DCA Food & Wine: no thanks!

[VandVsmama]

The food and wine revelers got more rowdy as Saturday afternoon and evening went on. I kind of want to avoid food and wine time altogether on our next trip.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

The food and wine revelers got more rowdy as Saturday afternoon and evening went on. I kind of want to avoid food and wine time altogether on our next trip.

Wow, I’m kind of surprised. Granted, I’ve only been going for a few years now but I’ve never really seen drunk and obnoxious people. Side note: You have to drop some serious cash to get drunk at those prices!

 

[VandVsmama]

Wow, I’m kind of surprised. Granted, I’ve only been going for a few years now but I’ve never really seen drunk and obnoxious people. Side note: You have to drop some serious cash to get drunk at those prices!

We encountered groups of people who were pretty loud, chugging an entire beer just before getting on a ride, messing around with each other, shoving, pushing, getting in each others' faces, being disruptive & also totally oblivious all at the same time. It was bad enough that I pretty much hate DCA during Food & Wine now. I don't care how good the food might taste. If we end up at DL resort during Food & Wine again, there is absolutely no way I will go to DCA on a Friday or Saturday evening. I'd only go to DCA during the morning and be out of there before noon.

And I'm now pretty certain that I will never want to go to Epcot's Food & Wine or Flower & Garden festivals either.

 

[gottalovepluto]

We were there Friday from around 2 - 5. We got a table in the Wine Bar area next to WCT for our base of operations, but there were standing tables available in several spots throughout the booths. I guess I just didn't notice the music, I didn't hear anything that annoyed me. We get the Sip and Savor pass and split it between the 2 of us. The tenderloin slider and the cheese soup in a mini bread bowl were delicious. The corn nuggets weren't bad, a little too sweet for me. We still have some tabs left for another visit.
The mead at the booth near Goofy's Sky School and Paradise Park was delicious! It's a local meadery for us, but had never tasted that flavor of theirs before, sweet and tangy, like a good berry pie.
We have been there on weekends when it's busier, but we always seem to be able to find a table, sometimes you just have to be in the right place when someone leaves.

“Base of operations” = Top Tip

We do the same thing, in DCA or Epcot. It’s definitely easiest if we can find a bench or standing table or full table like you found or even planter/stairs to turn into a base of operations and dispatch people from there.

 

[gottalovepluto]

We encountered groups of people who were pretty loud, chugging an entire beer just before getting on a ride, messing around with each other, shoving, pushing, getting in each others' faces, being disruptive & also totally oblivious all at the same time. It was bad enough that I pretty much hate DCA during Food & Wine now. I don't care how good the food might taste. If we end up at DL resort during Food & Wine again, there is absolutely no way I will go to DCA on a Friday or Saturday evening. I'd only go to DCA during the morning and be out of there before noon.

And I'm now pretty certain that I will never want to go to Epcot's Food & Wine or Flower & Garden festivals either.

I’m all for less people at Epcot’s festivals but in the spirit of fair play lots of drunks are only reported to be truely problematic Fri-Sat there as well.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

We encountered groups of people who were pretty loud, chugging an entire beer just before getting on a ride, messing around with each other, shoving, pushing, getting in each others' faces, being disruptive & also totally oblivious all at the same time. It was bad enough that I pretty much hate DCA during Food & Wine now. I don't care how good the food might taste. If we end up at DL resort during Food & Wine again, there is absolutely no way I will go to DCA on a Friday or Saturday evening. I'd only go to DCA during the morning and be out of there before noon.

And I'm now pretty certain that I will never want to go to Epcot's Food & Wine or Flower & Garden festivals either.

Ugh, that sounds awful! I would have been really annoyed. Not the place people!

 

[bethwc101]

We encountered groups of people who were pretty loud, chugging an entire beer just before getting on a ride, messing around with each other, shoving, pushing, getting in each others' faces, being disruptive & also totally oblivious all at the same time. It was bad enough that I pretty much hate DCA during Food & Wine now. I don't care how good the food might taste. If we end up at DL resort during Food & Wine again, there is absolutely no way I will go to DCA on a Friday or Saturday evening. I'd only go to DCA during the morning and be out of there before noon.

And I'm now pretty certain that I will never want to go to Epcot's Food & Wine or Flower & Garden festivals either.

Ugh, that sounds awful! I would have been really annoyed. Not the place people!

We tend to avoid the DCA issues from F&W if we go in the morning. We have run into our fair share of rowdy drunks during regular season and especially during F&W, but we have found if we do early entry at DCA then leave about 11, then hop over to DL we tend to miss most of them. We try not to go during F&W because one time (2 years or so ago) a couple drunks were pushing and shoving each other with their beers in line for RSR. The one shoved the other and knocked into my brother who was 8 at the time knocking him over and spilling beer all over him. A CM came over very quickly and got us out of line and shortly security escorted them out. They gave my brother a change of clothes and went to the front of RSR, and this was around noon. But now we just won't go over to DCA in the evening during regular season and starting around lunch during F&W. We think the issue is people start drinking earlier in the day during F&W as opposed to the rest of the year.
I guess that is one of the reasons why I wish they would keep Disneyland dry. But i know that is a controversial topic.

