Comments

1. Steve says

   July 30, 2015 at 5:45 pm

   Interesting. I was finally able to book the Premium Package, on the 2nd call around 10 am PST, but I still couldn’t attach a seminar to it so I still have to call back later for that.

   Also, she agreed it appeared there was no $50 gift card this year, but didn’t mention the 4 entitlements so that’s cool. The info she read off seemed to indicate it was not limited to Disney Resort Hotel guests.

   The 4 entitlements are interesting b/c this AM, they initially sold me the Discovery Sampler, just in case. I later confirmed with the 2nd reservationist that I could those entitlements while in the Premium areas as well, so I ultimately end up with 12 haha.

   You didn’t mention the EPCOT Late Nights Live aspect? I had to book the package for a specific day because of this, which she said starts at 8:30 pm this year, and that time is reflected on My Disney Experience as well. But now I’m wondering if she misunderstood and this is the Illuminations Dessert Party?? She didn’t say anything about the latter.

2. Steve says

   July 30, 2015 at 6:17 pm

   Addendum: Just called back, and it IS the Illuminations package that I’m booked for at 8:30, NOT Late Nights Live. Glad to have that clarified. At first it sounded like it was the Illuminations package OR the beverage seminar OR the culinary seminar, but it’s not. It’s Illuminations AND (the beverage seminar OR the culinary seminar).

   They’re still not able to attach seminars to the premium package yet.

   I must say, ALL of the Cast Members I’ve spoken with today (3 so far) have been exemplary and willing to go the extra mile to finding out the answers to my questions, beyond just looking at whatever their screen says. I’ve been very impressed with everyone I’ve dealt with.

3. Mark Hoerrner says

   July 30, 2015 at 7:34 pm

   So this is my second year of booking the Premium Package. Last year was amazing, even though the operators at Disney Dining didn’t really understand what they were selling. I get that – it was a brand new program. Despite the fact that it’s been altered significantly this year, the lack of training for the representatives who are booking this program is astounding.

   I had one operator, for the four days I had the package in October, try to charge me the price for the package on a per-person, PER DAY, setup. She was going to charge me $1600 for the four days. It seems to me after reading the comments here and elsewhere, that the program is either too complex to book for Disney’s systems or they just roll this stuff out with little to no notice or training.

4. LJ says

   July 30, 2015 at 8:35 pm

   Got through and spoke to a great CM this morning sometime around 8 am. I asked about the package, and she confirmed it was being offered again this year. She read me the price and the list of what was included:

   – Access to 11 premium areas with marketplace delivery
   – All package experiences (not sure what that means; perhaps the demos and/or signature events?)
   – 4 vouchers for marketplace booth items
   -Take-home gift bag of wine made exclusively for this year’s 20th anniversary and commemorative wine glass (to be picked up at the festival center)
   – F&W magic band
   – 1 demo OR seminar

   However, she could not book the package. She kept trying several times during the call and asked me for the dates of my stay. She told me to try back later. However, I asked about the availability of 3 seminars/demos I wanted to attend the week of my stay, and 1 of the 3 was already sold out (which happens to be the 5pm seminar on that Thursday), so I just booked the other 2 I wanted. I politely asked if I could get a credit for one of the demos/seminars when I called back for the premium package. She IMed her supervisor who said the events were nontransferable and nonrefundable. So, the answer was ‘No.’ I said that was fine, but do you see how that presents a problem for people who call back for the premium package because the seminars/demos (or at least the good ones) might be sold out for the period of their stay? In other words, you might not get the full value of the package. She understood and apologized.

   Called back about 6 pm this evening and got another good CM who seemed to know right away the package was available for booking in the system but quickly asked me to bear with her because she didn’t know how to book it. She quickly got the instructions from her supervisor and read them out loud (something along the lines of “receive confirmation number for package first, then attach the demo”). She read the price and the list of what was included:

   – Access to 11 premium areas WITH SEATING and marketplace delivery
   – Take home gift bag with bottle of wine, a wine glass, AND A CORKSCREW (makes sense so ppl can open it while in their room…?)
   – 1 F&W magic band
   – 1 demo OR seminar

   I didn’t realize until I compared notes later that she didn’t mention the 4 marketplace vouchers. Anyway, she said she could not attach the demo/seminar. I politely asked if she could check with her supervisor, and I mentioned that a lot were selling out the week I was there (as evidenced by my earlier call where the CM said that week was filling up quickly). She read the instructions from her supervisor (something along the lines of “check availability for Monday at 8:30 pm”). She did it, and it worked. She said we were booked for a signature event called Late Nights LIVE! at 8:30 pm that Monday night. She didn’t suggest I call back again to attach the demo. Since the event wasn’t mentioned as being included by either CM, I thought it was an upgrade (from seminar/demo to a signature event) for all the trouble with the booking, especially with the demos selling out, but who knows?! Should be fun either way lol!

   And with the gift bag now only being available at the festival center, can we just have them sent to our room if we are staying on property just like any other merchandise? Or at least have them sent to the gate (although I’m not sure how that will work with our 8:30 pm event that Monday night).

