All Epcot F&W Bottle Purchases MUST go through pickup!

[badphotoshops]

I just wonder how Disney gets away with people wandering around both EPCOT and DTD with alcoholic beverages

It's because they have an individual liquor license that covers each park/resort area as a whole. You can drink and walk freely throughout, but cannot cross between parks/resort areas, as natamoic already pointed out. This is especially evident at Universal, where Citywalk, IoA and USF each have an individual license, and are all directly adjacent to each other. You can't enter IoA/USF with an alcoholic beverage from CityWalk nor can you exit either park into CityWalk with an alcoholic beverage.

This issue, however, is unrelated to the OPs issue with buying sealed bottles and having to utilize package pickup. That's just policy.

 

[FerretAfros]

I believe this has been Disney's policy for many years. I know that it's what they've done at DCA since it opened, and I would assume that Epcot would follow the same guidelines. In addition to not wanting guests to walk around with a glass bottle, it also helps them keep an eye on how many drinks a guest has consumed since they need to order them individually (to buy a bottle for in-park consumption you need at least 2 people) and avoid inadvertently letting minors drink in the park

At DCA they've offered to have a CM escort you to the park exit with the bottle if you're planning on leaving right away. Especially considering the amount you said you were planning to purchase, I'm surprised that they didn't offer similar accommodations at Epcot

 

[LAKid53]

Seriously? Dang Florida. Here in IL it's sealed from the beginning or nothing. I've always assumed they invoked private property for within the park, but we all know plenty of people are hustling half drunks in resort mugs through the International Gateway. I also always figured they followed the same boundary laws as with speeding tickets, the second you hit the parking lot you're at the mercy of the police, based on the Reedy Creek agreements.

In IL we can't ship or receive alcohol that's not from a distributor. This is why Floridians end up with crazy news stories.

People were complaining (and I bet some of them were legislators) about having to leave the rest of that $100 bottle of wine on the table.....so the law was changed to allow the restaurant to reseal the bottle and you take it with you.

I just now make sure that I finish the beer I had with my burrito at Chipotle's before I leave....since I will have to chug the rest at the door or toss it.

Yup, we have some crazy ones and are the butt of jokes - like protecting pregnant pigs. Yes, boys and girls, in the Florida State Constitution, there is a section regarding the treatment of pregnant pigs, actually it's all pregnant animals, but pigs sounds so much more, well, cracker....

 

[righttrack]

The whole park is private property. View it, indoors and out, like a restaurant or bar. The laws don't apply there for open containers. When you leave the gates, however, and enter the roadways, you are on public property because the roads are maintained by the state. The laws apply there.

 

[LAKid53]

CA is like IL then. It's always fun walking in to Target and buying a handle of Vodka with a coloring book and a princess bag for the neighbor's kid. And we have to have it in the trunk sealed as well. As someone who has been pulled over and scolded for having wine bottles (unopened, gently rested) on the backseat of my SUV I find that to be utter crap.

Sure let me put them in the back end where they can roll around and break. You'll be cleaning that up for me officer, right? Considering every turn I take is like a ping pong ball for anything back there...

I remember, back in the days, of having to lean over the back seat in my parents old Honda Accord hatchback and hold on to that expensive bottle of scotch my dad just picked up at the grocery store so it wouldn't roll around and break.

 

[raven]

The issue here isn't the alcohol but the glass bottles. Look at the new park rules that were just posted. It states in item K in the Prohibited Items section "No glass containers." I think they are just trying to keep everyone safe.

 

[RayTheFirefly]

Yeah, Florida's liquor laws are so bizarre - drove my mother nuts when she was a realtor and trying to sell liquor stores. When we first moved to Florida, you couldn't buy alcohol on a Sunday - and we lived in Miami (sure made football watching a pain if you forgot to get a six pack on Saturday) - but you could drive and drink a beer. Several counties in my part of the state used to be dry, but no problem with us bringing our own six packs or bottles of wine to the seafood restaurant on the coast.

However, in CA, you can buy liquor in your grocery store - "honey, can you please pick me up a fifth of scotch when you go to Safeway for bread & milk?" BUT that bottle of scotch had better be IN the trunk of your car, unopened, until you got home. Now many grocery stores in Florida, like Publix, have package stores next to the grocery store. In CA, the scotch is next to the produce section.....

