Nasty incident outside Club Cool at Epcot tonight

[ford91exploder]

And there is the fact that I keep meaning to bring up.

I (unfortunately) work as a general contractor for animation work (this is just to give background..you'll see why in a second). A very LARGE portion of my work comes from attorneys who use my firm for court room graphics/motion aids. There have been numerous lawsuits against bars whom didn't cut people off when they were supposed to (or even serving those who are underage), and then sending them on their way. The inebriated individual gets in a car and drives off.....hits someone...and kills them. The family of the victim sues...not the driver..but the ESTABLISHMENT (I mean, they have more money obviously) in a civil court (where as the driver gets charged in criminal). And guess who wins...99% of the time? Not the bar.

Its a ticking time bomb, one which can only be helped by better educating those serving, and also having better security, especially closer to the park exits.

In my state its a misdemeanor with mandatory jail time for serving a minor, Server training is taken very seriously up here.

 

[SportsGoofy]

I did find some photos of the incident and the perp. Looks like he came over from DHS and was ed off his world hasn't been started yet...

 

[MatamanKrungle]

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.

I went twice in 2013, both on weekends. Neither time did I notice any of these drunken incidents or rude people or anything of that nature. I got scared away in 2014 from reading threads like these and we went another time of year instead, but we are planning to go back either this year or next. I agree with all the posters here.

 

[ford91exploder]

Yes, it is difficult (sometimes practically impossible depending on the server's experience, among other factors), but WDW's policy toward any CM serving alcohol is that they have to monitor each Guest. We have to take a refresher test every quarter to show that we know the Florida laws and the Disney rules. If you fail the test, you have to take a class. Failure to cut a Guest off is grounds for termination.

Sounds like 1 ) a lot of CM's should be fired every day during 'Pub Crawl Season'
2) It's something not enforced unless mgmt does not like a particular CM

 

[EpcoTim]

I think everyone who orders more than one drink should be given a bright orange shirt.

Not only will it make it easier to tell the fun people apart from the wannabe vacation police, but it will also save the wannabe cops hours and hours of their vacation time trying to spot the drunk and then even more time making up exaggerated stories on the Internet.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

I fear that the completely idiotic belligerent schllosshed few will end up ruining it for the rest of us, and that EPCOT will monitor/limit alcohol purchases per guest.

It's EPCOT, not NOLA on Fat Tuesday.

This is why we can't have nice things.

 

[Otterhead]

As others have said, the negatives are being massively exaggerated here.

I've been to F&W three times, including very busy weekends, and I remember only seeing two or three obnoxious drunks: two guys in huge foam cowboy hats yelling "SAKE BOMB!" and drinking sake over in Japan, and a woman with a "drinking around the world!" shirt screaming and laughing as she ran into people. That's it, really.

The massive groups of South American cheerleaders are a hundred times more annoying, disruptive, and prevalent than drunks at EPCOT.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Some people are just offended at the notion of someone being drunk, even if the drunk person is behaving properly (yes, it's possible). When I lived in Orlando, I'd go to Epcot during Food and Wine dozens of times each year. Sure, there were people who you could tell were drunk (college students doing costumed scavenger hunts were fun to watch), but the behavior was never belligerent, sloppy, or vulgar. I've only been "shocked" three times at Walt Disney World, and none of them were during food and wine.

1. A bachelorette party "drinking around the world" (not during F&W) making loud adult-themed jokes.
2. A small group (not the majority) during Gay Days wearing sexually explicit t-shirts.
3. A mom brought on stage during Hoop-Dee-Doo wearing a t-shirt that said "MILF."

 

[wdisney9000]

Some people are just offended at the notion of someone being drunk, even if the drunk person is behaving properly (yes, it's possible). When I lived in Orlando, I'd go to Epcot during Food and Wine dozens of times each year. Sure, there were people who you could tell were drunk (college students doing costumed scavenger hunts were fun to watch), but the behavior was never belligerent, sloppy, or vulgar. I've only been "shocked" three times at Walt Disney World, and none of them were during food and wine.

1. A bachelorette party "drinking around the world" (not during F&W) making loud adult-themed jokes.
2. A small group (not the majority) during Gay Days wearing sexually explicit t-shirts.
3. A mom brought on stage during Hoop-Dee-Doo wearing a t-shirt that said "MILF."

