HHN Drink Changes

[sjago13]

A couple questions to anyone in the know...
1. Do they still sell Fosters anywhere, and if so, how much? Last year we could only find it at one bar near Jaws. There was a time when they were selling them at the carts all over the place, but I haven't seen it like that the past couple years.
2. Is a beer really $12 each from the carts? If so, there goes my budget.
3. Anyone see any pumpkin beers available?

They have shipyard pumpkin beer at the tents. And I don't think it is 12$, that is the price at Hollywood HHN though so maybe wires were crossed or idk because yesterday Dufftoberfest was its regular price.

 

[SeventyOne]

Cart beers were not $12 either--got change back from a $10. Maybe $12 is with a souvenir cup?

 

[Brian G.]

Miller, Coors, domestics - those were $8 at the carts. It was $11 in the souvenir cup, with $7ish refills. The imports and crafts were close to the $12 in the cup. Don't remember for the carts.

Shipyard is the featured Pumpkin Beer this year.

 

[UNIrd]

I worked Loss Prevention at a major theme park for three years. This is just my opinion, but putting liqueur (your costliest drinking option) at relatively unsupervised carts and pop-ups sounds like a nightmare to me.

Not only are you trusting employees that normally don't bar tend to pour correctly, but there is also potential issues with them serving/hooking up underage friends or cute guests.

Sure, you still have those last two items with beer/pre mixed, but the cost of those is much lower, and the ABV is a fraction of liquor.

To me, pulling in the hard stuff availability to you everyday locations is just a sign of wanting a little more control over it.

Eh.. I feel like that hasn't really been an issue in the 13+ years I've been going to HHN but okay.

Still think it's funny that Epcot has more alcohol stands than ever this year, and HHN is slashing theirs.

 

[Legacy]

I've got a couple new theories. The more I hear about just how last minute this whole thing happened, the crazier it feels.

First - Someone high up the chain made a unilateral decision. There's actually some precedent for this when, about ten years ago, HHN went dry for a couple nights in response to the drunk driving deaths of some people leaving the event. It literally only lasted two nights because $$$.

What I think is more likely is that the county got involved. There's a couple of reasons this is possible:

1) Universal received a request to rein in HHN drinking because Central Florida law enforcement is still recovering from Irma. Thousands of drunks wouldn't help an already thin force.

2) OR... something really wrong happened at Team Member Preview and Universal was threatened by the County to put a tighter control on the alcohol or lose their liquor license? Serving alcohol to someone underage, which wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility when it's a bunch of friends serving friends at a team member only event.

No clue. Just spit-balling.

 

[bob albert]

Can't wait for the self driving car to remove drunk, drugged, overworked, inexperienced, and aggressive drivers from being a factor in one of the most dangerous activities anywhere.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I've got a couple new theories. The more I hear about just how last minute this whole thing happened, the crazier it feels.

First - Someone high up the chain made a unilateral decision. There's actually some precedent for this when, about ten years ago, HHN went dry for a couple nights in response to the drunk driving deaths of some people leaving the event. It literally only lasted two nights because $$$.

What I think is more likely is that the county got involved. There's a couple of reasons this is possible:

1) Universal received a request to rein in HHN drinking because Central Florida law enforcement is still recovering from Irma. Thousands of drunks wouldn't help an already thin force.

2) OR... something really wrong happened at Team Member Preview and Universal was threatened by the County to put a tighter control on the alcohol or lose their liquor license? Serving alcohol to someone underage, which wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility when it's a bunch of friends serving friends at a team member only event.

No clue. Just spit-balling.

Eh.. I feel like that hasn't really been an issue in the 13+ years I've been going to HHN but okay.

Still think it's funny that Epcot has more alcohol stands than ever this year, and HHN is slashing theirs.

one time (must have been 2008 or 2009) I was doing a line for a house and i remember this guy got a jello shot and was sharing it with his daughter, the girl was around 5 years old. I remember the mom saying (isnt that alcohol) and the dad just went "it's just jello, it's candy. no problem"
I never forgot that. I kinda wish a team member had seen it.

 

[Legacy]

one time (must have been 2008 or 2009) I was doing a line for a house and i remember this guy got a jello shot and was sharing it with his daughter, the girl was around 5 years old. I remember the mom saying (isnt that alcohol) and the dad just went "it's just jello, it's candy. no problem"
I never forgot that. I kinda wish a team member had seen it.

This probably happened a lot.

And speaking of the Jell-O shots and their nurses, don't expect them to come back. It would require a massive turnaround from what Universal did on Friday.

This is a new normal.

 

[Imperius]

I am 100% down with this being the new normal. I don't think it needs to be a dry event, but slowing some people down needed to happen. I use express so don't get to stand in long lines with the drunks thankfully but they were still plentiful walking around and damaging things in the houses.

 

[Brian G.]

This probably happened a lot.

And speaking of the Jell-O shots and their nurses, don't expect them to come back. It would require a massive turnaround from what Universal did on Friday.

This is a new normal.

I wonder about all the girls they hired that found out they were cut the morning of...

