2017 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: August 31, 2017 - November 13, 2017

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Guys remember when the tastings (Sushi, Sake, Sashimi, scotch tasting at UK, Coral Reef, etc.) were $35pp? The Deminars were FREE? There was a FREE beer tasting (UK and near AA at one point?) PFTS was $75pp? They had the Spirited Ball at AA? That would be $300pp today.

How much was a loaf of bread?

In all seriousness, a BUSINESS offering free alcohol and food on this scale seems nutty to me. And if the price was "the best of times", perhaps the stories I've read about drunken free-seminar-goers were "the worst of times"?

 

[rosiect]

To follow up, just got Parisian Breakfast for Nov. 4! The CM was so relieved! CALL!

Me too. Thanks.

 

[PatriciaH]

How much was a loaf of bread?

In all seriousness, a BUSINESS offering free alcohol and food on this scale seems nutty to me. And if the price was "the best of times", perhaps the stories I've read about drunken free-seminar-goers were "the worst of times"?

Never saw anyone drunk back in the day unlike today.

 

[crazy4wdw]

This was the case when we did it a while back... I'm sure others will have more current experiences...

ETA: I went back through my notes from years ago and we DID have our OWN TABLE when we did RESERVED seating!! NOT SO with "guaranteed seating".

Anyone with more recent experiences?? Ours was years ago...

When I did reserved seating a few years ago we were not seated with others (and there were just two of us) . I think the Disney Food Blog said you wouldn't be, but.. Here's what Disney says and it's unclear

"
Category #2: Reserved Seating
Indulge in top-notch treatment, with private table seating on the main floor—your inner connoisseur won’t want to miss it!

• $199 per Guest—plus tax, gratuity included
• Limited availability
• 7:30 PM check-in at the podium located at the World ShowPlace Events Pavilion

Category #3: Guaranteed Seating
Savor mouthwatering samples from dozens of amazing tasting stations as you’re wined, dined and entertained across the main floor!

• $179 per Guest—plus tax, gratuity included
• Limited availability
• Guaranteed seating may have obstructed or distant view
• Please note that you will be seated with other Guests
• 7:30 PM check-in at the World ShowPlace Events Pavilion"

They specifically say "other guests" for Guaranteed, but says "private" for reserved. To me that means you won't be with others, but.... who knows what it means to Disney!

Who knows?

Decided to call back and book the reserved seating, guess what, it's now sold out. So if I want to attend PFTS on 10/21, I'll have to reserve the guaranteed seating. Any thoughts? I've never done PFTS and wanted to try it this year.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Decided to call back and book the reserved seating, guess what, it's now sold out. So if I want to attend PFTS on 10/21, I'll have to reserve the guaranteed seating. Any thoughts? I've never done PFTS and wanted to try it this year.

I've done it both ways and found it to be worth it. It hasn't lined up with either of our trips the past couple of years, or we would have done it again. We preferred reserved seating, but debatable to us whether it was worth the extra money -- totally subjective.

 

[tony67]

How much was a loaf of bread?

In all seriousness, a BUSINESS offering free alcohol and food on this scale seems nutty to me. And if the price was "the best of times", perhaps the stories I've read about drunken free-seminar-goers were "the worst of times"?

Well. we are paying about 90 a day for the privilege of buying overpriced alcohol - and it's not like they were giving us full drinks.
Sam Adams used to do the beer tasting and it was very little beer.

These are basically advertising events for a brand that we are paying for - the nominal fee made sense and it made things a lot better - but now it got out of hand.
It's like taxes and fees - they start with a nominal amount that seems fair - but once they get their foot in the door it's all over

The quality of these things varies greatly as well - some of them have been really good and some of them are complete waste of time.
Pretty much when it is a sales rep they are useless.
The ones that are good are the ones with the owner or master distiller etc..

The two that stick out for me are Troy & Sons - she was really entertaining and has a compelling story to say the least.

The other was Bacardi - it was one of the family members I think and he talked about the history, the Cuba revolution etc..

Too many are a power point sales presentation talking about how great their product is in some other country - when I pay $15 bucks for that I am not happy at all

 

[Astryd]

Has anyone been able to book a Signature Dinner today? I have been trying and they just say its unavailable, but they dont think it is sold out.

 

[tony67]

Never saw anyone drunk back in the day unlike today.

There were problems at some of the really early ones - people pretty much went to every event to get the samples and caused problems - the nominal fees did address that

I was a fan of the nominal fee as it did get you your ticket and reduced the people who would go multiple times just for the freebies

 

[Tinkerbell8956]

This Trader Sams nonsense has been crazy! My mom is DVC and an annual passholder, has been calling multiple times a day since Tuesday and still keeps getting told every time that it hasn't been loaded yet. Yet people on here have booked. Craziness.

 

[cdtommie]

How much was a loaf of bread?

In all seriousness, a BUSINESS offering free alcohol and food on this scale seems nutty to me. And if the price was "the best of times", perhaps the stories I've read about drunken free-seminar-goers were "the worst of times"?

Has nothing to do with drunken free-seminar goers. The vendors donated their product to Disney as a way of promoting their brands. Over the years Disney elected to charge for previously free seminars and raise prices on some of their reasonably priced events to maximize profitability and still requires the vendors to donate their product (there is also likely a fee to participate). Disney even sells wine not used in seminars at the Festival center.

 

[Simba's Mom]

How much was a loaf of bread?

Actually, the free seminars were last in 2008, and I don't think a loaf of bread cost much less than it does now. And I don't remember any drunks that year-not saying there weren't any, maybe I was just lucky enough not to see any.