5. SynA says

   July 30, 2015 at 8:41 pm

   I was able to finally book the Premium Package today after many many calls to Disney. The Illuminations Party per the CM IS part of the Premium Package but is only on Wed & Fri but since the Premium Package is M-Th, you MUST attend the Illuminations Party on the Wed of your use week. I’m bummed because we were counting on the LNLP EPCOT admission & purchased one less day on our pass. *sigh*
   I’m definitely glad we’re getting Premium Package areas with food runners. that might be worth the loss of not doing the dessert party? still deciding how we will work out the details of all of that….

   too bad Disney didn’t set up their CMs for success on booking day by having the info clear & ready to be purchased when tons of customers called in. at first the CM told me that only the seminar was included but couldn’t be booked at this time. she specifically told me the Illuminations party wasn’t part of it. THEN as she’s reading me the details, she discovers that the Illuminations party is definitely part of the Premium Package. smh. that’s when she got into the part about me being to attend the party on WED OR FRI but back-peddled when I reminded her that the package was only active M-Th.

   oh well, it’s my 1st time trying this out. doesn’t sound as wonderful as last year, but here’s to hoping it will enhance the experience.

6. Lisa says

   July 30, 2015 at 9:32 pm

   I too had a challenging time trying to book this package and had to actually read the info from AJ’s page to the CM who was very confused. She finally confirmed it includes a beverage or food demo, 4 entitlements ,a “swag bag” and Illuminations Dessert party. When I asked about booking the demos she said I would have to wait to book them until I got there. Like LJ I told the CM that demos were selling out and she didn’t understand my concern. After all that she tried to book for the days I wanted and then told me they were sold out. I immediately asked to be transferred to someone more familiar with the program.

   I got transferred but to another person who also was unfamiliar and couldn’t find the event. When she did she saw two events 12-8 and 8:30 but couldn’t figure out how to book them. She also tried to tell me that I needed a DVC number to book the events. I then found out that she was in guest services and was unfamiliar with the F&W events.

   My traveling companion was also trying to reach someone at this point. She got someone who did know about the Premium Package and was able to book it for the Mon-Thurs we will be there. It shows up on the Disney My Experience page at an 8:30 time but we were assured it is good when the booths are open. Like Steve, we booked the sampler packages for two days during the time we have the Premium Package and were told we can use it in the Premium Package area. We were also told that the sampler entitlements are not limited in what items you can use them for. Again she had to put a specific time in the reservation which was 6:45 due to the reserved seat at the concert. However, she said that they didn’t know how to link the demos and Illuminations event to the Premium Package and to stay tuned to the blogs for more information. Maybe AJ can get more info for us as she usually does!

   All in all it was a frustrating day trying to book events. One of use called at 7:00 on the dot and was told a 29 minute wait time and then got disconnected after 25 minutes. We got through on the other phone at 7:07 and had a 90 minute wait. We did get the events we wanted but had to call back tonight since just read AJ’s information about the Premium package. I haven’t been to the F&W Festival since 1996 and hope it is all worth the planning effort!

7. Steve says

   July 30, 2015 at 9:55 pm

   Yikes, Mark, glad that wasn’t my experience. All my CM’s seemed genuine in their efforts to try to help; they seemed just as frustrated about the lack of communication around something it seemed EVERYONE wanted. I had the sense they were deeply frustrated.

   It was also clear no one was walking around on the floor with the knowledge to help them. As LJ said, my 7 AM call, she was trying to IM with a manager, and also resorted to email, but no one was answering. I dunno, were all the supervisors still in bed while the poor CM’s had to figure out wth?! Apparently, any Disney Dining reservation MUST be associated with a time. So the 7 am CM was flustered by the fact that her system was insisting on a time but, at least at that point, she had no information about a time, and I didn’t know how to help her since I was saying the event spans 4 days, and Disney hadn’t put out any info, so I had no idea what to tell her.

   My sense of all of this is that Disney didn’t realize it hadn’t communicated ANY information about this package. Even the F&W still has nothing about it. So I think someone from marketing or internal communications just goofed big time. I suspect managers on the floor really didn’t know much more and there was probably a lot of frayed tensions at that level and above. Like I said, the 7 am CM seemed to indicate that managers were becoming aware of the widespread confusion. The first supervisor recommended she simply try every hour between 12 and 8. Yikes!

   My 8:30 pm time is booked for a Tuesday, but the pm CM, reading directly off her material, said it was for Illuminations Dessert. So this whole “Wed only” thing SynA mentions seems suspect. If not Illuminations, then what is my 8:30 pm time for, exactly?? My Disney Experience clearly shows it coming up for Tuesday also, at 8:30 pm. The pm CM even went so far as to confirm with a manager, though, I suppose that’s not terribly comforting haha.

   At any rate, I’m ultimately just happy to have the Premium Package. Really, I want the swag, the concierge, and entitlements. I’ve done the Illuminations Party before and while I recognize it’s part of the price I paid, as is the seminar, I’ll still think it’s worth it for those reasons alone (hope Disney doesn’t read that haha)

8. Lili says

   July 31, 2015 at 1:53 am

   Wow… you all pretty much had the same merry-go-round I got. After 3 calls and numerous delays, I was able to book the Premium Package, but no one could set up the Seminar nor the Sparkling Dessert Party.

