{travel guide} EPCOT's Food & Wine Festival + What I Wore

A couple weeks ago I jetted off to Disney for five days of fun with some friends. We planned this trip at the beginning of the year (March!) when Disney World announced the opening for Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.  Sadly Christian couldn't come because he was already using his allotted days off for our honeymoon. Don't worry, we're hopefully going to Disney (and Universal) in May!

November seemed like the best time to go because the initial opening crowds for Star Wars would have slightly dwindled and we could celebrate the Holidays by going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!  We also knew that EPCOT would be having either their Food & Wine Festival or Festival of the Holidays! When dates were announced I was excited to read we would be there for Food & Wine.

Last year my friend and I went to EPCOT 4 times during our stay so we could get the Annual Passholder cutting board but this year we only went for 1 day so I had less time to try foods and had to be much more strategic. Here's what I tried this year as well as a few tips to get the most bang for your buck!

1. Download the WDW - Food&Wine app to keep track of everything you want to try and have tried! Before our trip I wish-listed everything I wanted to try so I wouldn't have to think about it while in the park. (this is not an official Disney app)

2. Buy the Festival gift card. I find it helpful to buy the special festival gift card on a wrist coil. You have to load it with at least $15 but we all know if you're going to eat around the world you'll spend at least that! Plus they always have a cute design, this year it was Remy. (Last year they had 3 separate Remy designs so I had to buy all of them!) It's a great way to control your spending because you can load it with whatever your budget for the day.

3. Pace yourself. If you can spread this out over a few days of your trip, definitely do! Park hop back to EPCOT once you're done at another park for a few bites. If you only have one day don't try to eat too much or you won't be able to enjoy what you do have.

4. When you're with a group you might want to share bites with others so you can sample even more! If 2 or 3 people want to try the same thing why wouldn't you split it so you have room for even more snacks? And, if you happen to really like it, go back to get a second if you're still hungry at the end of the day!

What I tried

The Donut Box

I had already had breakfast earlier in the morning but when my friend had time to kill while waiting for the other 2 members of our group (who decided to sleep in) I wanted to try the Strawberry-dusted yeast donut holes! It was $4 for 4 really big donut holes so we split them and it was the perfect portion.

Spain

Spain had this dish last year and it remains one of my favorite bites of the Food & Wine Festival. It's the Spanish-style Paella with Botifarra and Roasted Chicken for $5.50. The portion size is great for this price and it was delicious and flavorful!

China

Another repeat from last year was the Chicken Dumplings with Chinese Slaw for $4.95. The dumplings were delicious but you only get 2 for the $5 so it's not that big of a portion. I was going to try the black pepper shrimp with garlic noodles as well but figured I should try something different instead.

India

When we arrived at the India booth I decided to be brave and try the Korma Chicken with cucumber tomato salad, almonds, cashes and warm naan for $5.25.  I say "brave" because I'm not a big fan of saucy foods (yes, even pasta.) But the flavor was amaaazing and I really enjoyed it!

France

This is not part of the food festival but every time I go to EPCOT I have to get some chocolate ice cream in France. I'm not lying when I say this is my favorite ice cream anywhere and it's totally worth the $5 for a single scoop. Every time I'm always tempted to get a french macaron with ice cream but I just can't quit my go-to.

Festival Merchandise

I was going to try not to buy any festival specific merchandise apart from a passholder pin and regular pin but they had some ADORABLE Mickey and Remy mugs in the Passholder merchandise section. They also happened to be 25% off (plus my 20% off passholder discount) so I couldn't resist!

What I wore

I wore my Passholder tee from 2018 because how could I not?! The perfect shirt for tasting around the world. It was a chillier - and windy - day so jeans were necessary. I also had my Mickey Sweatshirt on to save me from freezing.

Graphic Tee: EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Passholder Tee, Jeans: FRAME 'Le Skinny de Jeanne' (Shopbop), Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athanasia' in Croc (Moda Operandi)