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View Full Version : So... have you been unhappy with what you've seen at the F&W Fest??



Dsnygirl
10-19-2011, 01:59 PM
Just curious...

My DH and I are headed down to Disney for a long wknd next week, and are primarily going for time away on our own, relaxation, romance and the F&W Festival. We LOVE it. :)

What concerns me is what I am hearing about the F&W Fest on the wknds. We have friends who live close by and have been quite a few times, and who have been very disappointed by the number of drunks and inappropriate people they have encountered there, with seemingly no intervention on the part of the CM's.

I've also read a few things on here and other boards along the same lines... stumbling guests, loud/rude/obnoxious people who have obviously over-indulged... people being overtly inappropriate to other guests (who are NOT in their party) and the like.

What surprises me the most is the lack of concern on the part of CM's... I've even heard of some people saying they've seen CM's laugh and turn away, obviously unconcerned and unwilling to step in. I can understand that on the part of the young teens and college students who may be working there, but you would at least think they would go and get a manager, or someone with more experience, who would know how to kindly step in and diffuse the situation.

So, I thought I'd ask the question and see what the response is overall... we are going twice, once on a Friday night (which is the evening that has me a bit nervous... I am good at avoiding and turning a blind eye, but really would prefer to not have to do it at Disney... :() and also on Sunday night. I am crossing my fingers that these occurrences are few and far between -- so thought I'd see what other's perceptions have been!!

(and do know that I plan on having a SPECTACULAR time, regardless of what is going on around me!! :D)

EeyoresBestFriend
10-19-2011, 02:33 PM
We are really looking forward to F&W, but plan on hitting it during the day and around dinner time.

Last year we did find that later in the evening there were quite a few drunk idiots and I would prefer to avoid that. That's the down side to any event like this. There are always people who don't know when to slow it down.

My opinion only, if you want to be drunk and stupid in public then go to Las Vegas, not WDW. :D

dnickels
10-19-2011, 02:40 PM
Maybe I just happen to be there at other times than some of the reports, but I just don't see the issue as being as big as some make it to be. Sure later in the day/evening around WS you can spot a few people that have had a few too many, either they're talking too loud or they're not really aware of where they're walking, but I haven't experienced any overt rudeness or belligerent behavior. (I'm sure it happens from time to time, heck people get in fights in lines with no drinking involved)

As far as the CMs, I think the two rules of thumb that they tend to apply are
-don't tick off the guests (unfortunately this also includes the drunk guests)
-don't let it reach the level of having to bring a manager in
Especially at WS, guests are usually on the move so the easiest thing for a CM to do is wait 5 minutes and the drunk person has moved on to the next area.

It's never ruined a day of F&W for me so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Go and enjoy yourself, if there's an obviously drunk, rude group moving clockwise around WS, head counterlockwise or sit for a few minutes until they've moved on.

Disney Doll
10-19-2011, 03:33 PM
We just returned and our expetrience was okay. Because of crowds we always hit the festival in the afternoon right as World Showcase opens rather than the evening. Even still we did encounter one guest who had somehow managed to consume enough alcohol by noon that she was obviously drunk, loud, and obnoxious. She wasn't really bothering anyone besides her poor husband who was trying to make jokes about her drunk state to difuse the awkwardness so we just laughed at her and moved on.

However, a friend who was there the same week encountered a drunk who was certainly impacting the enjoyment of others around her. This woman could barely stand. Her boyfriend had managed to drag her to the bus stop where she got sick which was quite unpleasant for my friend and the other guests waiting. The boyfriend was slapping the woman's face to try and keep her awake enough to board the bus where she got sick again which again was quite unpleasant for other guests and whatever poor employee had to clean up. I was pretty surprised that this woman was allowed to get so drunk at Disney. You would think at some point someone would have cut her off whether it be her boyfriend or one of the servers. More so now than ever I will stick to my afternoon plan and avoid evenings and weekends.

DVC2004
10-19-2011, 03:45 PM
We were there a week ago today. I did't see anyone obviously drunk or overserved. At least no one acting like it. I am sure there is always someone at these events. It was pretty mellow. There seemed to be alot of guests from other countries there...everyone was cool.

On the other hand, we also visited Halloween Horror Nights at Universal and there were quite a few overserved people there. Loud, stumbling, bumping into people. A loud boyfriend/girlfriend fight outside the restrooms which culminated in the girl slapping the guy accross the face. :shake:

SBETigg
10-19-2011, 04:32 PM
We were there a few weeks ago. We did see some obviously inebriated guests, but nothing unavoidable or wildly out of hand. I think it's hard for the CMs to really police. There are so many booths or places to drink even when it's not F & W time, and they really can't tell sometimes how much someone has had when they order. Plus, you can get in line and buy for a spouse or friend, so it's possible that the more sober of a pair gets served and hands the drinks over to the more affected person. I think there's a two drink at a time limit on what you can buy, but with so many venues, that can add up.

