Disney Annual Food & Wine Festival.
We have been going to this for several years
and it’s generally a wonderful event.
In addition to the 11 countries in World Showcase, there are 30 Special Event Locations to get a taste of different foods, wines, beers, and assorted mixed drinks. So you can eat your way around the world starting at 11am, all the way to closing at 9pm.
Seared Mahi-Mahi with Jasmine Rice & Singa Sauce
Very new… very tasty!
Food around the World is wonderful!
There are also special event demonstrations
in the old Worlds of Wonder Pavilion.
Wine Tastings, and desert tastings.
All in all a great concept and a good time. Sampling food from around the world in affordable “taster portions”. Of the 30 Country locations, you can choose from 78 different and unique foods & deserts… 20 mixed drinks, 40 different beers, and 60 different wines. We enjoy the foods and deserts.
So in addition to every thing that World Showcase has to offer, the Festival puts it right over the top. You can also see some great entertainment at the “Eat to the Beat Concert Series”.
Throughout the Festival with runs from late September to early November, you can see any or all of the 19 different performer or groups. Some of our favorites include Boyz II Men, Sister Hazel, Survivor, Night Ranger, Smash Mouth, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
And, ya never know who you might see…
Furry Friends…
In the Fall, the weather is Perfect!
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PART TWO
Generally I rarely write anything negative on my blog…
but sometimes, ya gotta do, what ya gotta do.
I’m generally very easy going and tolerant.
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So if you are not into reading about negative issues…
STOP READING HERE!
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If you want to know more… please continue.
Now that you have enjoyed The Food and Wine Festival, as well as World Showcase, here’s some advise on some things that are not up to what I have expect as Disney Standards, where you’d expect to find nothing less then a family atmosphere. First and foremost… go to the park early and avoid the evening if possible, or be prepared for some disturbing happenings.
In past years The Food & Wine Festival and also promoted international beers. They did such a good job at it, that the old promotional themes of “Drinking You Way Around the World” has given way to new problems that have been ever increasing over the past few years. Drinking starts at 11am and continues throughout the day. By late afternoon and more so in the evening, there are too many people that have had too much to drink. 40 different beer (plus bottled beers) , and 60 different wines! RESULTS: Loud, rude, and disruptive people that should have no place at Disney… and it’s happening too much. You might expect that you will see a few on the edge, but there are way too many, and encounters are much too frequent. Most seem to be always carrying a glass or mug of beer, or maybe two, after all, they do have two hands! I haven’t seen anyone drop dead drunk, but loud and boisterous is a real problem in a place that suppose to be family oriented.
Disney does ask people to drink responsibly!
But promote it…
Isn’t it “cool”?
T-Shirts, logos, fliers, and signs… Drink on!
Drink your way around the World!
We seen groups of 6-8 or more, all wearing the same t-shirts
roaming around, partying, getting loud…
and “Drunking” Their Way Around the World!
Promotions!
Here’s the problem. Disney has a great training program in place to cast members that sell beer, and the warning signs of people that have too much to drink. The drinking problem has several issues. One, the guests go from one place to another, getting beer after beer, and no one person can monitor how much they have been drinking, or how fast their consumption is. Two, the goal at the different locations is to get guests in and out as quickly as possible, and little attention is paid to the drinking guest. Three, and we have seen this, one person goes up, buys the beer, and gives it to another to drink. These lack of controls and monitoring is leading to the current situation… too many people that have had too much to drink. Most seem to be just “happy drunks”and just loud and disruptive, which in itself is not appealing, but some are rude and argumentative. Not a good situation. I’m sure other guests have talked to managers about this situation, but seemingly not much is being done. We personally talked to a group of managers about a loud and routy group, and they said they were aware of them, and were watching them. Yep, watch them continue to be loud, and watch them go right up to the next beer stand for more beer. I don’t find fault with the managers, I’m sure they have guidelines to follow, which seem to need more tightening to have more control. But something needs to be done… better monitoring, and better guidelines to empower managers to act more quickly to cut them off, or escort them from the park. But there in lies the problem. One, they are spending money on the beer. Two, Disney doesn’t want to offend. Three, Disney really can’t cut them off, so they’d have to escort them out of the park… after they have paid to get in, and are there with other family, friends, and drinking buddies…. so this is not a ideal solution. Perhaps a “drinking card”would be an answer… if you want to drink, ya get a card with your ticket, 5 punches to a card, and when they’re all punched out, you are done drinking… that’s it! Along with a warning… if you drink too much, you will be made to leave the park!
Insult to injury. We like going to the Epcot Concert Series. It’s in the evenings… after they have been drinking all day long, the stage is set for bad situations. Generally the lines waiting to get into the theater are very long, and start usually 60-90 minutes before the show time. this time, the line went past the theater, around the Italy jetty, past Italy, and all the way down to Germany. Okay… next problem… which again is ongoing in varying degrees. To many people are cutting up in the lines without waiting their turn. Too little staff is on hand to control the line breakers. Plus it’s a difficult thing when faced with waiting in line for a long time, people go to get drinks or go the the restrooms, then get back in line… so who’s legitimate, and who’s not? We recently went to a concert, got in line, waited 90 minutes before the show to get a seat. Some people started to “butt-up” in line, and there was no staff to control it. REALLY !!! ??? One lady, who was mostly drunk, casually walk up through the line, as if she was joining someone already in line, and stopped right in front of us. She was not with anyone. Several of the guests in line were annoyed by her actions. When she got on the phone to tell her friends that they should join her, she had a spot in line, the others guests were ready to go ballistic. I went over to a cast member to explain what was happening, they said they would keep a watch for others trying to join her. Nothing was going to be said the the woman. When I returned to my spot, a controversy was already brewing and others guests were confronting her. Voices were raised by several other guests and she finally left and got out of line. All totally needless! And this was happening several times by different line breakers. Must have been a really bad day for this… when we got to the entrance to the theater, line breakers were coming in right at the front, while there was still a long line behind us… WHAT WAS GOING ON ??? We got our seats in the third row, then only have to contend with the people in front of us that were mostly drunk, and still drinking beer that they brought in with them. 95% of the guests are fine… but the 5% that have had too much to drink… well… Disney needs to be controlling this better. Disney is NOT doing a very good job with the drinking problems. So if you go to the Festival… just be prepared as adults… and think twice before taking in your kids late in the day. I think Disney is great… but ya have to call them as you see them… and amidst having numerous complaints… Disney is still NOT controlling this bad situation, they have had these same problems in past years, now getting worse. Common sense could go a long way to help control all of this. Improve monitoring of drinking or have some kind of a drink card program, something to limit what each person can purchase. Monitor and remove drunks from the park. And for the concerts, have more cast members (staff) on hand to control line breakers, better defined lines, and what makes the most sense of all… let people into the theater a lot sooner before the show. We were there for the first show, the theater was empty for the entire 90 minutes that we were in line… if they had they let people enter in advance, they wouldn’t have a line breaking problem, and the staff could control it better.
Where’s the common sense here in all of this. They have been doing this long enough to see the problems that are being created, the controls that are ineffective, and the guests that are there for good clean entertainment… and not there to put up with drunks. As more and more controversy surrounds this, I guess more people have to complain or get hurt dealing with the drinking at the Epcot Festival… which we have been calling the “Beer & Wine Festival” … knowing how things are, and how they seem to continue to get worse. Its not very pretty to have several others guests and their families have to get into a verbal controversy with drunk guests, and risk a possible physical fight… because of a lack of proper controls. It’s truly a shame, and a black mark on Disney for not controlling this.
More info on the topic…