   Because I previously purchased the seminars we wanted (Presale for Annual Passholders) I am not sure how to get the refund for one of them, and they don’t know either. I was advise to call again (friday through sunday) to be sure I get to book either the 2pm beverage or 5pm culinary one. But really what I want is to be able to get a refund for one of the ones I previously booked.

   As for the Sparkling Dessert Party, I am just glad I never got around to book it in advance (we already planned on doing it), but I still don’t know when it will take place. And I am not waiting until we picked up the credentials (last week of October) to set it up… I know everything will be sold out by then.

   Everyone I talked to ( 3 cast members) confirmed that this time it is not required to stay on property to purchase the Premium Package, so in doubt I rather buy it. The conveniance to not stand in line to order food, plus having prearranged seating location is priceless… between the baking sun, the amount of people in lines, and the lack of sufficient seating everywhere else, you really want those tables and concierge pampering this package offers. I can always get everything else to work out later on.

   I am tempted to buy the Discovery Sampler as well, but I am worried they will only let me use the vouchers on one specific day… I have not made up my mind on that one yet.

   This year we are doing the Hibachi Experience for the first time, and between that, 4 seminars, the Premium Package, The Sparling Dessert Party, I am hoping I will not be overkilling Food and Wine for my husband. Plus we already committed to go to the Promenade for the Swan Dolphin Food & Wine…

   Wish me luck! I can wait until October to feast on all Disney can offer!

9. Carol says

   July 31, 2015 at 6:56 am

   It’s pretty much confirmed you have to use the Sampler Entitlements on the day you book the sampler package so it’s use them or lose them.

   I also doubt Disney is giving you a refund on the seminars unless MAYBE you booked one of the TWO options they are giving you for this. They warned you it’s “non refundable” and they tend to stick to that.

   The other big negative IMHO is that you have to carry the wine and glass around all day or go right back to your room (and Florida heat is not good for wine) I don’t think you will get a corkscrew just to prevent you from opening it in the park and drinking it there. (That’s why they don’t sell corkscrews at any of the Epcot gift shops!)

10. MeLissa says

    July 31, 2015 at 7:26 am

    I was able to book the premium package this morning. My cm was very helpful and very patient. She admitted that she wasn’t familiar with all the details, but she got answers to every one of my questions.

    I asked about the Late Night Live vs Illuminations Dessert Party. She said the wording still says Late Night Live, but that event is nowhere to be found in the list of events, so she is assuming it will be Illuminations Dessert Party. (No word on if we have to attend the Wednesday party.)

    As far as booking the culinary demo OR beverage seminar, she said that Disney has blocked off space for premium package holders, but she was currently locked out of that and couldn’t book them at this time. She suggested I call back later today.

    Thanks to AJ and the DFB crew for always being on top of things like this. Keep up the awesomeness! Big thanks to all those who comment, too. Because of your info, I had a jump on what to ask and what to make sure was/was not included.

11. Rach says

    July 31, 2015 at 7:33 am

    Wow, that’s a heck of a LOT less than last year for the same price. 4 items & a couple desserts do NOT equal $50 gift card and the 7 items + white cosmo at the LNL party. And loosing the convenience of having the gift bag delivered to your resort is a major let-down. Wonder if they’ll have the option of doing package pick-up to either your resort, front of park, or the Intl. Gateway.

12. Lili says

    July 31, 2015 at 10:12 am

    Carol,
    You are right, but since I bought the seminars before I got the Premium Package, I will have to try to see if I can use one of them. I will let you know either way.
    The Sampler Entertainment… I am tempted to say no… there is already so much on my plate, that forcing us to use them all in one day is going to be too much.
    As for the non refund part, I had to cancel plans before (twice) in the last 5 years and in both cases I got the refund. I wasn’t planing on doing it, but sometimes it happens.

    Rach,
    I hope they will deliver the bag to the Resort if you are staying on Property. Last year they told me (initially) I will have to pick it up at the Festival Center, but when we checked in it was waiting for us at the hotel. I am hoping they will do the same this year.

13. June says

    July 31, 2015 at 10:20 am

    Well–that was an experience! Not magical but it all worked out.
    The CM was fantastic. She was IM’ing with her supervisor the entire time. Both were researching like crazy to make sure the details were right. I really appreciated that.

    I booked the Premium Package at 8am PST this morning. Week of Nov 9th.
    My initial call was a joke. Right when it was time to give my name, cc#, etc. all of a sudden I got zapped to the survey!!!

    I called back and got this fantastic woman who worked it all out for me.
    She admitted that they had not received all the information about booking this and thanked me for my patience. We worked through it together.

    She advised calling back tomorrow to book a demo or seminar. They still can not book these as of this morning.

