News! Updates to Early Booking for Some Events at the 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

[Disney4me]

This just in! We have potential updates to early booking for events during the 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival for two populations of Disney fans!

As you know, booking for all Epcot Food and Wine Festival Events for the General Public opens on July 21st at 7AM ET. But most years, if you’re a Disney World Annual Passholder, Disney Vacation Club Member, Tables in Wonderland, or Golden Oak Resident, you’ll get to book Festival Center events (seminars and demos primarily) a few days early. This year, that early date falls on July 19th!

And today, we’ve gotten some good news for yet another group of Disney lovers…

Chase Disney Visa Cardholders Early Booking Date for Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Yay! We’ve now heard that Chase Disney Visa Cardmembers will again be able to book events early this year as well! The phone lines are slated to open for this group on July 19 at 9AM! So if you have a Disney Visa, start planning, because next Tuesday is YOUR DAY!

While Disney hasn’t fully clarified what will be eligible for booking on the early day, the events are most likely the Low-Cost Culinary Demonstrations and Beverage Seminars that take place at Festival Center. There may be some Special Events as well.

Remember, this info is always subject to change. There are so many moving parts with the Festival, so things DO change from time to time. But since this information falls in line with what has happened in previous years, we’re pretty confident in reporting that it will be the case.

But that’s not all the interesting early booking news we have today!

Disney World Annual Passholders Early…EARLY Booking Date?

So…Disney World Annual Passholders may be able to book some events for the festival on July 18th.

But…probably not.

I’ll explain.

We were pretty confident that July 19th was the early booking date for ALL specialty groups this year. THEN we started getting emails and notifications from our readers about an earlier booking date for Annual Passholders. So we investigated, and here’s what we found:

According to PassholderCalendar.com (an official Annual Passholder website that I found through the Mickey Monitor, which is the official Annual Passholder publication), early booking for Annual Passholders who are booking seminars will be open on July 18.

According to this Official Disney Website, Annual Passholders May Be Able to Book Even Earlier

And two days ago, Disney World Annual Passholders got their Passholder email that clearly stated that early booking for the events would be on…July 18th!

So after a very long, very frustrating call with Disney World Passholder Guest Services (I’m sure you can all relate), I came away with the cast member telling me that “Both dates have been announced by official sources and we don’t have any more information; you’ll just have to call on the 18th and see if you can book events, and if not, then call on the 19th.” Super helpful, right?

So, here’s my take from all this:

1. I take my job WAY too seriously.

2. The Disney contacts that I trust the most have told me that July 19th is the early booking date for Annual Passholders.

3. I’m guessing the Annual Passholder publications and emails have made a mistake. Like I said, lots of moving parts, and it’s possible that the 18th was the original early booking date and it was then changed to the 19th, but the Annual Passholder information had already been set into motion at that point.

4. I’m still going to call on the 18th…just in case.

5. Errthing is subject to change all the time always forever.

So, there you have it. It’s my job to make sure YOU know all of the potentials and possibilities, so I’m doing that. And I’m also sharing with you just a teensy bit of the crazy that goes into gathering information about the Epcot Food and Wine Festival (believe me, from April through July my mental state is pretty much anticipation lined with frustration).

Let me know what YOU find out! ;-D

Ready to Plan for Your Epcot Food and Wine Festival Trip?

The DFB Guide to the 2016 Epcot Food & Wine Festival e-Book is now available for pre-order! This 250+-page guide to the Festival offers insider tips and advice as well as all of the details you need to know to plan your best Festival visit ever.

Your purchase includes several bonus items as well — including a full daily schedule of events at the Festival and a printable World Showcase Booth Menu Checklist to carry with you as you Eat around the World!

Order your 2016 edition today and we’ll immediately send you the 2015 edition for FREE to get started on planning right away! Don’t miss a moment of the fun!

Use code Chefs at check-out for a 20% off the cover price!

But now, I want to hear from you! What events are you most excited about booking during the 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival? Leave a comment and share with us!

Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com! Also, come on over and:

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Related posts:

1. Epcot Food & Wine Festival Discounts and Early Booking Date Announced
2. 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival News! Details on Booths, Menus, Special Events, Booking Dates, and More
3. News! Epcot Food and Wine Festival Early Booking Details for Chase Disney Visa Cardmembers

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