Here in LA, you can buy liquor at every gas station, CVS, Walgreens, grocery store, Walmart, etc. 24/7. And they don't really care what you do with it after that. You can have a daiquiri in the driver's seat as long as the straw hole isn't punctured.

 

[LAKid53]

Here in LA, you can buy liquor at every gas station, CVS, Walgreens, grocery store, Walmart, etc. 24/7. And they don't really care what you do with it after that. You can have a daiquiri in the driver's seat as long as the straw hole isn't punctured.

NOW they change the law.....

 

[JohnD]

Not in Florida. The minute I walk out of a restaurant or any other establishment that sells alcoholic beverages with an open container - bottle/glass/cup - I'm guilty of a crime. Which is why many places have staff at the front door and a trash can. Been stopped many times and had to either chug my remaining drink or toss it in the trash can. The statute doesn't distinguish between a private resort or a private restaurant. And Orlando has its own laws regarding open carry. The true test would be if you could walk out of Downtown Disney with a half drunk cup of beer onto one of the public streets without Disney security stopping you. I bet I could walk out of Raglan Road towards what was the former Westside bus stop, through the parking lot and cross that main street and no security would stop me. However, according to Florida statute, I'd be breaking the law....

Agree. When I was in Savannah, GA, I was surprised to discover I could order a beer in a plastic cup and walk out the door with it. And this wasn't a roped-off beer drinking area either. Yep. Florida law is very strict. You must consume your beverage on the premises. At least at Epcot, that means the entire park but you can't leave the park with an open container.

 

[RayTheFirefly]

NOW they change the law.....

LA as in Louisiana. We were also the last state to raise the drinking age... and it was only because they threatened to take away our federal highway funding!

 

[LAKid53]

LA as in Louisiana. We were also the last state to raise the drinking age... and it was only because they threatened to take away our federal highway funding!

Thanks for the clarification. When I tell people I was born in LA, they ask Lower Alabama in this part of the country....

Well that put a damper on Mardi Gras!

 

[The Visionary Soul]

Not in Florida. The minute I walk out of a restaurant or any other establishment that sells alcoholic beverages with an open container - bottle/glass/cup - I'm guilty of a crime. Which is why many places have staff at the front door and a trash can. Been stopped many times and had to either chug my remaining drink or toss it in the trash can. The statute doesn't distinguish between a private resort or a private restaurant. And Orlando has its own laws regarding open carry. The true test would be if you could walk out of Downtown Disney with a half drunk cup of beer onto one of the public streets without Disney security stopping you. I bet I could walk out of Raglan Road towards what was the former Westside bus stop, through the parking lot and cross that main street and no security would stop me. However, according to Florida statute, I'd be breaking the law....

This is simply not true. In Florida, private businesses can have "site-wide" liquor licenses that allow you to take drinks outside, or anywhere on your property that you specify. Walking out the front door of an establishment that has elected to use this type of license is perfectly fine. It's when you reach the end of the border of said license (that could be a street curb, a side walk, a turnstyle, etc.) when you break the law.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

We just finished a short 3-day trip to Disney World--two days of which were spent at Epcot. At no time during our two visits to the Festival Center while we were perusing the wine and other liquor selections were we told that we could not carry out alcohol bottle purchases out of the park. Today as we were leaving to head home, we stopped by the Festival Center to make our purchases and were told that although they could sell them to us, we could not carry them out and would have to wait approximately 3 hours to pick them up at the package pickup at the front of the park! There were no signs stating this and nothing in any of the festival guidebooks! We talked to several castmembers, but they all insisted that it was policy and could not be changed. Since we didn't want to wait several hours to leave, we left a couple hundred dollars worth of liquers and wine on the counter and walked out.
Hopefully soon they will put up a sign so that no one else is disappointed. We have made similar purchases like this in all the previous years at the Festival Center at the F&W Festival, however, this is the first time we've ever been told this.

This has been policy for at least 10 years. Not sure why you weren't stopped before. Perhaps they were more willing to make exceptions in the past, now legal got on their backs to stop the exceptions.

