Tips about Food & Wine Festival

I noticed at the Food & Wine Festival that many of the more popular marketplaces (France, for example) have two sets of registers, one on either side of the booth. Much of the time, the line on one side would be overflowing, the other side would be empty, or much less crowded. So take a peek before getting in line, it could save you a lot of time! - Al Schaefer
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I just wanted to share a comment on Remy's Ratatouille Hide & Squeak, the scavenger hunt that's part of this year's Food and Wine Festival. My family and I have enjoyed Epcot's Food and Wine festival many times. It seems to get bigger, better and tastier every year! Our daughters, ages 8 and 11, had fun finding Remy and his ingredients that were cleverly hidden in each country. (The search became quite a competition between the four of us for the rest of the day!) The map, stickers and souvenir pin will be a nice memory of our trip! - Denise Darconte

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more details on this fun new scavenger hunt, be sure to read Kristin Ford's latest entry in her "A Mom and the Magic" blog!
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If you're visiting the Food and Wine Festival, don't forget to stop by the Port of Entry shop at World Showcase Plaza. In addition to selling a wide variety of festival merchandise, the shop also features specialty food and beverage items from around the world. And at 3 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the festival, chefs from around Epcot will give mini-culinary demonstrations -- for free! -- recreating recipes from the Festival cookbook and other favorites. - AllEars® Editor Deb Koma
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Prior to attending the Food and Wine Festival, we had read that it was sometimes difficult to get a table to rest your food and beverage, but that people were happy to share their space. Being rather private, we weren't sure we would be comfortable with this. However, out of necessity, we found ourselves asking, "May we share your table?" Everyone was very gracious, and we found ourselves enjoying the brief conversations that took place. It was just enough interaction to make us feel a part of the excitement, but not so much that we felt awkward. - Melissa Mercon Smith
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Some tips for Epcot's Food and Wine Festival from AllEars: -- Some of the most popular food booths, such as Australia, Desserts & Champagne, Craft Beers, and Canada, have registers on both sides of the booth. We found that the side furthest away from Future World usually had a much shorter line. -- The food and wine vendors for Epcot's Food and Wine Festival close at 9 p.m. every night. Don't be surprised when you can't buy any food from the marketplaces during evening Extra Magic Hours. -- Stop at the Welcome Center before going into World Showcase for a free Passport to the Food and Wine Festival. You can check off the items you've sampled, jot notes on what you've tried, and get the passport stamped at each kiosk you visit. It's a great way to remember where that dessert, drink, or food came from that you liked so much, and it makes a wonderful free souvenir. -- Use the snack option of your Disney Dining Plan to pay for food items at the Epcot Food and Wine festival International Marketplaces. (DDP is not valid at other Food and Wine Festival events.) EDITOR'S NOTE: On select nights, Epcot and the Food Booths may be open later (typically on Friday and Saturday)
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Food & Wine Festival - Just wanted to add that if you miss the Welcome Center, the Festival passports can usually be found at any of the DVC kiosks throughout the World Showcase. - Mary W.
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Food & Wine Festival - Please note that the food and wine vendors for Epcot's Food and Wine Festival close at 9 p.m. every night. We decided to go to Epcot during the evening Extra Magic Hours so we would have more time and hopefully smaller crowds to eat and drink around the world. We arrived at 8 p.m. to start and only made it to 3-4 vendors before all started closing.
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At the Festival Center, the information kiosk (with the cast members wearing plaid vests) is sometimes able to tell you the food being prepared at the culinary demos for that day and next several following. They may not have details, or may only be able to provide general information, such as the food will be "vegetarian". For example, I could not get info on the Marrakesh Food and Wine Pairing even after they called the restaurant and talked to a manager. Also, if you're looking for information on the foods served at each of the marketplace booths, stop at the information kiosk in the Festival Center -- they have details there. - Deb Wills
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Epcot - We went to WDW in October to avoid the crowds. It was almost sucessful! Epcot was jammed like New Year's Eve because of the Food and Wine Festival. My suggestion is to go to Epcot very early in the morning to catch the normal stuff and then come back later to enjoy the Festival! - William
Epcot - We went to WDW in October to avoid the crowds. It was almost sucessful! Epcot was jammed like New Year's Eve because of the Food and Wine Festival. My suggestion is to go to Epcot very early in the morning to catch the normal stuff and then come back later to enjoy the Festival! - William
Food & Wine Festival - We just came back from WDW and wanted to let your readers know that you can use the snack option to pay for food at the Epcot Food and Wine festival. We used all of our snack options as we made our way around the countires and were so full that we didn't need to use our table service credit for dinner. We saved it for our last day and enjoyed lunch at the Coral Reef. It really worked out well because we always have extra snack credits that we need to use up on our last day. - Jackie Davidson
Food & Wine Festival - I wanted to share my tip for managing your money and getting though the Festival lines easier. Decide on a budget for your Food and Wine allowance and put that dollar amount on a Disney Gift Card. Why?

