“I am a big believer in tradition,” Disney CEO Bob Iger told The Hollywood Reporter. “This just seemed like one of those traditions that if we changed it the empire wasn’t going to crumble.”
As with most of Disney’s most controversial changes, it was a subtly worded post on the Disney Parks Blog that made the announcement: when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disneyland Park in May 2019 (a controversy in and of itself), one of its Wizarding World-style, in-universe food and drink stops would be Oga’s Cantina, an alien-run watering hole serving pilots, bounty hunters, smugglers, and galactic travelers with “choices for kids and libations for adults.”
Fans knew exactly what that meant.
For the first time in its sixty-year history, alcohol would be available to the public at Disneyland, and that ruffled a few feathers. Despite the outcry, it’s not the first or last time that alcohol has “invaded” Walt’s original park, or the other “castle” parks around the globe… But let’s start at the beginning.
Dry as a Bone (1955)
Image: Disney
Around Disneyland’s 1955 opening, Walt had a lot to prove. At that time, there was nothing else like Disneyland or even close, so when Walt spoke of his desires to build the park, people could only envision the seaside “amusement parks” that dotted America’s coasts – boardwalks of gaudy neon signs, shouting carnival barkers, rickety thrill rides, and the beach-going public wandering about, causing trouble.
Even Walt’s own wife Lillian tried to snap her husband out of it, asking, “Why would you want to get involved with an amusement park? They’re so dirty and not fun at all for grownups.”
“Well, that’s exactly my point,” Walt told her. “Mine isn’t going to be that way. Mine’s going to be a place that’s clean, where the whole family can do things together.”
Image: Disney
We know that Walt made a few key choices when it came to Disneyland, all in hopes of differentiating this new enterprise from mere “amusement parks.” For example, Walt ensured that his location scouts stayed well away from a beach, as we didn’t want the “barefoot crowd”; his park was not open for the public to amble through, but had one entrance with an entrance fee; no chewing gum, cotton candy, peanuts, or ice cream bars were sold, as they stickied and dirtied up amusement parks; Disneyland had a dress and appearance code…
And, most important for us to know today, Walt decreed that Disneyland would not serve alcohol to the public.
In the summer of 1956, Walt was interviewed by The Saturday Evening Post’s Pete Martin, who asked what exactly made Disneyland different. Walt replied in part, “No liquor, no beer, nothing. Because that brings in a rowdy element. That brings people that we don’t want and I feel they don’t need it. I feel when I go down to the park I don’t need a drink. I work around that place all day and I don’t have one. After I come out of a heavy day at the studio sometimes I want a drink to relax.”
But the introduction of alcohol in Disneyland actually began mere months after Walt’s death… but don’t misunderstand: Walt did approve of it…
Drops of Alcohol (1967)
Image: Disney
At a cost of $15 million, New Orleans Square debuted at Disneyland in July 1966. With the then-mayor of New Orleans in attendance, Walt Disney joked that his new “land” cost more than the original Louisiana Purchase during his dedication. It’s often said that New Orleans Square was Walt’s pride and joy, and many fans call it the most beautiful land in any Disney Park. It easy to see why, as guests explore the intricate, criss-crossed streets of the city, pop into bauble shops, enjoy live jazz bands as steamships sail past, or relax on wrought-iron, ivy-covered patios with steaming beignets and a (non-alcoholic) mint julep.
Walt’s speech at the land’s opening also happens to be his last public appearance at the park before his unexpected death of lung cancer that December. Spring of 1967 is when the park finally opened Pirates of the Caribbean (Walt’s magnum opus, by most accounts), and by summer, the second story of New Orleans Square was brought to life by Club 33, a private club established for Disney’s corporate sponsors and VIPs.
Image: Disney
From the beginning, Club 33 served alcohol.
In fact, Disneyland has long had a liquor license to cover Club 33 and special events at the park. That’s why, when discussing Disneyland’s “dry” tradition, it’s carefully noted that Disneyland has never served alcohol to the public. But for the well-to-do of Club 33, it’s never been taboo to relax on a second story patio overlooking New Orleans Square with a real mint julep in hand.