    This is what is included:
    gift/swag bag that includes wine, corkscrew, glass
    premium area credentials
    Magic Band
    4 tickets to order food and have it delivered
    Illuminations Dessert Party *or* 1 cooking demo or beverage seminar

    No discounts for DVC or Disney Visa

14. Chris says

    July 31, 2015 at 10:55 am

    Booking this year’s reservations has been a nightmare. However we did purchase your book and are very thankful for that. We are Chase Disney Visa cardholders, 21 year DVC members, and annual pass holders. I called right 7 AM on the 28th and an agent answered immediately. I told her I wanted to book several things for the food and wine festival and take advantage of early booking with the Chase Disney card. She told me that didn’t start until 9 am (which turns out to be totally false). Called back at 9, gave them my Chase # to prove I had the card — was told the 3 programs I wanted were no longer available. Explained I tried at 7 and asked to speak to her supervisor. The man who I spoke with said they were still loading the system and to try back in an hours or 2. I tried 5 more times during the day (at one time someone even asked for our hotel reservations # — totally not applicable to what I was doing, all with no luck. One very nice cast member told me that she had booked the things I wanted earlier in the day. Total failure of communication with the cast members and frustration on my part. They told me to call back on the 30th at 7 AM which I did and got the three programs. Disney prides itself on “exceeding expectations” (I know as I was a cast member for 6+years) but this time they didn’t even come close. I was very interested in the Premium Package for the two of us but after doing the math it just didn’t add up. Thanks again for the great book — a wonderful reference for planning.

15. Schin says

    July 31, 2015 at 11:27 am

    Just booked the package! To help clarify, we DID get admission to the Illuminations Dessert Party along with a choice of beverage seminar or culinary demo. They were not able to attach my beverage demo to the package yet. I also will have to call back and get that “attached”…Super excited!

16. Carol says

    July 31, 2015 at 11:34 am

    Chris, this is NORMAL for this event. If it’s your first time you may not realize it but EVERY year it’s a booking fiasco. Heck right now people are booking the “Premium Package” with no idea what they are really getting but they are paying $200 a person for it LOL!

    The booking for this is never a “magical” experience. Disney apparently provides the CMs the data at 7 AM on go live morning. So your first agent probably was clueless that there was an early booking for Chase card holders.

    As long as we throw money at them I don’t expect them to be too motivated to change.

17. Sara says

    July 31, 2015 at 11:35 am

    Well this is a special kind of mess. I called up to ask some questions about the Premium Package so my party and I could decide whether we wanted to get it. First CM didn’t really know anything about it, but helpfully transferred me to Disney Dining to speak to someone else. Second CM was actually even less helpful. I asked her about the dessert party, because depending on whether we go and when it is, we may have to move our dinner reservations around. She said she didn’t see anything about a dessert party. I asked her what was included in the Premium Package and she read me a list of rules and restrictions for the culinary demonstration or beverage seminar. And that was it. She seemed to believe that the Premium Package was *just* the demonstration or the seminar with a $200 price tag.

    We were very excited about the idea of getting food brough to us instead of running around to the booths and maybe enjoying some of the other Premium Package perks. But if I can’t get a straight answer from Disney about what is and isn’t included, we may just skip it.

18. Steve says

    July 31, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    4th call and now the CM (again, very pleasant) is saying that Premium Package guests will be contacted for seminar selections. She booked one 10 mins ago and that’s what they told her, but she checked again for me and was told the same thing. Apparently, we’re supposed to be contacted by phone or email. Ohhhhkay. I’ll prob call back later today to see if the story has changed again 🙂

    As far as experience, actually my experience with the booking process has gone completely smoothly EXCEPT for this. I booked on the Chase date, 7 am, and got everything I wanted. The only drama/confusion was this Premium Package business which, like I said, it’s booked, shows up on MDE, there’s no confusion about the elements I truly care about (concierge, swag, entitlements), so I figure everything else is gravy at this point.

19. Cassie says

    July 31, 2015 at 3:26 pm

    I called today to book the Premium Package for the week of October 5th. The CM I had was very nice but had no idea what it was that I wanted to book. After being on hold while she looked up the package, she began reading me the inclusions and said nothing about the Illuminations party. I asked to confirm that this price covered Mon-Thursday and that we would have access to the premium areas for the entire time. The CM told me no, that I would pick a day to use the package. Yikes! I politely thanked her for her time and hung up. Is this true? $200 apiece for 1day worth of access.?

20. Lili says

    July 31, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    Steve, I totally agree… The things I care about are already planned and I am sure I will get (concierge, seating, entitlements, swag), the rest is gravy… but here is why I think this year’s gravy is better 🙂

    Last year the Premium Package (versus this year Premium Package)
    was from Tuesday to Thursday (we get one more day now, Monday to Thursday),
    you had to stay on Property (now you don’t),
    you got to go to a After Hours Party, that was not all that fun but had 6 entitlements (Now you get Sparkling Dessert Party ($49), with all the food and champagne included and unlimited),
    you got a $50 card to buy food or whatever (now you get 4 entitlements($6 to $8 each + tax + seminar ($15) )
    you got a Cooling bag with Wine, a wine glass, cork screw, chocolate box (probably the same this year, don’t know about the chocolate box)
    And of course a Food Wine Magic Band (we get one this year too)
    Price remain the same $199 + tax.
    All and all I think we got a better deal this year than last. But that is my opinion.

