Originally Posted By TDLFAN Ok, so I just got back from EPCOT Center a few moments ago. BTW...lovely but mostly cloudy afternoon with breezy conditions and a passing shower or two. Some observations... The nice Flower fest topiaries are back out front by EPCOT's Legacy mausoleum, along with the same old Festival sign... you know the one. Looks like croissants and cuttlery items forming the Food fest words. Also, this being the Wine thingy's 10 yr anniversary (funny...WDW didn't put that much enphazis on the MK's 30th back in 2001) there is also a nice topiary of cake and candles (with real light bulbs) and the big number 10 on top. The candles are made of pineapple plants. Old timers will recognize this #10 as part of the '100 yrs' topiaries that sat in front of the MK back during the "100 yrs of Magic" celebration. Nicely done for the most part.. If only they could rip that Legacy thing off this area and restore EPCOT's original look (or make it more welcoming and inviting) by adding plants, streaming water ways...or even permanent topiaries such as the Fantasia Gardens at DLP or HKDL, sans photo ops of course. Going deeper into EPCOT and steering thru MouseTrap...err MouseGear shop, we come upon an area dedicated to Nuts. No silly! Not anything related to us Disney Geeks, but about peanut farming. Stop here and get free samples of peanuts to munch on...it's more than what you can get on some airline flights for free now a days. Cough*Delta*cough*NWA*cough!!!! After my obligatory pin trading stop... I managed to come upon a nice little surprise: a Botzwana exhibit close by the Rose gardens, next to Mc'Donald's Fries Stand (which BTW.. had one of the longest lines for food anywhere in World Showcase...) So much for the fufu stuff they are selling for the festival. Anyways...during this exhibit, you can enjoy some entertainment provided by some invited African group, where a small crowd gathered to enjoy some traditional dancing and singing. That was cool, and especially more so since WS lacks in regards to African cultures...Too much euro-stuff there IMHO. Proceeding counter-clockwise on WS, I witnessed first hand the several port-o-let style food stands that are installed for this event. Most stands seem to have been well positioned in regards to the promenade and most featured line barriers to keep those guests in queue.. or in line so to speak. The UK pavillion for example..dind't miss a beat by having a huge "Beers of the World" stand (are you reading this SJHYM and WD?) Very popular with the Brits, who BTW...lined up with me at the Fish and Chips counter off the side of the UK pavillion. After all...if there is something I love about the brits, more than their accents...is their fish and chips platters. Yum... Add a Coke Light (that's diet Coke to your locals) and I was happy as a clam. However, to me, this Beers of the World stand smelled more like a "take this Universal for doing a Beer Fest at this time as well" attempt. Proceeding down WS and bypassing the French, I stumbled upon an exhibit by Spain (Castilla and Leon regions being highlighted here) where wine and other food items from these regioons can be enjoyed. I however passed up the fufu offering and stopped to watch a group of spanish men playing guitars and other regional spanish tunes. I think they call these traditional choral groups "Tunas" in Spain. No relation to the fish. 9 men out of which 4 were handsome enough to keep me interested in this show... Very pleasurable, but as fate would have it... a rain shower started to come down over EPCOT, bringing the show to a quick end. Ran into Mitsukoshi while it rained... and then as soon as it let up, I proceeded down to Amex Adv and Italy. Here in Italy...one of the most popular Fest stands is found (based on the lines I saw) The Champagne and Sparkling Wine stand, where for about $6-8 you can sample a cup of the bubbly. Another popular stand here in Italy is the one selling pepperoni pizza and zitti in cream sauce.. For about $3, you get a square slice of pepperoni thick crust pizza which is comparable to half the size of Little Ceasar's popular Baby Pan-Pan. Pizza! Pizza! =No deal here. Skip. Further ahead, passed the nicely decorated Germany showcase (It's Oktoberfest you know) and I stumbled upon another nice surprise.."Australia: Discover Down Under" exhibit. For a nominal fee, you can sample various wines from regional areas around Aussie, but forget the wine... check out the aussie boys. The impression you get is one of free samplins, but then you quickly are told, you have to purchase a punch card and go from stand to