2018 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: August 30 to November 12, 2018

[gottalovepluto]

In the end sleep won out due to the wisdom of those here saying culinary demos prob won't book out on me. Called in at 8am EST, 15 min wait and got our lobster and lamb demos with my gift card.

 

[NMPensFan]

Called and had about an 8 minute wait. Booked the parisean breakfast.

 

[MrsScooby]

Talk about not knowing plans! I just called today to book a culinary demonstration. The CM was very insistent that the chef was serving fish. We verified the date, time, and name of the chef. While I was on the phone, I checked the website and it said duck. Yet, he still insisted that it said fish on his screen, but promised to report the discrepancy. So I'll just show up and see what I'm served. But it's a darn good thing that I don't have an allergy to fish!

What date was this for? I specifically picked a duck/wine pairing because I know my family likes duck. Some don't care for fish so this would be a huge disappointment if this happened to us :-(

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Wondering if Disney may have killed the goose that laid the golden egg.... Amazing lack of buzz about booking on here and on FB. No horror reports of hour waits, no bragging about what people got.....

 

[NoMoneyThanks2Disney]

I would be surprised if there isn’t a huge outcry later on when they finally put up the event details and dates and people call in to find out the events have been available for a while and are sold out by the time the info is uploaded.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Wondering if Disney may have killed the goose that laid the golden egg.... Amazing lack of buzz about booking on here and on FB. No horror reports of hour waits, no bragging about what people got.....

There are usually pages of comments on the first day of booking. Interesting.

 

[tink1957]

I've decided not to book anything this year and just enjoy the booths since nothing much is being offered for my dates. I was going for the Trader Sam's tour but it's been canceled so I'll keep my money.

I may book a lobster demo but I'm still on the fence about it...so disappointed.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Wondering if Disney may have killed the goose that laid the golden egg.... Amazing lack of buzz about booking on here and on FB. No horror reports of hour waits, no bragging about what people got.....

Possibly...my annual post your events thread is pretty dead too

 

[NejTheLion]

Check again tomorrow when general booking opens. No guarantees but in the past they’ve only released a fraction of the seats for early booking and held some back.

I tried this as well. Called in at 7 am Thursday, made it in right away, and both Hibachi dinners we could have done still sold out. I know the seating for those is small, but I really wasn’t expecting dates to sell out when it hasn’t even been announced on the website. Bad form on Disney’s part expecting fan-run sites to pick up the pieces.

 

[ksromack]

Booked my ETTB ressie at Spice Road Table in order to get a good seat for MercyMe.

I LOVE Mercy Me and would have re-adjusted my trip if it hadn't involved 6 of my friends to do so! Lucky girl!

 

[Simba's Mom]

What date was this for? I specifically picked a duck/wine pairing because I know my family likes duck. Some don't care for fish so this would be a huge disappointment if this happened to us :-(

This was for Monday, September 17th. Probably not the same as yours, since there's no wine served at the culinary demos any more. I was wondering when a PP mentioned lamb; if the 17th had been full, I would have gone for a seminar with lamb on the 18th.

 

[Brocktoon]

I've decided not to book anything this year and just enjoy the booths since nothing much is being offered for my dates. I was going for the Trader Sam's tour but it's been canceled so I'll keep my money.

I may book a lobster demo but I'm still on the fence about it...so disappointed.

Currently I haven't found anything that really interests me to book ... it's all sort of meh. In previous years I would have had a list and been battling on the phone and online for reservations. Even the Mix It/Make It is a pale comparison to the Mix It/Shake It event they used to have at Monsieur Paul's a few years back ... that was one of the best events I ever attended but I think it morphed to Parisian Afternoon which just isn't the same

 

[MrsScooby]

I've decided not to book anything this year and just enjoy the booths since nothing much is being offered for my dates. I was going for the Trader Sam's tour but it's been canceled so I'll keep my money.

I may book a lobster demo but I'm still on the fence about it...so disappointed.

Just a caution, I booked a lobster demo a few years ago and was terribly disappointed with the amount served. It was a pasta and lobster dish and while there was plenty of pasta the lobster included was tiny. Maybe the size of a quarter, not even a mouthful. And that was back when wine was included with the dish. Not sure if this has changed or we just had bad luck. And this was advertised as a lobster cooking demo, just barely had any lobster (sigh).

