More places to get beer and wine at the Magic Kingdom

[Mr. Peabody]

Personally, I think it will detract from Magic Kingdom's iconic status, if this is indeed the case.

I too hold shares in TWDC and although I can see that it would increase revenue in the short term, potentially it has the flip side of damaging the reputation of the park in the medium to long term.

The reputations of Disney's non-castle parks have not suffered because of alcohol sales. Magic Kingdom will be just fine.

Very loud people (however happy they are) are acting in a manner where they are being inconsiderate of those around them, which in my view is at least somewhat rude, if the individual is deliberately engaging in such behaviour.

It is another example of entitled behaviour.

If I was a single parent, with several young children, in a foreign country, on a jam packed Main Street after the Electrical Parade I would feel at least uncomfortable if people were being very loud and appeared to be drunk.

I get uncomfortable if people are loud and appear to be drunk, and I'm an athletic young bachelor. I have never felt uncomfortable because of obnoxious drunks in a Disney park.

I would not take young children to a night club - because I feel like it would be inappropriate.

Taking young children to Magic Kingdom is absolutely appropriate - being obviously drunk in Magic Kingdom would be inappropriate in my view.

There is a time and a place for everything.

Being obnoxious in public, whether you're drunk or not, is inappropriate anywhere. Spare us the pearl-clutching. Serving alcohol at MK is not going to turn the place into a night club.

I think they are keen on the extra cash. My problem is not the alcohol itself, it is the small percentage of people who engage in inappropriate behaviour in connection to alcohol.

So you acknowledge that most people who drink do not make trouble. Indeed, that has been my experience at WDW, and I still see no compelling reason why extending alcohol service to Magic Kingdom would be a problem.

Would you feel like the "drinking around the world" type of behaviour could be seen by some guests as out of place in Magic Kingdom, if that sort of thing was to occur?

Can you at least see why some guests would find that this type of behaviour reduces their own enjoyment in the parks?

You have no basis to assume that selling alcohol in MK would lead to rampant bad behavior. Such behavior has not manifested in any significant capacity in DHS or DAK, and judging from my experience, the teetotalers in this thread exaggerate the extent of drunken bad behavior in Epcot.

 

[IMFearless]

Love the Dole Whips and tried the one at AK with the rum, personally I thought the rum overpowered the flavour of the Dole Whip. Would rather have a rum and coke, AND a dole whip!

Like yourself, I enjoy a drink, I just don't associate it particularly with Magic Kingdom.

I think people need to be more aware of those around them, regardless of where they are. We were in California Grill for an 8:45pm ADR last year. The table next to ours had several kids aged between 5-10 years old. The adults were more than happy to sit chatting while the children got up and walked around the restaurant. This went on for quite some time, with wait staff actively avoiding them. Not really appropriate behaviour given the environment.

People need to think about where they are. Sometimes it is the location that makes something inappropriate as opposed to what the behaviour actually is.

Again, it is such a minority that spoil things as many adults and children probably eat out and manage their children's behaviour.

 

[IMFearless]

The reputations of Disney's non-castle parks have not suffered because of alcohol sales. Magic Kingdom will be just fine.


I get uncomfortable if people are loud and appear to be drunk, and I'm an athletic young bachelor. I have never felt uncomfortable because of obnoxious drunks in a Disney park.


Being obnoxious in public, whether you're drunk or not, is inappropriate anywhere. Spare us the pearl-clutching. Serving alcohol at MK is not going to turn the place into a night club.


So you acknowledge that most people who drink do not make trouble. Indeed, that has been my experience at WDW, and I still see no compelling reason why extending alcohol service to Magic Kingdom would be a problem.


You have no basis to assume that selling alcohol in MK would lead to rampant bad behavior. Such behavior has not manifested in any significant capacity in DHS or DAK, and judging from my experience, the teetotalers in this thread exaggerate the extent of drunken bad behavior in Epcot.

I guess time will tell. I would agree with you that DHS and AK seem to be less problematic than Epcot. I think honestly WS is the issue, frankly there is little to do apart from eat, drink and shop. It's essentially a themed mall. I don't think Disney have done enough to curtail the problem of large groups who decide to drink to excess and disregard others. It would be easy to stop if they wished.

