John
Registered: December 2010
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 49
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Review Date: Sun January 6, 2013
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Great Food, short lines
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Cons:
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F&W Center a long walk from everything, lack of seating in the World Showcase.
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We attended the F&W Festival on 10/22 and 10/25 and found the food at the various countries to be very good. The lines were very short, but there was a lack of seating in many places.
We also found the F&W Center to be a very long way from everything and unless you were attending a demonstration there wasn't a whole lot to see of do there.
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ars0525
Registered: July 2010
Location: west of Chicago, IL
Posts: 22
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Review Date: Mon November 26, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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lots of countries, different foods
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Cons:
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drunk people
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We (3 adults) were there 11-4 (Sun) & 11-7 (Wed) for our 4th F&W. I knew Sunday would be crowded, but it was our arrival day & we knew we were coming back so it was nice to have 2 days to break up the food booths. We started on the Canada side & made it to Italy where we took the boat back across rather fight the crowds walking. The crowds were a lot to handle (people were quite rude, drunk, oblivious, loud). It actually even smelled of alcohol in so many areas & I am by no means anti-drinking or sensitive to it. We came back on Wednesday & got to experience a much nicer setting. Started on the Mexico side & walked our whole way around. Easier crowds, less hard core drinkers, minimal booth lines.
Went to the Festival Center at the old Horizons. Bought a bottle of wine, got a free sample of chocolate, stopped in the Chase Visa lounge for a soda. It was a nice side thing to do & I enjoyed it.
Since it was near the end of the Festival, I also got a shirt for 1/2 price so a nice deal.
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goofy10
Registered: December 2010
Location: New York
Posts: 11
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Review Date: Sun November 18, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Taste from all over the world
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Cons:
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Too many drunk people
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Was there the week of 10/21. The nights were very crowded and a lot of drunk people. I do not mind people drinking but the profanity and couples arguing was more than I could take. This is not what I expected. My kids where a little shocked as well. This was my first F and W and most likely my last.
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chrisfam4
Registered: June 2011
Posts: 18
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Review Date: Wed November 14, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Variety of Food choices
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Cons:
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Crowds, some prices
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DH and I attended our second F&WF on the last weekend of the event. We LOVED it just as much this year as last. The crowds were very heavy, much like summertime levels. We attributed it to the excellent weather, Wine and Dine half marathon, and the fact that it was the last weekend. We visited during the evening on Friday, midday on Saturday, and evening hours again on Sunday. By far the lowest crowds were on Friday evening which surprised us. Saturday and Sunday were very heavy but not unmanagable. Despite the crowds the lines for the booths moved quickly, the food was hot and totally yummy!!
Many of the previous posts have indicated that there were MANY loud and drunk guests during their visit. For my family, this did not seem to be the case. Yes, there were groups in attendance with 'team' t-shirts traveling in packs but everyone we encountered was friendly and polite. I will agree this is not the typical family-style atmosphere that is provided at the other parks. However, Epcot, especially World Showcase, is geared more to adults anyway. Most children under 10 don't appreciate the architecture, history or beauty of the pavilions. We look forward to taking in the F&WF because it is the only time our kids want to go, for the food.
In summary, I just wanted to offer a positive review to contrast all the negatives I have seen this year. Each visit for each family is different but we love the F&WF. If you want the opportunity to try new foods in one easy venue, then this is the place for you!
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SharW
Registered: November 2007
Posts: 20
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Review Date: Fri November 9, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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great food
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Cons:
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very crowded and excessive drinking
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Variety and taste of food was very good. Enjoyed tasting different foods from different countries. Only con is too much drinking going on. Drinking starts very early - encountered 2 fairly intoxicated people before 12 noon. Saturday is the worst for the excessive drinking. If you go, go early in the day and you should be able to miss most of rude drunks.
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Caseyka
Registered: January 2011
Posts: 21
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Review Date: Tue November 6, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 4
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Pros:
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Cons:
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crowded and a lot of intoxicated people
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My family and I were visiting during the food and wine festival and had reservations in some of the restuarants in World Showcase a couple of nights. I enjoy having a good time as much as anyone but I do not do this in the presence of my children. I was very surprised that Disney hosts an event where people are walking around drunk and acting as if they are at a football game. We had to push through the crowds of people carrying their beer and wine and they were loud and intoxicated. My daughter (11 years old) actually got somewhat nervous at one point. I fully believe that Disney needs to review the way that this even is held and make some changes so that families can still go to Epcot and enjoy themselves.