Same here, we have been shocked a few times at WDW but never due to a drunk person and we have been for F&W many times and NEVER seen the "drunkytown" people describe. We have seen groups that start singing their college "fight song" or some other type of chant or people acting silly taking pictures but to read it here you would think that there a drunkards stumbling everywhere with people puking in the trash cans and carts being flipped over and set ablaze. In my experience, the "drunkards" people talk about are usually good people jut having fun on vacation.

My brothers and I were in Rose and Crown waiting a few minutes at the bar to order and a group of guys who seem just like the type people describe (loud) came in and went to the side of the bar and kept badgering the bartender for drinks until he finally just poured them. There was 5 or 6 people waiting before them but it didnt seem to bother them. My brother spoke up and told them to wait their turn next time and quite harassing the bartender. One of them walked over towards us and I was preparing for things to get nasty. The man apologized and said his group were all friends from college on a reunion trip and they had let their manors slip a bit during all the fun. He insisted on buying our drinks and we wound up talking college football for half an hour.

We ran into them an hour or so later and shared a loud "whatsss uuuupp!" Im sure the volume of our greeting offended somebody and further promoted the drunkytown stereotype but in reality it was just people having fun, not fighting or hurting anybody or burning the place down.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I fear that the completely idiotic belligerent schllosshed few will end up ruining it for the rest of us, and that EPCOT will monitor/limit alcohol purchases per guest.

It's EPCOT, not NOLA on Fat Tuesday.

This is why we can't have nice things.

Dahhhhhhling..... These stories are a bit of the exaggeration. Also, a lot of them are locals as well CMs/CPs and the UCF students.

Epcot does monitor the problem children and will cut them off. Ive seen it first hand and they do it in a very professional manner.

There's too much money in it and there's no way to limit purchases more than the number of drinks/person.

Alas this is an unintended consequence of closing PI. The adult behavior spilled to Epcot.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

Dahhhhhhling..... These stories are a bit of the exaggeration. Also, a lot of them are locals as well CMs/CPs and the UCF students.

Epcot does monitor the problem children and will cut them off. Ive seen it first hand and they do it in a very professional manner.

There's too much money in it and there's no way to limit purchases more than the number of drinks/person.

Alas this is an unintended consequence of closing PI. The adult behavior spilled to Epcot.

@PhotoDave219 ^^^ Thank goodness! We've never been there during the F&W Festival and we never saw 1 crazy drunk.

Well, unless you count my husband's tipsy Aunt - she was doing figure 8's on her motoscooter in front of the American pavilion during the Allelulia chorus while holding her wine up like the Statue of Liberty holds her torch. She was fabulous. People were clapping for her.

Other than that, I'm going on what people were saying here. So glad it's not as "Panama City Beach Soring Break" as people were getting at.

 

[wdisney9000]

Ive seen more guests being rude to CMs at Epcot than Ive seen "crazy drunk people".

Walk by the podium outside La Hacienda in the evening. Yes lady, even though you made a reservation, you may have to wait a few minutes when you arrive. Its not the end of the world.

 

[Otterhead]

3. A mom brought on stage during Hoop-Dee-Doo wearing a t-shirt that said "MILF."

The most offensive thing I saw at WDW this year? A guy in front of me in line for Winnie the Pooh with a large, impossible-to-miss tattoo on the back of his neck that said "H*** F***" (censored, rhymes with "morny puck"). He was there with his daughter. Not sure why he wasn't asked to wear a high collar.

I will admit to being drunk during F&W, and not at all intentionally. My friends and I were determined to get a snack from every food stall (which we did!) and, near the end, stopped by the Singapore stall. The sweet old lady there asked us if we wanted Singapore Slings; we each got one. "They're strong!" she said, and giggled. They tasted like Kool-aid, but ten minutes later we were all falling over each other -- that thing must have been mostly sloe gin. Were we horrible obnoxious people? No, we sat on a bench and had iced coffee.

 

[Otterhead]

My brothers and I were in Rose and Crown waiting a few minutes at the bar to order and a group of guys who seem just like the type people describe (loud) came in

Quite honestly, that's where I see loud drunks: businessmen and "bar guys" at the bar at the Rose & Crown, being egged on by the CMs who play the roles of bar wenches, etc. It's a rowdy scene but it's meant to be that way.

 

[chiefs11]

The most offensive thing I saw at WDW this year? A guy in front of me in line for Winnie the Pooh with a large, impossible-to-miss tattoo on the back of his neck that said "H*** F***" (censored, rhymes with "morny puck"). He was there with his daughter. Not sure why he wasn't asked to wear a high collar.

