2015 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Epcot + Food and Wine Festival…I don’t even know where to start!

First of all, it was my first time visiting Epcot.  What an amazing park!  There’s SO much to do and see and learn.  Both Vishnu and I were like kids in a candy store.

Or more like kids in a Disney store.  Ha!

As far as the “rides” are concerned, we experienced five of them.

• Spaceship Earth where we explored the history of innovations from the Stone Age to the Digital Age.
• Mission: Space where we experienced an intense (team Orange) NASA style simulator.
• Test Track (our favorite!) where we created our own virtual car and then rode a fun ride to put our car to the test.
• Soarin where you take flight and soar over California.
• Journey Into Imagine with Figment where you explore the different senses via an open house tour.

The food and wine part of the experience was super delicious!  We tried foods from 11 different countries/vendors during our eight hours at the park.

This may seem like overkill, but I have to share all the things we ate.  If you’re a food lover like me, get ready to drool!

• OUR FAVORITE! Chew Lab – (for both) Liquid nitro chocolate-almond truffle with warm whisky-caramel
• Cheese Studio – (for both) Cheese fondue with sourdough bread
• Dominican Republic – (for both) Yuca soufflé topped with griddled cheese and (for Vishnu) seared grouper, pigeon peas and rice with coconut sauce
• Greece – (for both) Spanakopita (so good!)
• Desserts & Champagne – (for me) Strawberry-basil champagne “toast” and (for Vishnu)cream soda float with caramel ice cream
• New Zealand – (for Vishnu) Lamb meatball with spicy tomato chutney
• South Korea – (for Vishnu) Bulgogi BBQ short rib with steamed rice and cucumber kimchi and (for me) vegan Korean BBQ with steamed rice and cucumber kimchi
• Africa – (for Vishnu) Beef tenderloin tips with onions, jalapenos, tomato and pap (kind of like grits)
• Germany – (for Vishnu) Roast bratwurst in a pretzel roll
• Italy – (for me) Cheese ravioli, tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil and (for both) chocolate-covered cannoli filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate, and candied fruit
• Belgium – (for both) Belgian waffle with warm chocolate ganache and whipped cream

If you’re wondering why I didn’t list any wine or beer, it’s because we didn’t have any.  The heat truly got the best of us.  We wanted to try the cider flight at some point, but by the time we got done with our last ride, we were exhausted.  Also, I’m not a huge drinker to start with, and Vishnu doesn’t like drinking by himself.

And that brings me to my top tips when visiting Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival.

• Arrive early.  The lines were manageable up until 2:00 pm.  After that, there was a long line at every single food booth.  By arriving early, we were able to experience a couple of rides before the food vendors opened up shop.
• Get ready to spend some $$$.  Between the two of us, we spent an additional $75-100 dollars on food (and water).
• Wear comfortable shoes because you will be walking a lot. My FitBit said I logged over 16,000 steps.
• Orlando is hot in September/October/and even November.  Wear light clothing and bring sunglasses/a hat.  Also, it sucks but you’ll likely have to buy a few bottles of water.  Another option would be to fill up via the water fountains.
• You’re not going to be able to do it all in one day, so don’t even try.  Instead, do some research and pick what you want to do/taste ahead of time.  Strategy is important!
• In terms of the rides, download the Disney app and select your first three fast pass experiences well before you arrive at the park.  Otherwise, you risk there being no fast pass options available.
• There’s a lot of alcohol available at this festival (hence “wine” being in the name).  And you’re going to come into contact with a lot of intoxicated people.  Come to terms with this beforehand.

Overall, we had an amazing time exploring Epcot and trying some tasty food!  If you have the opportunity to experience the park during the festival, I highly recommend it.

What’s your favorite Disney Theme Park?