Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Resorts and Special Events

POLYNESIAN RESORT - I just returned from a magical nine days in the World. It could have just as easily been a disaster. As soon as I checked into my room at the Polynesian, I went to charge my cell phone. Unfortunately I realized that I had forgotten to bring my charger. I thought I'd be incommunicado for the entire trip. Since my husband and I often take our kids in seperate directions, I was really worried about how we would manage our days. Thinking it was a slim chance, I inquired at the concierge desk. What a pleasant surprise when they brought out a bin of about 20-25 cell phone chargers for me to look through and find the right one. I was able to borrow it a few times during my trip so that I always had my phone ready and charged. - Vicky

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a great idea, but don't depend on it, as not all resorts can accommodate you like this. Go ahead, ask Senior Editor Debra Martin Koma how she knows...

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

For your vegetarian readers -- We had dinner last week at the Garden Grill at the Land in Epcot, and I was talking with our server about vegetarian options. Usually I request a child's dinner in addition to the usual family style fare (even though we travel without kids), because it gives me a few more side dishes to snack on. However, the server told me that they are now serving a vegetable couscous for those who want a vegetarian option. He said they had just started offering it. I'm not usually a fan of couscous, but it was wonderful! I also still sampled the sides from the regular dinner plates. I definitely felt like I had a healthier dinner, instead of just filling up on mashed potatoes and mac and cheese! - Shelley

I make many ADRs for every trip I take to Disney. When it comes to checking in at some restaurants it can, at times, be a noisy, bustling and confusing atmosphere. To make it easier on both myself and the host, I neatly write my name and confirmation number for each ADR on individual sticky notes, which I hand to the host when I check in. I've found that having the information on paper in front of them cuts down on any confusion (about the spelling of my name, etc.) and allows them to look up the reservation more effeciently and quickly. - Juliette Miranda

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.

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.

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.

Food & Wine Festival - To get the most "bang for our buck" from the experience, I save our Disney Reward Dollars from the Disney Visa and use the "reward card" to purchase from all of the vendors. I can swipe the card and get a printout of my balance. It takes some of the pain out of spending so much at Epcot during this time. We try just about EVERYTHING around the World. - Susan Black

Food & Wine Festival - We absolutely LOVE Epcot's Food and Wine Festival and would go every year if we could! The first time we attended we quickly discovered that even when we shared each country's offerings, we'd become full way too fast and never get a chance to try everything. So now we try to plan at least two days (three is better) to munch our way around the World. We carry a program with us that lists the offerings in each country. Then we do every OTHER food stand! It gives us the chance to walk a bit between "meals." We make sure to mark off the items that we try in each country. Then, when we return the next time, we visit the food stands that we bypassed on our first visit. If we do have a third day to spend at Epcot, and if we managed to make our way around the World on our second visit, we return to those stands where we really enjoyed the offerings and have seconds! Otherwise we just pick up where we left off. It is also great fun to attend with another adventurous couple! Be sure to attend any seminars being offered, and if there are any wine tastings going on, do those, as well! - Donna Brewer

Please be aware if you have food restrictions or allergies that hopping from booth to booth can take a while. At each booth they will have to call a chef to clear what the ingredients are for the food served and this can take up to 10-15 minutes. This becomes hard when the rest of your group is ready to move on. (Kay)

Food & Wine Festival - Most people don't realize that the Food & Wine Festival stands have a "sneak peek" on the day before the Festival officially opens. It was a great time to sample the food and wine offerings with little or no wait... - Elaine P.

Wilderness Lodge - Just returned from a week at WL and they now have a photopass counter in the hotel as well as sessions (for a fee) with photographers for pictures around the lodge - Lesley

I have been very nervous about making Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs), especially since I feel like I am making them "last minute" with only about a month to go before our trip. After several phone calls, trying to get character meals booked and a couple of other "fun" reservations for my family, I realized that my notes were a mess and I couldn't decipher them all. With more than a little hesitation I called WDW-DINE and expected to get an unhappy CM who would have to go through many computer screens and so forth to help me sort it all out. However, I did one thing right. I made all the reservations under the same phone number (my cell) and I knew what that number was. Just by typing in my number the CM was able to pull up all my reservations in one list and read them back to me. So my tip: make sure you make your ADRs all under the same phone number, and know that number. It would have been very easy for me to have mistakenly used my husband's cell number for some, or our home number, or our hotel number, especially since the ADRs were made over a period of a few weeks and multiple phone calls (looking for cancellations, etc). - Rebecca Addison

Flower and Garden Festival - If you plan on seeing any of the Flower Power concert acts, keep in mind that only the front part of the American Gardens Theater is covered. If being seated out of the sun or rain is important to you, you need to be in line at least 1-2 hours before the show time. - Jack Marshall