I will admit to being drunk during F&W, and not at all intentionally. My friends and I were determined to get a snack from every food stall (which we did!) and, near the end, stopped by the Singapore stall. The sweet old lady there asked us if we wanted Singapore Slings; we each got one. "They're strong!" she said, and giggled. They tasted like Kool-aid, but ten minutes later we were all falling over each other -- that thing must have been mostly sloe gin. Were we horrible obnoxious people? No, we sat on a bench and had iced coffee.

That last part makes it hard for me to believe your story!

/jk

 

[Otterhead]

That last part makes it hard for me to believe your story!

Well, I'd had a very strong drink; maybe I was actually sitting on someone's lap and didn't realize it....

 

[wdisney9000]

Quite honestly, that's where I see loud drunks: businessmen and "bar guys" at the bar at the Rose & Crown, being egged on by the CMs who play the roles of bar wenches, etc. It's a rowdy scene but it's meant to be that way.

Definitely. You have to appreciate it for what it is.

Years ago I walked in and there was a group of Seminole fans and Gators fans. In some bars that could turn into a nasty scene, but the piano lady was singing and making cracks about each group. It was loud and boisterous but completely hilarious and fun.

I could see how a person or family walking into that atmosphere would think, "these drunks are crazy", but to me, thats the best way to experience Rose and Crown. Like you said, how its meant to be.

 

[cldwv]

I could see how a person or family walking into that atmosphere would think, "these drunks are crazy", but to me, thats the best way to experience Rose and Crown. Like you said, how its meant to be.

Absolutely!

 

[wdisney9000]

I will admit to being drunk during F&W, and not at all intentionally. My friends and I were determined to get a snack from every food stall (which we did!) and, near the end, stopped by the Singapore stall. The sweet old lady there asked us if we wanted Singapore Slings; we each got one. "They're strong!" she said, and giggled. They tasted like Kool-aid, but ten minutes later we were all falling over each other -- that thing must have been mostly sloe gin. Were we horrible obnoxious people? No, we sat on a bench and had iced coffee.

Thats awesome. I got hammered with my Dad and brother one evening around WS and we decided to cap it off with tequila shots. Needless to say it was a rough walk to get to the bus stop.

When we got to the bus stop my brother and I went to the Coronado stop and my Dad went to a different bus stop. My brother and I kept yelling for him to join us before the bus got there. Funny thing was we were all staying at Beach Club. Luckily my Dad realized where we were before we all got on the wrong bus. We still laugh about that night.

 

[PhotoDave219]

@PhotoDave219 ^^^ Thank goodness! We've never been there during the F&W Festival and we never saw 1 crazy drunk.

Well, unless you count my husband's tipsy Aunt - she was doing figure 8's on her motoscooter in front of the American pavilion during the Allelulia chorus while holding her wine up like the Statue of Liberty holds her torch. She was fabulous. People were clapping for her.

Other than that, I'm going on what people were saying here. So glad it's not as "Panama City Beach Soring Break" as people were getting at.

Oh hell no. It is nowhere near Panama City spring break. It's not even in the ballpark.

There is a certain element of these forums that believes that imbibing of any alcoholic beverages is inherently evil… Despite the fact that Walt Disney himself enjoyed his whiskey. Good man that Disney.

Suffice to say it varies I'm element of us to do enjoy imbibing our alcoholic beverages at the Walt Disney World resort yet for the most of us, we know how to behave. Alas you have a lot of outliers.

The original posting that started this thread that was from two or three years ago… And keep in mind all the stories are two or three years old… The gentleman in question wise in navy flight school. He is no longer in the Navy after video of this incident went viral online.

The people at Epcot have gone to long strides in the past several years since these reports first came out. They have made a lot of progress in reducing problems and ensuring the family environment stays somewhat clean.

For example, during last years food and wine festival? You had one option for your size of beer. Of course they raise the price. Similarly they moved the craft beer area to the Odyssey building. Air-conditioned and contained and completely off the beaten path. So you no longer had a plethora of clunks and a college town environment right there in front of world showcase.

So the bosses are aware of what's going on and they've taken steps to try to solve these problems.

I think it's entirely unfair to drag up things from two or three years ago that management has already addressed. Whoever bump to this thread with their first ever post on these forums clearly was trying to instigate and have their own agenda.