Ah, but now we arrive at the opening of Walt Disney World… With Walt gone, how would the new Florida property handle alcohol?
Disney World (1971)
Image: Disney
When Magic Kingdom opened in 1971 under the supervision of Walt’s brother, Roy, the same “dry” policy for the park was put in place. And without a Club 33 of its own, that gave Walt Disney World’s single theme park the more straightforward policy that no alcohol was served at Magic Kingdom, period. Of course, that didn’t stop it from looking like alcohol might be served at various “taverns” scattered across the park’s themed lands – a humorous and surprising tour undertaken by our friends at Yesterland.
But give it a decade.
Image: Disney
In 1982, EPCOT Center opened. With two World’s Fair style realms dedicated to futurism and globalism, respectively, executives had to face the elephant in the room: alcohol. From the day it opened, alcohol has been a part of Epcot. And how could it not be? The pavilions of World Showcase are meant to be samplers of international culture and cuisine, and for many countries in the World Showcase, alcohol is a defining part of their culture and cuisine. Could you really visit a Germany pavilion that doesn’t serve beer?
A little revisionist history is all it took. Suddenly, what Walt meant back in 1956 when he said that his park would be dry is that any Disney park with a castle at its center would be dry… a charming differentiation, but admittedly a somewhat absurd and arbitrary reinterpretation that, for some reason, has become canon.
Image: Disney
So a new tradition was born: while “castle” parks would not serve alcohol in Walt’s tradition, other Disney parks would serve alcohol galore. And not even behind the fortress walls of “fine dining” restaurants. Buy a beer at a cart, and carry it with you throughout the park if you want! Grab a margarita in Mexico; a beer in the United Kingdom… Could the France pavilion really feel authentic if it didn’t serve wine?
And that brings us to our next leap forward… The real France… Read on…
Courting Europe (1992)
Image: Disney
When it was announced that a new “EuroDisneyland” was to be built near Paris, the French public practically revolted.
Prominent French intellectuals and writers at once denigrated Disney’s planned resort, with the unfortunate label of a “cultural Chernobyl” becoming a common refrain. Critics called the plans a radical move of cultural imperialism – an American invasion meant to force the unhealthy consumerism of the U.S on France. One reporter for a conservative French daily paper wrote, “I wish with all my heart that the rebels would set fire to Disneyland.”
Image: Disney
French labor unions attacked the company over an appearance code limiting makeup, facial hair, tattoos, and jewelry, seemingly imported from American parks with no consideration of French culture or the fact that such restrictions are illegal under French law unless it could be demonstrated that the restrictions were requisite to the job responsibilities and do not exceed what’s necessary. (Instead of relenting, Disney countered that the restrictions were necessary, as employees not adhering would undermine the company’s identity and thus the park’s success.)
Like the Eiffel Tower a century before, the French were determined to oppose the garish Disney resort at all costs, blockading its construction and protesting its development. It seemed that nothing Disney could do would quell the anger and hatred that the French felt toward what would surely be an American blight in the French countryside.
Disney had already learned by way of Epcot that the pavilions dedicated to Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy needed to include alcohol if they were to sincerely celebrate the culture and cuisine of those countries…
Image: Disney
So imagine what it was like when the fairytale kingdom opened to audiences who were from the real Germany, U.K., France, and Italy, welcoming them into lavish restaurants… that didn’t serve alcohol.
Attendance at the resort was a fraction of what Disney had budgeted for, and the faltering of their new, overbuilt European resort lead to a decade of closures, cost-cutting, and cancellations across Disney Parks.
Without much pomp or circumstance, Disney announced just a year after the resort’s opening that EuroDisneyland would now serve alcohol. “It’s mainly in response to our non-French European visitors,” a spokesperson said. “Visitors from Germany or England want wine because it’s part of the French experience.”