I would be far less bothered if Disney were to restrict the alcohol service, to table service restaurants, but I just don't see them doing this. The company seems to be in full cash grab mode at present.

Although I have no basis to prove that selling alcohol in MK would lead to rampant bad behaviour, I have never read, experienced or heard of alcohol improving people's behaviour in any situation. If this was indeed the case employers would probably encourage their staff to drink at work, prisons would be serving alcohol with every meal. Let's be honest, there will be more alcohol related bad behaviour than there is now, there are going to be those who for whatever reason overindulge. I just think that obnoxious drunken behaviour would be much more out of place in Magic Kingdom, should it occur.

I guess time will tell though. As a side note, Disneyland Paris has always served alcohol and I have seen this cause problems in that park, it is not an enhanced experience. Like many Brits I feel that the US parks are far superior, for a number of reasons, however much they might ply people with alcohol DLP is still inferior. Perhaps that was their plan - get everyone drunk and they won't notice the paint pealing off BTMRR and a riverboat that is literally rotting away in full view,

 

[Mr. Peabody]

I guess time will tell. I would agree with you that DHS and AK seem to be less problematic than Epcot. I think honestly WS is the issue, frankly there is little to do apart from eat, drink and shop. It's essentially a themed mall. I don't think Disney have done enough to curtail the problem of large groups who decide to drink to excess and disregard others. It would be easy to stop if they wished.

Again, my experience is that inconsiderate drunks in World Showcase are the exception, not the norm. Furthermore, Magic Kingdom has more attractions than the other parks, so that should make alcohol service at that park less of a concern for you.

I would be far less bothered if Disney were to restrict the alcohol service, to table service restaurants, but I just don't see them doing this. The company seems to be in full cash grab mode at present.

Nor should they. Just to give one example, I can think of a few park benches in MK where it would be nice to relax with a drink while I wait for fireworks to start.

Although I have no basis to prove that selling alcohol in MK would lead to rampant bad behaviour, I have never read, experienced or heard of alcohol improving people's behaviour in any situation. If this was indeed the case employers would probably encourage their staff to drink at work, prisons would be serving alcohol with every meal. Let's be honest, there will be more alcohol related bad behaviour than there is now, there are going to be those who for whatever reason overindulge. I just think that obnoxious drunken behaviour would be much more out of place in Magic Kingdom, should it occur.

You're really reaching now. We are talking about vacation, not work or prison. Inconsiderate people will continue to be inconsiderate whether they have access to alcohol or not. It is perfectly feasible to allow Disney security to handle the occasional troublemaker while the rest of us enjoy our libations responsibly.

I guess time will tell though. As a side note, Disneyland Paris has always served alcohol and I have seen this cause problems in that park, it is not an enhanced experience. Like many Brits I feel that the US parks are far superior, for a number of reasons, however much they might ply people with alcohol DLP is still inferior. Perhaps that was their plan - get everyone drunk and they won't notice the paint pealing off BTMRR and a riverboat that is literally rotting away in full view,

Disneyland Paris started as a dry park but began serving alcohol in table service restaurants little more than a year after opening. I can safely presume there is sufficient demand for it because they have not stopped doing so.

 

[dreamfinder912]

Obviously you have never been to F&W on a weekend evening it's NOT pretty, Locals come to get drunk and succeed. Difference at UNI is rowdy drunks are removed from the parks ASAP, Disney not so much during F&W.

I love Food and Wine but as I work at a normal desk job, I can only go on the weekends. I went nearly every weekend last year and had no problems with drunks myself. (The guy climbing the Mexico pavilion did no harm to anyone except perhaps their own ability to reenter Disney property). If someone were to ask me when and where have I been harassed, bullied, yelled at, trampled, and threatened the most it isn't Epcot, not even during Food and Wine. It's Magic Kingdom waiting for Festival of Fantasy. A twenty something with the audacity to enjoy Magic Kingdom without children of her own is grounds for anything from "can my kid stand in front of you" (occasionally yes, but nowadays that means mom and their iPad come too) to "how dare you sit here, my kid cant see over you." I've seen tour groups pour drinks (soft drinks, but drinks none the less) on people before parades to get them to move so they can take their seat.

