Opening a Wine Bottle in Epcot

[mgentry210]

Asking for help and I know you guys will know the answer that I cannot find after 30 minutes of google searches.

We are long time annual passholders and usually pretty saavy to the rules, but this one is stumping me. It's usually just hubby and me and maybe a borrowed kiddo or two (nieces and nephews- we have lots) so anytime we want a drink at Epcot, I find the nearest cart and buy whatever looks good. Or drink at lunch or dinner, or both?

This trip I am doing late planning for a trip for 8 adults the week of new years. (Yes, I am THAT crazy!) We are picking up the $$$ for this trip and I am trying to be as cost effective as I can hope to be with the plans.

We will be in Epcot on New Years Eve for the entire day. I have a late lunch ADR secured and am stalking for a dinner right now. TBD. I know we cannot bring alcohol into the parks, but I am wondering about drinking what we purchase once inside the parks. All 8 of us are drinkers and almost all prefer wine or beer. Knowing that tiny glasses of wine at the stands will be going for $6-8 each that bill is going to climb high fast over 12 hours! I am wondering if I can't purchase a bottle or two in Italy or France and open it to save costs?

Anyone have any experience with this? I am thinking it will likely save a few hundred $.

Side note: I have recently been diagnosed with a peripheral nerve syndrome that is affecting my ability to walk so I will be renting a scooter. For this reason, carrying the bottles is not an issue. This is my second time at Disney on a scooter. What a change of perspective! I will be posting my observations/experiences as a 30 something on a scooter at Disney.

 

[smcabee]

Nope not allowed sadly. They will ship it to the park entrance for you to pick up when you leave.

 

[fla4fun]

I think you are being very generous, but I don't think you should have to foot the entire bill that day, especially a day when most people enjoy overindulging in adult beverages. You are correct that they will be expensive, and I would expect even higher than your $6-$8 estimate. Maybe offer to purchase a set number of adult beverages that day (outside of any purchased with your meals, which I assume you were already planning to cover), and if members of your group want more, then they have to buy them with their own money. Or maybe get each person a gift card with a set amount on it for them to use to purchase the additional beverages and when the card runs out, they have to cover any additional ones on their own. Personally, I think beverages with meals and a round near/at midnight to toast in the new year would be plenty for you to have to cover if you are covering everything else.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Within the parks, buying wine then taking to the eatery is not permitted.
2) If eating at a resort restaurant, you are permitted to bring in your own bottle.
. . . there are only two locations within WDW resorts that charge a Corkage Fee for your own bottle.

 

[rsimon]

1) Within the parks, buying wine then taking to the eatery is not permitted.
2) If eating at a resort restaurant, you are permitted to bring in your own bottle.
. . . there are only two locations within WDW resorts that charge a Corkage Fee for your own bottle.

That's not true actually. I have yet to have a place not charge a corkage fee so even though there may be one or two that don't that I am not aware of, I would say most if not all do. The prices do range though, can be as low as $10 to as much as $50 for Victoria and Albert's (2 bottle limit for entire party)

 

[loves to dive]

You could go to the little wine bar in Italy and get a bottle there but you would have to finish it before you left, you would not be able to walk around with the bottle. Would the pour it into a glass to go for you? Hmmmm, maybe.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

No, you cannot open and consume a bottle of wine you have purchased inside the park. As noted, if you purchase a bottle in a store, you must have it sent to the gate. If you purchase a bottle in a restaurant or lounge, it must be opened for consumption inside the establishment. If you have leftovers they would likely give you plastic glasses to carry, but they won't let you take out a whole bottle.

 

[mgentry210]

Nope not allowed sadly. They will ship it to the park entrance for you to pick up when you leave.

Really? I thought you could opt to carry it with you? This was my window for opening it. Hubby cab smuggle in a corkscrew easy. I've never purchased a bottle even during food and wine. I've already have enough those days to even think about opening a bottle or buying one!

I think you are being very generous, but I don't think you should have to foot the entire bill that day, especially a day when most people enjoy overindulging in adult beverages. You are correct that they will be expensive, and I would expect even higher than your $6-$8 estimate. Maybe offer to purchase a set number of adult beverages that day (outside of any purchased with your meals, which I assume you were already planning to cover), and if members of your group want more, then they have to buy them with their own money. Or maybe get each person a gift card with a set amount on it for them to use to purchase the additional beverages and when the card runs out, they have to cover any additional ones on their own. Personally, I think beverages with meals and a round near/at midnight to toast in the new year would be plenty for you to have to cover if you are covering everything else.

Thanks for the reply. I like the gift card idea and may use that...

 

[mgentry210]

That's not true actually. I have yet to have a place not charge a corkage fee so even though there may be one or two that don't that I am not aware of, I would say most if not all do. The prices do range though, can be as low as $10 to as much as $50 for Victoria and Albert's (2 bottle limit for entire party)

I do have a little bit of experience here. We got married at Disney and had our reception at Citricos. They allowed me to bring in 2 cases of wine and champagne with a corkage fee of $25 per bottle. We had a little preparty and tasted a bunch of wine from Trader Joes. Nothing above $5 per bottle and came out with 3 good winners. We are still big fans of Honey Moon. Plus it had an unintentional pun. Bringing the wine saved us $338 (I still have the spreadsheet!). The Citricos manager was no pleased, but hey he agreed to it in writing...