 

[epcyclopedia]

The Jello Shot girls are a third party, that also works Howl-o-scream. They literally toss on a costume from party city, add some blood, and out they go. They're the same shot girls you'll find at most venues/events/etc that have shot girls and guys. Go-go dancers for lack of a better term.

As for the alcohol - maybe something to do with their liquor license? I know the threat of was said to be why the parks enforce their rules so vehemently is because "they'll take away our liquor license" if they don't ID thoroughly, etc..

 

[Frank Drackman]

The Jello Shot girls are a third party, that also works Howl-o-scream. They literally toss on a costume from party city, add some blood, and out they go. They're the same shot girls you'll find at most venues/events/etc that have shot girls and guys. Go-go dancers for lack of a better term.

As for the alcohol - maybe something to do with their liquor license? I know the threat of was said to be why the parks enforce their rules so vehemently is because "they'll take away our liquor license" if they don't ID thoroughly, etc..

Pretty sure in FL, the establishment that served is responsible if someone gets too drunk (since they knowingly served said person) so if an idiot gets hurt, hurts someone else....it could come back to the server as the one at fault...at least I had heard stuff like that many years ago.

It is sort of like how (w/o the train) alcohol can't leave the park into City Walk, it can't leave City Walk and enter the park...just odd ball stuff, but no clue how they stop 'hand offs'...but the sad thing (to me) is that folks that tend to do that will find a way, will pre game...those that are responsible pay the price.

From my experience, food and wine is far more drunky town than HHN, but, it only took one weekend night to turn me off from EPCOT...HHN we tend to go three to four nights a year since around #21...last time I was at Disney...they where still building their 'longest track' mine cart ride thingie.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I wonder about all the girls they hired that found out they were cut the morning of...

Heard some found new positions and some didn't.

 

[Legacy]

I wonder about all the girls they hired that found out they were cut the morning of...

Three weeks of pay or reassigned to a new department for the run.

 

[RedRightDan]

Miller, Coors, domestics - those were $8 at the carts. It was $11 in the souvenir cup, with $7ish refills. The imports and crafts were close to the $12 in the cup. Don't remember for the carts.

Shipyard is the featured Pumpkin Beer this year.

Just for fun, does everyone want to know what the mark up on an $8 Miller Lite is?

The price per case for 24 16oz aluminums to Universal should be roughly $26.75 (wholesale cost from the distributor). That equals out to them paying $1.11 per can. About a 720% mark up.

Each case sold equals out to $165.25 in gross profit (8x$24-$26.75). Keep in mind, that's not net profit. They still have to take out operating costs. But, the distributor that sold them the case is typically making $6-$7 gross per case.

In short, this event isn't going fully dry any time soon.

 

[SeventyOne]

Three weeks of pay or reassigned to a new department for the run.

That seems fair for what is no one's primary job.

 

[Lord Snow]

A couple questions to anyone in the know...
1. Do they still sell Fosters anywhere, and if so, how much? Last year we could only find it at one bar near Jaws. There was a time when they were selling them at the carts all over the place, but I haven't seen it like that the past couple years.

THIS was always the best deal! You could get the Fosters oil can, which is 25 oz, for the same price as the 16 oz bud/bud lights.

 

[Legacy]

That seems fair for what is no one's primary job.

Say what you want about Universal, they treat their employees pretty fairly. They even paid ALL of their employees for the shifts lost because of Irma.

(Unlike the other resort down the street...)

 

[Frank Drackman]

Just for fun, does everyone want to know what the mark up on an $8 Miller Lite is?

The price per case for 24 16oz aluminums to Universal should be roughly $26.75 (wholesale cost from the distributor). That equals out to them paying $1.11 per can. About a 720% mark up.

Each case sold equals out to $165.25 in gross profit (8x$24-$26.75). Keep in mind, that's not net profit. They still have to take out operating costs. But, the distributor that sold them the case is typically making $6-$7 gross per case.

In short, this event isn't going fully dry any time soon.

I do not think anyone could say for sure what UNI negotiates for their cost. Walmart can sell for less because they are big enough to dictate their own terms. Alcohol tends to have a sin tax built into the price as well.

But we all know they make good money on the stuff, heck, the folks down the road encourage 'drinking around the world' they add more events they end in some sort of 'and drink', haven't they been adding drinks to some MK spots?

Say what you want about Universal, they treat their employees pretty fairly. They even paid ALL of their employees for the shifts lost because of Irma.

(Unlike the other resort down the street...)

I wholeheartedly believe this. I tend to talk to a lot of employees when I visit, I think I tend to get wonderful service at UoR. A lot of the employees I talk to work at both, but I do not think I've met a single one that likes their shifts at the other place more than their shifts at UoR.

I've heard of surprise bonuses, company events with food, not sure if they still get free access to Sea World, but it was once a thing once.

Anyhow, no way for me to know, but the employees that work at UOR, well a lot of them have at least had some experience with other parks.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

There's no threat of the event going dry for a whole season or more in my opinion. Instead it's the possible death of an annual tradition for locals who go many nights. Instead of hitting a normal bar you pay a large cover for many days to drink and have some of the best entertainment in Orlando.

Anyway, that being said I hope they find a better middle ground this weekend.