21. Michelle says

    July 31, 2015 at 6:19 pm

    Like so many others, the CM that I spoke was very helpful despite not having all of the information. He was able to book the package for me, which was great. He did ask for my hotel reservation number so I’m not sure if they will be delivering the bags to the room or not. It would be great if they offered it as an option for those staying on property.

    He was unable to book any of the seminar or dessert party and he suggested that I call later and also to keep an eye on the website.

22. Karyn says

    July 31, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    Lili
    I have to disagree with your assessment of last year’s premium package vs what we think it includes this year
    You say that it was from Tuesday to Thursday. This is incorrect as the Premium Package seating areas were available Monday – Thursday last year also so this did not change at all
    Last year you had to stay on Property (now you don’t), This appears to be true.
    You said last year you got to go to a After Hours Party, that in your opinion was not all that fun but had 6 entitlements (Now you get Sparkling Dessert Party ($49), with all the food and champagne included and unlimited), I say last Years Party was $79 so while it’s all you can eat & drink at the Dessert party it costs $30 less than the party last year which included a lot of different entertainment and was after regular park hours until 1AM giving you some exclusive late time in the park as well as the 6 entitlements. We don’t know if the Dessert party is the regular version or if there will be some extra perk such as extended time after hours. So personally I’d opt for the exclusive after hours party like last year because I believe it had value.
    You say last year you got a $50 card to buy food or whatever (now you get 4 entitlements($6 to $8 each + tax + seminar ($15) ) For this I was figuring the Seminar & Dessert Party to be the replacement for the Late Night Live Party so I see a loss of value of $18-$26 in only getting 4 entitlements instead of the $50 gift card.
    Last year you got a Cooling bag with Wine, a wine glass, cork screw, chocolate box (probably the same this year, don’t know about the chocolate box) No one has been told the chocolate will be part of the gift bag so possibly a loss there.
    And of course a Food Wine Magic Band (we get one this year too)
    Price remain the same $199 + tax.
    All and all you think we got a better deal this year than last. Personally I say all in all we are at a loss in value compared to last year’s package by at least $40 and at least 3 hours of exclusive park time.

23. Joanna says

    July 31, 2015 at 8:19 pm

    Take it for what it’s worth but a CM told me that as of today the Illuminations Dessert Party in NOT included in the Premium Package. She may be mistaken or it may change tomorrow but as of today that’s what I was told.

24. Karyn says

    July 31, 2015 at 10:55 pm

    Disney has finally posted the details for the Premium Package . It does include the Dessert Party.

    https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/food-wine-premium-package/

25. Lili says

    August 1, 2015 at 2:25 am

    Karyn,

    We will have to agree to disagree…

    As I said before, what I care is already taken care of. The rest is gravy. Better or worse, I am in.

    I personally don’t like walking around with my food and drink and trying to enjoy them while some kid runs by me, and the parents just look while he runs into everyone around… to me that is just not fun. To avoid that, I am willing to pay the $199.

    The After Hours Party, to us, was LAME. Few people attended, the entitlements didn’t include the expensive items, and everything ended a lot sooner than anticipated. I rather enjoy the fireworks in a private area, where once again I get to enjoy both kids and adults behaving and enjoying the food around. Without the need to wait for an available space around the lake. But again, we can disagree about value.

    In any case, I am just excited we can finally book all the things we want to do! The wait is over 🙂

26. LJ says

    August 1, 2015 at 9:44 am

    Just tried calling again to attach the demo/seminar. Got a very apologetic CM who said they still couldn’t add it and to try again later. She had no information on when it would be available to book in the system.

27. SynA says

    August 1, 2015 at 4:16 pm

    questions still unanswered. the Disney webpage on the PP says that the day I’m attending the Dessert party is the day of my reservation BUT according to the Dessert party webpage/calendar, there is no party scheduled for Sept 28 which is the date that shows up on MDE for my PP. eek! when asking the CM, she had no idea if that meant i’m getting an exclusive for PP users Dessert party (??). hope answers will be given soon. I currently have a Beaches & Cream ADR that I would hate to give up on that Monday (made 180 days in advance, thank you) if the party is not really going to happen on that day!
    still unable to choose my culinary demo also. waiting on that although I’ve never heard that Disney will contact us when it’s ready. every CM I spoke to said I need to call back another time with apologies.
    the issue with carrying around bottles of wine & wine glasses is another question that hasn’t been answered. the last CM I spoke to said that we could store all of our swag bags in a rental locker for the day. I was rather put-out by that suggestion? where’s the Premium in that? she couldn’t speak for the CM that will be working at the Festival Center but she doubted they would want to hold swag bags for everyone & be responsible for them all day long. smh.
    i’m just very disappointed that Disney has not structured this “Premium” event very well or set up their CMs for success by working all these details out.
    New question: will there be an area in the Festival Center where our EF&WF magic bands can be activated & linked to our MDE accounts then loaded with money to use when picked up?

28. Lisa says

    August 1, 2015 at 6:28 pm

    I was excited to see that Disney finally posted the info on the PP (Thanks Karyn for the link). I called this morning to attach the dessert party and see if I could get a credit for a demo I already had booked..