 

[DLgal]

We encountered groups of people who were pretty loud, chugging an entire beer just before getting on a ride, messing around with each other, shoving, pushing, getting in each others' faces, being disruptive & also totally oblivious all at the same time. It was bad enough that I pretty much hate DCA during Food & Wine now. I don't care how good the food might taste. If we end up at DL resort during Food & Wine again, there is absolutely no way I will go to DCA on a Friday or Saturday evening. I'd only go to DCA during the morning and be out of there before noon.

And I'm now pretty certain that I will never want to go to Epcot's Food & Wine or Flower & Garden festivals either.

Um...beer is available year round at DCA. I have, with a group of people, in the middle of a weekday (noon-ish) chugged a beer before getting on a ride. More than once. Maybe we were a bit loud and excited. We were certainly not getting physical with each other or impacting anyone else's visit. We are grown adults who know how to behave, even when under the influence.

Idiot behavior isn't limited to the F&W festival. People act like that year round. I visit enough times every year to see that kind of behavior weekly. It's usually NON drunk teens behaving like animals, though.

You could have alerted security if people in your vicinity were acting in a way that makes you uncomfortable. They would have looked into it and taken action if necessary.

 

[Gaugersaurus]

Idiot behavior isn't limited to the F&W festival. People act like that year round. I visit enough times every year to see that kind of behavior weekly. It's usually NON drunk teens behaving like animals, though.

I agree that people who act this way during F&W usually act like this year round. F&W may increase the variety of alcohol in the park but it doesn't help people consume more that they would've any other time of the year.

Also teens are consistently the worst as far as behavior goes. I'm still pretty young and I don't think I ever acted the way I some of them do when I was that age.

 

[mich311e]

I agree that people who act this way during F&W usually act like this year round. F&W may increase the variety of alcohol in the park but it doesn't help people consume more that they would've any other time of the year.

The beer at F&W usually costs more than the usual spots.

I like to have a beer while I'm standing in line for TSMM.

 

[camperson]

We agree that the music loop is weird. Much prefer the live bands -- Phat Cat Swinger is fun. Yes to the need for more tables. We manage to find little places to eat because I am notoriously bad at trying to eat and walk at the same time. Let's just say the ducks love me for providing so many snacks on the walkway for them. We can manage to find seating, but it isn't always easy. Drunk people? Don't get me started.

do you quite know every song on the loop, or where a playlist of all the songs could be?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

do you quite know every song on the loop, or where a playlist of all the songs could be?

Welcome to the DIS Boards! The quote below is from earlier in this same thread. It has some of the songs listed and says the playlist can be found on YouTube. If you need more information, ask that poster.

LOL...that is Gwen Stefani. I never knew the actual playlist artists and songs until just now. I looked it up on You Tube. Surprised to see Snoop Dogg on there too. I thought it sounded like him, but was like "nah...Disney wouldn't play his music in the park."

So, going by the list, I only like a few songs:

Sunshine by Matisyahu
California Dreamin by Freischwimmer
Where Would I Be by Gwen Stefani

 

[mentos]

Food and Wine is our excuse to dump the kids off at grandma’s and come to the parks to do some adult Disney stuff (ie overpriced but delicious salmon ceviche) and gratuitously post food photos on Instagram Stories

 

[Cal-Pie]

Looks like I missed this thread back in March because I was at the parks at the time. I could totally do without Food and Winos (as it is known in our family ). Get those booths off the parade route and bring back PTN!

 

[camperson]

LOL...that is Gwen Stefani. I never knew the actual playlist artists and songs until just now. I looked it up on You Tube. Surprised to see Snoop Dogg on there too. I thought it sounded like him, but was like "nah...Disney wouldn't play his music in the park."

So, going by the list, I only like a few songs:

Sunshine by Matisyahu
California Dreamin by Freischwimmer
Where Would I Be by Gwen Stefani

do you know any other songs or where i could find a playlist with the rest?

 

[camperson]

Welcome to the DIS Boards! The quote below is from earlier in this same thread. It has some of the songs listed and says the playlist can be found on YouTube. If you need more information, ask that poster.

okay, thank you! and i will ask that poster, thanks for the greeting and help.

 

[DLgal]

do you know any other songs or where i could find a playlist with the rest?

The songs are listed in the video description.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

I didn't catch this thread at the time, but I was at DCA during the F&W earlier this year. I didn't know it would be going on, and was confused about why it was so crowded. Then I saw the booths. The food seem way overpriced for how much you get. I found it very annoying that the walkway from Carthay Circle to Carsland was completely clogged up with people.

 

[ej119]

I actually really like the playlist, but it is very short and hasn't been updated since F&W relaunched in 2016. Every year DH and I attend wondering if this will be the year it gets updated lol.

 

[YayforMickey]

I have started to plan our trips to Disneyland at times when there are no food festivals. I find them to be a big negative on our DCA experience. I wish they were in Downtown Disney instead.