2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival *HAS ENDED*

[Horace Horsecollar]

Thanks for the response! Is the ticket pick-up not at the festival center like for the other events?

You'll excuse my ignorance, I am a first timer

The ticket pickup in the Festival Center is for culinary demos, beverage seminars, and mixology sessions in the Festival Center.

For other events, including wine dinners and afternoon wine pairings, there are no tickets. Check-in is at the event. You're on a list. You don't need to bring a confirmation e-mail, but it wouldn't hurt to have it.

It's been a few years since we've done PFTS, but check-in was outside near the entrance to World Showplace (former Millennium Village). There may now also be a check-in location near the America Gardens Theatre, although I hadn't noticed this in previous years.

 

[JenKatt]

If you are doing WVL or Reserved seating, the wristband pick up is right in front of MilVill. And despite the doors not suppose to be open until 7:15 for WVL and Reserved seating, they've been letting people in much earlier

 

[TDC Nala]

I've checked in for PFTS outside the theater in previous years - not this year though - doesn't mean you can't do it, just that I didn't go over there this time. Not for Wine View Lounge as I've never done Wine View Lounge but I don't see why they can't check you in at the concert if they're still doing that, don't they just have a different color wristband?

 

[marinadca]

Thanks for all the info everyone!!

 

[west&east]

Wine View Lounge this year had no wristband. We were given a pin with a magnetic back which rocked- no tearing your clothes! We were told that if we went to the concert, we would still have to check in before the party again, but we didn't go to the concert so I can't confirm.

 

[onelilspark]

Is it all PFTS levels that you can get reserved seating for the concert? (We're just general admission, no reserved seating)

If so, which concert do you get the wristbands for?

 

[TDC Nala]

If you have a Chase credit or debit card, you can get wristbands for the concerts starting at 9 AM at the Festival Center Chase Lounge, you don't have to wait for the PFTS ones.

I haven't done the concert thing via PFTS since they had three levels though, so I don't really know.

 

[onelilspark]

If you have a Chase credit or debit card, you can get wristbands for the concerts starting at 9 AM at the Festival Center Chase Lounge, you don't have to wait for the PFTS ones.

I haven't done the concert thing via PFTS since they had three levels though, so I don't really know.

Thanks.

We weren't planning on getting to the park until a little before PFTS, I was just debating when we should go in based on the concert

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

We had reserved seats for the Oct 20 PFTS. Here's what happened:

4 of us checked in around 5:00, got blue wristbands at the entrance to World Showcase Pavillion, right near where Off Kilter plays. Went to the early showing of Survivor, got seats 3 rows in on the left side. (Great show, btw!)

After it ended, we wondered what we were going to do for an hour or so since we heard reserved seating gets in 7:15. So we headed back to the pavillion, where they told us they were letting reserved seats in at 6:55, you are welcome to go inside or wait on the lawn just outside the building. Ok, so we went inside. They had a roped off area on the left, and a lot of people were in the middle area, standing or sitting down, with their glasses and plates already. We were told to go to the left, but stay to the right, as they were making 2 lines. So the far left line went in first, I think they went in more like 6:55. By the time we got to go in, it was more like 7:15. There were servers waiting with trays of a rose colored champagne in glasses for us. (Which I didn't like). Went to our table, which was already reserved for us, with the name of our party, right up by the stage. My biggest complaint was that they used the same size table for 2 people or 4. So with this champagne toast, a PFTS wine glass, water glass, and plate for 4 people, it was tight. At least it was reserved and we didn't have to figure out where to stand/sit. That in itself was worth every extra penny.

We noticed that the Wine View Lounge was a section that was in the center back of the room. Two people "guarded" a special entrance to that area, and we saw cheese and wine tables set up just for those people. And the tables were larger. Somehow I thought "view" meant higher up, but this was in the same room. What surprised me was how they had the worst seats for the show, as there was a walkway in front of them where the non-reserved gathered to watch, and then there were the reserved tables by the stage, where we were. So the standing people blocked their view. It was actually difficult to make our way back to our seats from the wall of people that were standing up trying to see the show if we had gotten up to get more food/wine.

Speaking of wine - so this was the second PFTS we had ever gone to.. I forget how long ago the other one was, but let me tell you, they were quite stingy with their pours! And the glasses that we took home were considerably smaller than the ones we got previously. So basically 2 sips and then it was back to try another.

Food was great, next time I'm going to let my husband find the food and I will find the wine. I wanted to try everything but I got waaay too full!!

Bottom line, we would do it again, and get a reserved table again. The Wine View Lounge, even with the servers getting you what you wanted, was just not worth it.

Hopes this helps someone!!

I am not sure how you know the Wine View Lounge was not worth it based on what you posted....