    The CM told me the demo was an add on and that she couldn’t change the reservation I already had but that guest services might be able to. She then called guest services since she couldn’t give me their number. After talking to guest services she told me that the demos couldn’t be booked yet but to call back. I didn’t dare cancel the demo I already booked since I don’tknow when they can add one to my PP.

    As for the dessert party both CMS kept calling it the Late Night Party. I was told that I had to pick a specific date (Mon – Thurs) to book the PP and that date would be my party date. I had originally booked on a Monday but had previous plans so I changed my date to Tuesday. I was assured multiple times that regardless of my reservation showing for a Tuesday I could still use the PP all week Mon – Thurs. I hope so since I canceled the Monday date!

29. Angie says

    August 2, 2015 at 8:05 am

    @synA…same thing happened to me. My TA booked Illuminations party for Mon Sept 28 but we have a Cali grill reservation that night. Of course, I didn’t want to cancel Cali, and no other reservations available my week. I called, explained my situation, and the CM transferred me to Guest Services. Guest Services cancelled my PP, which cancelled my party reservation. She then booked my premium package again, giving me a new date that week (Tues, which has EMH scheduled). Also, does anyone know how dessert party works? Will we be given something so we are allowed in area? Where is dessert party area?

    Agree on the swag bag and magic band questions….

30. Ross says

    August 2, 2015 at 8:18 am

    The Itinerary Planning Office also does not seem to know. I requested they book the Illuminations Dessert Party but was told it wasn’t included. I’ve provided them with a link to the web-page, so we’ll see what happens.

31. Michael Murphy says

    August 2, 2015 at 11:25 am

    Thursday Night 10/30 the Details were up on the Web Site, called the CM Friday AM with no luck and no confidence that the CM understood what they were providing. Called Saturday 8/1 with a partially knowledgeable CM, but none were available, stated that additional opportunities will be released. Tried again Sunday 8 AM PDT and scored a knowledgeable CM, understood the package, booked the reservation, shows properly on Monday, but could not book the Demo’s and said that they have seats available specifically for the packages and to try back later.
    Was also able to cancel and refund two Demo’s due to scheduling conflicts without an issue, though extended time was required.

32. Tracy Barrack says

    August 2, 2015 at 5:06 pm

    I missed the early notification for the Premium Package…but I called today (8/2 at 3pm). I had a wonderful CM who knew all about the packages and was able to get me the dates I needed (first week of November). She still couldn’t book the seminars so I do have to call back. I did like the late night party last year but I guess the dessert party is the substitution. I would have like the $50 gift card but I am still very happy with the new package offerings.

33. SynA says

    August 3, 2015 at 2:04 am

    @Angie thanks for the info! i must’ve called the FEST line everyday since i’ve booked the PP with the same question about the Dessert Party. Each CM has had a different answer. Today’s CM said something similar to Lisa where my group of PP users can show up to any Dessert Party & will be admitted by just showing my PP credentials. Shocking! I can’t imagine the Dessert Party will be set up to accommodate an unknown number of guests. since it was just a phone conversation & I have no proof of what the CM told me, i’ve emailed Disney in the hopes of getting written confirmation of this policy about the PP. here’s to hoping something will be confirmed about the details of the PP.

    No one has ever offered me the Guest Services to resolve my concerns. I’ll wait until i hear via email & go from there.

34. Ross says

    August 3, 2015 at 11:15 am

    I have a response back from the Itinerary Planning Office RE the dessert party:-

    “Thank you for your email, and we apologize for the confusion! At this time, the official website states that the Illuminations Sparkling Dessert party is included on the premium package. Please note that it says that the day the package is booked is the day you will be attending the Dessert Party, so we have modified your package to the Wednesday, October 14th booking date. The new reservation number for your event is…”

    My Premium Package was originally showing on MDE as Monday… I requested the dessert party for Wednesday, so the Premium Package is now showing on my account for Wednesday 20:30. Apparently, the day the Premium Package is booked is the day you can go to the dessert party. However, I must say, I’m not filled with confidence. Particularly given as before I bought the PP, I already tried to book the dessert party for Wednesday and the web-site said it wasn’t available!

35. Lili says

    August 3, 2015 at 1:39 pm

    Ross

    What email did you sent your request? The one I got from the Cast Member is not working (what a surprise!).
    She just informed me I can’t have the Illumination Party on the day I requested because I sold out! Of course it wasn’t when I booked the reservation. And just for kicks I ask her to check on the status of the seminar I wanted to book and it also says sold out. This is pathetic. The Cast Member I booked the reservation said to wait until I get the credentials (last week of October) to book the dates of the event. I got a different response from 5 different ones. At this point I am pretty sure they are just toying with us, because they find it funny.
    When I told the last Cast Member I wanted to speak to a supervisor she said they have none available and why did I wanted to speak with a supervisor?! (that just make me laugh). After asking for a supervisor 3 times, and she giving me the run around every time, I just told her I wanted to place a complain, and she stated that I couldn’t place a complain when the events were sold out. At that time I just had it. I explained to her, that in this case, it was THEIR fault, because I did reserve everything when they were spaces available. She reluctantly gave me an email (that it does not work) and apologize for not been able to help me.
    Because I live in Florida (3 hours away), I am so tempted to go and get this figure out at the Park itself, but this is ridiculous!