stand wine tasting the different brews available for your buds' enjoyment. You punch card gets stamped at every station you try within this Aussie exhibit, so no refills until you drop drunk. Sorry. I did not see any cheese to wash it down with so... skip! Further ahead.. China was selling some interesting spring rolls and soup. Decided to enter the HKDL Preview exhibit to see how this exhibit compares to the real thing, now that I have been to the actual HKDL Park... The preview does not do justice.. and I was surprised there was no "Now Open" signs anywhere... I mean, if the aim is to educate guests about this newly built venue..then tell them it's opened for biz. No need to overhear this lady asking her husband.."I wonder when they'll be opening this park?" I answered her it already opened in mid sept.. "Oh really!? It's already opened!? I didn't even know they were building a Disneyland in Hong Kong!!!" I thought to myself.. "have you heard of the one in Tokyo?...but why bother. Oh well... someone has to educate the guests, so let it be me. (<--Trivia: Name the DONNA SUMMER song associated with that last sentence) Once done with China (no, I didn't see any guests peeing in the bushes or cutting in line here) I proceeded pass Norway, where more booze than wine was on sale. Then on to Mexico, where I totally skipped. However...something new jumped at me... The bridge which connects Mexico to the central portion of WS now has some decorative fencing over it and new painting... It looks rather lovely but the idea of it being ornated is two-fold.. Not to make it pretty but to make it guest-proof; meaning..so that guests don't sit on it during the day of during IllumiNations since this is a popular spot for the fireworks. Finishing up the circle around WS, the last hooray is a mexican stand called Cocina de Tortilla, and a food stand from Puerto Rico. The PR stand seems rather popular as it serves very small portions of Arroz con Pollo for just under $3. Now keep in mind...at some very wonderful caribbean cuisine resaturants around town (such as the wonderful Cafe Madrid) for $3 dollars more, you get a huge bowl of arroz con pollo plus beans and fried bananas to go with it, and house salad as well.. So no bargain here when you see you Arroz con pollo portion in a 4"X4" disposable (and non-biodegradable) foam plate. Save your pennies and go to a real hispanic eatery somewhere else off WDW (but not that Gloria Estefan's place at DTD which is horrendous). Once my circle of Food was complete, I headed home to tell you all about it. ....And there you have it. My impressions of this year's 10th anniversary edition of the International Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT Center, which features a nicely done festival guide and art work. BTW.. do stop by the Festival's souvenir logo tent, and preview all of the lovely Festival Merchandise that will be available at a 50% discount at our local Character Warehouse stores later at the end of November. Thank you for your attention, and have a Magical day.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Busy but not crowded at all. You could've lined up for these food stands and wait no more than a minute or two.. Of course..."Soarin'" was 80 mins stand by thanks to FP. What a joke.
Originally Posted By Indigo Perhaps it's just because it is the opening weekend, but this festival is definitely lacking some of the excitement past festivals had. The exhibits all seem downsized, there's less to do for families (although the Bee and Peanut exhibits are nice, they're county fair quality, not Disney quality). The Botswana exhibit is the highlight by far and it has nothing to do with food or wine. The one thing I did find was that I thought portion sizes were a little larger this year. Still it's hard to justify some of the prices versus the portion size.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Do you think that the Botswanna exhibit might be a test for a possible pavillion from that area of the world? I think it would be really nice to see that continent better represented. Also, will we ever get anything from South America?
Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney ^^^I would have liked to have gone today, but wasn't able to pop by. I fear that Disney will do to Food & Wine what they seem to do to everything ---- milk it for every last penny and destroy what was once a very nice special event. I have heard the Epcot VP is a very bottom-line type of manager, so why add anything new when you can keep putting the same show on and raise prices and make the samples tiny?
