PDA

View Full Version : 2010 Disney's California Food and Wine Festival



Pages : [1] 2 3 4

AVP
01-03-2010, 12:24 PM
Dates have been posted for the 2010 Disney's California Food and Wine Festival: April 16 - May 31. No further info is available right now, but I note that this is right on top of the projected opening dates for the World of Color. I've been told that the theme for the F&W Festival will tie into World of Color, and I'm expecting Spring in DCA to be a zoo.

AVP

bennette
01-03-2010, 12:25 PM
Way to sell it, AVP! ;)

AVP
01-03-2010, 12:37 PM
Way to sell it, AVP! ;)Just telling it like I see it. ;)

bennette
01-03-2010, 12:42 PM
Well, it's effective. Because I'm suddenly feeling Florida in October could be a good thing for me this year.

Leaves more seats in California for you. Part of your master plan? ;)

AVP
01-03-2010, 12:47 PM
Well, it's effective. Because I'm suddenly feeling Florida in October could be a good thing for me this year.

Leaves more seats in California for you. Part of your master plan? ;)October? I believe we're discussing April/May, AND I'm not even going to be in the state opening weekend, so I have no stake here. ;)

bennette
01-03-2010, 01:10 PM
We are discussing April in California. Last year was traumatic enough for me, and that was not in a zoolike atmosphere.

I am now thinking if I want a Disney food festival this year, I need to make plans for that festival on the other side of the country. The one they have plenty of experience running. :)

olegc
01-03-2010, 03:01 PM
Dates have been posted for the 2010 Disney's California Food and Wine Festival: April 16 - May 31. No further info is available right now, but I note that this is right on top of the projected opening dates for the World of Color. I've been told that the theme for the F&W Festival will tie into World of Color, and I'm expecting Spring in DCA to be a zoo.

AVP

i'm already dreading the price hike...

AVP
01-03-2010, 08:03 PM
I am now thinking if I want a Disney food festival this year, I need to make plans for that festival on the other side of the country. The one they have plenty of experience running. :)Now, I don't mean to put a damper on your fun, but please remember that this is Disney we're speaking of. Years of experience does not necessarily mean anything. I mean, Disneyland has been open for 55 years, and they still periodically seems to forget important, basic aspects of park operations. I believe they have regularly scheduled mind wipes, and routinely purge any trace of institutional memory. :~D

Still, the WDW event is completely unlike DCA's, and definitely worth the trip. We go almost every year. You will probably absolutely love it - just avoid opening and closing weekend.

AVP

bennette
01-03-2010, 08:10 PM
You are just a bundle of sunshine today! ;)

Okay. We are on very limited vacation dollars these days and I don't want to risk a sad tummy. Back to planning our village Italy trip for when the furloughs are over.

AVP
01-03-2010, 08:13 PM
You are just a bundle of sunshine today! ;)

Okay. We are on very limited vacation dollars these days and I don't want to risk a sad tummy. Back to planning our village Italy trip for when the furloughs are over.Oh, you won't have a sad tummy at all - I just don't want you to get there with too-high expectations. I *wish* DCA could operate F&W the way WDW does, but there are a lot of factors that just won't let that happen right now.

AVP

bennette
01-03-2010, 08:18 PM
It's Disney. My expectations are never THAT high. :eyeroll:

But last year's California F&W was a bit of a dud for me, with the exception of my dinner "in Italy."

Drince88
01-04-2010, 09:47 AM
I'm curious if they decide to sell smallish portions of items at one central location (like they skipped in 2009). I want to try multiple new things, not one new choice at each and every restaurant or one really high-priced special meal.

bennette
01-04-2010, 09:54 AM
Me, too! That was a real downside for us last year. Hopefully there is a new spot planned for that this year.

I can't even remember a single thing we wanted to try in the park last year except maybe lobster sliders (lobster something) at the Cove Bar? Certainly nothing we wanted to stand in a regular (long) food line for.

KarenW2
01-04-2010, 12:49 PM
After last year's $450 price tag (my hubby thoroughly enjoyed his experience and loves to wear his exclusive NR chef jacket when he cooks!!), I'm wondering what they consider the "traffic will bear" for this year's class!!