36. Ross says

    August 3, 2015 at 2:07 pm

    Hi Lili. The email address was for the Polynesian Itinerary Planning Office, but they will only deal with enquires from guests staying club level at the Polynesian. When you say it is sold out – did you try and move your Premium Package date and were told that wasn’t possible because its sold out on that day, or were they specifically trying to book the dessert party? The Itinerary Planning Office said it wasn’t necessary to book it separately – your booking date for the Premium Package is the date you can attend the dessert party. Of course, that may not be correct either, but that’s what they’ve said to me in an email!

37. Lili says

    August 3, 2015 at 3:27 pm

    Ross,

    Both the Premium Package for that day and the Illuminations Party as well… Can you imagine what would had happened if I waited to have everything cleared BEFORE making the Premium Package Reservation?! I would had nothing… This has been a not so Magical Moment in soooo many ways 🙁 I still hope I can have everything work out before Food and Wine starts… but now I am going for hope more than certainty.

38. Autumn says

    August 3, 2015 at 5:55 pm

    Just got off my fifth call in the last hour-
    First CM told me that were not booking for the premium package yet.
    Second CM disconnected me as soon as I asked about the premium package.
    Third CM started the booking process for – Had dates and Illuminations Party Selected and was disconnected while on hold.
    Forth CM told me she could find any information from the 3rd CM and told me they were sold out for my dates.
    Fifth CM left me on hold for eternity and said there was no availability.

    I’m beyond frustrated right now.

39. Brandon says

    August 3, 2015 at 9:59 pm

    This is such a mess. I REALLY appreciate this site as it’s truly the only place I have gotten any real information. My friend and I, while AT Magic Kingdom on Sunday (yesterday), called to book it, and we were told it was only for ONE day, not Monday through Thursday. We advised that we had the site up in front of us, and then, finally, she agreed but, suddenly and shockingly, said the ENTIRE event was ‘sold out.’ We politely hung up and decided against going at all. And now, a day later, I am wanting to try again, so I will try calling once again tomorrow.

    I thought registring for the Star Wars Weekends Galactic Gathering was hard enough, but at least you could EASILY do it online. This is an absolute train wreck.

    Thank you to this site and everyone who has posted here!

40. Michael says

    August 3, 2015 at 10:57 pm

    Update from the several calls I have made and comment above.
    Call and get a CM that can understand what there offering (without reading the website).
    Pick the day you want to attend the Illuminations Party and this will also represent the Mon-Thu that the package will be available.
    Currently they do not have a method that can book the Seminars, all CM’s (six so far) have told me to call again, with no estimates on when. One CM says they have reserved space specifically for the package, trust but verify may apply here.
    Still seeking the logic on why they would pass out the gift bags (including wine) on the way in rather than on the way out.
    One of the most poorly planned package rollout seen recently as exhibited daily through these posts and other social media.

41. Lili says

    August 4, 2015 at 1:19 am

    Yes… on my last phone call (the 6th this week), I was informed this is the most sought after event for the Food and Wine Festival… I don’t doubt it.
    What bugs me is the amount of miss information they spew (sorry but I am upset at this) from their mouths every time we called!! I get it, they don’t know what they are selling or talking about, but please DO NOT make promises or offers you can Fulfill… Every call is a new version of the same thing, but nothing in writing… so again nothing we could use when the time comes to attend any of the events.
    I am happy I booked the event when I did. And that was because I got the information in this site and its Facebook page, otherwise I am not sure I would be able to do it now, mostly because the Cast Members are afraid to sell it. The story about being sold out changes so often, I have no idea if it is true anymore.
    My guess is they are getting so many complaints from all of us, that in true Disney spirit they are afraid to lose their jobs. They are supposed to give us a Magical Moment or else… and right now, what we are getting is ‘else’… Very frustrating for everyone involved in booking this event, us and them.

42. Brandon says

    August 4, 2015 at 3:54 am

    Lili, you are dead on, and as a life long Disney fan, as I’m sure we all are, I am still not ‘afraid’ as it seems many others are, to say when we get non-magical moments, and this is one of them. It’s a complete joke and to the point of being laughable. Disney is so far behind the times when it comes to their website, their app, and a few other things that it truly is baffling how little they care.

    This is one of those situations. They finally DO post some information on their site, yet their own cast members not only know nothing about it, but the day it goes ‘live,’ so to speak, it is (maybe) sold out. And while the cast member we spoke to was nice in and of itself, she truly did not have a clue, and when she appeared to have ‘found’ what we were asking about, as I previously said, it went from being a one day event to being sold out. We are going to try one more time today, but if we get the run around, we will keep our $400+ and, honestly, just have our extra spending money.

43. Steve says

    August 4, 2015 at 3:56 am

    Seeing all of your experiences… I don’t think I’ll bother to call back about the beverage/culinary seminar. I’d be too afraid my existing Premium Package reservation would get messed up or lost! And, yes, I periodically am checking that MDE is still correct and have written down all my confirmation #s! As the seminars are really the only last bit of mystery, I’m OK with hoping they really do email us or, worst case, losing out on that $15 given all the other elements.

