We’re the Disney Food Blog, so food at Disney World is clearly very important to us! That’s why the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is one of our most favorite things in the parks!
©Disney
But we know that it’s not all sunshine and roses! That’s why we asked our readers about their worst experiences at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. Here’s what y’all said!
We recently asked our readers on Facebook about their worst experiences at the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival! We read a ton of stories from you guys, some heartbreaking ones, some hilarious ones! So here are the worst experiences at Food & Wine, according to you!
1. Too Hot!
One reader said they “attended when it was so hot that I was uninterested in either food or wine.” A few more mentioned the heat as well, with one reader saying, “Heat exhaustion. I had to lie down for at least in hour in First Aid.”
Sunny day in EPCOT
The heat is real when you’re walking around EPCOT in the middle of the day! There isn’t much shade on the main path at the World Showcase, but you can usually find shady spots if you go into one of the pavilions! Some of our favorite shady spots are in the Morocco pavilion and in the Canada pavilion!
Shady Spots in Morocco Pavilion
Both have benches and quieter spots because a lot of people don’t go back far enough in them! Be sure to drink water and to take breaks when needed, and pack cooling towels and hand-held fans to keep you cool while you walk around!
Check Out Our Video of How to Handle Orlando Weather from Heat to Hurricanes!
2. Attack of the Bees
“We got a platter that paired different cheeses with different wines. One cheese had honey drizzle. The place got swarmed with bees and my husband is allergic. He darted out of there! Wasn’t too horrible though, more cheese and wine for me!”
Don’t worry — Pooh will catch the honey bees!
That’s one way to get all the snacks to yourself! This has actually happened to us in the parks as well, so keeping an eye out for bees is a real thing to consider!
3. More Animal Encounters!
“A bird dive-bombed me and took my food in the UK pavilion. It surprised the crap out of me and I screamed!” “A squirrel fell out of a tree and landed on my daughter in Germany.”
One bird that (probably) won’t steal your fish and chips!
Moral of the story: Watch out for any and all animals coming out of the sky in EPCOT!
4. Not Knowing What’s at the Festival
“I didn’t have a good understanding of what it was (our first trip ever) and I hadn’t discovered DFB yet either. So we missed out on so much!! Lesson learned.”
Canada Booth
There’s SO MUCH to eat, drink, and do at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival! We’d recommend reading up on the booths and menus before you go so that you don’t miss anything you want to try! If you’re not sure where to start, you can get our DFB Guide to the 2021 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-Book, which has all the info you’ll need to prepare a great trip to the festival!
Click Here to See the Five DFB Videos You Should Watch Before You Go to the 2021 Food & Wine Festival!
5. The Alternate Route
“The 1 year (out of many) I started the Food & Wine Festival in Mexico instead of Canada…end of story.”
Mexico Pavilion
Hey, we understand that people like to stick to their own system for tackling the Food & Wine Festival! But in our opinion, there are a lot of “right” ways to get all the snacks and drinks you want! You can travel around World Showcase and stop at booths along the way, or plan your own route based on the foods you most want to try! Another good option is to try a food crawl around the festival! Disney Food Blog has a lot of options for festival food crawls in our DFB Guide to the 2021 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-Book, and the Cheese Crawl — called Emile’s Fromage Montage — is officially returning to the festival!
Click Here to Find a Free, Printable Map of the 2021 Food and Wine Festival!
6. The Greatest Tragedy
“Not having enough stomach space to eat all the things!!”
ALL the food!
UGH, we can relate to this! There’s so much to try and so little time!
Flavors From Fire
Another reader said, “We were doing well, pacing ourselves, we had a plan…then we hit the America Pavillion, got the Funnel cake with Slab of maple ice cream. There were 3 of us. We had plans to go back and get empanadas and more…but the HUGE portion in America did us in. We wanted more lamb chops, but nooo…that slap of maple ice cream put the hex on us. So full. So big.”
Maple Bacon Funnel Cake Topped with Candied Bacon
This is a real thing! If you want to try a bunch of different foods around the festival, you’ll probably need to pace yourself so you don’t get full too fast! Try sharing with friends and family, and make sure you have a plan to try the most important things on your list first! It’s important to read up on the menus beforehand so you know what snacks and drinks a most important to you!
Quick Note: the Maple Bacon Funnel Cake is not returning to the 2021 Food & Wine Festival, but at the Funnel Cake Stand in the American Adventure pavilion, you can get the Mini Candied Bacon S’mores Funnel Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream!
Click Here to See All the Food & Wine Menus So You Know What to Plan For!
7. Not Enough Table Space
“This happens very often at Food & Wine, due to huge crowds I end up using a garbage can as a table.”
Trash Can Salt and Pepper Shakers
Food & Wine famously doesn’t have enough table space for all the eating going on! We’d recommend bringing along a tray to hold your food, but we’ve also ended up at a garbage can, using it as a table! It happens!
©Disney
In fact, there are several things you’ll want to bring to the Food & Wine Festival that aren’t on the typical Disney packing list! The food tray is a biggie, but also don’t forget wet wipes, takeout containers, and reusable straws and silverware!
Click Here to See Our Ultimate Packing List for the 2021 Food & Wine Festival!
Don’t forget to add the DFB Guide to the 2021 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-Book to your packing list!
Don’t forget to pick up this year’s version!
The guide has more than 250 pages of Festival tips and advice as well as an index of all the booths, food, and drinks at this year’s Festival! In our opinion, it’s one of the best ways to prepare before you head to the festival!
It’s safe to say that there are several ways a Festival visit can go wrong, but if you’re prepared and know what to expect, it can also be an awesome experience! Keep following DFB, and we’ll let you know about festival snacks, drinks, and news!
Click Here to See How to Tackle EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival With Kids!
IT'S WINE & DINE TIME!
Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience.
If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU!
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Get More Updates, Tips, and Tricks to Help You Conquer the Food & Wine Festival
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What are your best Food & Wine Festival tips? Let us know in the comments!
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You forgot to mention the very unDisney marauding packs of drunks. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a few drinks while touring BUT the many groups that are only there to get sloppy drunk is disheartening.
There are families with children literally getting spilled on and run over by adults that suddenly change direction because they just spotted another beer stand.
Thank you for letting us know were to get all the 2021 goodies and merch. Could you please give location for the fab food tray with the high sides and handles. Thank you for the help.
Holly, we have seen it at Festival market booths. 🙂
Daughter was stung by a wasp at the Australia pavilion as we were about to try the lamb. I took her to first aid. My son ate all the lamb and said it was good. Silver lining, we now know she is not allergic.
Stacia, what an unfortunate situation! I’m glad she was okay.