-- It gives you a set limit to spend on food and beverages -- when you empty the card, you are done.

-- It's easier than using snacks off your dining plan. Save those for other days, as the samples you are buying aren't always good dollar exchange for the value of the snack credit. (Of course, it is a good value if you want the expensive, but small lobster roll from the USA booth.).

-- It's lighter than carrying all of those small bills and change, and easier than pulling out $4 here and $2.50 there!.

-- It gets you through the line faster than using cash or credit. You don't have to fumble for that change (or worry about losing your valuable credit card or Key to the World Card) and neither does the CM, you don't have to sign a receipt, give it back and then get a copy in return, and the balance on the card is reflected on the receipt they give you -- so you know exactly how much you have left..

We did this last year and you wouldn't believe the positive response we got from both CMs and guests who asked us about it in line. We put $100 on the card and it got us through most of the kiosks -- we actually were completely full by the time we ran out of money. We didn't drink a lot of wine, but boy did we eat! Wish I could be indulging there with all of you this year! - Nancy J.
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Food & Wine Festival - This will be our fourth year in a row for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Some things we have learned over the years:

-- The signature dining experiences are well worth it. They fill up fast, so watch for the schedule and book as soon as you can. Be adventuresome!

-- The special kiosks set up for sampling food and wine have very short lines during the week, Monday-Thursday. It gets crazy Friday and Saturday nights. So do your sampling during the week and save the weekends for hard-ticket events such as wine and cheese tastings and signature dining!

-- Disney gift cards are great for paying at the food and wine kiosks. If you're local or staying at a hotel without room charge privileges, such as the Swan or Dolphin, or off-property, it is easier/safer than dealing with a credit card, chasing around for cash, or managing change from a bunch of small transactions.

-- Give everything a try. You might find something new you really like.

-- Sample more dishes and leave room for even more by sharing with a friend!

-- Give yourself time to graze all afternoon and evening. Rather than making full ADRs for every day, plan to go kiosk hopping for a meal or two during your stay. The selections typically include small servings of salads, meats, fish, vegetables, soups, and desserts in addition to wines and beers. You can have a lot of fun feeding yourself a progressive dinner while touring around World Showcase.

-- Don't try to do it all in one day! There's too much to learn, enjoy, and experience! - Janet S.
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Food & Wine Festival - This will be my fourth year in a row going to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. My husband and I enjoy all of the sights, sounds, and definitely the food that this festival brings to our favorite park. My number one tip is to print out all of the food booth information from AllEars.Net ahead of time and place those printouts in a pocket, purse, or bookbag to bring with you to the park. This has saved us so much time and sanity trying to see what each booth has to offer. We have found that several people crowd around the signs displaying the food and wine selections at each booth, and with the printouts, you will already know what the booth is offering and can get straight in line. This will also allow you to plan on how much money you will be spending in the park. Also, we found that weekdays were less crowded and so you are able to enjoy more food and activities without having to wait in line in the hot sun. And if you're staying in Disney, going to Epcot during the Extra Magic Hours will allow you to avoid the crowds and enjoy the nighttime festivities at the park. This festival is our absolute favorite time of year to visit Epcot. It provides so much culture and fun to an already outstanding park. - Rachel
Food & Wine Festival - If you are planning to do the Party for the Senses, skip the Eat to the Beat Concert unless you really like the group. Seating is limited in the dining venue. People start to line up at least one hour before the World Showplace opens. Once it does, which is before the concert is over, it's a mad dash to grab a table or at least a seat. If you don't mind standing while you eat, enjoy the concert. If you like to sit and eat, get to World Showplace early. - Ray S.
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