And really, if Food and Wine is -that- much of a problem on weekends, go midweek. Locals plan their entire days from grocery shopping to commuting to work around tourists. Visiting Epcot on a Monday instead of Sunday isn't going to throw a massive wrench in your vacation.

 

[BuddyThomas]

As do most of us yet at kids birthday parties adults generally abstain from alcohol, Personally I'd love a Dole Whip float with a shot of dark rum but I'm willing to skip that experience to make the MK enjoyable by ALL.

Why, what happens if you have that shot? Do you turn into King Kong and climb the castle?

 

[ford91exploder]

Why, what happens if you have that shot? Do you turn into King Kong and climb the castle?

No I go to sleep as alcohol makes me sleepy.

 

[BuddyThomas]

I fear you are right. I thought this was the case when BOG opened.

Personally, I think it will detract from Magic Kingdom's iconic status, if this is indeed the case.

I too hold shares in TWDC and although I can see that it would increase revenue in the short term, potentially it has the flip side of damaging the reputation of the park in the medium to long term.

Very loud people (however happy they are) are acting in a manner where they are being inconsiderate of those around them, which in my view is at least somewhat rude, if the individual is deliberately engaging in such behaviour.

It is another example of entitled behaviour.

If I was a single parent, with several young children, in a foreign country, on a jam packed Main Street after the Electrical Parade I would feel at least uncomfortable if people were being very loud and appeared to be drunk.

I would not take young children to a night club - because I feel like it would be inappropriate.

Taking young children to Magic Kingdom is absolutely appropriate - being obviously drunk in Magic Kingdom would be inappropriate in my view.

There is a time and a place for everything.

You don't have to be drunk to be loud. Have you ever ridden the Haunted Mansion surrounded by four dozen screaming cheerleaders?

 

[GoofGoof]

For all the people who use "crazy drunk people at Epcot" as some kind of reasoning as to why this is a bad idea, please, just stop. People make it seem like whenever you cross that threshold into World Showcase you enter into a midievial realm of bar fights and vomiting all around you. Its complete and utter BS. In all my years visiting I have seen more completely sober moms with strollers act absolutely rude and nasty to a CM at the front desk, GS, restaurant, ride entrance, bus stop, etc.

If there is anything you feel you need to shield your childs eyes from at WDW, its not drunk people...its the arrogant and entitled attitudes of completely sober people who feel the need to berate a 19 year old Cast Member or run over everybodys feet with their 5 foot double wide stroller because their 5 and 7 year old kids shouldnt have to walk, or those who push their way to the curb of MSUSA right before the parade starts. And FWIW, people have been drinking in the MK for a VERY long time, so spare me the, "it will ruin the experience". Youve probly stood in line for IASW right next to a person sipping OJ and vodka from their "Disney Parks" cup.

This^^^

 

[GoofGoof]

As I have said, I don't believe this is a big enough issue to cause the demise of Magic Kingdom, and I am well aware of Walt's inconsistent approach to things.

My reason for thinking this isn't the best idea isn't a blind historic ignorance that nothing should change. I just don't think the change is necessarily an improvement.

I think its a valid opinion to just not like the idea of alcohol in the MK. You really don't need to go any further to justify it. It's your opinion. There's no need to point out exaggerated issues with drunk behavior, vomiting or long lines for bathrooms. I'm not opposed to hearing other people's opinions even if I disagree but I have no problem pointing out when a justification just doesn't make sense to me.

I certainly feel that the atmosphere of the Universal Parks, Busch, Six Flags and even Epcot and Hollywood Studios leave a lot to be desired when compared to Magic Kingdom or Disneyland. What do others think? Is it just me who feels like MK is somehow special?

