Let me start with saying I am not here to bash or judge anyone who is an aficionado of the food and wine festival and in fact we used to be.......until today! We are here now enjoying a wonderful family vacation. We have done the food and wine festival almost every time we have come here but, I was truly SHOCKED at the change in the atmosphere the food and wine festival has now. While I completely understand crowds and know you can't change crowd numbers but I have never seen this many people there for the festival. The lines were so long that the thought of waiting in them to spend that kind of money for a small sample (although good samples) was not worth it. The part that really disturbs me is that to me Disney has always portrayed a family atmosphere in their parks but what we saw and experienced was far from family atmosphere. I saw stumbling drunks, people laying down on the side of the walkways with friends laughing at them, cuss words left and right, people casually smoking in all areas around the park, groups of people shouting, and trash everywhere. Now correct me if I am wrong, isn't Disney a big proponent of their image and pride themselves on no trash allowed around the parks. I saw ZERO security patrolling (I would think with the amount of drinking going on, security would be enhanced), I saw minimal staff members lingering doing the their usual clean up work. We attended with our daughter who is 9 and even she commented on how different this was compared to our last visit and at one point just wanted to leave. Now I know some will say we could have just left and yes we could have but, we paid to be there, why should we have to waste our money because Disney doesn't have a better system in place. We did our best to stroll through quickly and tried to enjoy the shops but our usual stroll through was just not enjoyable. We felt like we were attending a spring break drunken frat party. You may look at what I am saying is just a big ol' giant complaint and yest technically it is but, google reviews for this and you will see a lot of people saying the same things! Get it together Disney! I know everyone has a right to come here, everyone has a right to enjoy themselves and I would never say you can't allow people to drink but if they want to promote this as a family destination than it should be kept that way! Can't some of this be solved by allowing people to continue to drink and enjoy themselves by doing something like a prepaid wrist band that requires you to show ID when you buy it. As you enjoy the festival and get your drinks you get a hole punched on your band and after you reach a certain number say like 10 or 12 alcohol drinks you can't get more? I mean I had to spend over $200 to attend the Very Merry Christmas Party and had to have wrist band to be able to get cookies and hot chocolate but Disney can allow people to just drink themselves stupid because they spend more money. I did not do any research on the food and wine festival because we have done it so many times before but, lesson learned and this long time foodie will not be attending this again unless we arrive first thing in the morning on a weekday for it. Just not impressed with the image portrayed to children today! end rant!
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Trip Report Disappointed!
- Thread starter natolij02
- Start date
disney4life2008
Well-Known Member
I attended the festival tonight and it was a tragic mess. I have always heard of drunk people at WS but what I have observed in the two times I went since the festival started is absurd. Honestly, I felt like I was no longer at Disney World less long one of their premier theme parks. Tonight, I saw so many drunks that it mirrored Christopher street in NYC. But, I do not see Disney doing anything about this its a huge money maker for them and unfortunately keeps EPCOT relevant. As for the food and drink, I have no interest in spending that kind of money. I left there and went to Mr. Gyros and got a gyro and fries and 10 buffalo wings for $10 
lostpro9het
Well-Known Member
Walt Disney World Guest Relations
P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040
wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com
Robert A. Iger
Chief Executive Officer
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873
Bob Chapek
Chairman
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873
Karl L. Holz
President New Vacation Operations and Disney Cruise Line
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Mr. George Kalogridis
President, Walt Disney World Resort
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000
P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040
wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com
Robert A. Iger
Chief Executive Officer
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873
Bob Chapek
Chairman
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873
Karl L. Holz
President New Vacation Operations and Disney Cruise Line
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Mr. George Kalogridis
President, Walt Disney World Resort
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
I have long said that F&W brought out the drunks, but I have always been berated and told that it doesn't exist. I'm sorry you had to experience that on your trip. This is the exact reason we avoid WS (at night) during our trips in October. Stumbling drunks, passed out drunks, loud drunks, violent drunks, etc. It's just not worth it.
PhilharMagician
Well-Known Member
F & W is way too crowded on the weekends. We always hit the F & W booths before 5:00 in the afternoon so we do not have to wait in the lines.
