disagree. Seems like every park is getting in on the action....and maybe I am truly naïve, but I go on all trips with a budget. I know what I am willing to spend from start to finish and I won't go over my budget. I don't do cc because I don't do debt.

Understood. Almost everything at F&W costs something. I decided on something that covers more than a single dinner or seminar.

 

[raymusiccity]

Understood. Almost everything at F&W costs something. I decided on something that covers more than a single dinner or seminar.

The never ending cash grab party is becoming monotonous ! Pretty soon they'll be offering tickets to the parking lot party! We already have a theme song:

"At the parking lot party
Tailgate buds just sippin on suds
Aint never too early
to light one up fill up your cup
Cause there aint no party like the pre party
and after the party is the after party
In the parking lot party
Parking lot party, Parking lot party, Parking lot party" !

 

[JohnD]

Question: you seem to be one of the few that like this, do you think its a fair price?

I've already noted how I think the cost is covered:

• $79 Late Night Event (you can argue the value but that's the cost if going separately)
• $50 gift card
• $70 remaining for MB (special bands at SW weekend ran $29.95), leaving $40 for bottle of wine, wine glass, truffles, and incidentals like printing credentials

 

[FerretAfros]

And the mediocrity at WDW continues. I get it's a vacation resort and this seems to be a very resort style event but the theme park attractions that drew people there in the first place continue to go stale. Meanwhile Disneyland got rid of their food and wine show. Put in the Mad T Party at DCA at no up charge (if there was it couldn't have been much because I can't remember paying) and it was surprisingly fun. And for the life stylets they've added a wine tasting in DCA featuring wines by the "disney family" Silverado Lasseter etc. I might actually pay for that since it seems somewhat educational and unique. Aw WDW you've truly become a bad imitation of your former self. Oh well they'll still get my money every couple of years but only on the west coast.

Whoa, easy there! Let's not make it sound like DLR is taking the high road here. They cancelled the California Food & Wine Festival because the entire park was under construction and there was physically no space to set up stages and tasting areas. They had already announced things for the next year's schedule (including the would-have-been-new cranberry bog) before having to put the event on a 2-year hiatus.

Once the construction was complete, they had sold enough APs that they managed to turn their peak seasons inside out. No longer is late spring a sleepy time at DLR; APs aren't blocked out, so it's busier than summer. There's simply no need (or feasibly way) to do the F&W festival since they no longer have an off-season that could benefit from the increased crowds or has extra space for the various events

As for the Mad T Party, it's an evolution that began with Glow Fest, which was originally devised as a way to occupy crowds waiting for the second World of Color show, since they realized that their park (pre-Carsland) still didn't have enough to keep people busy for a full day. When that became the surprise hit of the summer and did a bang-up job selling expensive drinks, they quickly refashioned it into ElecTRONica to tie in with the film that was to be released a couple months later.

After 2 years with that theme and still pulling in huge profits from drinks, food, and merchandise, they finally decided to swap out the theme for Alice and make the setup a little more permanent. It still has a very temporary vibe, and a much worse impact on that area of the park than the Hat Stage in WDW, but continues to pull in buckets of money. Yes, the offering is free with admission, but Disney is still turning a huge profit from it. This is now Mad T Party's third year in that space and they show no intention of updating or revising it any time soon, or adding the long-needed permanent infrastructure to make that area even mildly pleasant during the daytime hours

No, DLR isn't adding more upcharge events than you can keep track of, but they also aren't nearly the saints that you're making them out to be

 

[JohnD]

The never ending cash grab party is becoming monotonous ! Pretty soon they'll be offering tickets to the parking lot party! We already have a theme song:

"At the parking lot party
Tailgate buds just sippin on suds
Aint never too early
to light one up fill up your cup
Cause there aint no party like the pre party
and after the party is the after party
In the parking lot party
Parking lot party, Parking lot party, Parking lot party" !

I can laugh right along with you. Let's put MB readers on bathroom stalls (not coin slots). Tap your MB to be charged for bathroom usage.

 

[TheRabbit]

I can laugh right along with you. Let's put MB readers on bathroom stalls (not coin slots). Tap your MB to be charged for bathroom usage.

If it ever comes to that I'll just pee on the topiary.

 

[Roakor]

That's odd. Why not just leave that $50 card out and charge $149?

because that $50 gift card has to be spent at Disney, unlike the $50 cash you would save if they left it out. And gift cards are free money for companies. The amount of money left on gift cards and never redeemed is unbelievable.

 

[wdwmagic]

On a slightly related note, 'Epcot After Hours Wind Down' event extended through the fall

 

[Finiamh123]

On a slightly related note, 'Epcot After Hours Wind Down' event extended through the fall

At least there are options if you're looking for hard ticket F&W event.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

F&W has become a horrifically local event on the weekend. The purpose of the Premium package (which is available only to resort guest) is to draw people away from the weekend and into the week where it is pretty much a ghost town until 7 or 8 at night, and even then very manageable.

After 7 hours Ill be seeing double so it will still look busy to me on a Monday. Anyway time for a song

 

[Alektronic]

On a slightly related note, 'Epcot After Hours Wind Down' event extended through the fall

I wonder if they change the hours for Friday and Saturday nights?

 

[Gabe1]

At least there are options if you're looking for hard ticket F&W event.

A bit pricey for my family but all and all you're actually getting something for the $$$, I'd do it if it wasn't 4x or 5x $199. That is when it hurts. $800 to $1000 ouch.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

I got the Premium Package.

Do you get to choose your wine? I'm not a wine drinker but I'll drink the Rosa Regale from Italy.

 

[Gullywhumper]

so you get 6 food items that only cost 4 or 5 dollars each, what's the other $50 for, the DJ?

And a purple magic band! Don't forget the purple magic band!

 

[JohnD]

Do you get to choose your wine? I'm not a wine drinker but I'll drink the Rosa Regale from Italy.

No clue on that one. Sorry!

 

[TP2000]

From the event description:
"For your $79, expect to sample six dishes from several of the Food and Wine Marketplace Kiosks, and take in entertainment with a live DJ and musical performances. The street party will be held between the United Kingdom and World Showcase Plaza..."

That sounds really underwhelming. And the DJ part, judging by every out-of-work-wedding-reception-DJ 'dance party' that WDW has attempted in the parks for the last 10 years, sounds like it would ruin an otherwise modest dining event. And on a Tuesday or Thursday? And it's 80 bucks on top of your Epcot admission? Let me guess, there's a couple of stilt walkers and an illusionist working the crowd?

What am I missing here? This just seems underwhelming, with a tacky DJ element that could take it from underwhelming to simply annoying.

 

[jaklgreen]

I also called and got more details, with the Premium package you can use the designated spots for four consecutive days Mon-Thurs during regular park hours. That's just for one week slot though. If you are staying two weeks you would need to buy another package to get the spots for the next week.

So the hideaway spots this might take up will be available for at least the busier weekend period.

I was wondering about this. I am staying for a full 2 weeks and it sounded like a decent deal if I was able to get access the special areas every day for 2 weeks but Mon- Thurs, not sure if it is enough to tempt me to do this.

 

[Ranch Dressing]

So basically its 80 bucks for a 3 hour themed nightclub.

Do people not see the brilliance Disney is displaying here?