BugeyedMuggy
10-19-2011, 05:38 PM
We went the first week of the festival. We try to hit the F&WF at noon to about 3. Then go back for a swim and a relaxing time at the resort. If the AG had a good group to see that was the only reason we went back to Epcot. We enjoy wine and beer but the last thing I want to encounter is a obnoxious drunk and unfortunatuly evenings (especially on the weekends) they are plentiful. We went to the Party of the Sense on Oct 8th and by 9:30 some people were yelling across the room, very intoxicated. I guess even the pay events have the "should have stopped 4 drinks earlier" people.

WDWCrazyKaren
10-20-2011, 08:54 AM
We encounted a group of people who were about 21 and an hour (ie. people who have no idea how to drink socially-in public), and they were a bit worse for wear (to put it kindly). About 10 minutes prior to Illuminations, they walked up behind us, where we of course had been waiting for an hour, with a very nice family with 3 little kids. This group of about 5 decided to start singing VERY innapropriate songs with VERY vulgar language, and man were they loud! They were staggering, falling down, being horribly rude to other guests, and they were just so loud, you couldn't help but hear them. The parents of the children next to us were simply just trying to enjoy the evening, but it was difficult for them to try and turn their childrens' attention to the show, rather than listen to the idiots behind them. My DH asked them repeatedly to take their party elsewhere and to pay attention to the fact that there were small children everywhere, but it was simply met with more rude behavior.

On the flip side, they were the only ones we encounted that evening, so out of 10,000 people in the park, I guess one group isn't too bad.

Cassieblanca
10-20-2011, 09:41 AM
Disney's official policy regarding alcohol is one drink per ID at a time, so if you want to buy a drink for you spouse, friends, or whatever, you need their ID with you too.

Stu29573
10-20-2011, 10:45 AM
Unfotunately this behavior isn't just seen at this event. Last Novemberthere was a family that we saw stumbling out of Germany. The father was being very rude and loud to a CM about something (no one was really sure what) while the older daughter decided to....well... return some of her drinks and food into the garden where the train runs. I was shocked. I'm not a prude by any means.I play in a band and I regularly have to deal with drunks in bars but this should not be tolerated at Disney parks. Period.

Mogie
10-20-2011, 11:12 AM
They should have a Cast Member dressed in a Lampwick costume with donkey ears and a tail stumbling around the World Showcase during the F&W Festival at night...

Victor Kelly
10-20-2011, 11:25 AM
Wait until someone sues. Then something will be done about the issue of drunks. The situation is very simple. Find a security guard, let them know what is going on and take note of their name and where they (security) were. I would be suprised if the matter of drunk rude guests is not resolved in a very quick manner.

Remember Disney has the right to expel unruly guests. And as with anyplace else, they can refuse to serve you period. If you are a person contributing to the problem by keep buying booze then, well you get expelled as well since you caused the problem and should have known better.

I have seen it happen in Epcot and Universal on multiple occasions. And it is preventable, especially nowadays with technology. Get a wristband if you are going to participate in drinking upon entering the park. Wristbands at water parks have rfid chips in them to open lockers. Same principle here, just limits you to the number of drinks per hour. Think resort refillable mugs getting rfid chips now. Hit your limit and you are done.

On our honeymoon trip we saw way way way too many drunks that were in bachelor parties and bachelorette parties stumbling around being very loud and sometimes having dirty language being yelled. That is fine anywhere else, but I am in Disney, as are other with children, and for the amount you pay, you expect to not have to leave because of this issue.:ack:

SBETigg
10-20-2011, 11:42 AM
Disney's official policy regarding alcohol is one drink per ID at a time, so if you want to buy a drink for you spouse, friends, or whatever, you need their ID with you too.

This is not the policy as posted at the F & W venues, and even at some of the lounges, if I remember correctly, maybe someone else can verify. I remember (could be remembering wrong) seeing signs that stated there was a two drink limit for purchase per customer in line. And as it happened, my husband and I split up our time waiting in lines- only one of us would wait so the other wouldn't clog up the line- and we were always served two drinks when we bought drinks, no ID (because we're both over 40 and look at least 35).

