Nasty incident outside Club Cool at Epcot tonight

[ford91exploder]

If I wanted Vegas I would go to Vegas, not happy to see this at WDW.

Happens all the time during the Spring and Fall 'Pub Crawl Festival', Neither of them USED to be like this Spring was about amazing gardens and how to do it and Fall was about good food and wine along with seminars on how to prepare and serve amazing dishes and pair them with good wines.

Now it's a drunken pub crawl with a veneer of what it used to be like selling overpriced 'samples,' yes in the beginning they were free...

 

[cldwv]

You know how gun advocates always say guns aren't the problem, people are the problem. I sort of think it's the same with alcohol at these Disney festivals. As I mentioned above, bad behavior should equal park eviction. I love the festivals and travel a pretty far distance to go each year. I also enjoy trying all the different beers and other special drinks. Enough of the nanny mentality; instead, Disney needs to do their job and remove folks who are out of line/causing trouble/drunk.

I may get heat for this comment... My family has visited Disney at least once a year for more than 25 years; sometimes two or three times a year. This includes years when my children were very young. Epcot is a very different experience than the Magic Kingdom. In fact, my kids hated Epcot until they became adults. We've always thought of Epcot as "adult" Disney.

 

[Otterhead]

You mean the Drunkytown 'Spring Edition' nee 'Flower and Garden Festival' (which DID NOT prior to this year serve BOOZE)

Yes, it did. The Flower & Garden Fest has always "served booze"; its kiosks have always had beer & wine. Epcot in general has had beer & wine since the day it opened. This is nothing new.

 

[ford91exploder]

I hope this was meant to be sarcastic.

Actually it WOULD be a good idea as EPCOT has way too many ugly drunks especially during pub crawl season.

 

[ford91exploder]

Yes, it did. The Flower & Garden Fest has always "served booze"; its kiosks have always had beer & wine. Epcot in general has had beer & wine since the day it opened. This is nothing new.

Really - I've been to several F&G, yes you could always purchase alcohol at any of the usual venues as you ALWAYS have been able to at EPCOT.

This year Disney trumpeted the 'ADDITION' of Booze kiosks in the F&G venues.

Sorry.

 

[ford91exploder]

Agreed. Buying an alcoholic drink? Scan your MagicBand/park ticket. The next time you buy one the cashier could see a list of drinks you had purchased that day and at what time. The CM would still have to use their judgement, but if the guest was on the borderline of needing to be cut off the CM could check the screen. If the Guest has only purchased 2 drinks, give them another, but 10 drinks in the last 2 hours... might be time to get cut off.

Yes exactly.

 

[ford91exploder]

You can walk through security with a PVC pipe (or a gun...or a bomb etc..) in your pocket, so long as it's not in your camera bag or pocketbook.

Disney security is pretty good, I usually have a streamlight flashlight clipped to my pocket and I've been asked more than once to produce it to ensure it's not a knife.

 

[Otterhead]

Agreed. Buying an alcoholic drink? Scan your MagicBand/park ticket. The next time you buy one the cashier could see a list of drinks you had purchased that day and at what time. The CM would still have to use their judgement, but if the guest was on the borderline of needing to be cut off the CM could check the screen. If the Guest has only purchased 2 drinks, give them another, but 10 drinks in the last 2 hours... might be time to get cut off.

I think this is brilliant. 99% of guests keep things under control. It's the awful 1% who treat EPCOT like a frat-house party that ruin things for others. I'd really like to see a simple system like this to give them a way to control overindulgence (or at least be aware of it).

 

[GhostHost1000]

I'm surprised that don't have some sort of extra hours for World Showcase after the park closes for the more adult crowd to just drink and have fun. Seems like this would be better than having so many drunks wandering around the parks while families and kids are having fun too

 

[peter11435]

This year Disney trumpeted the 'ADDITION' of Booze kiosks in the F&G venues.

Sorry.

They've never marketed them as "booze kiosks" that's just your usual hyperbole. They trumpet the food just as much if not more than the alcohol.

Also this is the third year.

Sorry

 

[cldwv]

I attended the after hours event at F&W and it was a blast! I was hoping for the same type of event at F&G but no luck.

