Booze Comes To The Magic Kingdom

Get buzzed with Mickey and Walt – NOT!
Original photo found at Panoramio

What started out as an announcement for a Beauty and the Beast themed french restaurant has focused more on something that really shouldn’t be that shocking: the Magic Kingdom is now going to be serving alcohol.

Brew-Ha-Ha

A small vocal group of people that obviously are concerned about alcohol invading the first Disney theme park in Florida are making this displeasure known on Disney’s official blog post announcing the Be Our Guest Restaurant.

From the blog post:

And just for dinner, select wines and beers will be offered that complement the French-inspired cuisine.

“As part of the overall theming, we wanted to offer wine that enhances the guest experience and complements the French-inspired cuisine,” says Stuart McGuire, Beverage Director, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “The wines focus primarily on France’s famous wine-growing regions, including Champagne, Alsace, Loire, Rhone, Burgundy and Bordeaux.

“We’ll also offer the leading French beer, Kronenbourg 1664,” says McGuire. “And, staying in the general region, we’ll also offer Belgian beers.”

Nothing Shocking Here

The french dining experience is completed with the ability for guests to pair their meals with a glass of wine or a stein of beer. I find this very Disney-esque in how they build the experience. For those not wanting to support this, then by all means… if you eat here, don’t order wine or beer. Sounds simple to me.

Those against this and calling for boycotts are really misinformed about what other Disney World properties and theme parks do serve alcohol, including the entire World Showcase at Epcot [where you can “Drink Around The World”].

Not turning the Park into a Pub

While I understand how the Magic Kingdom is very focused on kids and the innocent experience of fantasy, this offer of alcohol inside the park is not turning it into a beer pub. The idea of drinking wine or beer with a meal should not be interpreted as a drunken slurfest crowd filling the park.

Feedback

One of the blogs I follow [and a good friend] spoke out on this very subject just yesterday over on his blog.

Add your feedback below. Is this the downfall of the family theme park or is Disney just offering their guests a themed dining experience?