Credit: Images by Disney, edited by Inside the MagicWith the recent holiday season having come and gone at the Disney parks, it’s brought one problem front and center into the discussion about Disney and drinking culture.
On New Year’s Eve, people everywhere celebrate with toasts of various forms of alcohol, and quite honestly, one of the best places to ring in the New Year with drinks it at EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort. With 11 pavilions inspired by different countries around the world, EPCOT has earned a name for itself as the “alcoholic park” as guests visit with the intention of “drinking around the world,” or having a drink at each country’s pavilion.
EPCOT Drinking Culture and New Years Eve
As such, many people walk out of EPCOT tipsy to drunk each night, having enjoyed the various temptations around the World Showcase. It’s become a source of contention among Disney fans, with one group being Disney purists, or people who think the parks shouldn’t serve any form of alcohol in the family-friendly parks, and the other group admitting that Disney places a lot of importance on money, and serving alcohol brings in a major financial boost.
It’s been the focus of several online discussions, threads, and arguments over the last few years, and has been brought up once again in the wake of the most recent New Year’s Eve party at EPCOT. Showcase of Wishes shared a screenshot of a Facebook post to X/Twitter. The screenshot says, “Happy New Year! After attending EPCOT last night for NYE I was struck with an interesting thought. Would Walt agree with how after nightfall every night and especially during events that his dream park is turned into basically a local bar? The man was adamant about alcohol not being served in his parks and yet the place that just erected a statue to his honor is going against all that. Just food for thought.” Showcase’s repost to X has gained serious traction online, from both sides.
concur pic.twitter.com/3oSY8831Ih
— Showcase of Wishes (@ShowcaseWishes) January 2, 2024
In the past, Inside the Magic has reported on stories of guests complaining about the atmosphere at EPCOT, and how the presence of alcohol in general throughout the parks is a disservice to all that Disney entails. In response to the post on X, @soonerfan126 replied, “myself and lots of Disney fans are tired of the drunks in the parks….this is not how these parks were intended and it is only a money grab at this point.”
Another user, @suzrad68, said, “Not a fan of the drunk crowds at EPCOT and Studios. Got stuck one night waiting for a tram watching strollers and little kids get shoved and having to listen to the foul language the drunks were shouting at each other for fun.” @DarthImpervious had the opposite opinion, stating that, “After 30+ years going to the parks I’ve rarely encountered any problem with drunk peoole,….of course s I’m usually drunk so it may be me. -but really I haven’t seen an issue and if I have it’s been more at the resorts and hotels than in the park.”
However, the recent New Year’s Eve celebrations across the Disney parks were actually highly praised by guests who compared the festivities to “nightclubs” and “raves,” saying the parties were “so much fun.” Videos were shared across TikTok of guests at Disneyland and various Walt Disney World parks dancing to the DJs and musical entertainment available throughout the night. A comment on one video assured viewers that although it was a more “adult environment…EPCOT on New Year’s Eve was ‘definitely’ teenager-friendly.”
Despite the fun vibes and enjoyment that many had on New Year’s Eve, the X post had dozens of comments about what Walt would have wanted in his parks, with almost as many comments disagreeing, saying that Walt’s opinion shouldn’t have a place anymore.
Walt’s Opinion
“Why does everyone act like walt didn’t drink? You could get alcohol in club 31, and the studio company people were not only drinking, they were doing other stuff. Walt would change with the times and see the value in alcohol being available in the parks,” @AlleriaMystic commented. @Tyler_R_Adams agreed, saying, “Pretty sure he would’ve been interested in making the most money…”
“The majority of world showcase is about celebrating world wide culture, and globally alcohol is a huge part of culture. I could be behind removing it from the other parks, but I think EPCOT gets an exception, especially since it was executed differently than Walt wanted,” @RCoasterBasics chimed in. Others pointed out that Walt himself wasn’t quite an upstanding member of society either.