Scar
10-20-2011, 11:42 AM
Get a wristband if you are going to participate in drinking upon entering the park. Wristbands at water parks have rfid chips in them to open lockers. Same principle here, just limits you to the number of drinks per hour. Think resort refillable mugs getting rfid chips now. Hit your limit and you are done.Won't work. Different people process alcohol differently.

SBETigg
10-20-2011, 11:46 AM
Wait until someone sues. Then something will be done about the issue of drunks.

Are you kidding me? It will be the case that we all talk about individual responsibility and how can people sue the mighty mouse? And then Disney will settle out of court, or know they can win, we'll never hear about it again, and drinking will go on as usual. I'm not blaming Disney. It's hard in such a large place to police all the drinking, as I mentioned earlier. But the bottom line is that alcohol sales bring in a tremendous amount of money, far more than Disney would pay out in a settlement, and I can't imagine them stopping it any time soon. There's a reason why it's not just the Food Festival.

Scar
10-20-2011, 11:47 AM
This is not the policy as posted at the F & W venues, and even at some of the lounges, if I remember correctly, maybe someone else can verify. I remember (could be remembering wrong) seeing signs that stated there was a two drink limit for purchase per customer in line. And as it happened, my husband and I split up our time waiting in lines- only one of us would wait so the other wouldn't clog up the line- and we were always served two drinks when we bought drinks, no ID (because we're both over 40 and look at least 35).That's exactly the way I remember it.

Cassieblanca
10-20-2011, 12:15 PM
Maybe it's different for F&W but that's what the policy was for all food and beverage locations when I worked there. However, I never worked F&W.

SBETigg
10-20-2011, 12:33 PM
Maybe it's different for F&W but that's what the policy was for all food and beverage locations when I worked there. However, I never worked F&W.

But it's not just F & W. When we go at times that are not F & W, one of us can buy two drinks at the Grey Goose stand in France, or two Fiesta margaritas at the stand in Mexico, or two drinks to go at Cava del Tequila, or Rose & Crown, or two drinks from the beach bars at the resorts (not all at one visit- don't get me wrong, we're not "those people"). We've never had any issue with it. Even when we were honeymooning 20 years ago and just over 21.

One of us will buy drinks for both of us, almost always in those situations. And it's not just at WDW, it's at most venues, and I think for customer convenience, keeping less people in line at one time is a good thing. One person finds a good spot to wait, one person goes to buy the food or drink. I can't imagine the complaints or inconvenience to customers if this changed. Longer lines, longer waits. Better than having a bunch of drunk people ruining good times for others? Maybe. Better than the potential for underage drinking, perhaps. But yet, I do expect others to behave responsibly, not for me to have to pay for their inability to do so by placing inconvenient limits on me. That's the problem, really. Vacationing customers want it both ways. I want to enjoy my vacation without having to put up with obnoxious inebriated people. But, I want to enjoy my vacation and not be encumbered by inconvenient rules.

Stu29573
10-20-2011, 12:59 PM
You know, maybe Walt didn't want alcohol in the parks for a reason....

DVC2004
10-20-2011, 01:23 PM
The only way to really stop would not to serve alcohol in the parks, that's it. Epcot probably makes a great deal of $$ selling/serving alcohol and also attracts guests because they do. I also would think food and wine fest would not be as popular if it were just food fest.I haven't ever seen anyone at the other 2 parks that serve...Honestly I have seen and heard much, much worse at sporting events. If the presence of lots of children even.

I don't know, I like to enjoy some wine and drinks while at Epcot. If they stopped serving I would still go, but I certainly would not spend the entire day there. It's part of the experience for me. Many people can enjoy a few drinks responsibly so why ruin it for everyone because of a few you-know- what's?

Scar
10-20-2011, 02:08 PM
... keeping less people in line at one time is a good thing. One person finds a good spot to wait, one person goes to buy the food or drink. I can't imagine the complaints or inconvenience to customers if this changed. Longer lines, longer waits. ... Not to mention I'd rather be stuck in line behind 2 drunks than 4.

Aurora
10-20-2011, 03:30 PM
I'm so tired of the argument that bad behavior is acceptable because it isn't the WORST behavior. I can't tell you how many times I've heard variations of: "It's just words, my kids have heard way worse than that." So what? Why are we willing to set the bar so low?

I'm sick of it. I certainly hope that foul-mouthed, drunken behavior is enough to have someone escorted out of the park. Of course, I don't know how high Disney sets the bar anymore, either.

Dsnygirl
10-20-2011, 04:34 PM
Wow! This post has gotten a lot of chatter... interesting stuff!

It won't ruin our evening if we run into anything like this, we'll just go the other way... I was just curious how prevalent crazy behavior there seems to be.