At the price he paid, it would've been nice if they'd have given those in attendance a number of Photo Pass photos for "free", from the photographer who chronicled the event for everyone and "free" embroidered personalization for their chef jackets.

I imagine they'll be offerring it again, since it was a sell-out (so they did well!), but since they keep raising the price every year, I have a feeling he won't want to do another class at the newest inflated price.

Unless they offer a deal for returnees, who bring their own jackets, of course!!

Toocherie
01-04-2010, 01:54 PM
But last year's California F&W was a bit of a dud for me, with the exception of my dinner "in Italy."

No doubt the Italy dinner was a highlight because of the delightful company who attended with you . . . . . .

bennette
01-04-2010, 01:56 PM
No doubt. If I'd made it to "our" Sweet Sunday, that would have also been a highlight!

mechurchlady
01-04-2010, 03:13 PM
i'm already dreading the price hike...


It's Disney. My expectations are never THAT high. :eyeroll:

But last year's California F&W was a bit of a dud for me, with the exception of my dinner "in Italy."
First problem was the chef talks because the first time there was major confusion in the lines and then later people waited 3 hours in the sun for spots in the talks. There was little standing room, not enough shade and I found a way to cheat the system and get a herd of friends into a sold out chef talk. Each show gave out the same laminated tickets so all one had to do is show up for the Dole show and then walk away. That then gave you a ticket good for Guy Fieri and Robert Irvine.

I am thinking that since they could get $100+ for sold out dinners then they might up that price. I paid that much with tip at Napa Rose for two meals and without dessert could have paid less than what one F & W dinner cost.

I could not or would not eat all of their special items offered at restaurants for the event. I loved the Spain and France meals as well as the chef talks but this is too much for me to pay especially when I can eat equal or better food with someone. If I want to try new foods I might as well go to a fancy restaurant with friends and share food with them to see what is really good.

I was all going to do the event all out last year but just got worn out with it after it became 3 hour waits for chefs and 90 minute or more for Dole presentations. I could not do the sweets because most would have required major menu changes and I do not want that. I could and and cannot afford to pay $150 for dinner for one person and last year's two even dinners were great but did not justify the price paid. I do not do wine and booze so that part of the event was not for me. I will wait and see but honestly am not looking forward to this event with the joy I once had.

I so wish I could spend a month in WDW during their event as it looks like something I would enjoy.

Drince88
01-04-2010, 06:39 PM
One thing they did in 2009 in Orlando that initially I was pretty miffed about, but it ended up working fairly well in practice, was that they charged a nominal fee for the previously free seminars. It was, I believe, $8 or $6 if you had a Tables in Wonderland or Annual Pass. It wasn't expensive, and you got the value from it generally and it REALLY simplified the process and eliminated the waiting in line for hours to get into a seminar. (I REALLY got my money's worth at the Remy Martin seminar with cognac that was almost 200/glass in restaurants - yes it was a small pour, but that was fine for me!)

This would prevent people from getting tickets for an earlier event to cheat going into a more popular event. Each ticket was uniquely printed for each and every seminar, so no cheating.

It was an issue if someone hadn't read up and was just there for the weekend, but many of the weekday seminars had same or next day availability.

Toocherie
01-04-2010, 06:47 PM
This would prevent people from getting tickets for an earlier event to cheat going into a more popular event. Each ticket was uniquely printed for each and every seminar, so no cheating.

It was an issue if someone hadn't read up and was just there for the weekend, but many of the weekday seminars had same or next day availability.

I so wish they would charge a nominal fee in California. I don't have the time or stamina to wait in line for hours. Even on an ECV. (not to mention my bladder!) But I think the issue you allude to could be solved by printing "unique" tickets whether there is a fee or not, no? Certainly something Disney should consider, although it would cost them more to print the tickets up-front.

I also may actually take a weekday off this year to go to DCA's festival during the week--just too many people on the weekend to get into anything of interest to me other than paid events. I also add my voice to those who wish they had a central place for tastes--going from restaurant to restaurant didn't thrill me--even more so since there was no "list" of which restaurants had what. (Yes, there was an unofficial list at the festival event center, but they wouldn't make copies--I asked--because they wanted to retain the right to change or discontinue an offering.)

