Drinking & Drunks at Disney
Has Disney finally reached a threshold about alcoholic beverages?
Going back to the earlier years of the Epcot food & wine festival, which was quickly referred to as the beer & wine festival. Friday & Saturdays, especially in the evenings, the drunk fest reaches a fever pitch. And while it's a small percentage of guests that actually get drunk... They manage to overshadow the family atmosphere. Loud, rude, foul language, and obnoxious behavior is experienced everywhere and all too frequently on every turn. What's amazing is that the usual ever present area managers, as well as security officers, seemingly are no where to be found at the drunk fest.
Guest services while experiencing numerous complaits has little to offer other than acknowledging the issues, apologizing for the negative experience, and finishing with the standard public relations response. Even though you can see on their face, and hear in their voices that they have the same distaste for the issues with those that get drunk.
Controls and guidelines: Disney has very strict guidelines for cast members to sell alcoholic beverages. In fact, each cast member must watch and pass an interactive video teaching tool and test before you can sell alcohol. The festivals create a way to circumvent those guidelines. At the festivals only two rules are in play. Sell no more than two alcoholic beverages of time, and not to anyone noticeably intoxicated. Given 30 plus different locations the controls are easily bypassed. Encouraging quick service to combat long lines, with no manager supervision means guests are pushed through as fast as possible... Get them in, get them out, isn't conducive to controls.
Controls and guidelines: Disney has very strict guidelines for cast members to sell alcoholic beverages. In fact, each cast member must watch and pass an interactive video teaching tool and test before you can sell alcohol. The festivals create a way to circumvent those guidelines. At the festivals only two rules are in play. Sell no more than two alcoholic beverages of time, and not to anyone noticeably intoxicated. Given 30 plus different locations the controls are easily bypassed. Encouraging quick service to combat long lines, with no manager supervision means guests are pushed through as fast as possible... Get them in, get them out, isn't conducive to controls.
Then there's the disney promotions... drinking passport books get stamped as you drink your way around the world. Plus drink your way around the world T-shirts. Not sure if they still do this, but the culture remains. Encouraged to drink their way around world show case. And there's little incentive to stop the drinking or offend those that get drunk... Alcohol is big dollars.
There's even sites that encourage and tell you how to make the most out of drinking and getting drunk at Disney.
Yep... Alcohol is big profits... And it's not likely to see things get better as drunkness and all that comes with it, continues at the most magical place on earth.
Only advise... avoid Fridays and Saturdays, especially in the evenings... And especially at the festivals.
Here's some interesting reading...