 

[DisneyMom51]

The issue here isn't the alcohol but the glass bottles. Look at the new park rules that were just posted. It states in item K in the Prohibited Items section "No glass containers." I think they are just trying to keep everyone safe.

I just finished reading the park rules and regulations you quoted.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/park-rules/
These rules regard items that one is prohibited from bringing into the park. Item B also clearly states that alcohol beverages are not allowed to be brought into the park.
Funny...in the past couple years, I've purchased several rather large bottles of Guerlain perfume (in glass bottles of course) and have never been denied to allow to carry them with me as I perused the World Showcase.
In my opinion, what it comes down to is that Disney doesn't want a guest purchasing bottles of alcohol at the park and then drinking them there onsite. It has nothing to do with being concerned about breaking glass as a multitude of glass items are sold in Epcot and no one is forced to have to receive them at package pickup at the front of the park. Additionally, open-carry laws regarding alcohol have nothing to do with this. It is no different than purchasing a bottle of wine, alcohol, or whatever at one's local Florida liquor store and carrying out your purchase.
I just want Disney to put up a sign--especially at the Festival Center--so that other guests will know about this.

 

[DisneyMom51]

This has been policy for at least 10 years. Not sure why you weren't stopped before. Perhaps they were more willing to make exceptions in the past, now legal got on their backs to stop the exceptions.

Just curious, where is this stated as policy? Only one time in the past ten years--other than this recent visit--have I been forbidden from carrying a bottle out and that was in Germany. I do make quite a few alcohol purchases during these events as I can only find many of these at Disney World. Right now, without even looking, I know I have at least a dozen plus bottles of liquers, wine, and sake still in our liquor cabinet and wine cooler that I purchased within the past few years at the F&W Festival and/or the F&G Festival and the majority of them are still unopened.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

Just curious, where is this stated as policy? Only one time in the past ten years--other than this recent visit--have I been forbidden from carrying a bottle out and that was in Germany. I do make quite a few alcohol purchases during these events as I can only find many of these at Disney World. Right now, without even looking, I know I have at least a dozen plus bottles of liquers, wine, and sake still in our liquor cabinet and wine cooler that I purchased within the past few years at the F&W Festival and/or the F&G Festival and the majority of them are still unopened.

I don't believe it's stated anywhere. Just is policy. They just don't want you to open the bottles in the parks.

 

[lostpro9het]

I think they are just trying to keep everyone safe.

I believe this could be the case but it is somewhat contradictory when you are allowed to make glassware purchases and carry them around. I believe they use the safety facade as a means to protect their bottom line. I mean just last week I purchased 750ml(typical amount in a bottle of wine) of 60proof moonshine from the America pavilion for $25. Can you imagine how much I would have had to spend at La Cava to achieve this level of alcohol? If you consider the average shot at La Cava is about $10 and a shot is 1.5 ounces then with 25oz per 750ml that would roughly be 17 shots, $170. IMO, it is a money protection issue more than a people protection issue.

 

[rwdavis2]

They likely could have just shipped them to your home, if you asked.

Not a chance they would ship. Virtually all states that allows you to ship wine require a license and collect taxes. Disney is not going to navigate 51 different sets of laws. Wineries can ship but retailers usually can't. And it seems pretty much limited to wine, not beer or liquor.

Anyway, to the OP, you were about to overpay by about 50% for that stuff anyway.

 

[fillerup]

As recently as 2012, I bought a bottle in the Festival Center, had it signed by the winemaker and took it with me from the building. I've never had to pick one up at the gate.

 

[LAKid53]

This is simply not true. In Florida, private businesses can have "site-wide" liquor licenses that allow you to take drinks outside, or anywhere on your property that you specify. Walking out the front door of an establishment that has elected to use this type of license is perfectly fine. It's when you reach the end of the border of said license (that could be a street curb, a side walk, a turnstyle, etc.) when you break the law.

Then my place for weekly trivia's property ends at the sidewalk around the building because when I was walking out the door finishing my Killian's, I got stopped and was told to finish before I went out the door. So I chugged, 'cause there's no way I'm throwing $8 beer in the trash.