Drince88
01-04-2010, 06:59 PM
Oh, and I'm not sure DL's processes could handle the easy way they dealt with pre-paying for the tickets. I just walked up to the nice lady near the entrance, showed by ID, she checked off my name and gave me my ticket. No mess, no fuss. And they weren't laminated, so it's not like it cost THAT much money to print the individual tickets!

At DL I'm sure they'd make you go to guest relations outside the parks to pick up your tickets because of the way they have to segregate information about people who have paid and not. (I still don't get why you can't just go to the Fantasmic seating and wait in line to get your seat, and have them with a list of people who paid. Or the tours, why you can't just go to the meeting place and have the tour guides with a list of who's paid.)

mechurchlady
01-04-2010, 07:06 PM
Also this was a Disney run event and you would think that Disney would have known how to run the event. They had the stage in the Sunshine Plaza plus they had the carts selling stuff. It was hard to get to the carts or around the stage with a stroller or scooter.

It was a free event featuring celebrity chefs and free gourmet snack. They ended up with lines for different shows tangled together. People were getting into the wrong lines and not realizing they were in the wrong line until the show started or someone told them. They could have run the lines out to Bug's Land then double it back and forth. They could have had three lines and signs so that people would get in the right line and the area in the center of the plaza was not congested.

One time I got there for a famous chef and there was an existing line of people then CMs moved the line east. This meant the people who had been waiting did not keep their spot in line. I was in the middle when this happened and was lucky to get a good spot but I had a herd of people join the person in front of me. One person had dashed into the confused mess of people to get a good spot then their herd joined. That could have been solved by moving the existing line first then moving the rest of the people afterwards.

I have dietary limitations and found that except for the paid events most of the stuff was not available to me. I could not eat the chef made foods except once. I could not have the desserts at the Lounge, lobster salad on rolls, sliders, tamales, dulce de leche, and the cheese soup. I do not do raw tuna and the humuus was not appealing either. I ended up with an ice cream novelty that is sold in stores and the seafood martini.

http://allears.net/dlr/tp/dca/fw09/dcafw09a.htm

cstephens
01-04-2010, 08:48 PM
I also may actually take a weekday off this year to go to DCA's festival during the week

The only ones I really wanted to go to last year were MILK and Catal, and both happened to be on weekends, so that ended up working out for me. I was interested in the country ones, but the husband wasn't really interested and I couldn't find anyone else who wanted to go, and while I normally don't mind doing stuff alone, these seemed different to me.

Maybe I'll ask if I can tag along with others if they go this year. :)

bennette
01-04-2010, 09:21 PM
The only ones I really wanted to go to last year were MILK and Catal, and both happened to be on weekends, so that ended up working out for me. I was interested in the country ones, but the husband wasn't really interested and I couldn't find anyone else who wanted to go, and while I normally don't mind doing stuff alone, these seemed different to me.

Maybe I'll ask if I can tag along with others if they go this year. :)

I missed MILK. (Sold out! I was slow.) Which I think I initially only wanted to go to because you keep getting to eat there and talking about how great it is! ;)

Toocherie did more of the dinners than I did but the Italy one was lovely. Not quite the sure thing that Napa Rose is for me, but definitely enjoyable. There were four (?) other "strangers" at our table. The table set up made it a little hard to talk to everyone but they were all lovely people and we had a wonderful server whom Cheryl already knew quite well.

adriennek
01-04-2010, 09:42 PM
Maybe I'll ask if I can tag along with others if they go this year. :)


I missed MILK. (Sold out! I was slow.) Which I think I initially only wanted to go to because you keep getting to eat there and talking about how great it is! ;)

Ok, so here's the thing. We can DO a field trip any day of the week outside of Food & Wine.

I'm just saying.

Adrienne

bennette
01-04-2010, 10:09 PM
Ok, so here's the thing. We can DO a field trip any day of the week outside of Food & Wine.

I'm just saying.

Adrienne

I need a new computer. I just leaned on my laptop and it jumped to a Creative Memories site. It was all flowery and stuff. :eek:

I thought I was entering a parallel universe!

But yeah. Why shouldn't we all get some of the cool L.A. food? I have soooo much vacation time that I need to take.