What if WDW banned Alcohol?

[Alicatt]

I will admit to being a drinker. Especially on vacation. That being said I usually don't drink much in the parks mostly because I'm too busy. I do love a fun, themed, cocktail though. I usually end up with some crazy thing from Pandora or Olga's cantina. Maybe a dole whip float. I don't even know how people get really drunk in the parks. I'm always on the move or on a ride. Even if the drinks were free, and they certainly are NOT, I can't imagine having more then a few spread out during a long day. That being said I have only been to one festival. I did have one of the best drinks of my life at Epcot. My kids were small then, so I usually didn't drink in the parks but there were 4 adults for 2 kids, so I felt ok having one drink. It was the end of May and like being on the surface of the sun. I got a frozen margarita from Mexico and we went to China to watch the acrobats.It was so refreshing. I still remember it almost 13 years later.

 

[Anthony1971]

honestly made it too expensive for most to get drunk. And someone who wants to get pickled will still find a way, drink in their room

I was going to say this…. While I don’t drink much anymore in the late 80s through the very early 2000 liquor was far more abundant and cheaper then today. I recall buying beers at the Poly resort store for 1 dollar each or less and taking the monorail with said beer. Pleasure Island at night there were rolling bars everywhere… The parks except MK which has not changed much there was always places to buy liquor cheap. Resorts and parks had happy hour specials… for the price of 1 drink today you could have been stumbling away 25 years ago… as late as the mid 2000s you could buy 12 packs of beer at the resorts for less then 1 dollar a can then 18 for a 12 pack then 25 or about for a 6 pack now……8-11 a can.
Disney has and has always had a roaming liquor license meaning one can buy and drink anywhere on Disney property… years ago Disney would give out plastic cups exiting the parks… now you have to finish the drink but once you pass the gate it’s rather easy and always has been to buy another drink near by for a high price.
Don’t think it’s Disney selling liquor, as said above it’s rather expensive to drink at Disney now from resort shops to bars…
Disney is definitely doing its part to make people think 3 times before dropping 100 bucks to get in most cases mildly drunk in a lot of cases a strong buzz…….but yes they will also gladly take your money if one so chooses to do this and this just nothing new… just a lot more expensive. Disney also does a poor job at best of enforcing Marijuana rules smelt and seen plenty of it in recent years even watched cast members walk on by smelling and seeing the people on balconies… including at the Grand Floridian….and they make 0 from this……

 

[BrianL]

I think the worst drunken behavior I have seen in one of the parks was a group of about eight thirty-something adults at Epcot who were completely intoxicated and racing each other on park rented ECVs with a drink in one hand and the other on the throttle. They passed by me quickly, and I didn’t see them again, but I have to believe at some point they either hurt themselves or another park guest before the day was done. This was during the week, during the afternoon, and during a festival.

I don’t think Disney will forego the profits from selling alcohol and there are plenty of guests who drink responsibly. However, they really do need to stop selling to guests who are already intoxicated and they need to start removing guests who are a danger to themselves and others. One day someone who was over-served is going to cause a fatal traffic accident or do something irresponsible that costs them their own life, and Disney is going to get a boatload of bad publicity and perhaps lawsuits as a result. We have all seen news stories about bars being held liable for what happens when they continue to serve someone who is clearly intoxicated, but when it’s Disney? They need to start making adjustments to their policies and procedures now before it blows up in their face.

One issue though is that while a CM could refuse service to a visibly drunk guest, it is very easy to have someone not as drunk go buy one and pass it off to the more intoxicated friend. The unfortunate thing is that people feel the need to do that and to get that drunk at all. Honestly, I don't know how they do it either between the cost and the heat. I have a buddy who will drink, but does so reasonably and always follows it with lots of water.

 

[Lesverts]

Doesn't Disney limit alcohol purchases per person at once? Always just figured it was a thing.

 

[fla4fun]

One issue though is that while a CM could refuse service to a visibly drunk guest, it is very easy to have someone not as drunk go buy one and pass it off to the more intoxicated friend. The unfortunate thing is that people feel the need to do that and to get that drunk at all. Honestly, I don't know how they do it either between the cost and the heat. I have a buddy who will drink, but does so reasonably and always follows it with lots of water.

