2021 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival - Concluded on November 20, 2021

[WDWEPCOT]

Omg LOVED the wine & beer pairings best thing I’ve been to next to PFTS !!! I do hope they do it !!!

 

[Geomom]

Is any part of the Flower and Garden Festival similar to the Food and Wine Festival?

They're very similar. Food kiosks for both, just different menus/kiosk names. Flower and Garden tends to have more focus on healthier foods and lots of topiaries, etc. Both have themed scavenger hunts (maps cost $7-$9 and you redeem the completed map for a prize.). In normal years there would be themed seminars for both festivals, a few free, many of them cost $. Weekend entertainment at America Gardens... currently local cover bands but pre-covid would have bands you've heard of.

 

[jesswindsor]

Can't Wait!! We have a trip booked Starting Oct 1st!!

 

[randumb0]

Omg LOVED the wine & beer pairings best thing I’ve been to next to PFTS !!! I do hope they do it !!!

doubtful

 

[WDWEPCOT]

I am too but a person can dream !!

 

[LovesTimone]

What was it like in 2020?

DH and I are locals, and AP holders, we went a couple of times... It was pretty much like the early days of food and wine. Just alot less people, except on the weekends, when all us locals would be out supporting the Mouse that we all love!

For Us we really enjoyed it, a few tastings, some adult beverages, and people watching... While there weren't as many booths, It really for us didn't take away from the fact we were there, and grabbing some Disney Magic and Pixie Dust was really wonderful. With everything else that was going on in the world it was just so nice to be out, and around other people in a place that we all love...

 

[ShannyMcB]

I stumbled on a disney blogger article about what to bring to food & wine and it was suggested take out containers. Is that a thing? Does anyone recommend it?
I am wondering if it may be worth it when it comes to sending one adult to retrieve food while the other wrangles the kids

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I stumbled on a disney blogger article about what to bring to food & wine and it was suggested take out containers. Is that a thing? Does anyone recommend it?
I am wondering if it may be worth it when it comes to sending one adult to retrieve food while the other wrangles the kids

Interesting. I typically have zip-top bags with me for certain things that might keep well (e.g. half a pretzel or a cookie) but haven't brought containers. Generally feel like a lot of the items aren't going to keep well (particularly in the heat), might be challenging to keep upright and I am also not someone who enjoys lugging stuff around.

I saw a post earlier in this thread, I think, from someone who was interested in taking food back to family in an EPCOT resort. In that case, I might suggest bringing some containers and even a bag/cooler as the individual booths don't have anything but the individual "boats" or cups in which they serve the dishes. They do not have big trays like you'd find at a quick-serve.

As part of the festival-themed merchandise, they will likely be selling a small tray with a cut out to fit a cup. Google "Epcot F&W festival tray" and you'll see several examples. I've heard others say they've found more generic (& potentially cheaper) options online or in local wine shops. I don't always use the tray but it's light-weight and easy enough to stick in my bag and I have found it to be helpful when I'm the only one at the booth and trying to transport multiple dishes and drinks over to where my party is waiting at a table ... or even when I'm solo but have both a dish and a drink and somehow need to also grab some utensils/napkins. The tray is pretty small though ... don't think you're fitting more than 2 dishes and a drink on it.

As I'm thinking about it, I suppose you could use the bottom of a disposable container you could find in the supermarket as a sort of tray -- would also have sides to prevent spills and is cheap enough that you wouldn't mind tossing it when done. I also just saw on Amazon a set of 20 foldup cardboard trays for ~$15. Or a set of corrugated flat trays for $20. These would be easy to pack and could come in handy for transporting from booth(s) to wherever your group is waiting. I may get the foldup trays. Edited to add- found a lot of disposable bamboo trays on Amazon as well... definitely worth checking out.

 

[redboat45]

I stumbled on a disney blogger article about what to bring to food & wine and it was suggested take out containers. Is that a thing? Does anyone recommend it?
I am wondering if it may be worth it when it comes to sending one adult to retrieve food while the other wrangles the kids

It's definitely worth it if you're doing one of the strolls. We did the cookie stroll last December and boy do I wish I had brought ziplocks! Even for 3 people it was a LOT of cookies!

 

[123SA]

What does this mean as far as park hopping is concerned? If I have a park reservation at MK, but I also have park hoppers, can I reasonably expect to be able to hop to Epcot (in August)?

An Important Message
In-park dining requires a park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date for each person in your party ages 3 and up.

 

[jbrinkm]

What does this mean as far as park hopping is concerned? If I have a park reservation at MK, but I also have park hoppers, can I reasonably expect to be able to hop to Epcot (in August)?

