It’s big news for Disneyland fans. According to a Tweet (sorry, now an X?) from the company, Disneyland will start openly serving alcohol at three restaurants in September of 2023.
Originally, Disneyland was a totally dry park. That was in keeping with Walt Disney’s original vision of the park as a wholesome, family destination. You couldn’t get a beer, wine or cocktail anywhere in Disneyland.
That reputation has slowly eroded over time. When Disney opened California Adventure next door, they gleefully and openly served alcohol. Guests with a park hopper could drink in California Adventures and then walk next-door to Disneyland.
Likewise, alcohol has always been served in the adjacent Downtown Disney.
Disney also began to quietly sell alcohol at several semi-private venues within the park. The exclusive Club 33 served adult drinks, and the hard-to-find Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge started serving up super fancy Star Wars drinks when that section opened.
Still, those venues were private and hard to get into. They also weren’t the classic, family restaurants we associate with Disneyland.
Now, though, Disney is bringing “beer, wine, and speciality cocktails” to classic restaurants including:
- Carnation Café
- River Belle Terrace
- Café Orleans
In some ways, this makes a lot of sense. It was always silly to dine at Cafe Orleans without being able to get a proper Mint Julep.
Still, the idea of hard liquor served as Mickey Mouse and Pluto greet your kids probably won’t sit well with many diehard Disneyland fans.
We’ll have to see how things go when the new rules go into effect in September.