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alllie1
Registered: October 2007
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Posts: 43
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Review Date: Tue November 6, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Good variety
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Cons:
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Crowds, inappropriate intoxicated people, long lines
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Let me start by saying this: we went on a Saturday (11/3/12), so the experience was already decided before our arrival. Nevertheless, we made the best of our day.
We attend every year, at least once, so we did know that the weekend crowds would be heavy. We normally arrive at 11am and enter through the World Showcase park entrance, which enables us to head right into the Showcase and begin sampling long before it gets busy. This year, due to work obligations, we did not get to the park until about 3pm. We got off our resort bus to find a huge amount of cars parking on the lawns- never a good sign!
We headed straight to the Festival Welcome Center to buy a giftcard and sample the Ghiradelli drinking chocolate everyone has been buzzing about- it was definitely delicious. We also visited the Chase lounge briefly before heading over to the Showcase. Lines were crazy but we waited for the things we most wanted to have and they did move relatively quickly. The biggest problem seemed to be the people who were either drunk or not paying attention or on their phones who failed to hear the cashiers calling them to come order.
Some food highlights: my husband (a huge carnivore) was actually very impressed with the Terra booth's meatless chili.We enjoyed the ropa vieja (Caribbean), shrimp on the barbie (Australia), potstickers (China), all three kinds of sushi/hand rolls (Japan),Belgian waffles (Belgium), coq au vin and creme brulee (France), and the white Sangria (Florida).
The filet mignon from Canada was tasty but definitely not worth $6.50. It was very thin and tough and a VERY small portion. We also wish it was served with the mushroom risotto from Le Cellier! The arepa from the Florida booth was greasy and very small.
Overall, our day was very nice. We managed the crowds and lines well. I know it is a food and wine festival and I appreciate that but having people out in the hot sun, drinking for potentially 11 hours is a recipe for disaster. We witnessed people falling over, dropping entire trays of drinks, being rowdy wearing handmade "hats" topped with plastic wine and champagne glasses, etc. One guy walking past bumped another guy, spilling his drinks and they almost got into a physical fight (despite the fact that one man was there with a stroller). It definitely was a bad situation, we were happy we had left our baby home with her grandparents, and we ended up leaving before 9pm.
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Jim2772
Registered: November 2012
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Mon November 5, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great food and wonderful atmosphere
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Cons:
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size of some offerings for price
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I have been going to Food and Wine for about 8 years now and my wife and I love the experience. We plan a weekend for this every year. A kid free weekend for adults who love Disney. It really amazes me that so many people (and for multiple years for some) dont understand what Food and Wine means? Especially the wine part- this would denote alcohol and if you are uncomfortable around alcohol then please refrain from attending during this festival. Also save your self some grief and stress and leave the children at home with a sitter, at Disney child services or simply go to another park. It is a food and wine festival. No amount of complaining is going to make Disney reconsider the event, just look at the increasing lines and you will see it is a major source of additional revenue. So understand what this event is all about and enjoy it or avoid it.
That part said I do think that some of the samples this year have gotten smaller and arent quite worth the cost. The filet Mignon from Canada for one. There were some really interesting new additions like the mung bean pancake.
This is a fantastic event and WE LOVE IT!
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kelly68
Registered: November 2012
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Sat November 3, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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awsome concerts
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Cons:
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none
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Attended Billy Ocean concert. He was awesome, so much fun. Bring him back for another year. Less people week day. Easier to get around the park.
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Joermsy
Registered: November 2012
Location: Manteno, IL
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Thu November 1, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Food Samples
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Cons:
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Extra Large Crowd & Drunkiness
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I was really surprised by the amount of drunk people at the event. I have never seen anything like this at Disney World. Not even when Pleasure Island was up and running. I would like to come back with Adults only. Kids really don't belong there. I was also surprised by the amount of people drinking while driving their scooters.
