Observations in Epcot - 1/17/15

Our family of five hit Epcot yesterday for my wife's birthday. Just a few notes and things that we noticed:

Already familiar with the posts about UOE needing a freshening. Won't go into all that. I will say that I didn't expect Body Wars to be closed for this many years without doing something with that real estate.

The Odyssey restaurant space seems like a really great spot for either some live entertainment with a bar/restaurant. Maybe do a survey/focus group from Epcot attendees randomly. Knock down the walls and make it an open air space. It just looks like a storage area or an abandoned building.

We had dinner at Teppan Edo. Very accommodating staff and the food was pretty good. We both had steak on the grill and kids had veggies.

American Adventure - It's always nice to see the CM's dressed in their uniforms and doing the drills, etc. Just so cool for the kids to see.

While our group of friends enjoy beers/drinks in World Showcase, we have noticed a trend. The "drinking around the world" groups of large people wearing matching t-shirts, once unique, is now nearly ubiquitous. On any given trip, there are now a dozen or so of these groups in the park - not an issue; however, it seems like it's now a contest to get as fall down drunk as possible at Epcot for some people.

Captain EO - Conflicted about it. Just seems very dated now.

Germany - Seems like there would be something that could be included other than the electric train garden out on the main walkway. Just an observation.

Soarin' - I realize that it is getting an update, so I will just wait and see what it will be like.

Test Track - In the post-attraction area where the GM cars are on display, it would be nice to have the "future of transportation" area brought back, at least minimally. I always looked forward to it.

What are your thoughts?

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Originally Posted by Boost

While our group of friends enjoy beers/drinks in World Showcase, we have noticed a trend. The "drinking around the world" groups of large people wearing matching t-shirts, once unique, is now nearly ubiquitous. On any given trip, there are now a dozen or so of these groups in the park - not an issue; however, it seems like it's now a contest to get as fall down drunk as possible at Epcot for some people.

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This is sad and so unnecessary. We have been going to Food and Wine since the beginning. We went to very first one and only have missed a handful in between. Starting in 2010 I noticed a downward slide during the event. I had my young niece with us and there were so many drunk people it was sad. I even saw someone throwing up in the flowers near Germany. Many of these drinking groups are loud, drunk, and block the walk ways. When I am at Disney I do have a few drinks but I have never been anywhere near drunk. Since 2010 it has gotten so bad that we skipped the Food and Wine altogether in 2014 and won't be going in 2015 either. Because Disney refuses to control the amount of liquor people can drink, they have ruined this event for me.

Yes, we have also seen guests getting sick over railings and in flower beds/green areas in WS.

Sad.

We also will not be visiting during Food and Wine for the foreseeable future. Seeing people staggering by 2pm is very un-Disney in our book. I have to wonder if there will be a different philosophy related to inebriated guests when the number of children in WS increases with the opening of Frozen Norway.

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Originally Posted by vilewmn

We also will not be visiting during Food and Wine for the foreseeable future. Seeing people staggering by 2pm is very un-Disney in our book. I have to wonder if there will be a different philosophy related to inebriated guests when the number of children in WS increases with the opening of Frozen Norway.

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No, there will probably be a few kiosks serving to help with the long lines...

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Originally Posted by Boost

The Odyssey restaurant space seems like a really great spot for either some live entertainment with a bar/restaurant. Maybe do a survey/focus group from Epcot attendees randomly. Knock down the walls and make it an open air space. It just looks like a storage area or an abandoned building.

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They did use it this year during Food & Wine festival for the 'Craft Beer' pavillion and that was a nice use of it I thought. The interior was nicely set up for that but I too would like to see something more permanent.

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While our group of friends enjoy beers/drinks in World Showcase, we have noticed a trend. The "drinking around the world" groups of large people wearing matching t-shirts, once unique, is now nearly ubiquitous. On any given trip, there are now a dozen or so of these groups in the park - not an issue; however, it seems like it's now a contest to get as fall down drunk as possible at Epcot for some people.

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I go to Epcot more weekends than not, and there's usually a few that are good and drunk but I rarely see so many groups that I'd consider them close to a dozen or more. You might have caught a weird weekend. There was a big college cheerleading thing going on at Disney and most of the groups getting drunk yesterday were college cheerleading teams.

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Germany - Seems like there would be something that could be included other than the electric train garden out on the main walkway. Just an observation.