 

[VictoriaT]

This Trader Sams nonsense has been crazy! My mom is DVC and an annual passholder, has been calling multiple times a day since Tuesday and still keeps getting told every time that it hasn't been loaded yet. Yet people on here have booked. Craziness.

I am guessing not all CM's are well trained in the correct way to access the reservation tool.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Too many are a power point sales presentation talking about how great their product is in some other country - when I pay $15 bucks for that I am not happy at all

This sounds like something I wouldn't want to waste time with even if free. Seems like a different problem.

Over the years Disney elected to charge for previously free seminars and raise prices on some of their reasonably priced events to maximize profitability and still requires the vendors to donate their product (there is also likely a fee to participate). Disney even sells wine not used in seminars at the Festival center.

I guess I don't see an issue with this -- sounds like a business to me. Vendors will either decide that placement at this festival helps THEIR bottom lines or it doesn't. Another business decision.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Actually, the free seminars were last in 2008, and I don't think a loaf of bread cost much less than it does now. And I don't remember any drunks that year-not saying there weren't any, maybe I was just lucky enough not to see any.

I never attended the seminars back when they were free. My kids were really young in 2008 and we stuck mostly to booths, not seminars/deminars. I am going entirely on reports right here on DIS.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Guys remember when the tastings (Sushi, Sake, Sashimi, scotch tasting at UK, Coral Reef, etc.) were $35pp? The Deminars were FREE? There was a FREE beer tasting (UK and near AA at one point?) PFTS was $75pp? They had the Spirited Ball at AA? That would be $300pp today.

http://www.yesterland.com/yesterwine1.html

Never saw anyone drunk back in the day unlike today.

I also remember the people whose whole goal was to get drunk for free at Disney. Get in line, get to first seminar, slam down the samples, get up in the middle of the presentation and get in line for the next one. If you didn't see drunks you weren't looking. By the end of a day they were well and truly wasted.

And then there was the early years where they didn't even make people leave. so you would be on line for an event that seats 25 and because 15 people just stayed in the tent (this was before the festival center some of the presentations were in tent in world showcase) only 10 people got in after standing in the sun for an hour...

Some fee was required, probably not the current fee.

Has nothing to do with drunken free-seminar goers. The vendors donated their product to Disney as a way of promoting their brands. Over the years Disney elected to charge for previously free seminars and raise prices on some of their reasonably priced events to maximize profitability and still requires the vendors to donate their product (there is also likely a fee to participate). Disney even sells wine not used in seminars at the Festival center.

There is a SIGNIFICANT fee to participate. That's why a lot of good small wineries are no longer participating

 

[Tinkerbell8956]

I am guessing not all CM's are well trained in the correct way to access the reservation tool.

Must be the majority of them then, which is unacceptable. She called every hour on the hour today up until 1pm and also called 6 times yesterday and 5 times on Tuesday. Oh well. I think I'm going to call and complain (politely), not that it will do much, but to me this is just poor service and someone needs to be made aware of it.

Luckily we were able to do this last year, so we have done it before. It's a really neat experience. My mom had just been planning on getting this for my husband and I for his birthday.

 

[PatriciaH]

This Trader Sams nonsense has been crazy! My mom is DVC and an annual passholder, has been calling multiple times a day since Tuesday and still keeps getting told every time that it hasn't been loaded yet. Yet people on here have booked. Craziness.

FYI someone on Facebook (Disney Food Blog) booked at 11am for TS on 9/27 today too. So I was not the only one

 

[VictoriaT]

Must be the majority of them then, which is unacceptable. She called every hour on the hour today up until 1pm and also called 6 times yesterday and 5 times on Tuesday. Oh well. I think I'm going to call and complain (politely), not that it will do much, but to me this is just poor service and someone needs to be made aware of it.

Luckily we were able to do this last year, so we have done it before. It's a really neat experience. My mom had just been planning on getting this for my husband and I for his birthday.

I called multiple times starting from 7:00 am on through just after noon. None of the CM's said anything was available. Very frustrating! I don't understand why some things can be booked online, but not others.

 

[PatriciaH]

I also remember the people whose whole goal was to get drunk for free at Disney. Get in line, get to first seminar, slam down the samples, get up in the middle of the presentation and get in line for the next one. If you didn't see drunks you weren't looking. By the end of a day they were well and truly wasted.

And then there was the early years where they didn't even make people leave. so you would be on line for an event that seats 25 and because 15 people just stayed in the tent (this was before the festival center some of the presentations were in tent in world showcase) only 10 people got in after standing in the sun for an hour...

Some fee was required, probably not the current fee.


There is a SIGNIFICANT fee to participate. That's why a lot of good small wineries are no longer participating

Wow! We lived in Celebration and have been going to F&W since 1996 and I do not remember people slamming drinks. I remember it used to be much smaller and we would chat with a lot of locals and visitors in line for the seminars. It was much more of a small cute festival. Now you see big groups of people with matching t shirts stumbling around WS.

 

[The Expert]

Has anyone been able to book a Signature Dinner today? I have been trying and they just say its unavailable, but they dont think it is sold out.

Nope. I've been trying since Tuesday to book one. The first two CMs I spoke to on Tuesday couldn't find it (through both the DVC and FEST numbers). The third found it and said it was "booked" -- which she said "probably" meant early seats were booked. This morning, I got through and they found it, but say it's sold out. I simply don't believe them. Nobody anywhere online has said they've booked the one I'm looking at, so I just have a really hard time trusting that info.