Crowds for Food and Wine Festival?

[thatkindofday]

How bad are crowds during the food and wine festival? We were originally going to go to WDW during the first week of september like we've gone the last couple of years, but we may have to move our trip to the middle of october. How do the crowds compare between these 2 weeks?

[Mrs Bus Driver]

I usually go in early Oct the crowds are very manageable. Many rides are walk on and you can fastpass the rest. Do make dinner reservations other wise you may be turned away. Hope this helps

[thatkindofday]

Thank you for the input. We love going in September because all the rides (with the exception of a couple) were basically walk on, so we're hoping the crowds will be about the same.

[SBETigg]

Weekends can be crazy busy during this time at Epcot, especially in World Showcase. Generally, World Showcase is more crowded than usual, but not bad on weekdays and manageable crowds at the other parks.

[disneymom2000]

This is one event in all my visits that I haven't had the chance to attend. I would really love to try it. How many countries are in attendance besides the normal 11 in World Showcase?

[TikiLounger]

We just booked for early October. We went at the same time last year and the crowds weren't too bad. Hopefully, it will be the same this year, too.

[Darbylew]

We are going early October. I have been a little
later in October before and the crowds are not
bad. The only place that I have found crowded
is at Epcot in the World Showcase during the
wine and food festival. It is more crowded at
night than other times. I think a lot of locals
come out at night for the festival. The week
ends are the worse at least that is what I think.

[Bellewannabe]

We go every year for the Food and Wine Festival and love it. It is definitely more crowded in the World Showcase than other times of the year and can get crazy on the weekends. Can be a good time to do the rides in Future World because people are otherwise occupied. The other parks don't seem very crowded that time of year.

[disneykid@hrt]

Its a great time to go! WS is the only place you'll see more crowding and that is mostly people lined up at the different food booths. I think last year there were about 13 other countries represented, besides the regulars. They set up different "tent" food stands along the walkway of the WS. They say the "locals" come on the weekends. Also this is during Free Dining so make sure you get ADR's if you think you will want them. Weathers great and crowds are low. Have fun!

[kemps@wdw]

We usually go in Oct. and I love the FWF. The crowds then are manageable, nothing really out of the ordinary, Except for one night we were there when the Beach Boys were playing @ the American Gardens Theater. The crowd was pretty massive, but was just concentrated in that one area. Once we passed thru, it was fine everywhere else.

[ravsluvdisney]

we have done end Oct./early Nov. several times during the Festival and crowds are manageable but of course Epcot is a bit more crowded than the other parks. If you have little ones in tow the adults - young and old - can get a little crazy especially later in the day and the week-ends. Either way enjoy!!

[disneykid99]

Thanks for the post. I was just about to ask this very question when I saw this thread. We usually go in Sept and will be heading down in mid Oct this year - hoping for a few degrees cooler. Sounds like it will be a great time to go

[yjgirl32]

We too are heading down in the beginning of Oct and I too was wondering what the crowds are like. SOunds like fun and we have it planned out pretty well- going to Epcot 2 days- once on a Sat and once during the week- but we have our adr's. Thanks for a great post and I hope everyone has a great vacation.

[SallyP]

We too are heading down in the beginning of Oct and I too was wondering what the crowds are like. SOunds like fun and we have it planned out pretty well- going to Epcot 2 days- once on a Sat and once during the week- but we have our adr's. Thanks for a great post and I hope everyone has a great vacation.

Fair Warning about your Saturday trip to Epcot in October ... go early in the day. By 4 pm on the World Showcase side it will be shoulder to shoulder people, if the weather is nice. If I could post a picture I would. Last year I just held my camera above my head and took a shot. The walkway around the World Showcase was a sea of heads. If you go on a Saturday just be prepared to take it slow, and enjoy all that there is, people and food.

[Mogie]

I was disappointed with the Wine and Beer festival. I went in 2008 on opening day. Granted that was probably a mistake on my part as it was also a Friday. But when the World Showcase opened, none of the Credit Card machines were working yet. So the lines were extraordinarily long. Even when the problem was fixed, the lines stayed unbearably long.

Besides that the prices for food was high, and the portions were minuscule. I understand that this was supposed to be more of a tasting, and a chance to experience a few dishes from around the world, as opposed to getting a full or half portion at each stop. But the portions were so small, for example a 2 oz cup of soup after waiting on line for 15 minutes and paying a surprisingly high price was disappointing.

We were hoping to be able to go there wander around the World pick up a quick bite, mosey on over to the next stand of a different cuisine, and be satisfied by the time we made it around the Showcase and sampled a few things. We were starving, as we only made it to the front of the line in 3 stands in about 2 hours.

But I must say...the Beer Lines moved quick enough, and the souvenir beer cup is pretty cool too.

Another minor disappointment was the selection of food. Yes there were a lot of countries represented, more countries than are actually in the World Show Case in fact, but the food selections were the typical generic choices of that cuisine that us Americans would recognize and have probably had before. I'm probably being overly critical, I understand this is a family event, and not exactly a gourmet exposition.

Crowds were high in the World Showcase which spilled over into Future World as the crowds seemed high for an early Friday afternoon in September. That night the crowds were particularly high around the Lagoon at dinner time leading up to Illuminations. But there was also a nice carnival type atmosphere with all the food and drinks and fireworks.

I may have just had a bad experience, and maybe I'm a food snob, I'd like to try it again, but definitely not opening day, and not on a weekend.