    Feel bad for folks that have had so much trauma with it. In retrospect, it seems some of us were lucky to get CM’s in the early stages of all this, who were so willing to do their best to try and find out as much info as they could. This is definitely the happiest I’ve ever been to have a Disney Visa Card haha!

    I really hope, after all this brouhaha is done with, that folks who are going still manage to have a great time at the event. Wash it down with (multiple) wine or beer!! 🙂

44. Lili says

    August 4, 2015 at 10:23 am

    Brandon,
    Give it another shot, I promise you having the 11 reserved seating areas is well worth all this nightmare, and is the reason why I am still trying to get the REST of the offerings. But the convenience of not having to deal with making lines for food items, crowded areas and having a reserved seating area is PRICELESS and VERY MAGICAL 🙂 We did it last year and this is the one thing my husband wants above all…

    Steve,
    I don’t blame you… if you already have your ideal Illumination day set up, you are ahead of the game. What I did thanks to my Disney Visa was book the culinary events we wanted to attend, and even thought I called right at 9 am, one of them was already sold out (go figure!) but I was able to choose another day for that one too… Worst case scenario, they will refund me the culinary event part, and since I already have them book as a paying event, all I would get is one for free. So my suggestion will be book something you like when you like to attend and fingers crossed Disney will used that as your culinary event.

45. Brooke says

    August 4, 2015 at 10:56 am

    Brandon — we are SO happy that you’ve found some help here at Disney Food Blog! Hang in there and good luck!

46. Jamie says

    August 4, 2015 at 9:08 pm

    I called today and was only on hold for 12 minutes and was able to book the package with no problems!! The Illuminations desert party is part of the package and had no problem getting the date I wanted (November 2)!

    I was worried I would have a hard time booking after reading all the comment but it was a piece of cake! Either they have worked out the kinks or I got really lucky speaking with a cast member who knew the details and how to book the package inside out!

    If you are having trouble booking I would try again because it is going to be worth it!

    Can’t wait to attend the food and wine festival with the premium package!!!

47. Tim says

    August 4, 2015 at 10:32 pm

    Booked the Premium Package last year, and loved it! But booking it last year was even more of a mess than this year, believe it or not, which involved calling twice before arriving, then standing at the concierge desk for 1.5 hrs while they waited on the phone to talk to two separate helpdesks to try to figure it out. So I knew from past experience that booking this would probably be complicated.

    Called in early today, got a CM who took all my info, said she had just received an email with details — looked up the event, told me all the details, then told me she couldn’t find it in the system for the dates I wanted, so it must be sold out.

    Called in again a couple hours later, got another CM who looked up the event and gave me all of the details, took my info, asked the date, and booked it no problem. She said they were having trouble getting the availability into the system. As for the culinary demonstrations, I couldn’t book that, so check back in a week or two.

    So, for anyone still having trouble booking, call back. Several times, if you need to. When they ask “what day” tell them the day you want to attend the Illumniations Sparkling Dessert party – they should then tell you the package is valid for the Mon-Thu of that week – and if they ask for a time, it should be 8:30pm.

    For those of you wondering about why you pick up the gift bag on the way in — it’s because your credentials will be in it, and you need those to use the premium package areas. I’d hope they’ll let you send the other goodies to Package Pickup (or your resort hotel, if you’re on property).

48. Tim says

    August 4, 2015 at 10:43 pm

    Quick clarification on my previous comment… last year, a resort reservation was required… we were unable to book via phone the two times we tried, as we were told they couldn’t find the package in the system… but when we arrived at our resort, we decided we’d try one more time and a very very helpful CM at the concierge desk at our resort spent a lot of time getting it booked for us. Once we got the premium package booked, things went flawlessly and it was awesome.

49. Carol says

    August 5, 2015 at 6:52 am

    If you don’t get it, this is not the end of the world. For me I have never seen the “need” for this. I generally go over to Epcot every day during my weekly visit at around 11 :30 for lunch… lines are minimal. Even when I go back around 5 lines are short. Lines start to pick up as the evening wears on and get back around 7:30 to 8… right when the “premium areas” shut down.

    Now on the weekends, lines are LONG but of course this is no help then.

    The other thing is that you are not guaranteed a seat. A lot of people seem to be missing this. There are only a few seats in any of the 11 areas and if they are taken you will still be at a standing table.

    My real concern is last year this was not that big a seller. SO they opened it up to everyone instead of just resort guests and the “rumor” I have heard is that there will be 500 packages a week. I think that’s a LOT more then last year and I doubt the areas have expanded that much. (Not to mention that’s an average of 125 per desert party if they actually have them every night!)

50. CH says

    August 5, 2015 at 8:14 am

    We did the Premium Package, last year. We always had shade in the reserved areas, and usually seating. They were never crowded. It was really nice to just sit back and let a CM bring food, wine, and beer to our table and then take care of the trash when we were finished. The CMs were great! Personable and enjoyable to chat with, while waiting on food to return or while eating.

    This was the last week in October. I understand that shade and seating were lacking in the reserved areas, when the F&W Festival first started.