No. Not at all for me. MK is special because it has a lot of Walt's original rides. It's special to me because of classics like Pirates, HM, Splash, BTMRR, Space Mt. It's special because of the nostalgia I feel when I walk down Main Street and see the castle or ride any of the old school Fantasyland rides. At no time have I ever felt MK was special because it didn't have alcohol. I never cared much that it was missing alcohol either, but I always just ate at monorail resort hotels if I was having a sit down dinner and going back to MK. I don't agree either that the atmosphere is so much different at EPCOT or DHS. It's the same guests and the same issues.

Personally, I don't think the lack of alcohol is preventing people from attending Magic Kingdom at the moment. There are plenty of great food and alcohol options available with the monorail resorts nearby.

The big problem I have is this: I do not trust current management to limit the alcohol only to table service restaurants - the situation at Epcot shows they are quite happy to allow people to get wasted. This certainly does detract from the experience in my opinion. What do others think? Do people believe they won't gradually just extend this to many other areas in MK serving alcohol?

If the kind of behaviour that I have seen in Epcot was to become a "thing" in Magic Kingdom it would definitely detract from my experience. What will be will be, but I think they are shortsighted if they think this is a good idea. To me it is an example of short term gains at the expense of long term success.

I don't have a big problem with people drinking alcohol, I just don't feel that it fits particularly well in Magic Kingdom. The idiot who climbed the Mexico Pavilion is a great example of what I would find irritating, and if I was there with kids quite unpleasant. The people fighting in line at Test Track. The guy who jumped off the friendship boat leaving International Gateway. There are lots of examples of bad guest behaviour in other parks.

Despite MK being far more crowded it doesn't yet seem to suffer to the same extent from this type of thing.

Isn't the flip of this true? Nobody is skipping MK because it doesn't have alcohol currently because if you really want a drink it's so easy to get one nearby. So it's OK for people to ride the monorail to the Poly and drink at dinner but not if they want to do it at Be Our Guest? What's the difference? Same guests, same drinking at dinner and same return to the parks to ride rides. I could understand people being more upset by this if all of WDW was dry, but it's so readily available anyway why does it matter?

The EPCOT talk is just way overblown IMHO. It's nowhere near as bad as the urban legend that it has become. It's easy to point out stupid behavior and blame it on alcohol, but in a lot of cases it's just stupid people doing stupid things. Are there not incidents at MK? Google incidents at Disneyland and you will find a long list of stupid people doing stupid things often leading to injuries and in some sad cases death. It doesn't take alcohol to have an incident.

When BOG started serving alcohol I voiced my opinion that it would not end there, it looks like I was right. BOG was obviously a test to see how people responded.

Speaking of Be Our Guest, how has the test gone? Has there been a huge increase in alcohol related incidents? Has the atmosphere of the park been ruined? If it was a test it seems to me that people responded pretty well.

 

[GoofGoof]

As do most of us yet at kids birthday parties adults generally abstain from alcohol

Really? I guess I'm not like most people then. When one of my friends has a kid's birthday party at their house the highlight for me is seeing what they have in their beer fridge. It's not like we're getting wasted and puking all over the backyard but in my family and circle of friends it's absolutely appropriate to have a few beers at a party. My kids have seen me, my family members and my friends drink alcohol socially since birth. It's not a big deal to them. IMHO it's very healthy for kids to see adults drinking alcohol responsibly.

 

[Mr. Peabody]

Really? I guess I'm not like most people then. When one of my friends has a kid's birthday party at their house the highlight for me is seeing what they have in their beer fridge. It's not like we're getting wasted and puking all over the backyard but in my family and circle of friends it's absolutely appropriate to have a few beers at a party. My kids have seen me, my family members and my friends drink alcohol socially since birth. It's not a big deal to them. IMHO it's very healthy for kids to see adults drinking alcohol responsibly.

You can rest assured that you're normal in that respect. When I was a kid, I saw adult relatives and my friends' parents drinking socially at just about every party I attended. That hasn't changed now that I'm one of the grown-ups, and I agree that it's healthy for kids to see adults setting a good example by drinking responsibly. I think the taboo surrounding alcohol in the U.S. actually contributes to alcohol abuse, at least among young adults. I haven't spent a lot of time in Europe, but I think they have less alcohol abuse despite higher per capita consumption and earlier drinking ages because the drinking culture is so much healthier.

