Crackdown at Universal: Hundreds banned from resort for underage drinking during nighttime Halloween fest
From orlandosentinel.com:
TweetNot one sip.
That’s Universal Orlando’s policy toward underage drinking — a zero-tolerance stance that is getting hundreds of people banned from the resort this month during its annual Halloween Horror Nights festival, which takes place evenings every weekend.
Robert Viands of Plantation learned the hard way Saturday after he bought an alcoholic “Jell-O shot” from a roaming vendor — then let his 17-year-old daughter, Ashley, have a taste. He said the two of them and his daughter’s friend, Sergio Jacas, 18, were quickly escorted out of the park and given trespass warnings that prevent their return.
“We have an aggressive zero-tolerance approach to underage drinking. It’s against the law, and it’s unsafe and we take it very seriously,” Universal spokesman Tom Schroder explained — even if it’s just a sip. “We make no exceptions.”
Last Friday and Saturday, Universal kicked out at least 127 people for underage drinking, underage possession of alcohol or providing alcohol to a minor. Many more may have been ejected; Orlando police, in releasing those trespass reports to the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday, noted that paperwork was not yet finished for about half of all the Universal trespass cases from last weekend.
Good to see the crackdown. I’m all for it!
Well, the policy wasn’t so aggressive back on Oct 12. I was in town for business and took a client to Emeril’s at Citywalk, having never been to anything Universal, but of course, spent much time in Emeril’s establishments. The place (Citywalk, not Emeril’s) was overflowing with drunks of all ages. Behavior went from boorish to dangerous, as groups, presumably locals, cruised about looking for trouble. I was appalled. And then, to watch them all stagger back to the parking garages, causing fights on the moving walkways, and then get in and drive cars!
I’ll never take my family there.
They only care about underage drinkers because they could lose their alcohol license. They are fine with of age drunks.