As I said earlier in this thread on a dollar cost it may not be "worth it" but I think for my enjoyment it was "worth it" and will do it again. I could see 90% of the show, but honestly I didn't go for the show LOL! I also did not have the problem you had getting back to my table if the show was going on as the entrace to the lounge was well away from the walkway.

The service was outstanding and the atmosphere was just much nicer... (and I didn't have to worry about "table squatters" LOL! )

Reading this thread with the more updated information pretty much has me convinced that this is the only way I will do PFTS again.

 

[polly p]

I am not sure how you know the Wine View Lounge was not worth it based on what you posted....

As I said earlier in this thread on a dollar cost it may not be "worth it" but I think for my enjoyment it was "worth it" and will do it again. I could see 90% of the show, but honestly I didn't go for the show LOL! I also did not have the problem you had getting back to my table if the show was going on as the entrace to the lounge was well away from the walkway.

The service was outstanding and the atmosphere was just much nicer... (and I didn't have to worry about "table squatters" LOL! )

Reading this thread with the more updated information pretty much has me convinced that this is the only way I will do PFTS again.

I totally agree! Our first year at PFTS we had general seating and while it was OK, we thoroughly enjoyed WVL 10/20. Our service was outstanding and it was so relaxed compared to previous year. When we go back in a few years, we will definitely try to book WVL again. I felt it was worth the money!

 

[LisaS]

Ugg. Did this happen to anyone else with the reserved seating? I was hoping DH and I could walk around together too, but it will stink if we have to "kick someone out" from our table and feel bad about it.

I think the reason our table was a popular target is that it was on the outer edge of the reserved seating area and very close to the wide walkway. With so many people walking by, I guess some of them just took a chance and sat down when we weren't there.

 

[PatriciaH]

I think the reason our table was a popular target is that it was on the outer edge of the reserved seating area and very close to the wide walkway. With so many people walking by, I guess some of them just took a chance and sat down when we weren't there.

Thanks. Hopefully our table will stay reserved

 

[JenKatt]

Went to PFTS last night, WVL again. I'm happy to say we had a better experience than the one on the 6th, although I'm still not convinced it's worth the ridiculous upcharge from the reserved seats.
They let us into the WVL from the lobby about 6:45. We were seated and having done this before, once we were settled, we got up to explore. I hit up a few booths and upon my return one of the WVL "minders" reprimanded me for hitting up the booths that early. He was under the impression that we weren't suppose to be out until 7:15. About a minute later the manager walked over to him and corrected him, WVL was allowed to be out that early. Unlike the first week, reserved seating wasn't allowed immediately in like we were. I would say about 7:15 (the official time) they were allowed in. And this week both WVL and the reserved seats were given champagne as a cocktail upon entering.
The food was definitely more unusual this time. California Grill had a dish with Doritos foam. Fair enough it tasted just like Doritos. I was not impressed, but I don't eat Doritos. DH does and loved it.
The WVL additional food offerings this week were better. They had an AMAZING steamed pork bun. We loved it so much we joked with the chef if you have any left over, bring them to table 17 (our table). And she did. The second offering was a pumpkin doughnut with Grand Marnier ice cream and a coffee whipped cream. I don't like pumpkin and it was amazing.
They also brought out an additional dish for my mom since we were celebrating her birthday, hand crafted chocolates and macaroons. I really nice touch.
We had a very long conversation with Lauren the GM for the WVL. She spoke honestly about the complaints people have had about it this year. Number one was the lack of a view. They were aggressively keeping people out of the walkway this year. The CMs were walking up and down the walkway anytime a performer was out doing a pretty decent job about keeping some semblance of a view. I was very appreciative. Apparently management has gone round and round about how to fix it, including putting WVL where the reserved seats are now. But if they do that, then you lose the open bar and most likely the extra food stations. Lauren was also interested in hearing what the gift bags previous years had and how lackluster this year's are (again, I never cared until this year, but since they are charging that much more for WVL, there needs to be justification). I also asked desperately for decent coffee in the WVL. This year it seems that the coffee, even the specialty ones are just recycled Nescafe.
Unfortunately I didn't realize until late into the evening that they did have some higher end wines (not just some of the ones from the floor) at the bar and they were pouring VERY full glasses (and not the souvenir glasses you used for the booths). I did however know this time that you could keep the glasses from the beer vendors, so we have a nice collection from Radeburger and InBev.
I think we will give WVL another try next year. I appreciated the effort that was being put in to fixing it from the first week. I hope by next year it is back to a different tier and not just a jacked up price. But then again it's Disney and it wouldn't surprise me that they don't fix what's wrong with the WVL but instead raise the price of reserved seating so there isn't such a difference in price.

 

[dawnball]

With all the talk of drunken people at F&W - how big are those wine pours? I'd figured that they were in the 3oz range - but if they're 5-6oz pours, I may need to convince my sister to drink half my wine.

