Drunks at EPCOT during Spring Break on weekends? Compared to Food and Wine?

[familyman123]

Breaking with my tradition, I'm visiting WDW March 5-12, as opposed to during Food and Wine. In my previous trips, I planned to avoid ECPOT on the weekends because Food and Wine tended to bring out people to world showcase just to drink.

But is that as big of an issue during March? I expect the weekends will be busy due to Spring Break, but that will apply in all parks. Is the drinking around the world less of a thing during Spring Break?

Appreciate any and all experiences.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

They do have booths and drinks at the Flower and Garden Festival too, and some drink around the world groups. Try to avoid Saturdays in particular no matter what festival it is.

 

[Mango7100]

We have been over Spring Break and have avoided Epcot on Saturdays. We have gone on a Sunday and it wasn’t frat party but there was definitely a lot of drinking. DH and I will get some beverages but the stumbling/hammered people get a bit much for me…

 

[Willow1213]

We had a very enjoyable experience in World Showcase for the first time in a long time a few days before Thanksgiving. Why? NO FESTIVAL! Any of the festivals with food/drink booths draw out more weekend drinkers, so if Flower and Garden is going on during your visit I would plan your Epcot day to avoid the weekend.

 

[loves to dive]

While I've never seen anyone puking in bushes (I've heard it happens and can't say it doesn't) I have seen people having an exceptionally loud and good time at all the festivals. Friday and Sat. nights do seem to get louder and more crowded.

 

[gharter]

Having been there multiple time for F&W. Weekdays are generally OK. Friday night and the weekends are NOT good. Never seen so many drunk people in a small space as a Saturday afternoon in EPCOT during F&W. Never again.

 

[Moms]

We have spent a lot of time at Epcot festivals … mostly flower and garden but have actually spent multiple days at all of the festivals and honestly have never observed the obnoxious behavior that is so often reported during these events. Maybe it’s a matter of timing … we’re usually heading out of the parks in the evening … early to bed because we’re rope drop people.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I've seen it a few times, but usually the problems I have seen are due to sheer numbers and large groups. Avoiding Friday nights and Saturdays takes care of most of it. Mon-Thu is the best time for Epcot festivals.

 

[jimmymc]

World Showcase is crowded every Friday night and weekend whether there is a festival or not. Try to plan your Epcot days during the week and do Animal Kingdom or resort days on the weekend.

 

[DSLRuser]

I go every March, October, December.

It has not been till recently that I have noticed "drunks" / "party crowd" being wayyyyy over the top. This year has been worse than previous 30 years at Epcot.

 

[Eileen Murphy]

Breaking with my tradition, I'm visiting WDW March 5-12, as opposed to during Food and Wine. In my previous trips, I planned to avoid ECPOT on the weekends because Food and Wine tended to bring out people to world showcase just to drink.

But is that as big of an issue during March? I expect the weekends will be busy due to Spring Break, but that will apply in all parks. Is the drinking around the world less of a thing during Spring Break?

Appreciate any and all experiences.

Just back. Epcot has become a pub crawl. Booths and restaurants allowing alcohol to flow freely. Don’t bring young children can be dangerous

 

[gharter]

World Showcase is crowded every Friday night and weekend whether there is a festival or not. Try to plan your Epcot days during the week and do Animal Kingdom or resort days on the weekend.

Agree. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and decided to go to EPCOT late that afternoon. HUGE mistake. Absolutely packed. Never walked out of EPCOT so fast.

 

[stinkpickle]

It sounds like a lot of you saw me there.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Bring post-it notes to stick on people who are way too drunk to be in public.... j/k

 

[DisneyKidds]

Just back. Epcot has become a pub crawl. Booths and restaurants allowing alcohol to flow freely. Don’t bring young children can be dangerous

LoL!

Full disclosure….our traveling party includes both a heathen (you’ll find me with a beer in hand at Epcot), a teatotaler (the wife doesn’t drink in the parks ), and children (from infant to adult). We’ve been going to Disney and Epcot for more than 30 years, Epcot as recently as July. We’ve been to Epcot for festivals, spring breaks, summers, weekdays, weekends, you name it. In all that time we can recall maybe twice that we took note of a drunk person in the World Showcase, and each time it was more funny (from a people watching perspective) than it was concerning (from a safety or ‘can’t let my children see that’ perspective). I’m not saying that people haven’t had bad, even alarming, individual experiences. Stuff happens. However, I’d take with a grain of salt any thread that makes it seem as though Epcot is a cesspool of soulless people that should be avoided on Friday and Saturday nights.

 

[luv2cheer92]

I've gone over spring break time frame a few times and never saw an issue on the weekends. Then again, I've never had an issue on weekends during Food and Wine. Could just be that that kind of stuff doesn't bother us at all though.

 

[luv2cheer92]

LoL!

Full disclosure….our traveling party includes both a heathen (you’ll find me with a beer in hand at Epcot), a teatotaler (the wife doesn’t drink in the parks ), and children (from infant to adult). We’ve been going to Disney and Epcot for more than 30 years, Epcot as recently as July. We’ve been to Epcot for festivals, spring breaks, summers, weekdays, weekends, you name it. In all that time we can recall maybe twice that we took note of a drunk person in the World Showcase, and each time it was more funny (from a people watching perspective) than it was concerning (from a safety or ‘can’t let my children see that’ perspective). I’m not saying that people haven’t had bad, even alarming, individual experiences. Stuff happens. However, I’d take with a grain of salt any thread that makes it seem as though Epcot is a cesspool of soulless people that should be avoided on Friday and Saturday nights.

Couldn't agree more!

 

[Imamom2]

We have done Food & Wine several times and this past November the only thing I noticed were very large crowds and longer lines. I think the atmosphere is great but it’s not for everyone. Yes, there was the occasional ‘over-served’ guest but no one was obnoxious or too loud. There were several bachelor/bachelorette groups that looked like they were having fun. Know your own limits - you are not on everyone else’s vacation and they are not on yours.

 

[Centopar]

We are from the UK, so usually visit for blocks of 2 weeks. My observation during festival times is that it's worth avoiding Friday and Saturday evenings at Epcot if this stuff bothers you (it bothers me, I have little kids). I've never seen any vomiting, but I have heard and seen really bad, rowdy behaviour and language that I don't want to expose the kids to. The weekdays are usually absolutely fine.

(God, I sound prissy.)

I have never been a big drinker, and I really, really don't see the appeal of drinking around the world. It's presumably going to make you feel like death the next morning, and I can think of a million things I'd rather spend that money on in the parks.

 

[leeniewdw]

We did EPCOT on a Friday night in March 2020 (Flower/Garden) and found it lovely. We were able to sample a lot of food and enjoy our loop around the World Showcase. We did EPCOT last night (Saturday + Holiday Fest) and found it packed! No issues with people drinking but such long lines. We ended up getting a pretzel in American pavilion and real food at Mexico (end of our loop). The lines were so long, at least in our opinion. Also, not much entertainment after dark (other than the processional which we didn't do). We did sit back in the UK garden area, even though no band, was a really nice break on a bench away from the crowds. They had a nice photo spot lit up with a spot light in front of a xmas tree back there, so we liked watching the families take photos. Then the spot light went out, so not sure what happened then -- it was just a dark corner.