Food and Wine Festival starting time?

[FredS]

We're going on a four-day cruise in October, followed by a couple of days at BWV. Got excited because we realized that the F&W festival begins while we are there. Thought it started on Friday (we leave mid-day on Saturday) so figured we would take advantage of opening day. Now we've learned that it doesn't start until Saturday and since we will have to leave Epcot early in the afternoon began wondering if we could experience it since we have no idea when things actually gear up.

Will vendors with samples, etc. be set up promptly at 11:00 a.m. or does it not get rolling until sometime later in the day? We can be there promptly when WS opens and do some serious sampling in an hour or so, but won't even plan on attempting it if things aren't scheduled to begin when WS opens.

Anyone have a specific schedule or have experience in hitting the F&W festival first thing? Thanks!

 

[betterlatethannever]

Hmm. I thought it started on Friday also.

Anyway, the booths open at11:00. There may be some that aren't open because of food delivery delays etc., but most should be open at 11:00.

That's what we do. We fly on a Friday, do some sampling where there are short lines. We come back on Saturday first thing. The lines typicallly get long shortly after openning. We keep on walking until we get to a booth with short/no lines. You definitely don't want to be part of the group that goes from booth to booth forming lines as they go. Get ahead of them, and then backtrack to the ones you skip. If you only have an hour, you sure don't wnat to be waiting in lines .

Ed

 

[FredS]

Ed,

According to Disney's website, it starts Saturday, October 18th. I definitely was under the impression that it started on Friday, and also vaguely remember a cast member mentioning to us something about them (CM's) traditionally going on the first Friday night that it opens, and many of them getting a bit tipsy. His description was also like a "soft opening" as Saturday may be the first full-fledged, official day but Friday there were vendors but perhaps things weren't fully set up. I hope that perhaps this pans out and something is ready on Friday.

If things are ready to go at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, even, then you can bet our family will be standing in WS with lots of dollar bills. A sampler lunch before departing for the airport is better than missing it altogether!