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If you love the idea of Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival but the high prices and pressing crowds aren’t for you, then Walt Disney World’s still got you covered with a couple similar options.
First up, if you’re in town on September 30, when the festival opens, consider purchasing a ticket for the First Bites Opening Reception. Announced Monday on the Disney Parks blog, exactly one month before the festival’s kickoff, the First Bites Opening Reception offers the best of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival in a classier, more intimate setting.
The reception, held from 6:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. in the Festival Welcome Center, offers up some of the new dishes debuting at the 2010 festival, including bison chili with wild mushrooms and lettuce wraps with roast pork and kimchi. A total of 10 new dishes, including desserts, will be presented during the reception.
Some of the special guests for the food and wine festival, celebrity chefs and entertaining musicians alike, will be present at the reception. That way guests get more time to pick the brains of the attending chefs for recipes and recommendations.
Of course, this level of exclusive previews of the food and wine festival doesn’t come cheap. Tickets to the First Bites Opening Reception cost $195, on top of your required park admission. If you’re still interested in the reception, call 407-WDW-Fest (939-3378) ASAP to book your ticket, as only 400 tickets are available to help preserve the reception’s intimate setting.
For a corresponding event that has at least some cheaper options, ditch Epcot altogether and head over to Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin hotel. On Friday October 8 and Saturday October 9, the Swan and Dolphin debuts its own first-ever Food & Wine Classic.
The Swan and Dolphin First Annual Food & Wine Classic consists of six seminars held within the hotel on various foodie delights. Learn about the proper storage and serving of sake, along with its history, at “All Things Sake,” or let the “Wine Blending Seminar” teach you its tricks and give you the chance to try some wine blending yourself. Though each seminar is specifically about beverages, food still abounds throughout the festival.
Now, the Food & Wine Classic also gets expensive. One and two night packages, which include one beverage seminar for two and unlimited food and beverage samplings, start at $169. That’s the most expensive option detailed, so I’m assuming the prices go even higher for those who want to take in the whole event.
But what I like about the Food & Wine Classic, especially compared with the Epcot festival, is that it still provides options for those who don’t want to spend too much money. Those who purchase their tickets in advance can spend $50 and get one seminar in addition to unlimited sampling throughout the day.
If you’d like to just show up at the Swan and Dolphin and nibble your way through the event, without having to attend any seminars, that’s also an option. A la carte tickets are available to the public during the Food & Wine Classic; you can spend just $2 per sample station if you choose. Or purchase a $50 ticket for unlimited sampling throughout the day only.
For more information on this unique event, including reservation details on its various package deals, visit the Swan and Dolphin web site here.
Related Articles:
15th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Confessions of a Foodie Mom: Food as Atmosphere?
Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney: The BoardWalk
*(This image by Joe Shlabotnik is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