And I'd like to say hitting the F&W Fest in the afternoon would work for us, but.... we just enjoy it more in the evening... we LOVE the ambiance of Epcot & the WS at night, no matter what we're there for. (And truth be told, we usually DO hit the F&W Fest while it's still daylight... we just stay through the evening hours.... :blush:)

Thanks for all the answers, input and discussion... :thumbsup:

Kenny1113
10-20-2011, 04:38 PM
While I cant speak on drunken behavior. I can say that several years ago we went for the first time during the week. Had a great time so i went back with DH, unfortunately on a weekend day. It was sooo :crowd: I will never go back on a weekend. It sounds like that is your only choice so it appears like if you stay away from evening hours it would be your best bet.
Enjoy!!!!

GrumpySue
10-22-2011, 09:10 PM
Just walked over there from our room at the Boardwalk, and walked back 15 minutes later. It was mobbed and there were definately a lot of drunken folks around. I am sad to think back on how enjoyable this event used to be, we have been comin for years, they need to get it under control or something bad WILL happen.
Find a nice buzz and that's it, no need to stuble around. MODERATION PEOPLE !!!

MrPeetrie
10-26-2011, 12:37 PM
Just curious...

We have friends who live close by and have been quite a few times, and who have been very disappointed by the number of drunks and inappropriate people they have encountered there, with seemingly no intervention on the part of the CM's.

I've also read a few things on here and other boards along the same lines... stumbling guests, loud/rude/obnoxious people who have obviously over-indulged... people being overtly inappropriate to other guests (who are NOT in their party) and the like.

What surprises me the most is the lack of concern on the part of CM's... I've even heard of some people saying they've seen CM's laugh and turn away, obviously unconcerned and unwilling to step in. I can understand that on the part of the young teens and college students who may be working there, but you would at least think they would go and get a manager, or someone with more experience, who would know how to kindly step in and diffuse the situation.



Dsnygirl, this is EXACTLY what we encountered this past Saturday. (Shame on us, I guess, for going to Epcot on a Saturday night during Food & Wine Festival.)

We had just taken a Friendship from Hollywood Studios and thought we'd take advantage of the extended hours at Epcot. Traveling with me was my wife, our DD8, and our19 month old. Epcot was shoulder to shoulder around the entire World Showcase. Most were intoxicated. Some VERY intoxicated, stumbling into others. Plenty of loose, inappropriate language. My daughter wanted to do the Kim Possible missions, but after one mission, I looked at my wife and we decided we needed to leave immediately. It was not a Family-Friendly crowd at all. Not Disney-like. It was more like a college town. There were very few families with strollers. Very, very few.

We left quickly and when we spoke to others ont he bus back to the Caribbean, they reiterated the same concerns about the crowd, citing it as the reason they were leaving, too.

I actually plan on contacting WDW about this and registering a complaint. I was surprised that there was NO intervention by any cast member regarding behavior. There was no attempt ANYWHERE BY ANYONE to dissuade the behavior. If a vacation resort is advertised as the ultimate family destination, then it cannot have a place where families fear the their children's well-being. That was the case Saturday.

My wife kept saying, "What did you expect? It's Saturday during Food & Wine. This is where the locals are going." But I kept saying, "Yes, but this is Disney. This shouldn't be the crowd they're catering to." Afterall, it's the families that drop $8,000 a pop on a visit.

I was highly upset. I shouldn't have to walk around a Disney Theme Park with my hands over my DD8's ears so she doesn't hear foul language!!!

DNS
10-26-2011, 01:50 PM
We have not been there this year, but have been there a couple of other times and have not seen any bad behavior. People having a good time, yes, but not being disrespectful at all.

kemps@wdw
10-27-2011, 09:49 PM
No. In all the years we've been going to the F&W Fest, I can honestly say that I've never seen anyone drunk and disorderly. Even on the most crowded nights, just the usual occasionally obnoxious kids and the rude adults (not drunk just rude).

TheVBs
10-28-2011, 08:20 AM
We went one of the first days on our trip this year. It was a weekday and we were there mid-day to park close. It was our first F&WF and thankfully we didn't see anyone who had overindulged - at least not anyone who was obvious to us. Very family friendly crowd.

Our only unfortunate incident was when a guy was running toward the bathrooms (my guess was he was trying to hurry before Illuminations started) and DD7 stepped in his path just as he went by. Poor thing literally got run down, but thankfully wasn't hurt! This guy wasn't drunk and he immediately stopped, helped pick her up and apologized profusely. He felt so bad and looked so miserable about it that I almost felt as sorry for him as I did for her!

captain j
11-13-2011, 12:31 PM
We've been to WDW almost every year since '96 when we bought the DVC membership.
The Food & Wine fest is one of the things we like to see. This year, the crows were huge, the lines were long, and we've never seen so many drunk people. There were people so drunk, they needed help walking. For us, this is not Disney Magic. Something needs to be done about the amount of alcohol being consumed by people.