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I love trains and the train garden! Hope this never goes away.

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Test Track - In the post-attraction area where the GM cars are on display, it would be nice to have the "future of transportation" area brought back, at least minimally. I always looked forward to it.

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Unfortunately the 'future' aspect of most of future world is gone. Many of the original attractions showed us the past of a particular science/technology, the present, and the future possibilities. The 'future' part in most of them has been traded for b-list celebrity hosts, merchandise/movie tie-ins and cartoons. Just the way it is.

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Originally Posted by NJGIRL

When I am at Disney I do have a few drinks but I have never been anywhere near drunk. Since 2010 it has gotten so bad that we skipped the Food and Wine altogether in 2014 and won't be going in 2015 either. Because Disney refuses to control the amount of liquor people can drink, they have ruined this event for me.

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Everyone blocks the walk ways at Disney. Personally I'd rather say "excuse me" to a drunk 25 year old than get rammed by a stroller. Both have happened to me.

Try going when there are fewer crowds and go earlier in the day. Less time for people to get wasty-face.

in 2012, we took the boat ride from Hollywood Studios to Epcot to have dinner and spend the evening in the World Showcase. It was a Saturday during Food & Wine Festival. While we have attended this event several times (and loved it,) it was our first weekend evening present.

At the time, our children were aged 9 & 2. We were there for about 45 minutes when we decided it was time to leave, holding our hands over our daughter's ears so she wouldn't hear some of the vulgar language.

The World Showcase was packed. The crowd was severely inebriated. No one was violent, but the crowd had no problem clumsily bumping into other guests while in a "tipsy" state. And I saw no one from Disney that seemed at all concerned. (That doesn't mean they weren't monitoring; I just never saw any Cast Member intervene anywhere.)

When we made our way to the bus, there were two other families there with young children, echoing the same concerns. We all had the same assessment: It was a very un-Disney-like atmosphere. I wouldn't liken it to a college town or a pub crawl. It was just not very Disney-like. We were uncomfortable for our children.

Since that time, we know not to go to Epcot on weekend evenings During F&WF.

Epcot has always been my favorite, but I have been disappointed in the atmosphere lately. We loved going to the wine and food fest but skip that now. And with the 'drinking around the world' becoming a problem, we just haven't bothered anymore. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a margarita as much as the next person, but falling down drunk and obnoxious isn't what we pay money to see. Until Disney makes an effort to stem the excessive drinking, we will stay away.

Thank you all for the input. Just didn't know if it was just me or not. Again, the wife and our friends are far from tea totalers, but we have just noticed that lately, it's been kind of over the top.

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Originally Posted by Boost

Our family of five hit Epcot yesterday for my wife's birthday. Just a few notes and things that we noticed:

What are your thoughts?

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I'm right there with you on the Body Wars building. I actually liked the attractions there but at this point I just with they would do SOMETHING permanent with the space.

Teppan Edo is one of my faves but the theme of our next trip is doing different places we've never done before.

I think its a shame more people probably skip the American Adventure than stop in.

While I have not experienced the obnoxious drunkenness you did at EPCOT, and am planning a mini version of Drink Around the World for my 40th, I don't care for that scene you described either.

Captain E-O needs to go.

Soarin, I have been hoping for an update for a long time so I am glad to see it's forthcoming. If I'm not mistaken, the attraction wasn't necessarily intended to be a forever thing when first brought to WDW from DL

Germany is actually one of my favorite pavilions, and I kind of like the trains.

Test Track - am I the only one who prefers the old one?

We don't drink, so maybe this sounds judgmental, but we call it the Food and Wino Festival.

Prefer the old Test Track also.

best,
...............john

Yea we were there two weeks ago and at about 7:00pm in Norway there was a drink around the world group hammered like yelling and being obnoxious.. We are all grown and no kids but still a little embarrassing and awkward.. They may need to pump up security.. aka if they see a puker escort them out. :ack:

My wife and I visited Epcot once on a Saturday night during our vacation that also happened to be during the food and wine festival. Never again. There were drunk people all over the place.

We witnessed one drunk guy being a total jerk to the cast member (a pleasant Norwegian exchange student) who was running the queue at Maelstrom because he didn't know anything about the ride. And this was about 7 years ago so it sounds like Disney still hasn't gotten their act together.