Magic Kingdom to Serve Alcohol at 4 Restaurants
We’re a little late to the punch on this one, but since this remains (for some reason) a popular news story, we thought we’d share our take on the news that four more Magic Kingdom restaurants will begin serving wine and beer starting December 23, 2016.
These restaurants are Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, Liberty Tree Tavern, Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen and Cinderella’s Royal Table, all of which will serve 0n-theme alcoholic beverages with lunch and dinner. Per Disney, this is a reaction to requests from guests, and alcohol will not be available to-go.
This was a big deal when it was announced that Be Our Guest Restaurant would serve alcohol 4 years ago, prior to its opening. There was a lot of fan outrage, and understandably so. We do not feel that it is nearly as big of a deal 4 years later, but it seems the internet disagrees as this was the “big news” this week in the fan community. As such, we thought we’d share our take…
The reason this is a big deal to many is because Walt Disney famously prohibited the sale of alcohol to the general public in Disneyland. In a 1956 interview with the Saturday Evening Post, Walt said: “No liquor, no beer, nothing [in Disneyland]. Because that brings in a rowdy element. That brings people that we don’t want and I feel they don’t need it. I feel when I go down to the park I don’t need a drink. I work around that place all day and I don’t have one.”
In context, this interview was about how Disneyland differed from a traditional amusement park, and how it offered an inviting atmosphere for families. (The interview also specifically addresses clean toilets…it’s a pretty enlightening and amusing read.) It’s perfectly understandable, we think, that fans are angered by the sale of alcohol in Magic Kingdom, as Walt was pretty explicit on this.
Now, it could be argued that times have changed and it’s impossible to speculate on how Walt’s views with alcohol would have changed or “evolved” over the years. That’s one perspective…but unlike technology or attraction preferences, human behavior when mixed with alcohol has been pretty much constant. It’s not like there is something new that changes everything when it comes to booze in Disneyland (and by extension, Magic Kingdom).
Despite that, to be honest, we have nothing against alcohol being sold at table service restaurants in the castle park. It has been for two decades in Disneyland Paris (in a similarly restrained manner) and problems have not arisen. So long as the mass consumption of alcohol isn’t easy or implicitly encouraged (looking at you, Food & Wine Festival booths), it’s unlikely to be problematic in Magic Kingdom.
As Be Our Guest Restaurant has demonstrated, alcohol at table service restaurants only is enough friction to prevent this from being a concern. Besides, realistically, if someone wants to be wasted in Magic Kingdom, it’s not impossible to drink at Trader Sam’s and take a boat over.
Our issue is with the hypocrisy of the decision. If you’ve ever looked at an announcement of an attraction closing or pretty much any potentially unpopular change being made, it’s justified with some Walt Disney quote about progress or moving forward (here’s one of many, many examples). The message is always clear: “what we are doing is okay because this is what Walt would have wanted.”
This cherry-picking of Walt Disney quotes to justify business decisions is disingenuous at best, and emotionally manipulative at worst. The fact is, no one knows what Walt Disney would have wanted or done decades after his death, and to apply a very vague message to very specific decisions is totally inappropriate. That’s doubly so when there are also very specific quotes about very specific decisions (such as this one about alcohol) Walt did make.
So, while we don’t have a problem with Magic Kingdom serving alcohol in table service restaurants (as someone on Facebook quipped, maybe it’ll make the food at Tony’s Town Square palatable) and we doubt it will lead to anarchy or a drunkfest in the park. We do have a problem with the continuing use of invoking Walt Disney to justify certain decisions, while totally ignoring him when it comes to others. We certainly don’t expect Disney to be totally honest and admit that all decisions it makes are in pursuit of profit, but don’t insult customers by pretending the decisions are made to honor Walt Disney’s legacy. Because they are not.
I don’t like the idea at all. Can’t one park, especially the MK geared towards children, be kept without more alcohol? I know the majority of dinner crowd drinkers will be okay, but alcohol will enhance some others rude behavior, as stated in the statement by Walt Disney that Tom quoted. It’s just inevitable. I know I’m probably in the minority, but wish that the MK would be safe from more alcohol. I know that people can drink at resorts/bars, etc, and that’s fine, but to have it readily available at the MK just doesn’t seem right to me. Money making seems to be the mantra now, and anything goes I guess. What’s next???? because there will be something else for sure.