Yes, that is just a disclaimer to cover themselves if for some reason you were denied entry - although they state it is a possibility, in reality, it has not happened to date. No one, as far as we are aware, has been denied entry for hopping after 2pm. Obviously if you don't have a park reservation for Epcot, your meal reservation would need to be after 2pm.

 

[preemiemama]

What does this mean as far as park hopping is concerned? If I have a park reservation at MK, but I also have park hoppers, can I reasonably expect to be able to hop to Epcot (in August)?

An Important Message
In-park dining requires a park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date for each person in your party ages 3 and up.

Yes, you are allowed to hop to another park after 2 pm with an ADR if you have park hoppers and if they have availability for you to hop. It's not guaranteed, but there have not been any reports of anyone unable to hop since it was brought back. This was including crowded days like during spring break.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

What does this mean as far as park hopping is concerned? If I have a park reservation at MK, but I also have park hoppers, can I reasonably expect to be able to hop to Epcot (in August)?

An Important Message
In-park dining requires a park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date for each person in your party ages 3 and up.

Agree with previous posters, there have been no reported issues with hopping so I wouldn't anticipate any issues. The one caveat to hopping is that, under current policy, you MUST enter the primary park you have reserved for the day in order to hop later. So, in other words, you couldn't wake up that day, decide you wanted to do a pool day instead of MK and just arrive at EPCOT after 2 ... you would have to either enter MK earlier in the day or be able to switch your park reservation from MK to EP (in which case you could obviously enter before 2). Things are changing quickly lately so the policy could change between now and August.

 

[redboat45]

What does this mean as far as park hopping is concerned? If I have a park reservation at MK, but I also have park hoppers, can I reasonably expect to be able to hop to Epcot (in August)?

An Important Message
In-park dining requires a park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date for each person in your party ages 3 and up.

Should be able to hop no problem. Also, I was able to make and ADR for Epcot on a day we had DHS reservations in April. So, the disclaimer isn't even true. lol

 

[CarolynFH]

What does this mean as far as park hopping is concerned? If I have a park reservation at MK, but I also have park hoppers, can I reasonably expect to be able to hop to Epcot (in August)?

An Important Message
In-park dining requires a park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date for each person in your party ages 3 and up.

As others have said, SO FAR it hasn't been a problem. Just pay attention to what's going on during your trip - for instance, I wouldn't be surprised if Disney doesn't allow park hopping to MK (or less likely Epcot since it's so much larger) on July 1, with fireworks starting. Just think how many guests couldn't get park reservations for MK (or Epcot) those days and plan to hop there after tapping into AK or DHS! I'm NOT saying they won't allow it, just that I won't be surprised if they don't allow it, or if they close MK (or Epcot) to park hopping after a certain number of guests hop there - just to prevent the park from becoming overwhelmed with guests. Keep the Park Hopping Availability phone number 407-560-5000 in your phone!

 

[fabfemmeboy]

I stumbled on a disney blogger article about what to bring to food & wine and it was suggested take out containers. Is that a thing? Does anyone recommend it?
I am wondering if it may be worth it when it comes to sending one adult to retrieve food while the other wrangles the kids

Depends on how far you're sending the adult to retrieve the food and how many places they're retrieving it from!

Trays are useful for things like that, moreso than takeout containers. They also make it easier to eat at a bench instead of at a table if the tables are full.

As for takeout containers...I would second something to put cookies and such in but caution against more than that for most items. With a few specific exceptions, they really wouldn't keep well enough to be worth it.

 

[mom2elle]

We are just over 2 weeks away from F&W - when will we see some menus??

 

[Tess]

We are just over 2 weeks away from F&W - when will we see some menus??

Perhaps when F&G ends.

 

[crazy4wdw]

We are just over 2 weeks away from F&W - when will we see some menus??

Hopefully very soon!

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I stumbled on a disney blogger article about what to bring to food & wine and it was suggested take out containers. Is that a thing? Does anyone recommend it?
I am wondering if it may be worth it when it comes to sending one adult to retrieve food while the other wrangles the kids

I have tried this, and it's kind of a pain in the butt. Carrying around something like that, even in a backpack, became more annoying than it was worth to me. When I'm with other people we do that divide & conquer thing, but sometimes that's just soooooo much walking that it's easier to stick together. With kids I could see it being worth it though, like if one adult goes to a few booths while the other goes on a ride with the kids. If you do bring a container, something that can collapse/fold down when not in use is going to be ideal.