 

[ford91exploder]

Not sure if you heard but WDW recently instituted a new pool policy, allegedly in response to a single drowning incident. The main pools will now be closed after 11 PM. Gates are being added as needed.

In its early years, the Food & Wine Festival (F&WF) was an enjoyable experience for the entire family. In recent years, F&WF has degenerated into a drunken Oktoberfest free-for-all on weekends. Increasingly, families are afraid to visit Epcot during F&WF, not something for a family destination to be proud of.

Disney management has a choice: turn a blind eye and let the frat party continue or take the steps necessary to reign in behavior.

Considering that Disney decided to turn this year's once lovely Flower & Garden Festival into another excuse for excessive drinking, it seems Disney has already indicated to us which choice it intends to make. I fear it will take a serious incident before corporate Disney does anything.

As do I, I can remember when F&W was a chance to learn about food and talk to expert chefs in differing styles as well as talk to professional sommeliers the TINY bit I know about wine I learned at F&W.

Now F&W is all about serving overpriced wine from boxes and overpriced 'craft' beer in the largest quantities possible.

 

[ford91exploder]

Stuff like this is why I avoid EPCOT on weekends during F&W. Brings out too many crazy locals and idiotic drunks. NYE is worse. Far far worse.

Sad to see but I'm afraid it happens everywhere. Jerks are jerks.

Now try going to an NFL game sometime. Makes me glad my seats are in the ADA row on the Club Level where two very nice and beefy police officers stand guard.

Agree on the avoidance strategy, Try a NASCAR race if you really want to see drunks on parade.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

I guess I just went to F&W on a tame day last year. It was extremely crowded, but I didn't notice anything obnoxious. People were enjoying themselves and spending loads of money.

 

[ford91exploder]

While alcohol was obviously involved, things like this and worse happen daily with and without alcohol.

I truly feel bad for the people involved, but I doubt that prohibition would have prevented this from happening eventually.

There are nut cases everywhere.

No reasonable person is talking prohibition, But Disney has a real problem with overserving guests during F&W and alcohol fuels incidents like this. I've seen more than one rampaging drunk at EPCOT but a limit of 2-3 drinks per hour I think is reasonable and it's a PERFECT use for the MB.

 

[ford91exploder]

If true, what the ????. Going to be a short career. I live near a couple of military bases and when the troops come home from Afghanistan or Iraq there tends to be incidents but that's more explainable why they're acting like their off their rocker. This guy it seems would be a real problem if he saw any combat.

Yes his career is OVER would not surprise me is he spends some time in the stockade for this and gets a a Dishonorable discharge.

 

[wannab@dis]

Really - I've been to several F&G, yes you could always purchase alcohol at any of the usual venues as you ALWAYS have been able to at EPCOT.

This year Disney trumpeted the 'ADDITION' of Booze kiosks in the F&G venues.

Sorry.

Why do you continue to lie?

The "Outdoor Kitchens" have been part of the festival for several years now.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/outdoor-kitchens/

Please, tell us which one is trumpeted as a booze kiosk? Oh, you can't. Because you simply lie.

Also, we were at the Food & Wine festival last fall. Didn't see ANY drunk people during the day or evenings. Saw a few that may have been a little tipsy, but none were obnoxious. I was actually a little worried based on the stories here... but, as usual, most of the negatives are completely overblown around here.

 

[wannab@dis]

I guess I just went to F&W on a tame day last year. It was extremely crowded, but I didn't notice anything obnoxious. People were enjoying themselves and spending loads of money.

Guess we were there the same day... Or, some people have to lie to fit their agendas.

 

[Aaron Wojnowiak]

Some people just can't handle Epcot.

 

[cldwv]

Also, we were at the Food & Wine festival last fall. Didn't see ANY drunk people during the day or evenings. Saw a few that may have been a little tipsy, but none were obnoxious. I was actually a little worried based on the stories here... but, as usual, most of the negatives are completely overblown around here.

Agree with everything you wrote! We were there at the same time--had a wonderful time. Great food and drinks. Great party atmosphere. No incidents at all.