Twinsowner
11-13-2011, 08:54 PM
Sad....very sad. I have visited the F&W festival several times and it is one of our favorite things to do. Alcohol has no place in Disney. Walt Disney didnt sell it for a reason. The drunks do not only cause a problem in the world showcase. They migrate to other areas of the park. We enjoy having a glass of wine or margarita as much as the next folk. But I would never do so in a place with so many families and children around. The language is embarrasing and should be dealt with. I have never sued anyone nor do I agree with anyone suing Disneyworld for things that happen in the park. But just wait until one of these folks who have been drinking runs over a family or knocks down a small child and injures them. I will support their decision to sue the heck out of Disney 100 percent. Come on Disney...have some class.. keep the parks family oriented.

Momto2Princesses&1Pirate
11-14-2011, 01:54 PM
We've never been to the F&W Fest but we did notice it on our trip this past June. DH and I had never seen so many obviously drunk people everywhere in WS. When DS 8 commented on some of the things he was seeing we knew it was time to leave and it was only 5 or 6 pm. Simply moving to a different area is not possible when you seem to find the same thing in each area. I wouldn't allow my kids to go hang out at a bar but yet they are exposed to some of the same things at WS........something about that just doesn't seem right.:confused:

Dsnygirl
11-14-2011, 11:17 PM
Well, now that we're back from our trip, I thought I'd add what we experienced... we attended the F&W Fest on a Friday night, and a Sunday night.

Both nights, we arrived around 6pm... we found the crowds to be average, certainly no worse than we've seen on busy nights at WS.

Friday night (10/28), we encountered no rude or obviously drunk people... the lines were short, the food was EXCEPTIONAL, and we had a great time.

Sunday (10/30), it was pretty much the same... but we did go into Mexico to La Cava del Tequila, the tequila bar inside the pavillion. We found the most obnoxious group of loud, drunk & rude people "in line" there, obviously partying, yelling... not mean, but definitely out of control. The bartender was trying to tend to them, as well as the other patrons, but they pretty much demanded all of his attention as they continued doing shots. There was a man ahead of us who was not a part of it, my DH & I, and then more people behind us, all just wanting to get to the bar to order a drink. A man who worked there must have heard me say to my DH, "I just want to order my margarita!" b/c right after I said it, he motioned to me to follow him, and he took me right into room and up to the bar so I could order... I have a feeling he probably had to continue doing that for quite awhile. :rolleyes:

But -- even though it was crazy in there, it was the only place we encountered people like this, and for that, I am grateful... it sounds like Saturdays are out of control!! Guess the next time we're there, we will NOT be hitting the F&W Fest on a Saturday!!

Mousemates
11-15-2011, 08:36 AM
Glad to know this, for will simply avoid F&W weekends at Epcot...sounds like things have gotten way out of hand...kind of sad that locals have started pushing the limits of decorum and common decency.

Perhaps when people begin directly calling local law enforcement to report issues (like the kind of verbal threats and altercations that overloads of alcohol tends to generate) and you have the sheriff's department arresting folks for public drunkeness at the parks Disney will finally take action.

To me this doesn't seem like to hard of a problem to deal with....all they would likely have to do is revoke a few annual passes & ban the worst violators from the parks for a few years and word in the local community would likely get out rather quickly.

MNNHFLTX
11-15-2011, 12:57 PM
I spent a lot of time in Epcot (morning, afternoon, evening, weekdays and weekends) at the end of October and I do not recall seeing anyone obviously intoxicated. It was crowded at times, with the occasional snarky person, but otherwise a pleasant atmosphere. Guess we lucked out.

LauraByTheSea
11-16-2011, 08:32 PM
We were there a week ago today. I did't see anyone obviously drunk or overserved. At least no one acting like it. I am sure there is always someone at these events. It was pretty mellow. There seemed to be alot of guests from other countries there...everyone was cool.

On the other hand, we also visited Halloween Horror Nights at Universal and there were quite a few overserved people there. Loud, stumbling, bumping into people. A loud boyfriend/girlfriend fight outside the restrooms which culminated in the girl slapping the guy accross the face. :shake:

I can agree with all of that - not a single problem at F&W, but Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens was full of obnoxious drunks. Not that I my self didn't have a couple, but I would never act like a fool at a family establishment.