Dad 2 M & M
Well-Known Member
I tend to avoid F & W for the crowds alone....and not sure what the $200 MVMCP comment has to do with F & W.....
Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
I'm guessing that's for two adults and a child and comparing the plethora of food choices at F&W to the cookies and Hot Chocolate you get with MVMCP.
Dad 2 M & M
Well-Known Member
As good a thought as any.....the hot chocolate and cookies are
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
If you want to shelter your child from the existance and behavior of adults, you should stick to Legoland as there isn't much to draw them there in droves. Disney is not a cocoon as it has other guests who practice free will. They won't dress, speak, or act according to your desires.
photoflight
Well-Known Member
A lot depends on when you go. I went twice this year. Once mid-week in the third week of October, and again on a Saturday the first week in November.
On the first trip the lines (at least during the day) were very short. The wait to get just about anything was just a couple of minutes. The crowds after 5-6pm increased dramatically though.
The second trip was a lot different. At 2pm the line in Canada was horrible. Most of the other lines were equally bad. By the late afternoon the line at the Mexico kiosk was down the path, over the bridge, around the corner and up toward the Odyssey. Ironically there was no line at all at the funnel cake place.
I've seen some obnoxious drinking behavior there over the years but nothing really bad. On our first trip though the behavior was typical Disney. No problems at all. At one point we watched a group of four late-20-somethings with beer samplers ("beer flights" I guess?) from Germany. Kind of figured we were going to see some "cool man, beer" attitudes but I was pleasantly surprised - watching these four drink their beers was like watching some wine aficionados tasting wine.
The only really big negative I saw on that trip was when someone accidentally spilled most of their huge cup of beer on someone else. Accidents happen, I guess.
Contrast that to my trip a couple of Saturdays ago when the frat-party atmosphere was in top gear. T-shirts proclaiming things like "getting hammered at Epcot", "getting moused", "getting drunk around the world", and so on, were very common.
To be fair, most of them were just in good humor. Unfortunately I saw a lot of them that were obviously not wearing funny slogans for the sake of being funny, but rather proclaiming their intentions for the day at Epcot. I witnessed a few of these groups that were nothing but an obnoxious rabble. Several individuals were standing on the walkways guzzling beer while their friends cheered them on (not the guy in the picture). Animal House or Epcot? Hard to tell - but there's an obvious difference between enjoying the variety of what's offered and making a pointed attempt at filling your body with booze in the most expeditious manner available.
The very worst was when we were watching Matsuriza (Japanese drummers) in Japan. One guy, beer in hand, stood in front of the pagoda making almost obscene and sexually-explicit gestures at the drummers. His friends egged him on, and a couple of other groups started doing similar (although far less "intense") things. Certainly not Disney, and certainly not the Epcot I've come to enjoy.
We left Epcot around 4 that Saturday afternoon. As we walked around World Showcase to leave I started seeing a lot of the Disney "management type" CMs walking around (business-casual with radios and name tags). Between Germany and the Cranberry Bog I probably saw a dozen of them. I'd like to think they were there to keep an eye on the more "unruly" guests.
Small disclaimer here: I don't drink, and I don't understand this kind of behavior at all. I've got nothing against alcohol, but there's a problem when individuals turn into stumbling drunken morons at events like this. I've got a lot better ways to spend my time. All things considered I would rather make an effort for the Flower & Garden festival. There are ever only a handful of "samples" I've every been interested in so the F&W isn't a big "must do" event for me. Going on the right day at the right time to sample the one or two things I might want, well, I might do it again - but I wouldn't miss not going to it.
Dad 2 M & M
Well-Known Member
Well done.....A lot depends on when you go. I went twice this year. Once mid-week in the third week of October, and again on a Saturday the first week in November.
On the first trip the lines (at least during the day) were very short. The wait to get just about anything was just a couple of minutes. The crowds after 5-6pm increased dramatically though.
The second trip was a lot different. At 2pm the line in Canada was horrible. Most of the other lines were equally bad. By the late afternoon the line at the Mexico kiosk was down the path, over the bridge, around the corner and up toward the Odyssey. Ironically there was no line at all at the funnel cake place.