Why is the addition of limited alcohol to four restaurants constantly compared to Food & Wine, rather than Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios which have alcohol readily available, but aren’t the extreme example that Food & Wine is? I personally have never had an issue at those parks, and would expect even less issue at Magic Kingdom. Such extreme overreaction by so many people. Rude behavior of guests at Magic Kingdom is already worse than at the other parks, in my view, and alcohol is not at all the cause of that.
Well said, I certainly agree. It felt weird at first, as I thought of castle parks as this “sacred” thing that should maybe remain alcohol free, but that is a bit silly of me and I don’t think having a small selection of alcohol at certain restaurants makes the parks any less what they already were.
Especially with much larger crowds and so much more to do at the parks then way back when causing a little more stress for the guests who pay a lot and work really hard to make this amazing trip, a drink for a parent or visitor to just unwind and relax a little seems more reasonable these days.
100% agree on the hypocrisy thing. Completely!
I do not like this, I mean is it really that bad not to have a drink. lets keep the world showcase the drinking area
I’m really torn. But agree 100% on the hypocrisy point. I don’t think Walt would be ok with this.
However. My biggest concern is this.
Disney have huge car parks.
Are there going to be any reminders that a LOT of guests will be driving home and they really should consider drinking in moderation?
Good luck to the CM’s who have to make the calls, but personally I really don’t think there will be a problem with Drunk n Stupids from just having a drink or two with a table service meal.
If done correctly, this can both honor Walt’s wishes of not having drunken ruffians in his castle park and increasing their bottom line. It’s all going to be on the servers to not over serve.
I also think if done correctly can add to the guest experience. At Be Out Guest, it was so magical to discover the wines made specifically for the establishment. That’s one of the things I genuinely look forward to enjoying there again.
I like to have a drink from time to time, but not sure that it belongs at the Magic Kingdom. There are enough places to have a drink at Epcot and the other parks.
I think people also fail to realize that there are people who leave the parks during the day to drink at resort bars and lounges, and then come back to the parks with a few drinks in them, or worse, the people who sneak alcohol into the parks and drink undercover.
Also, our local theme park, zoo, movie theater, grocery stores are now all selling alcohol as well, so I think Disney is correct in saying they are doing this because of guest demand. I am also way more comfortable with having people drinking at Disney World where the majority of guests are staying on site and won’t be driving anywhere versus my local attractions that everyone is driving to and from.
This kind of concerns me, just like the decision at Be Our Guest did for a couple of reasons. First, it makes me SO sad to see drunk people at EPCOT. It’s so unpleasant. I would hate to see that happen at Magic Kingdom. I know it’s just at table service, where it’s easier to make sure people don’t over-indulge, but still, once they did one restaurant, it was easier to justify three more. Once four restaurants sell alcohol, it will be easier to justify selling it everywhere. I would really hate to see drunk people in the Magic Kingdom. If Disney turns into Universal, I’ll just stop going.
Second, one of the things I really appreciate about Disney is how much effort they put into non-alcoholic beverages. They really make an effort to provide a variety of punches, juice drinks, slushes, and other non-alcoholic mixed drinks. For kids, for non-drinkers, for pregnant women, for recovering alcoholics, it’s really nice to not feel like your only option is water or soda. I just feel like alcohol is the cop-out beverage. Booze sells, so why bother putting any effort into anything else?
While I don’t necessarily think that adding wine to the menus at three restaurants will result in drunkenness on Main Street, I just really think this is the WRONG direction for Disney to be going. They get a little less family-friendly and a little more lowest-common-denominator all the time. It just makes me sad.
Haven’t seen it like that , though I would do fine with a non-alcohol world. Indeed, non drinkers, recovering alcoholics and pregnant women do not have to worry over alcohol at Magic Kingdom. I understand the comertial reason for selling alcohol but if the decision would rest in me, i’d say no.
This still won’t be as widespread as at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, where you can get alcohol at counter service or “lounges.” Of all the annoying people I’ve run into (or whom have run into me) over the years there, virtually none of them have been drinking, and zero have been drunk. (I would have liked to hear a comparison to those parks from Mr. Bricker, just because I think they’re more analogous than EPCOT.)
I like to think that someone at marketing/PR tried to use a quote like “Disneyland is not a museum” or “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things,” but someone in management said “uh, no.” (As for myself, I also note that Walt was wrong not to hire anyone who wore a mustache, as he himself wore.)
