When Disneyland first opened in 1955, it was “dry” – no alcohol was served. When Walt Disney World opened 16 years later, it was also an alcohol-free park. However, that’s all changed over the years.
Club 33, an exclusive, members-only restaurant at Disneyland (most regular guests would never have access to it, due to membership requirements), has sold beer, wine and hard liquor since it opened in the 1960s. The story goes that Walt was against the idea of selling booze in any part of his park, but it was easier to sell memberships if alcohol was available at the restaurant. Similarly, Walt Disney World has served alcohol at select hard ticket events (special events that are held outside of regular operating hours and for which you have to buy a special ticket to attend) for decades. For example, when we had dinner inside the Haunted Mansion in 2002, a hard ticket event offered by Disney’s Dining Experience (now Tables In Wonderland), wine was available before and during the dinner.
Other U.S.-based Disney parks, such as Epcot, Disney’s California Adventure, etc., have sold alcohol since their respective opening days. However, the “Magic Kingdom” parks didn’t for a long, long time. But now they do. Here’s more about it…
