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Suggestions for first trip to Food and Wine fest?
- Thread starter ppet
- Start date
DisDadWoz
Well-Known Member
Not sure what your budget is but some suggestions would be to go over the menu items for the kiosks and see what may or may not appeal to you. You can then pick and choose from there so you have some idea on what to eat/drink. I would try from the Kiosks not normally there throughout the year. If your budget allows I would look into some of the cooking seminars or tastings that are out there. Those can be very fun and enjoyable but come at a price. We usually spend our first day sampling only a couple items but looking at everything to see if something "looks better than it sounded" from the menus then we spend the next couple of days finishing off our list of items. Sorry I wasn't very specific. Make sure you try to at least catch an Eat to the Beat Concert that may be playing while you are there.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
A brutally honest opinion / advice.
Skip most of the kiosks. The food quality has gone downhill, the crowds are insane, and even though they have started to place more tables around the booths in recent years, you still find yourself eating standing up most of the time. Maybe it is just me, but if I am actually trying to taste a dish or wine, I want ot be able to taste it and think about it. Not try and scarf it down with a plastic fork while balancing a cardboard dish in a sea of people (after waiting 25 minutes to pay $8 for two bites of the dish)
If there is something that you see that you are very interesting in trying, or you happen to be there early when the crowds are not that bad, then by all means try something from a kiosk. But don't plan on trying 40 different things.
Instead, go to some of the seminars and the food and wine (or liquor) pairing lunches. Those are excellent. They have become pricey, but they are much more comfortable, educational, and for the most part seem to be prepared by a chef who cares (as opposed to the mass produced items at most of the kiosks).
Do take some time to go through the festival pavilion (the old Wonders of Life) as well. There are some interesting exhibits there, and most years some good festival merchandise (if you are into that sort of stuff). So many people go and just hit the kiosks. Honestly, that is just eating - you have limited time to ask questions and most of the CMs don't even know anything about what they are serving. The real food and wine experience lies in the seminars and tastings.
Skip most of the kiosks. The food quality has gone downhill, the crowds are insane, and even though they have started to place more tables around the booths in recent years, you still find yourself eating standing up most of the time. Maybe it is just me, but if I am actually trying to taste a dish or wine, I want ot be able to taste it and think about it. Not try and scarf it down with a plastic fork while balancing a cardboard dish in a sea of people (after waiting 25 minutes to pay $8 for two bites of the dish)
If there is something that you see that you are very interesting in trying, or you happen to be there early when the crowds are not that bad, then by all means try something from a kiosk. But don't plan on trying 40 different things.
Instead, go to some of the seminars and the food and wine (or liquor) pairing lunches. Those are excellent. They have become pricey, but they are much more comfortable, educational, and for the most part seem to be prepared by a chef who cares (as opposed to the mass produced items at most of the kiosks).
Do take some time to go through the festival pavilion (the old Wonders of Life) as well. There are some interesting exhibits there, and most years some good festival merchandise (if you are into that sort of stuff). So many people go and just hit the kiosks. Honestly, that is just eating - you have limited time to ask questions and most of the CMs don't even know anything about what they are serving. The real food and wine experience lies in the seminars and tastings.
Mickey5150
Well-Known Member
Definitely do the kiosks, I go every year for them. Don't follow the advice of debbie downer. The best thing about F&W is being able to try small things that you might not try if you were ordering an entree at a restaurant. The food is awesome. Obviously different people like different things but I have loved everything I've tried. Doing this for over a decade I will say the only table you need is a garbage can, it's basically a rite of passage for F&W. Get a passport, get it stamped at the kiosks and most importantly, enjoy yourselves.
disney4life2008
Well-Known Member
Skip it and go elsewhere lol. No really enjoy the food but it's very expensive for what you get. In the past you could get a taste plate and split between one other person but now one plate is really a bite. It's funny when i see people splitting a bite of cheesecake lol. Look at the menus and plan in advance. It will be packed and the drunks in full force especially on concert nights
me_stitch
Premium Member
my wife and I usually spend a full day and a couple evenings so we can try something from every booth. If there's more than one thing that sounds to good to pass up we get both and share them. I also like to try an alcoholic beverage from each country. And get a passport, it's kind of fun checking off what you ate and getting a stamp from each booth. snack credits will definitely help with the cost.
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Marijil
Well-Known Member
1. Do the pre paid wrist thing
2 Bring or buy small tray
3 Plan to make THAT the focus of your day. Not saying skip all attractions but the food is the star
4 Try not to get too annoyed by the groups of 20 somethings who apparently just discovered alcohol. Yes I read your shirts, oh I never would’ve guessed your “drinking around the world”. Unique idea now please don’t throw up on my kid..