I've seen some obnoxious drinking behavior there over the years but nothing really bad. On our first trip though the behavior was typical Disney. No problems at all. At one point we watched a group of four late-20-somethings with beer samplers ("beer flights" I guess?) from Germany. Kind of figured we were going to see some "cool man, beer" attitudes but I was pleasantly surprised - watching these four drink their beers was like watching some wine aficionados tasting wine.
The only really big negative I saw on that trip was when someone accidentally spilled most of their huge cup of beer on someone else. Accidents happen, I guess.
Contrast that to my trip a couple of Saturdays ago when the frat-party atmosphere was in top gear. T-shirts proclaiming things like "getting hammered at Epcot", "getting moused", "getting drunk around the world", and so on, were very common.
To be fair, most of them were just in good humor. Unfortunately I saw a lot of them that were obviously not wearing funny slogans for the sake of being funny, but rather proclaiming their intentions for the day at Epcot. I witnessed a few of these groups that were nothing but an obnoxious rabble. Several individuals were standing on the walkways guzzling beer while their friends cheered them on (not the guy in the picture). Animal House or Epcot? Hard to tell - but there's an obvious difference between enjoying the variety of what's offered and making a pointed attempt at filling your body with booze in the most expeditious manner available.
The very worst was when we were watching Matsuriza (Japanese drummers) in Japan. One guy, beer in hand, stood in front of the pagoda making almost obscene and sexually-explicit gestures at the drummers. His friends egged him on, and a couple of other groups started doing similar (although far less "intense") things. Certainly not Disney, and certainly not the Epcot I've come to enjoy.
We left Epcot around 4 that Saturday afternoon. As we walked around World Showcase to leave I started seeing a lot of the Disney "management type" CMs walking around (business-casual with radios and name tags). Between Germany and the Cranberry Bog I probably saw a dozen of them. I'd like to think they were there to keep an eye on the more "unruly" guests.
Small disclaimer here: I don't drink, and I don't understand this kind of behavior at all. I've got nothing against alcohol, but there's a problem when individuals turn into stumbling drunken morons at events like this. I've got a lot better ways to spend my time. All things considered I would rather make an effort for the Flower & Garden festival. There are ever only a handful of "samples" I've every been interested in so the F&W isn't a big "must do" event for me. Going on the right day at the right time to sample the one or two things I might want, well, I might do it again - but I wouldn't miss not going to it.
draybook
Well-Known Member
Or you could NOT be garbage and not get sloshed at a FAMILY vacation destination to the point that you're effecting other people's visit. If that's how YOU like to behave then that's your choice, but most responsible adults don't act that way. As for us, we'll "shelther" our kids into knowing that a being respectful, well behaved adult is the best path to follow.
Beckett
Well-Known Member
Completely agree! It IS a family destination and others should behave accordingly.
Dad 2 M & M
Well-Known Member
Agree totally; sad too many act so terribly at times!!
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Then rant at the wind until you are content. Guests comply with the standards of conduct set out by the operator or are ejected. While you might be offended at the shirt, it still complies with the operators strictures of not displaying lewd messages or graphics.
If you don't like alcohol or its use/abuse there are places you can go where it is not allowed.
If you are concerned about conduct, do you permit your children to watch TV, movies or professional sports?
draybook
Well-Known Member
I don't have any complaints about that shirt. But the one we saw in Epcot in September that had sh-- in it WAS unacceptable. And I don't watch too many sporting events where the athletes are walking around in a stupor or climbing off limit areas. My kids know what alcohol is and they know how stupid some people can look while consuming it. You're reaching really hard and it's kind of sad. Again, proper adults don't get bombed out in public.
Dad 2 M & M
Well-Known Member
There is still an expectation for some sort of enforcement of a minimum standard of behavior......the fact alcohol is sold does not give the purchaser any special privilege to violate or the supplier not to enforce a minimum standard.
jlsHouston
Well-Known Member
And that's the truth.
s8film40
Well-Known Member
To me it seems like the event has kind of evolved from a culinary based event into more of a party type event. It seems like it used to be more about going and sampling some unique food items and seeing all the different demonstrations (which a lot of have been eliminated). Now it seems like there is more emphasis on the bands and having a good time. Not to say that's a bad thing, but it just doesn't feel like the same event that it used to be.