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I am not going to suggest that you smuggle in a corkscrew and open and consume the wine anyway, although you know that it isn't allowed. It's apparently against their liquor license for the parks. Doing things like that to save money is what gets you a rule that all purchases of alcoholic beverages must be sent to the gate.

I'd suggest going to someplace like Tutto Gusto, ordering a bottle, and sitting there to drink it.

 

[sharadoc]

I do have a little bit of experience here. We got married at Disney and had our reception at Citricos. They allowed me to bring in 2 cases of wine and champagne with a corkage fee of $25 per bottle. We had a little preparty and tasted a bunch of wine from Trader Joes. Nothing above $5 per bottle and came out with 3 good winners. We are still big fans of Honey Moon. Plus it had an unintentional pun. Bringing the wine saved us $338 (I still have the spreadsheet!). The Citricos manager was no pleased, but hey he agreed to it in writing...

So you paid $30 a bottle for wine plus corkage fee on a $5 bottle of wine? And it saved that much? Wow Disney really gets the max out of a wedding!! Their minimum bottle price must have been over $75!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Even for F&W Festival Center where they sold wine, they seal the box that they put the bottle in and it must remain sealed until you leave the park.

 

[mgentry210]

So you paid $30 a bottle for wine plus corkage fee on a $5 bottle of wine? And it saved that much? Wow Disney really gets the max out of a wedding!! Their minimum bottle price must have been over $75!

Yep! I have an excel file that I keep adding to every trip. It's a savings/dining memorial of how much money we have spent at Disney. (We probably could have bought a modest house in TX) I looked back to that tab and it was actually $358 that we saved. They have a lovely wine list but it is pricey. With the wines that we knew and liked, the average price was about $50 to $60 a bottle on the lowest end. I knew down to the penny how much it was all going to cost. Disney weddings can "appear" a good deal with the lower packages, but adding everything up including photography, hotel, park tickets, etc. it adds up quick. Especially with this crowd of lushes we travel with!

I don't mind spending money when quality is delivered, but I really hate paying more than I know something is worth. Especially a 300% markup. It just kills me. Give me a glass of wine and then I forget...

 

[smcabee]

Really? I thought you could opt to carry it with you? .

Hmm, you may be right. I buy icewine all the time for friends from the Canada pavilion and they always just told me they would have it waiting at the park entrance. Dont think I ever even was given the option to carry it, but thinking about it now, I really dont think I asked either. I guess that would have to be an option especially if the purchase was made close to park closure.

 

[jeanico2000]

At last year's Food and Wine festival, we purchased a bottle of fabulous Hungarian wine at a really great price. We were then informed that we would have to pick-up our bottle at a specific location just outside Epcot's gates upon leaving as we were not allowed to carry it in the park.

 

[craigkerstiens]

1) Within the parks, buying wine then taking to the eatery is not permitted.
2) If eating at a resort restaurant, you are permitted to bring in your own bottle.
. . . there are only two locations within WDW resorts that charge a Corkage Fee for your own bottle.

What are the two that charge a corkage fee? Is it clearly articulated somewhere online that the resort restaurants do not?

 

[sharadoc]

Yep! I have an excel file that I keep adding to every trip. It's a savings/dining memorial of how much money we have spent at Disney. (We probably could have bought a modest house in TX) I looked back to that tab and it was actually $358 that we saved. They have a lovely wine list but it is pricey. With the wines that we knew and liked, the average price was about $50 to $60 a bottle on the lowest end. I knew down to the penny how much it was all going to cost. Disney weddings can "appear" a good deal with the lower packages, but adding everything up including photography, hotel, park tickets, etc. it adds up quick. Especially with this crowd of lushes we travel with!

I don't mind spending money when quality is delivered, but I really hate paying more than I know something is worth. Especially a 300% markup. It just kills me. Give me a glass of wine and then I forget...

That's so great you figured that out. They probably expect folks will just pay. I love it!

 

[DisBuckMan]

It's always been my understanding that all Disney parks have a "no glass containers" rule in place...therefore all liquor purchases made inside the park must be picked up outside the gates on the way out.

 

[rwdavis2]

So you paid $30 a bottle for wine plus corkage fee on a $5 bottle of wine? And it saved that much? Wow Disney really gets the max out of a wedding!! Their minimum bottle price must have been over $75!

Wine markups at WDW are usually at least 3x retail pricing. Which means about 4x their costs. When buying by the glass the cost of the bottle is almost always covered by the price of a single glass. 2 at most. That's why we never buy by the glass.

There are relative "bargains" on their wine lists but you just have to know where to look.

 

[sfbank]

Don't know if it helps and maybe things have changed since June of this year but I bought wine two different days in Italy and France and was able to carry it out the door both days. It does get heavy lugging around World Showcase for an hour.