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LynnM
Registered: October 2008
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 14
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Review Date: Wed October 31, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Lots of fun
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Cons:
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too much beer, not enought wine samples
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We have been coming to the F&W Festival for 15 years. We love it, it is so much fun. But, at times crowds can be large and too many people are intoxicated.
This year I did find that the portions are smaller and quality was split between pretty good and just okay.
I also was disappointed in the fact that it is more of a Food and BEER festival rather than wine. I miss the wine walkabouts, and the booths don't have the variety of wines to sample as they did in the past. I hope they bring back the wine to the Food and Wine festival!
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hbamford
Registered: January 2009
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 20
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Review Date: Wed October 31, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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added excitement to upcoming trip
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Cons:
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big let down once we got there
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This was our first (and last!) Food & Wine Festival - we planned our trip (Oct 4-8) to be there for it and were very disappointed - just didn't feel "Disney" enough for us - and way too expensive for what you get - we have a local "Taste of Buffalo" every year and we may as well have stayed home for that! Food samples were not very exciting or adventurous - and lines were horrid! Too many people and not enough to do - just wander around food booths - many events were extra cost (and high end) and not very family friendly - I had my two teens who love to cook - and we would have rather spent time with the Swedish Chef from the Muppets!
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wonderfulworldofcolor
Registered: October 2012
Location: Atlantic Beach,FL
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Mon October 29, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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interesting food samples
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Cons:
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long lines, crowds
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We visited EPCOT for the Food and Wine Festival on Oct 27. The day was cool and overcast and I was hoping the crowds would be light due to the grey skies and stiff breezes. Ha, no such luck! World Showcase was an ant farm.
Even though the lines were long, we were able to try samples from Japan(chicken hand roll) Germany, (sausage on pretzel roll) and Mexico(both the beef and shrimp tacos. I liked the chicken hand roll from Japan the best, probably because it was the first thing I tried and also because it paired perfectly with the Kirn Ichiban the Japan booth was also selling.
Once we left World Showcase, the crowds thinned out enough to move about more freely. We tried the Kahlua Pork Slider from Hawaii and both of the offerings from Terra, the Vegan booth. Not being a vegetarian, I wasn't sure what to expect from Tricken Chicken Curry and the meatless chili. I was very happy with the taste of both dishes. It was clear from the depth of flavor and beautiful presentation they were both chef made. The pork slider, on the other hand was wet and flavorless.
To me, portion size was more than adequate especially since we knew we would be sampling several different dishes. I wished the portion size on the two beers we bought could have been smaller. Both The Kirin and the Dos Equis only came in a 20 oz size.
Since we were going to the Party for the Senses later that evening, my wife and I decided to call it a day.
I certainly can see how the Food and Wine Festival would be 'disruptive' to regular visitors who were used to having EPCOT to themselves during the the slower Fall months. I did not witness any excessive drinking or "custom drinking shirts". I did see one guy in a shirt that said "I'm not as think as you drunk I am" but I'm pretty sure he bought that off the rack. In my experience, what encourages excessive drinking is cheap booze that is easy to get. As we all know, there's nothing cheap at EPCOT and the long lines at every alcohol vendor were a sure way to kill a buzz.
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daisyduck57
Registered: October 2012
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Sat October 27, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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food tastes good
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Cons:
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portion sizes too small, and prices are too high
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I liked most of the food I sampled, but the portions were VERY SMALL, and the prices were VERY BIG!!! I think for the $$ that they charge they could give a little more food. The shrimp taco at Mexico was great, but the rest of the food was not worth what they charged.
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snovak
Registered: November 2011
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 17
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Review Date: Tue October 23, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 2
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Pros:
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love Epcot
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Cons:
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crowds, many drunk people
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I just came back from my last Food and Wine festival (Oct. 13-21). I remember the crowds on the weekend from last year so we did try to spend most of our Epcot time during the week, and maybe an hour or two on the weekend. For some reason the flow of people thru the food booths didn't seem to go as well as other years, no one seemed to know in what direction they should be going. Like last year, I couldn't believe the amount of drunk, loud, obnoxious people.
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