Finally, I don’t get where they’re *not* selling alcohol. While you can make a reasonable argument about not selling at the Crystal Palace because of the characters, that would also likely apply to the princesses at Cinderella’s Royal Table. The biggest question here is why they don’t serve at the Plaza Restaurant. Didn’t they remove most reservations because of a lack of customers?
Alcohol in a sit-down restaurant will not be a problem. What non-fast-food restaurants to people patronize at home, and to which they take their kids, that don’t serve alcohol? When Tom goes to his favorite Olive Garden or Longhorns are drunks a big problem? Of course not. However, I would not want to see people drinking in MK outside of these establishments. The Food and Wine Festival experience with boorish drunks that so many have experienced is call for restraint in MK.
I think poor Walt is rolling in his grave.
I understand the decision and I am ok with it. We had a bad experience at the food & wine festival last year re: alcohol. We were with our 2 young kids and it was a weekend day and it must have been a special residents day. Everyone had on matching shirts for the eating and drinking team they were with. It was very hot out and people were more than just tipsy. Many of the groups had on personalized shirts that just said “I’m drunk”. My kids were doing a scavenger hunt for Remy from Ratatouille throughout the food and wine festival and it was not a very Disney experience amongst all of the drunk guests. Hopefully nothing like that will happen at MK.
I agree with you on this. People love to say, “I wonder what Walt would think” when it comes to increased prices or events offered to increase crowds during low seasons, to which I say – Walt was a business man, and I think he would be glad to see increased crowds, and not be bothered by increased prices. Disneyland was never intended to be an inclusive environment – Walt wanted an enclosed, exclusive environment in which he could retain a great degree of control – the whole reasoning behind the park was to have a fun place for families where there wouldn’t be any drunks or bums or shady business going on, like what was happening at the amusement parks on the boardwalks.
Now, one thing that Walt Disney was adamant about was no alcohol in his parks. He was originally looking at St. Louis for his east coast park, but left the city because he disagreed with the city about alcohol sales – he would not sell alcohol in the parks. So one huge factor in Walt Disney World’s location in Central Florida is Walt not wanting to sell alcohol.
Don’t get me wrong – I love a good adult beverage or two. I enjoy Food & Wine Festival. And I don’t think that people are going to get hammered off of a few drinks at dinner. And if someone really wanted to be drunk in the Magic Kingdom, they don’t need alcohol sales in the park – just drinks beforehand, or maybe smuggling some in, who knows. But what frustrates me is that the Disney company is trying to act like Walt would have been okay with this. He wouldn’t have been. I don’t think that opinions so strong that made him pull his park out of a city he was collaborating with would really evolve that much over the years. This selective quoting of Walt Disney reminds me of the short-lived show “PCB” in which the characters quoted the Bible out of context to justify their sins.
My wife and I go to Epcot specifically for the Food and Wine event. We drink and eat to our hearts content. Tipsy, maybe. Drunk? Nope. Not once. It pleases me to know the prudes stay away (keep those lines down). Everyone else who understands the pursuit of happiness is fine by me! I see cast members almost everywhere..if someone is getting rowdy, I’m certain security is alerted and watching.
It’s been a disappointment to us regarding the lack of walk up alcohol spots in MK. Every other park is able to serve draft beer at a walk up stand..not so MK.
I want to spend money and drink pirate grog, or jungle ale while I enjoy the sights. Empower and train the staff to not serve alcohol to drunk guests. It’s really not a problem.
I absolutely hate the direction that Disney has been going the last 20 to 25 years. I hated Pleasure Island, and I hate being at EPCOT during Food & Wine Festival. A couple of restaurants serving wine is okay, but no beer, no F-bombs, no saggy pants…. come on Disney, time to get your act together. Walt is rolling over in his grave.
Really? You decide how to dress everyone? And what they should drink?
This is America, Land of the Free..
Come to Communist Russia..I’ve got a gula.., I mean a no nonsense theme park you might enjoy, comrade! We all wear gray, drink swamp water and work real hard at fitting in.
I saw a lot of people ripping Disney for this decision on blogs and social media, and honestly, I think it is about damn time they had some places serve alcohol. Everyone was OKAY with Be Our Guest because it is a “French” restaurant, and Europeans drink wine with their meals… okay. Epcot and all the other parks at WDW serve alcohol and it never gets crazy or out of hand, same with California Adventure, I’ve never seen unruly behavior in DCA because of alcohol.