Just like that, the first “castle” park’s alcohol defenses were toppled.
Kingdom Falls (2012 – 2018)
The next followed two decades later.
Image: Disney
Back in Florida, 2012 saw the opening of Magic Kingdom’s historic New Fantasyland expansion. Among its most talked-about offerings was the lavish Be Our Guest Restaurant, allowing guests to dine in scenic locations from Beauty and the Beast (most notably in the castle’s gold-encrusted ballroom). Despite its opulence, Disney left the location accessible by making it a quick service dining option at lunch, only transitioning to a full service, prix fixe dinner option in the evening.
Image: Disney
And during that evening transition each day, wine and beer would magically appear on the menu. While one could suggest that the change was merely to match the upscale French theme of the restaurant, it was also the end of Magic Kingdom’s standalone forty-year ban on alcohol. And naturally, that wasn’t the end.
In 2016, the highly anticipated Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen opened in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland. Bridging the gap between the park’s “World Famous” Jungle Cruise and S.E.A.: The Society of Explorers and Adventurers, the Skipper Canteen was noted for its truly exotic menu… including wine and beer.
Image: Disney
At the same time, three other Magic Kingdom table service restaurants – Tony’s Town Square, Cinderella’s Royal Table, and Liberty Tree Tavern – added wine and beer to their menus as well.
In May 2018, The Plaza Restaurant, The Crystal Palace, and The Diamond Horseshoe joined. Now, every table service restaurant at Magic Kingdom serves wine and beer. At least so far, the alcoholic offerings end there, and are confined to table service dinners. They’re not available at carts or quick service locations like they are at “non-castle” parks. But, for Magic Kingdom, the “no alcohol” era is most certainly over.
Oga’s Cantina (2019)
Image: Disney / Lucasfilm
That brings us to Oga’s Cantina, one of the spectacular “alien” eateries that populates Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Naturally, the inclusion of the restaurant was hardly newsworthy for Walt Disney World’s installation of the land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But for Disneyland, this venue does do something no other publicly accessible restaurant at Disneyland has before: it offers alcoholic beverages. Does that mean it “changes everything?” Well, technically, it changes something with a lot of history behind it.
Disney’s been careful to note that even in this outpost for galactic scum, the drinks will be pre-mixed, and must be consumed in the restaurant. In other words, alcoholic alien slushes are limited to the premises; you won’t find guests carrying rum-and-Cokes through Fantasyland… yet.
Image: Disney / Lucasfilm
Plus, Disney has gone through great and expensive lengths to ensure that Galaxy’s Edge is separate from the rest of Disneyland (including isolating it behind its own literal mountain range to hide it from the rest of the park, purposefully placing it beyond the Disneyland Railroad). By all accounts, Galaxy’s Edge follows the “Wizarding World” precedent of leaving LEGO sets, hamburgers, and Coca-Cola out. So there’s at least some potential that – just as Coke is kept out of this hyper-realistic new land, alcohol may be kept in.
But like Magic Kingdom, don’t be surprised if – before long – you can pair your breakfast at the Carnation Café with a mimosa or your dinner at the River Belle Terrace with a draft beer. Would it really be so unexpected if the new Tropical Hideaway in Disneyland’s Adventureland eventually offers the rum-infused Dole Whip Disney is developing for Trader Sam’s at the nearby Disneyland Hotel? A leak has sprung in the dam, and it’s likely that the rest of Disneyland won’t be dry for long.
“Family parks”
Image: Disney
In 1955, Walt decreed that alcohol shouldn’t be served at Disneyland. Magic Kingdom maintained the tradition (at least, until recently). But beginning with Epcot, it was decided that what Walt really meant was that alcohol shouldn’t be in any “castle” park (an arbitrary revision) since those are “family parks” (as if Epcot or Disney California Adventure isn’t).
1982: Epcot. Served alcohol as part of its backbone.
1989: Disney-MGM Studios. Yep.