This was for Monday, September 17th. Probably not the same as yours, since there's no wine served at the culinary demos any more. I was wondering when a PP mentioned lamb; if the 17th had been full, I would have gone for a seminar with lamb on the 18th.

Thanks for responding. I had booked this for my adult kids and if it wound up being fish rather than duck they would be really disappointed.

 

[Miss Frankie J]

Well after going over options with my boyfriend we realized there weren’t many... most of the seminars and events during our trip just didn't interest us and the ones we wanted aren't during our trip. gonna stick to the booths and come up with other creative options for special dining.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Just a caution, I booked a lobster demo a few years ago and was terribly disappointed with the amount served. It was a pasta and lobster dish and while there was plenty of pasta the lobster included was tiny. Maybe the size of a quarter, not even a mouthful. And that was back when wine was included with the dish. Not sure if this has changed or we just had bad luck. And this was advertised as a lobster cooking demo, just barely had any lobster (sigh).


Thanks for responding. I had booked this for my adult kids and if it wound up being fish rather than duck they would be really disappointed.

The tiny food samples, the removal of the wine and the obnoxious hostess all combined to make sure I never bothered to book a culinary demo again. At the current price they need to provide more than the hostess gushing!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

It’s only DD12 and myself going so i booked the ETTB at VN on 11/7 so i can get good seats for Boyz II Men. DD May be annoyed but this south jersey/Philly girl can’t give up a “free” B2M concert. On of DDs must dos was VN so we both get what we want. I may get called old for wanting to see them. Lol

At $57 with drink, app, entree and dessert i didn’t think VN was that bad of a deal. Considering we would be ordering our own personal pizzas anyway since we like different kinds. We usually don’t do apps but there are a few I’ve bedn wanting to try so here’s my chance. The same with dessert.

 

[GoGoBeans]

It’s only DD12 and myself going so i booked the ETTB at VN on 11/7 so i can get good seats for Boyz II Men. DD May be annoyed but this south jersey/Philly girl can’t give up a “free” B2M concert. On of DDs must dos was VN so we both get what we want. I may get called old for wanting to see them. Lol

At $57 with drink, app, entree and dessert i didn’t think VN was that bad of a deal. Considering we would be ordering our own personal pizzas anyway since we like different kinds. We usually don’t do apps but there are a few I’ve bedn wanting to try so here’s my chance. The same with dessert.

Good stuff.

How does the ETTB work, specifically for getting a seat. Do we really have to get there and line up early even with reserved seating. We have VN booked for the same day we have the Italian Regional lunch. I think it’ll be too much food in too short of time. But if it makes getting seating easier/better, we’ll suck it up.

The band is Plain White Ts if that makes a difference.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Possibly...my annual post your events thread is pretty dead too

One thing affecting it (I think) is that they've reduced the number of events and the days they're offered on. We're arriving Friday and leaving Wednesday, and only one of the events we wanted was even available when we're there. Tequila lunch & Mix it Make it were the ones we also wanted but couldn't do because they're not happening during our trip.

 

[crazy4wdw]

Wondering if Disney may have killed the goose that laid the golden egg.... Amazing lack of buzz about booking on here and on FB. No horror reports of hour waits, no bragging about what people got.....

There are usually pages of comments on the first day of booking. Interesting.

Yes, definitely weird! There are usually 10 to 12 pages of comments on the day general booking is available for the special events.

 

[karrit2000]

Good stuff.

How does the ETTB work, specifically for getting a seat. Do we really have to get there and line up early even with reserved seating. We have VN booked for the same day we have the Italian Regional lunch. I think it’ll be too much food in too short of time. But if it makes getting seating easier/better, we’ll suck it up.

The band is Plain White Ts if that makes a difference.

You are not going to need more food after the Italian Regional Lunch. You can hear the music from anywhere in front of the American Adventure building. Is having a seat in the theater seating area a requirement for you to enjoy the concert? I definitely wouldn't buy the ETTB package for the same day as your lunch. I think since it will be a weekday you should be all right without the package. Better seating may not be what you get anyway. Over the years I have never gotten to sit in the forward rows under the roof with any special package or event I've booked. Even with the package people will line up way early to try for the best seats for all shows in the theater. Sometimes people who walk up at the last minute end up getting to sit in the reserved areas if they aren't full.