“He was also a chain smoker who placed Native American statues outside his in-park tobacco stores. I think we can move on from what Walt wanted at his parks,” stated @Wraithlaw42. “‘But Walt would hate this’ is a hilarious take to me,” @charlicaravello commented, “bc Walt would also hate that there’s a black princess. Furthermore his idea for Epcot was to make it an actual community where people lived AND alcohol has been in the parks since opening day. Club 33.
“it’s not always a wise idea to contextualize Walt’s ideas on society to the cultural norms of today,” @LeetMor warned. Considering how much the parks have changed since Walt was around, this is a pretty important thing to keep in mind. Beyond that, unfortunately Walt never even saw the creation of any other park after Disneyland, passing away a few years before the grand opening of the Walt Disney World Resort and Magic Kingdom.
Although he might’ve had the original idea for a theme park based around his beloved characters and ideals for a family-friendly area, besides Disneyland, none of the other parks really had any actual input from Walt, or were heavily changed after his passing (like EPCOT). As such, it doesn’t make much sense to think about what Walt would or wouldn’t have wanted in his parks, considering he was only truly around for one of them. It could be argued that much of what the Walt Disney Company is today has strayed from Walt’s original ideals, including the types of films that are made, companies that are owned, and changes throughout the park. As one comment from @destinationdlr said, “I’d like to start asking What Would Eisner Do from now on. No more Walt discussion. He’s gone. Give me more of the Eisner era and his philosophy!”
However, that wasn’t the only comment to bring up former CEO Michael Eisner, and @TheLeisureProf makes a joke about a very good point. “What if. And here’s a wild idea. They built a separate area for nightlife on Disney property.. they could make a small “island” for 18+ to engage in late night shenanigans apart from the rest of the family resort guests. Like an entire island for pleasure? Nah…..”
Revival of Pleasure Island
The reference he’s making refers to Pleasure Island, an area that was part of the Downtown Disney area at Walt Disney World (now Disney Springs). It featured shopping, dining, and entertainment options for guests with a focus on clubs and nightlife as a bigger incentive for adults and teenagers to visit the resort. It was first opened in 1989 and was officially closed as “Pleasure Island” in 2008.
For many guests who were able to experience Pleasure Island, the area is remembered fondly for allowing adults a space to drink and enjoy an evening after the parks that included dancing, food, and alcohol, as well as shopping and other entertainment offerings. For teenagers back in the day, it offered a place to hang out with friends and other guests around the same age at the Adventurers Club. Pleasure Island has become a pop culture icon amongst Disney fans, even being the subject of several YouTube videos and deep dives.
It was a central location where adult guests could enjoy a more adult form of entertainment, including alcohol, rather than being readily available throughout the parks. Eventually, Pleasure Island would become a product of its time, unable to change itself fast enough to keep up with changing trends, and it would lose itself among the other two marketplaces of Downtown Disney. The fact that guests also had to pay to enter Pleasure Island rather than having free access to the area also hurt the island’s popularity.
Unfortunately, the area would also start to draw in an unsavory crowd, becoming the source of threats, drug dealers, and even robberies. The combination of all these issues would lead to the island’s closure and replacement by the rest of what is now known as Disney Springs. Although guests can still enjoy shopping, dining, and entertainment offerings at Springs, it’s nowhere near the level of what Pleasure Island once offered and is often closed by 11 p.m. or midnight, not leaving older guests much of a “nightlife” to enjoy.
While Disney drinking culture may be arguably getting out of hand, the lack of any other option for guests to enjoy an evening after the parks close causes many guests to enjoy what they can while at the parks throughout the day. EPCOT in particular suffers its bad reputation because of the various alcoholic offerings guests can find throughout the 11 international pavilions, many of which have a history rich in their cuisine and beverage options.
It’s unlikely Bob Iger will approve something like Pleasure Island during the rest of his tenure as CEO, although it could be argued that there’s a increasing rise in Disney nostalgia and calls for adult-only spaces which would make a great basis to recreate something like PI. And since alcohol sales make tons of money for the parks, it’s unlikely to be totally banned in the foreseeable future.
What do you think about the availability of alcohol in the Disney parks? Is it becoming a problem that Walt wouldn’t have wanted, or is it an acceptable way for the parks to make extra money without dedicating a specific area for it?