I agree with you on the price and the heat. I don’t drink alcohol myself, but my travel party does on occasion. However, they rarely drink at Disney because of the cost, and never drink alcohol at Disney when it’s hot weather. Water is your best friend in the summer at WDW.

I also agree about the loophole. Underage drinkers have been getting their drinks this way for decades. However, wouldn’t the responsibility be on the person who supplies the booze to the over intoxicated guest, if Disney technically was not the one to serve them? I would guess at least a few underage people had alcohol on Disney property today, purchased by someone who showed a valid ID to the CM when purchasing it. If they were caught with it, I presume it would be the person who purchased it and gave it to them who would be in legal trouble and not Disney, but I could be wrong. I am certainly not an expert in our local liquor laws by any means!

I don’t believe that only restricting sales or only removing over intoxicated guests is the full answer. There need to be changes made in several areas all working together to reduce the problem. And I do mean reduce and not remove. I am not naive enough to think that people won’t try to work around any policies set in place, and I don’t have an issue with responsible drinking in the parks. But with new procedures and proper enforcement maybe people wouldn’t worry as much about going to Epcot on the weekends, and that would be a win for the guests and for Disney.

 

[JulieBeeRN]

I'm personally not a big drinker, so it wouldn't affect me. And I've seen people who were clearly "feeling" pretty good, but not anyone who was completely inebriated.

 

[Djm_in_buffalo]

What if they just did a better job of curtailing obnoxious drunks, either at point of sale, or had cast members who did not turn a blind eye throughout the parks?

By “obnoxious” I mean those acting unsafely or otherwise engaging in behavior that is unwelcome in a family-first atmosphere, such as physical contact (jostling, stumbling into others, etc.) and/or overt vulgarity.

Disney World banning alcohol sales is fantasy. As repeatedly pointed out here, alcohol is a big financial component. Gotta keep the shareholders happy. Beyond that, no more alcohol would essentially be a complete reversal of 20+ years of Disney’s intentional push to make it not solely a family place, but more adult-inclusive.

Doing so would presumably mean that DL would also ‘need’ to be dry. Regardless, having dry park(s) would mean that DCL either follows suit and loses a bit of its draw for parents, or is out of step with the park(s). Don’t see that happening.

There are a lot of rude, annoying, sober people in life. WDW is no exception. It compounds with increased alcohol consumption. I would much rather see them do a better job of limiting the behaviors that are to the detriment of other guests. Since they can and do police and regulate so many other things, they could surely limit the amount of alcohol sold to each patron throughout the day. Say, 1 drink per hour or 5 per day. Of course it could and would be abused, by adults who pool their drink access, but it would at least lessen some of the most visible intoxication.

 

[SteveH]

What if they just did a better job of curtailing obnoxious drunks, either at point of sale, or had cast members who did not turn a blind eye throughout the parks?

This is where I fully fault Disney, on our last couple trips we walked through a few groups that were clearly intoxicated and being obnoxious. There was no security in the area and nothing was being done about the groups, it was a huge turn off for me and my wife. The problem isn't just the obnoxious drunks it's Disney's fault for over serving and not dealing with it. Shame on Disney.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I don’t disagree—I’ve seen some of the same things (sadly). At least when they enter the park, there’s time for it to wear off if no alcohol is being served.

I remember there was a Tiktok that went semi viral of a woman's "hack" to enjoying alcoholic beverages in Disneyland. That hack? Dump half a bottle of vodka into a mug and mix it with soda. After seeing the insane alcohol prices in Disneyland specifically, I get it to an extent but at the same time....it's Disneyland. Also seeing as most Disneyland guests are locals, don't you have to drive home?

It wouldn't surprise me at all if a decent amount of people are doing this especially with how easy grocery delivery to the resorts is.

 

[MamaMermaid]

We don't drink much so this wouldn't bother us at all but I'm sure it's too much of a money maker.