Looking at the menu and reviews for Skipper’s Canteen, it seemed silly to not serve alcohol, they were selling expensive juice in Moscow mule cups? And the title has the word “canteen” in it, implying it would be a place to serve drinks. And… most of the locals/pass holders are always looking for a new place to get a drink or go for happy hour, those seem to be the most popular reviews on Disney Food Blog. A place where people can linger and order drinks, then apps and small plates to sober up, and then one drink turns into three, and oh now I’m hungry, I’ll order more food. Places like that make more money on those types of customers than someone coming in ordering an entree and a non-alcoholic endless refills beverage. And hearing that Skipper’s Canteen can’t fill their tables, this would be huge to draw people in. The theming lends itself to be similar to Jock Lindsay’s or Trader Sam’s.
The other restaurants make no sense to me as to why they would serve alcohol other than to make money. Liberty Tree Taven (WHY did they remove the pot roast from the menu?! And serving alcohol won’t make me come there anymore if they’ve changed the menu!) because of course eating Thanksgiving dinner in a colonial themed restaurant screams I need alcohol with this!
Cinderella’s seems like a money grab, if people spend so much money on food there, they will spend money on alcohol there.
Tony’s… no idea why there either, other than it being “Italian”
When Skipper’s Canteen opened I was surprised they weren’t serving alcohol, especially since BOG was. Seems like people are thinking it was a missed opportunity not serving alcohol when it opened and hoping to rehype it with this.
I was in epcot with my 3 year old last night (NOT food and wine), and there was an abundance of adult inappropriate behavior at 8pm. Maybe I’m prudish, but the last several years EPCOT seems more and more rowdy as dusk approaches. F bombs aplenty and someone snatched my kids hairbow to boot. Imagine if EPCOT were open as late as MK some nights… I hope they don’t allow drinks to go in the future.
I may or may not bring Malibu coconut rum with me into the Magic Kingdom for the sole purpose of mixing it with Dole Floats.
But I also make sure that I’m never at risk of trying to swim to Tom Sawyer’s island
May or may not have tried it in Hot Chocolate.
LOL
I’m at least happy to hear they won’t let people take the drinks to-go at the Magic Kingdom. Alcohol doesn’t always make places a party destination, but it sometimes does. People know that EPCOT during food and wine is full of drunk people. We avoid it, and I’m sure most families with young children also avoid it for that reason. Who wants to have to avoid Magic Kingdom because of drunk & rowdy adults?
Sure, Disney has a lot of money to gain from the sale of expensive alcoholic beverages, but they also risk losing something–a magical, family destination.
Now, I recognize people having a glass of wine at dinner won’t ruin that magical experience. Of course not. But I really hope Disney does keep alcohol out of the park itself, with families walking around, because different days and events at Magic Kingdom don’t need to turn into a drunk fest like Food & Wine and New Year’s at EPCOT.
“People know that EPCOT during food and wine is full of drunk people. We avoid it, and I’m sure most families with young children also avoid it for that reason.”
I wouldn’t be so sure about that. It’s known among Disney fans, but the vast majority of first-time visitors (which is most visitors) do little to no research before their trips.
If it were truly public knowledge that Epcot is full of drunk people during Food & Wine, and families avoided it as such, I think Disney would dramatically tone down the event. The alcohol sales would not be enough to offset the loss of families, who are Disney’s bread & butter.
We DIDN’T KNOW this and we’ve been to Disney 6 times. See my comment below. We had no idea we had to avoid certain times/areas.
Oh, I was planning to go to Food and Wine festival on 2018 or later but if I will find drunk people, there’s no way I”m going. The reason I love Disney World is that is not like the real world, it’s a perfect magic bubble. I mean, I pay for that experience.
Nail on head. I plan to celebrate my 40th birthday at Disney in December 2017 with my girlfriends. They fly out and hubby flies in with toddler son.
I like the idea of having a glass of wine at lunch with my girlfriends and my family. My kid is going to have fun; let me enjoy a glass of mommy juice
I understand Walt Disney’s motives, but times have changed. Plus, simply train wait staff to stop serving someone becoming drunk. I also think the nasty parental stares will be enough embarrassment to motivate proper behavior (goodness knows my hubby and I will give that stare to a truly drunk patron).