2 Bring or buy small tray
3 Plan to make THAT the focus of your day. Not saying skip all attractions but the food is the star
4 Try not to get too annoyed by the groups of 20 somethings who apparently just discovered alcohol. Yes I read your shirts, oh I never would’ve guessed your “drinking around the world”. Unique idea now please don’t throw up on my kid..
crxbrett
Well-Known Member
Another fun thing to do while in World Showcase and enjoying the Food & Wine Festival is looking for Remy with the Hide n Squeak scavenger hunt. You don't have to do get the guide and pay for the hunt if you don't want to. My GF and I just went looking for him on our own. And even though we didn't have the scavenger hunt map, CM's were constantly giving us hints and enjoying watching us scouring the pavilions for him. It was fun trying to find him and added to our experience of eating and drinking around the WS lagoon at night.
Nottamus
Well-Known Member
Theres a go to website Disney Food Blog (not sure rules on cross website promotion here) that has every booth's menu, pictures of food, and as it gets underway, pictures of the menus from the park so you can see pricing.
we usually plan our trips so we have at least a few days F&W in there.....and i go to this site to get a list of things I NEED to try
Its always a good time, and some food items are smaller portions of table service places nearby, as stated above....so you can sample quite a bit.
we usually plan our trips so we have at least a few days F&W in there.....and i go to this site to get a list of things I NEED to try
Its always a good time, and some food items are smaller portions of table service places nearby, as stated above....so you can sample quite a bit.
YankeeMouse
Well-Known Member
Less drunks during the day, get there at opening.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
Would that be me?
If eating overpriced, mass produced food, that you can get just about anywhere else, off of a garbage can is a gourmet experience, then go for it.
Me, I have an different opinion.
It all comes down to personal taste. I am not putting down F&W. But, if you go into it thinking that eating at the kiosks is akin to a tasting menu at a restaurant or something like a game dinner, you will be sorely disappointed.
bee
Well-Known Member
- Arrive at WS right at 11am to start enjoying kiosk foods as soon as the kiosks open. Avoid evenings and weekends if possible.
- Make a list of the foods you absolutely must try, and a list of the ones you want to try but aren't necessarily a priority.
- Don't eat at every single booth the first day or you'll fill up too soon and you may miss out on the foods you really wanted to try.
- Get a F&W passport to keep track of everything you've tried.
- Skip the cocktails. Beer or wine will get you much more bang for your buck.
- Share, share, share! If you like something enough to get it again you can, but if you get too much of something and don't end up liking it you wasted food and money.
- If possible, go multiple days for the best chance at trying everything.
Mickey5150
Well-Known Member
Food and Wine isn't a gourmet tasting menu. It's a food festival. Name your major city, they all have them, this one just happens to go on for months. If you want gourmet then they have the various paid events for a more upscale experience.
DisDadWoz
Well-Known Member
The Passports are free and are available at the kiosks.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
I have been to plenty of food festivals. Most (the good ones at least) have good food. The people that are there are putting the best foot forward so to speak. While it may not be gourmet, the people that are they are trying to showcase their product, and you will get their best effort. Most of the time, at least at well managed festivals, lines are reasonable. Also, the people serving the food are knowledgeable about the food.
When if first started, F&W was great. They had interesting food, prepared by people who cared, and served by people who knew about the food. Sadly that has changed over the years as it became more and more popular. I think what finally did it for me was about 5 or 6 years ago. I was in the WS early and they were doing load in for some of the kiosks. I happened to be standing next to a kiosk and watched them load in NOTHING that was made in a WDW kitchen. All of the 3 or 4 items they were selling were in frozen, pre-packaged, food service packages.
So you are correct, it is not a gourmet tasting menu, it is a food festival. But as far as the kiosks are concerned, it is a low quality, overpriced, and extremely crowded food festival. I guess if you are from an area where getting to a local food festival is a problem, then sure, it can be exciting and new, but if you have festivals in your area, chances are they are much better (from a kiosk standpoint - I still say the curated events at F&W are excellent)
-dave
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
I am kind of a mix of this. I still like certain items at the food booths, especially some of the ones that I can't get at home like the African booth. But I go and do a bunch of seminars and special events. I always do the Party for the Senses and the Hibachi Experience along with the Sunday event(that the name keeps changing) with whatever celebrity chef they have that week. So many people just talk about the food booths and make it sound as if that is the whole of the event when there is so much more. OP, go to the Disney Food Blog, they have all of the events and food booth menus. It is the best place for F&WF info.