Thanks to customer feedback,
changes are coming for Epcot’s extra-ticket dining event, Party for the Senses.
Changes are in the works for Party for the Senses, Epcot’s chichi extra-ticket event.
And one update might rate a standing ovation — which would be ironic because for the first time in history, everyone attending will have assigned seating.
This switch is a result of guest feedback, said Thomas Tryon, manager for event operations.
“While some liked to graze and kind of mingle and mix during the party and would stand up, most people like the idea to be able to sit down and hang out and have a place to call their own,” Tryon said.
The party, held five nights during the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, for years revolved around guests standing around, milling from food station to food station. Disney added a reserved-seating section for an extra charge several years ago.
Everyone has a place at the table, beginning with the Sept. 23 party. Spots are dictated by three levels of tickets. The least expensive ticket sells for $179, which guarantees seating at a long, communal table for 24 people. For an extra $20, the “reserved” level of ticket provides a table just for your party.
The Wine View Lounge ticket sells for $329 and puts buyers in an exclusive area near the stage and dance floor. This area sports an all-white look, Tryon said, an “elegant boutique experience right in the center.”
The high-end ticket includes another fresh extra: Transportation from Epcot’s entrance back to the event site, tucked between the Canada and United Kingdom pavilions of the theme park. Wine Viewers will ride in air conditioning rather than making the hike.
“These guys are actually shuttled using our new Minnie Vans from the front of the park directly to World ShowPlace,” Tryon said.
Party of the Senses tickets are in addition to the price of Epcot admission.
The new seating situation is overdue for the event, which is considered on the fancy end of the Disney dining scale, said AJ Wolfe, who operates the Disney Food Blog, a website unaffiliated with Walt Disney World.
“I am very happy that everyone will have a seat,” she said. “I think that it has been absolutely archaic that they have been paying this much money and there have been people sitting on the floor — literally on the floor — eating their food.”
Wine View Lounge tickets for the five parties, which went on sale in July, have sold out, Tryon said, but there are “plenty” of guaranteed seats available.
The revised Party for the Senses seating plan paved the way for a new look for the event, which will now seat about 1,000 people per evening, including the 120 seats in the Wine View Lounge.
“You’ll see that it feels more like a restaurant,” Tryon said. “There’s a variety of table sizes now from our big 24-top communal tables, the big long tables with seating on either side, all the way down to an intimate two-top for guests.”
The seating is arranged around eight chandelier-topped show kitchens manned by Disney chefs.
“We’ve really pulled the focus into them, so everyone’s really watching what the chefs are doing as they are plating up those portions,” Tryon said. “Being able to talk to the chef is a nice part of the experience.”
There are five Party for the Senses nights in this year’s festival. One is themed to Disney Springs restaurants and entertainment, and the others play off the 35th anniversary of Epcot. For live entertainment, some new groups that have never performed at Disney World were added to the lineup, said Stacy Simons, a producer with Disney’s creative entertainment team.
“We definitely wanted to steer more toward that high quality jazz environment,” she said.
Scheduled to appear are John Pizzarelli, guitarist and vocalist; Femmes of Rock, an electronicviolin act; Grace Kelly, a singersaxophonist; and Orlando-based Vintage Vinyl Band.