 

[LVSWL]

Most disgusting thing in Epcot last night was a group of young people (early 20's) by the fountain in France. Clearly very drunk. One in the group offered one of the guys $100 to go to the bathroom in the fountain and the guy almost did it. Had his hand on his zipper and looked ready to go. Ugh! The look of horror on the kid sitting 3 feet away on the side of the fountain mirrored what we were feeling.

 

[Extiger]

We had reserved seats for the Oct 20 PFTS. Here's what happened:

4 of us checked in around 5:00, got blue wristbands at the entrance to World Showcase Pavillion, right near where Off Kilter plays. Went to the early showing of Survivor, got seats 3 rows in on the left side. (Great show, btw!)

After it ended, we wondered what we were going to do for an hour or so since we heard reserved seating gets in 7:15. So we headed back to the pavillion, where they told us they were letting reserved seats in at 6:55, you are welcome to go inside or wait on the lawn just outside the building. Ok, so we went inside. They had a roped off area on the left, and a lot of people were in the middle area, standing or sitting down, with their glasses and plates already. We were told to go to the left, but stay to the right, as they were making 2 lines. So the far left line went in first, I think they went in more like 6:55. By the time we got to go in, it was more like 7:15. There were servers waiting with trays of a rose colored champagne in glasses for us. (Which I didn't like). Went to our table, which was already reserved for us, with the name of our party, right up by the stage. My biggest complaint was that they used the same size table for 2 people or 4. So with this champagne toast, a PFTS wine glass, water glass, and plate for 4 people, it was tight. At least it was reserved and we didn't have to figure out where to stand/sit. That in itself was worth every extra penny.

We noticed that the Wine View Lounge was a section that was in the center back of the room. Two people "guarded" a special entrance to that area, and we saw cheese and wine tables set up just for those people. And the tables were larger. Somehow I thought "view" meant higher up, but this was in the same room. What surprised me was how they had the worst seats for the show, as there was a walkway in front of them where the non-reserved gathered to watch, and then there were the reserved tables by the stage, where we were. So the standing people blocked their view. It was actually difficult to make our way back to our seats from the wall of people that were standing up trying to see the show if we had gotten up to get more food/wine.

Speaking of wine - so this was the second PFTS we had ever gone to.. I forget how long ago the other one was, but let me tell you, they were quite stingy with their pours! And the glasses that we took home were considerably smaller than the ones we got previously. So basically 2 sips and then it was back to try another.

Food was great, next time I'm going to let my husband find the food and I will find the wine. I wanted to try everything but I got waaay too full!!

Bottom line, we would do it again, and get a reserved table again. The Wine View Lounge, even with the servers getting you what you wanted, was just not worth it.

Hopes this helps someone!!

We also attended on 10/20 and were in the WVL and enjoyed it. It was nice to have a less crowded area to eat in. The tables were nice size and the service excellent. I agree the wine pours were short, but more chance to try several different ones. I also agree the view of the entertainment was sometimes blocked by people standing in front of us, but not the worst in the building. Disney can do better. The food was great. My favorite was the Waygu slider. It was very nice to nosh away at our table when the floodgates opened.

We arrived about 6:50 and were ushered right in. When the

 

[marinadca]

We also did WVL this past Saturday (Table 18, so we must have right by the previous poster!). I think they did a nice job keeping the walkway free until the last performance, we had to get up and stand in the back in order to see anything.

Overall, I think the experience was great, but I am not sure it is worth the hefty price tag. However, I really enjoyed the nice calm atmosphere in the WVL versus the main area so I will likely do it again.

Our strategy was to get 4-5 dishes, a pour of wine and sit and eat this. We repeated a few times, and it was a very good experience for us.

As for the drunk people....yes we saw that group in France last night....shudder!

 

[onelilspark]

I did general admission on Saturday's PFTS. I enjoy walking around, stopping at the high top tables instead of sitting. There was a huge lack of those high top tables compared to 2 years ago. I was fairly disappointed by that.

The food and drink was good, but I'm not sure we will do it again until I hear they've fixed that situation...

 

[MaxsDad]

I did general admission on Saturday's PFTS. I enjoy walking around, stopping at the high top tables instead of sitting. There was a huge lack of those high top tables compared to 2 years ago. I was fairly disappointed by that.

The food and drink was good, but I'm not sure we will do it again until I hear they've fixed that situation...

Just curious, did you mention this to guest services? That would be the best way to attempt to get the situation fixed. It seems as though a few people have said this was an issue now.

 

[swandiverpatt]

We actually did get the Sweet Seats. This is our first time so we weren't sure what to expect. Also, my dad had heart surgery in June so we wanted to make sure at least he had a seat. I'm really excited for it too! I'm surprised there's not more reviews!

Come and have a great time. I've been pouring wine at these events and it is such a great time that I'm sorry to see it over for this year this Friday!