Disneyland: From Young Families to Adult Playground (with alcohol)

wil2social
Sep 8, 2018 · 6 min read

Since park opening in 1955, alcohol has never been publicly served in Disneyland. However, the Disney Parks Blog recently announced that “libations for adults” would be available at Oga’s Cantina next summer when the new Star Wars land, dubbed Galaxy’s Edge, opens. In response to a reader query whether this euphemism meant alcohol would be served, Scott Trowbridge of Walt Disney Imagineering (the design and engineering arm of Disney) said the menu would contain specialty cocktails that were alcohol and non-alcohol based, in addition to proprietary beer and wine options.

While after-hours private parties and the ultra-exclusive members-only Club 33 have offered adult libations within the park grounds for decades, Walt Disney famously dictated that alcohol would not be sold publicly in order to preserve the family atmosphere of the park and to keep out the rowdy element associated with seaside amusement parks.

Courtyard of Angels stairway in New Orleans Square leading to Club 33 at Disneyland.

While Walt Disney would presumably be stunned at the sight of visitors drinking alcohol in his park today, the America of 1955 was only a generation removed from the Prohibition period of the 1920s. Reminiscent of a previous era when many women participated and led the temperance movement, Walt’s wife, Lillian, was particularly opposed to alcohol at Disneyland. Though the Disneys were no teetotalers, alcohol consumption was considered an adults-only activity done either with friends in homes or at places off-limits to children such as bars and night spots.

The pivot of the Disney company to the sale of alcohol at Disneyland bucks the historical trend toward the private drinking of alcohol as public consumption declined from an occurrence rate of about 90 percent in late 1940s America to approximately 30 percent in the 1980s. Mitigating against the public consumption of alcohol has been the ever-increasing atomization of American social life due to the rise of the suburbs and single-use zoning laws, and car culture and the pervasive enforcement of laws restricting driving under the influence. The latter could be a particular concern when the majority of Disneyland’s daily visitors are locals who drive to and from the park.

Disney parks not based on the Magic Kingdom castle-centric model such as Epcot and Animal Kingdom in Florida, and Tokyo DisneySea have always sold alcohol, but parks based on the model of Disneyland, the only one personally designed and built by Walt Disney, all opened without alcoholic beverages. In 1992, Disneyland Paris opened without alcohol as then Disney CEO Michael Eisner supported the legacy of Walt Disney’s ban against the considerable revenue left untapped on a dry table. However, a little over a year after opening, the financially underperforming Paris park became the first Disneyland to relent and sell alcohol after European visitors volubly protested not being able to have alcohol with a meal.

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland — the model park for all other Disneylands around the world.

In Asia, Tokyo Disneyland does not sell alcohol as many Japanese visitors see the park as a return to the joyful stress-free time of childhood. Japanese women enjoy taking new boyfriends to the park on first dates since asking for sex after a visit to the purity and innocence of Disneyland would be gauche in the extreme. Hong Kong and Shanghai Disneyland both do not sell alcohol.

Opening in 1971, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World did not sell alcoholic beverages until the Beauty and the Beast themed Be Our Guest restaurant opened in 2012. After several years with seemingly little visitor complaint, the Magic Kingdom started selling beer, wine and cocktails at all park restaurants.

Presumably the same rollout model will be used at Disneyland with alcohol only available at the Star Wars land for a few years as a Trojan Horse that gradually diffuses to all the park restaurants. Across the Esplanade at Disneyland’s companion park, Disney California Adventure, visitors can already purchase beer at outdoor vending carts in plastic cups to walk around the park.

Concomitant to the diffusion of alcoholic beverages, Disney’s California parks have started to pivot away from child-centric lands and attractions targeted to young families. On September 4th Disney took the rare step of closing down an entire park land, a bug’s land, to be bulldozed to become a new Marvel themed land in 2020. Dedicated to the Pixar film A Bug’s Life, the now shuttered land was the most kid-friendly area of Disney California Adventure featuring four attractions and a water play area all designed for small children to enjoy together with the whole family. Though a land featuring Spiderman and Captain America certainly holds vast appeal to today’s children, Marvel, in another era, would have been considered too violent for pre-teens.

The now shuttered and soon to be demolished water play area in bug’s land at Disney California Adventure to make way for a Marvel themed land.

In the pier section of Disney California Adventure, a building next to the lagoon that previously housed a bar on the top floor and a princess meet and greet dining experience with Ariel and her friends on the ground level became a massive bar on both levels this summer. In the Downtown Disney district, Build-a-Bear workshop and Ridermakerz (building customizable toy cars) were both closed down by Disney to make way for new restaurants featuring craft beers and cocktails. Disney’s Grand Californian hotel will soon feature a poolside bar. Toontown, the most child-friendly land in Disneyland that literally houses Mickey and Minnie Mouse is rumored to be demolished for something new in the near future. In the meantime, the land suffers from peeling paint, roped off areas that were previously accessible, and chronically broken interactive elements.

Transformation at Disney California Adventure from Cove Bar and Ariel’s Grotto for princess meet ‘n greets to a two level bistro bar called Lamplight Lounge.

At the same time, ticket prices have increased at a rapid rate. The price of one-day admission to Disneyland has more than tripled from $43 in 2000 to $118 in 2018. A premium annual pass for everyday admission to Disneyland cost $199 in 2000, while the 2018 equivalent signature plus annual pass costs $1,149. For an individual or couple, the price is perhaps manageable, but for a family of four the calculation can now be financially untenable.

During my two and a half months doing PhD fieldwork at Disneyland in late 2017 and early 2018, I was surprised to see far less young children in the park than I expected. The popular imagination of Disneyland posits a paradise for young kids. However, during the day, and especially by evening, the park was primarily full of adults with no young children in tow. The ostensible change in visitor demographics has entailed a shift to a less child-centric Disneyland by adding the public sale of alcohol and the removal of lands and attractions designed for young families.

In Disneyland’s hub in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle stands the Partners statue featuring Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse holding hands. At the base rests an inlaid plaque quoting the park’s founder on the raison d’etre for the park, “I think most of all what I want Disneyland to be is a happy place… where parents and children can have fun, together.” Disneyland is gradually, and tacitly, becoming a playground for adults, much like the seaside amusement parks of the first half of the 20th century that Walt Disney disdained and held as an anti-model for Disneyland.

Partners statue in Disneyland hub with inlaid plaque at base.

All photos taken by the author.

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