1992: Disneyland Paris. No… but within a year, yes.
1998: Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Yeah.
2001: Disney’s California Adventure and Tokyo DisneySea. Uh-huh.
2002: Walt Disney Studios Paris. Of course.
It’s not beer, it’s LeFou’s Brew. Image: Disney
So year after year, park after park, alcohol was successfully integrated into Disney’s theme parks, despite Walt’s decree from the ‘50s. And though its presence might’ve offended the sensibilities of some fans, surely its application didn’t. From its most refined use at Magic Kingdom (beer and wine only, served just at full service restaurants) to its least restrained (Epcot, where liquor is plentiful), the truth is that alcohol really hasn’t changed the average family’s day at Disney Parks.
Despite fears, it doesn’t seem that mom or dad is posting up at a bar and drinking their Disney day away. So that leaves the arguments FOR and AGAINST alcohol at Disney Parks chiefly in two camps.
FOR: Money
Image: Disney
Statistically, Americans’ attitudes about alcohol have gradually shifted toward the negative since the 1950s. And no one (including Disney executives) would ever want mom or dad to post up at a pub in Fantasyland for the day. If anything, the presence of beer and wine at Walt Disney World’s three latter gates only prove that that’s not the way alcohol is consumed at Disney Parks.
At the end of the day, the arguments against Disneyland’s alcohol ban – the arguments that eventually toppled the six-decade tradition – are pretty clear: money.
Since attitudes about alcohol are on the downswing, alcohol sales at Disneyland are likely motivated not by social sway, but by revenue. When guests sit to have a $60 prix fixe dinner at the Blue Bayou, a $3 Diet Coke sits where, for most, a $12 glass of wine might’ve otherwise. For the Walt Disney Company, the amount of money they’ve left on the table in sixty years by declining to offer alcohol at Disneyland is substantial… and for some executives, probably regrettable. Luckily for them, it’s also reversible.
AGAINST: Tradition
Image: Disney
Meanwhile, the arguments for keeping the no-alcohol policy revolve around one word: tradition. For many fans, it seems that the reason for keeping alcohol out of Walt’s esteemed “castle” parks is simply that it’s never been there before, and ought to stay that way.
Of course, as we’ve seen, that’s not entirely true… “Castle” parks in Anaheim, Tokyo, and Shanghai all serve alcohol in their respective Club 33s, while Orlando and Paris’ have long-since done away with the ban altogether. Technically, the only “castle” park left with a dry campus is Hong Kong Disneyland.
And though Disney did an altogether good job of keeping Walt’s alcohol-free tradition for most of the lifetime of most “castle” parks, perhaps you might consider it a scapegoat tradition, held to staunchly while so many other traditions of equal importance to Walt were done away with. (For example, Walt’s decree that coffee should always be available for 10 cents… Hmm…)
Image: Disney
And that’s why – though some feign a guess – it’s very much impossible to know what Walt would’ve thought about alcohol being served in his parks today. Once Disneyland had established itself as something different from the amusement parks of the day, might he have allowed alcoholic beverages in full service restaurants? Once alcohol was successfully integrated into EPCOT Center, would that have changed his moratorium at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom? If Walt himself had known of a Parisian Disneyland, would he truly expect it to be dry? Isn’t Disney’s Animal Kingdom or Disneyland Paris still a “family park” despite the inclusion of alcohol?
At the end of the day, maybe “tradition” isn’t such a bad reason to keep doing something. Maybe Disney Parks fans considered it a point of pride that the international media conglomerate Walt Disney Company was willing to respect its founder, even in his seemingly trivial, archaic, and arbitrary pronouncement from sixty years ago. In reverence to that man, the “no alcohol” policy seemed respected and admired by most Disney Parks guests – even those who would’ve preferred to have a glass of wine with dinner.
While we may never know, we’ll be able to see if the sale of alcohol at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge truly does crumble the empire… and if it doesn’t, there’s no doubt we’ll be watching to see where else alchol shows up.
