by Walt Disney created the modern amusement park, but his vision actually touched on a very old-fashioned set of values. Disney the man who built Walt Disney (DIS) – Get a free report the company around the idea of family entertainment. His version of family entertainment was G-rated with a certain kind of naivety that might have once passed as endearing.
The creator of the Disney brand not only wanted entertainment that the whole family could enjoy together, he believed that everyone could enjoy it in the same way. That may have been the case when Disneyland opened in 1955. Perhaps entertainment was so limited in the 1960s and ’70s that adults chanted “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Mad Tea Party, and other Disneyland attractions found as delightful on opening day as little children find them today.
Disney certainly believed so, as it had a strict policy when it came to something that has now become a staple — even a key feature — of theme parks.
“No alcohol, no beer, nothing. Because that brings with it a rowdy element. That brings in people that we don’t want and I don’t think I need,” Disney told the Saturday Evening Post.
Perhaps those comments didn’t sound quite as hypocritical in 1955, but Disney’s alcohol ban endured at Disneyland and Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for decades.
Disneyland remains largely true to Walt’s vision
Disneyland maintained a strict no-alcohol policy from 1955 to 2018. That’s 63 years of adults having to get through the theme park’s kid-oriented rides, parades, shows, and character meet-and-greet without a beer or a glass of wine.
The policy changed in 2018 when the company opened Star Wars: Galaxy Edge, which serves alcohol at its Oga’s Cantina pub.
“As our theme parks have evolved since Disneyland opened, so have the desires of our guests,” Disneyland spokeswoman Liz Jaeger told the Los Angeles Times Disney is committed to making that happen, and we believe that Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge will offer that kind of experience.”
Disney World is taking alcohol to a new place
Disney World began bringing beer and wine to certain Magic Kingdom restaurants in 2012. Not doing so seemed a little silly with Epcot — a park built around booze (and food) — right next door. Despite this, the Magic Kingdom does not offer quick-serve alcohol. Drinks are only served in certain restaurants and liquor was only introduced last September.
This seems incredibly dated, but Disney has long protected Walt’s vision on Magic Kingdom. That’s why the park still features the “Carousel of Progress,” a ride where progress ends circa 1984, and other Hokey throwbacks to a bygone era.
Disney has generally kept parts of Magic Kingdom intact, and that includes protecting the company’s characters. Only Skipper Canteen, Liberty Tree Tavern, The Diamond Horseshoe and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant serve cocktails at Magic Kingdom. None of these are themed character experiences.
Now the company has done something its no-nonsense founder would probably hate. It has added alcohol to two restaurants built around some of the company’s most iconic characters.
“Even more restaurants have received specialty cocktails at Magic Kingdom. Guests can now enjoy whiskey, gin and vodka in specialty cocktails at the Cinderella Royal Table at Cinderella Castle and Be Our Guest Restaurant at Fantasyland,” reported Blog Mickey.
This isn’t Mickey Mouse peddling beers from a cart or Goofy making tequila shots, but it’s a notable relaxation of a longstanding policy.
Walt wouldn’t like it, but even at a theme park that, until recently, had no trouble theming Jungle Cruise or Splash Mountain, change is inevitable.
