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Epcot Food and Wine Festival 2008 Schedule
By Bill | August 22, 2008 | Email This Post
Hi everyone… the Epcot Food and Wine Festival schedule for 2008 is out as of today (August 22.) Reservations start on Monday the 25th at 7AM Eastern time, and can be had by calling 407-WDW-FEST.
Disney’s official Festival web site has the basic information, and if you’re lucky you might even get a printed brochure in the mail sometime before the Festival starts… but it will be far too late to actually be of any use in making reservations. Of course, if you’re like me, none of that’s quite what you want anyway… what you’d really like to see is a quick guide to what will be going on during the dates you’re in the World. Or maybe you pick one main event you want to travel to attend, and want to see everything else that’s going on that weekend. So here you go:
A downloadable Excel spreadsheet of everything, sorted by date and color coded by event type. Let me know if you like it… I’d get a kick out of knowing someone else found it useful.
One disclaimer: I tried to make the spreadsheet accurate, but it is in no way official or sponsored by Disney. Please, please, please, confirm the times/locations/prices with official sources before you make any plans based on what you see here.
Other F&W thoughts: My overall impression is of a much less attractive schedule than last year:
- Not to be too negative, but the Signature Dining series has been gutted. Too bad; that was one of the highlights of the Festival for me, and I had looked forward to attending several events this year. Doesn’t look like it now. This is a real disappointment.
- Exquisite Evenings are gone, too. Another bummer.
- Regional Feasts are history as well. I suppose the City Tastes are supposed to be a replacement, but they don’t look quite as nice to me.
- Major kudos to Epcot for getting the Bocuse d’Or. This is a big deal.
- Fewer Wine classes/seminars… vertical tastings down from 7 to 3 over last year, Epcot wine schools down from 7 to 4.
- A big comedown on the food and wine pairings, too, with them only being held in Japan, Italy, and Morocco (last year was Japan, Morocco, Living Seas, Canada, France, Italy, and a Scotch pairing at the Rose & Crown)
- The French Regional Lunch series is potentially interesting.
- Much more concentration in Epcot and less use of other WDW properties… you might argue that it’s more convenient this way, but I sort of liked the impression that at any given moment there were lots of things happening all over the World.
- The schedule is coming out later and later every year. Thanks Big D.
The one aspect I’d say has held it’s own is the Eat to the Beat lineup. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a fantastic addition, and there are several other worthy newcomers.
Get your dialing fingers ready if there’s anything you just have to do… the good stuff always fills up fast. Despite my complaints, I’m looking forward to this year’s Festival. See you there!
Topics: Disney |
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I found your color coded spreadsheet very helpful. Thanks for doing it and for sharing it - I found a link to your site from the DIS.
This will be our second time to the F&W. We’re going to do the Food & Wine Pairing in Morocco. (Would like to do the one in Japan, but DH will not go - doesn’t eat even cooked fish, LOL).
Disappointed about the signature dinners and regional feasts, too. We were hoping to attend one this year.
Thanks again -
Carol
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Thanks Carol. Good luck in Morocco… I haven’t done the F&W stuff there, but Restaurant Marrakesh is one of my favorite park restaurants.