 

[Scrungo]

As a frontline cast member this is the worst rumor I'll hear all month.

 

[IMFearless]

Alcohol abuse is far worse in the UK than in the US, in my opinion.

Go to any town centre on a Friday or Saturday night and it is absolute carnage.

You will see people beyond drunk, it is just routine, people are not really shocked or concerned by it. I guess people just accept it as part of life.

I have never witnessed drinking elsewhere that even comes close to what goes on in the UK. Alcohol is not difficult for teenagers to get, the age to buy it is 18 but it is very normal for 14 or 15 year olds to drink on a night out.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I've witnessed a Mom or two at the MK that need a big glass o' Chardoxanax.

 

[UncleMike101]

I've witnessed a Mom or two at the MK that need a big glass o' Chardoxanax.

Or maybe a dance with Prince Valium would help.......

 

[Bocabear]

As do most of us yet at kids birthday parties adults generally abstain from alcohol, Personally I'd love a Dole Whip float with a shot of dark rum but I'm willing to skip that experience to make the MK enjoyable by ALL.

why would having a Dole Whip Float with a shot of rum impede someone else's enjoyment of the park? Having a beer or wine with dinner does not make it a drunken frat party... Really, and there are PLENTY of people that bring their own booze into the park as it is...
They have served alcohol at DHS since the beginning, and I never heard of that referred to as a drunkan Baccanal... And at a table service restaurant, you are not likely to make 7 table service reservations just so you can get drunk...(especially at the cost for a table service restaurant at Disney).. It just assumes the absolute worst behavior... Have their been reports of drunks hanging around Be Our Guest ? I sure have not heard a thing....

 

[Bocabear]

I fear you are right. I thought this was the case when BOG opened.

Personally, I think it will detract from Magic Kingdom's iconic status, if this is indeed the case.

I too hold shares in TWDC and although I can see that it would increase revenue in the short term, potentially it has the flip side of damaging the reputation of the park in the medium to long term.

Very loud people (however happy they are) are acting in a manner where they are being inconsiderate of those around them, which in my view is at least somewhat rude, if the individual is deliberately engaging in such behaviour.

It is another example of entitled behaviour.

If I was a single parent, with several young children, in a foreign country, on a jam packed Main Street after the Electrical Parade I would feel at least uncomfortable if people were being very loud and appeared to be drunk.

I would not take young children to a night club - because I feel like it would be inappropriate.

Taking young children to Magic Kingdom is absolutely appropriate - being obviously drunk in Magic Kingdom would be inappropriate in my view.

There is a time and a place for everything.

Are you kidding me? The loudest noises in the park are coming from the kids screaming their heads off... not someone who had a beer with dinner...lol

 

[WildcatDen]

Yes especially since 'plonk' I believe refers to cheap booze.

As far as pitches go, I assume it is safe to say 'Rumpy Pumpy' is a bit outside?

 

[ford91exploder]

why would having a Dole Whip Float with a shot of rum impede someone else's enjoyment of the park? Having a beer or wine with dinner does not make it a drunken frat party... Really, and there are PLENTY of people that bring their own booze into the park as it is...
They have served alcohol at DHS since the beginning, and I never heard of that referred to as a drunkan Baccanal... And at a table service restaurant, you are not likely to make 7 table service reservations just so you can get drunk...(especially at the cost for a table service restaurant at Disney).. It just assumes the absolute worst behavior... Have their been reports of drunks hanging around Be Our Guest ? I sure have not heard a thing....

The problem is not going to be when someone has a couple beers or glasses of wine at a TS venue,

It's going to come when every ODV cart is selling alcohol. That's when this will turn ugly Heat Crowding and Booze is a bad combo. Up here we have bike week and the heat crowding and booze always leads to fights the simple fact is there are always a few who CANNOT drink responsibly and in a densely packed crowd which lets face it is the MK most days of the year that fraction of irresponsible drinkers always cause issues ranging from annoying behavior to violence.