Fact Check: Disney World Officially Removes Drinking Age?
Claim:
Disney World officially removed the drinking age.
Rating:
On Sept. 9, 2023, Mouse Trap News published an article claiming that the Walt Disney World Resort had officially removed the drinking age:
BREAKING: Disney World Officially Removes Drinking Age
When people think of Disney, they think of rides, families, and fun. However, there is another side to Disney that is huge business for the company and well-loved by guests and that is drinking. In fact, it's so popular that Disney announced a Drinking Around the World Competition. Now, drinking is going to be a lot more popular with the breaking news that Disney World officially removes the drinking age in their theme parks.
The website also promoted the claim in social media posts, including a TikTok video that had 8.8 million views at the time of this check:
@mousetrapnews Do you think this is a good idea for Disney World? #disneyworld #disneynews #disneydrinks #drinkingage #disneyparks ♬ Disney-style fanfare-style BGM - harryfaoki
The claim was false. Mouse Trap News isn't a real news site. On its About page, the website says that every story on its website is fake:
Mouse Trap News is the world's best satire site. We write fake stories about Disney Parks stuff. From Disney Park announcements to Disney Hotel and resort news to made-up Disney partnerships, you can be assured that anything you read here is not true, real, or accurate, but it is fun.
Reputable Florida news publications wrote that the news wasn't true. The Pensacola News Journal reported that Disney World was still allowed to sell alcohol to adults aged 21 or older at the time of this writing.
We previously fact-checked a similar claim from Mouse Trap News about Disney World supposedly lobbying to lower the drinking age at the resort to 18.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.
Sources:
About. 22 Dec. 2022, https://mousetrapnews.com/about/.
Girod, Brendan. "Debunked Again: No, Disney World Isn't 'officially' Removing Its Drinking Age Requirement." Pensacola News Journal, https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2023/09/11/disney-world-remove-legal-drinking-age-requirement-florida-debunked/70822543007/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023.
LaMagdeleine, Izz Scott. "Toll Booths To Be Added Inside Disney World Theme Parks?" Snopes, 8 Sept. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/disney-world-toll-booths/.
