Solo Travel - Food & Wine Festival

Hello! After my travel buddy canceled our labor day trip, I decided to take a solo trip during the F&WF. This will be my first solo trip and my first F&WF trip. Any pointers?!?

Since there will be many drinking ā€œteamsā€ with matching T-Shirts walking around F&W, you should come up with a catchy solo phrase for your own shirt, I would bet that a team will ā€œadoptā€ you.

There are drinking teams there?!? This just keeps getting better and better!!!

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Will you get a tray so that you can order five things and a drink at a booth? If not, you need a game plan! One drink and two food items are most likely the limit of what you can safely carry to a table/bench/wall/sidewalk to sit on and eat!

There are stand up tables around the booths. Just walk up, say ā€œhi, may I share your table ?ā€ You will make new friends, almost every time.

How much does the reserved seating where they serve you the food cost? Is that something you would consider?

I need to research the Food & Wine festival. I didnā€™t know you could reserve seating for it. I would be open to either reserved seating or any other kind of seating.

Iā€™ll also be doing F&W solo! Iā€™ve spent lots of solo time in the parks, but Iā€™ve never gone 100% by myself. Iā€™ve always had my parents to meet for dinner.

The nice thing about solo time? You set the pace, you decide the plans, it is all 100% up to you. Want to make RD every single day? Thereā€™s no one to argue about wanting to sleep in. Want to sleep in every day? No one will be flinging the curtains open to let in the sunlight. Itā€™s really nice to have that sort of freedom, though perhaps a little intimidating.

Iā€™ve not done F&W before, but I have made it to Flower and Garden, which also has food booths. Iā€™ve been told F&W is much more crowded. I usually visited the F&G food booths earlier or later in the afternoon. 11 to noon, or after 3 but before 5. Basically, trying to avoid lunch and dinner crowds. There were nowhere near enough tables! I think @stuckinbmode is on the right track, though. Most people are friendly enough to let you share a table, and if it feels awkward, you have an easy topic of conversation: ask them what other dishes theyā€™ve tried and enjoyed, or something similar. My understanding is that weekends are a zoo, especially as the day gets later. I plan to avoid them, but if the chaotic drinking party atmosphere is your scene, you might get a kick out of it.

I think @PrincipalTinker might be referring to the Food and Wine Festival Premium Package? It was offered for the first time last year and included access to VIP areas, where you could order items and have them delivered to you. It was ~$200 last year, not sure what it will be this year, or what specifically it will include. Last year a $50 gift card was part of the package, which effectively brings the cost down by that much. I believe, however, that you still have to pay for the food you order? Iā€™ve been unable to get a clear indication on that. And obviously this is all based on last yearā€™s event. Who knows what Disney will do this year?

If your dates overlap 9/27-10/4 and you feel like wandering F&W with another Liner, feel free to message me! I imagine that at some point over this trip, Iā€™ll want to interact with another human being who isnā€™t employed by Disney. :wink:

Weā€™re there two premium packages last year? @theredhead,last year was the first time I had ever gone to F&W. I usually travel to the world for F&G. Last year I went to F&W on a Saturday and a Monday. I didnā€™t realize until Monday that so many areas were sectioned off on Saturday for the reserved area. I was able to use all those areas on Monday and it made it so much easier! That was why I mentioned itšŸ˜„

Then youā€™d know: was the food included with the package? Not sure if there was more than one package, I only found info on one, but wasnā€™t sure if there might be others. It definitely seems like it could be worthwhile if you have the funds!

Ok, so I do not know what I saw. I found this article: Review: Epcot Food & Wine Festival Premium Package, and Food and Wine Festival Late Nights LIVE! Event | the disney food blog

Which tells me I did not see this package.?

I am actually looking at the last week of September beginning of October as travel dates! I will get back to when I finalize, but I would love some liner company! :smiley:

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solo F&W is fun! Iā€™ve done it 3 times. People are super friendly and you can set your own schedule. Beverage, culinary and mixology low cost seminars/demonstrations are great options as some of the events are expensive. They pre-assign seating at the demos so you are at a long table with several other guests listening to the speaker and sampling. I donā€™t book a formal dinner and just eat at the booths or other events. I am usually there around Columbus Day and will go every year that I can afford it! Youā€™ll love it!

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