With $20 Avocado Margaritas in Mexico and $14 chocolate shots in Germany, the trend of "drinking around the world" at Disney's EPCOT adds up.
It takes a toll on your body — and your wallet. Drinking around the world is an unofficial game at Walt Disney World Resort's EPCOT, where people buy an alcoholic drink at each of 11 countries in the park over the course of one day. As you might expect, it's expensive.
Like, $200 expensive.
"That's just one person," says Danielle Seliga, who goes to EPCOT at least six times a year, and has drank around the world six or seven times. "By the time you get there with a family of four and everyone's over 21, that's a tough pill to swallow.
Seliga,
who lives in Tallahassee, Florida, and goes to Disney at least once a year with her annual pass, has the challenge down to a science.
She drinks slowly through the park (it usually takes her half a day). She drinks a ton of water between each stop and goes to a sit-down restaurant. She'll grab a few bites throughout at the China Pavilion, Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada or Les Vins des Chefs de France in France.
Including food, she spends about $350 per person.
"But that's why you bring your dad with, obviously," Seliga jokes.
If Seliga is drinking around the world, she already knows what she's getting and where she's starting. Going off the old saying "beer before liquor, you'll never be sicker," Seliga swears by starting in Mexico, since it has more tequila-based drinks, and ending in Canada, since it's known to serve beer.
How much does it cost to 'drink around the world?'
Just like a night out at a bar, buying 11 drinks will rack up your tab. Now if that bar is in Disney, it's going to be a lot more.
Here's everything Seliga drinks around the world:
- Mexico: Avocado Margarita at La Cava del Tequila, $21
- Norway: Frozen Viking Coffee at Kringla Bakeri og Kafe, $18
- China: Tipsy Ducks in Love at Joy of Tea, $14.75
- Germany: Chocolate shot at Weinkeller, about $14+
- Italy: Bellini at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar, $16
- America: Moonshine Sour at the outside bar of Regal Eagle, about $17.50
- Japan: Violet Sake at Garden House, $12.50
- Morocco: Frozen Citrus-Pomegranate Slushy at Oasis Sweets & Sips, $20
- France: Champagne at Les Vins des Chefs de France, $20.95
- UK: Welsh Dragon at Rose & Crown, $16
- Canada: Ottawa Apple at the Canada Popcorn Cart, $17
- TOTAL: About $187.70
For drinks, Seliga spends just under $200, but that doesn't include tax, tip or any food she wants along the way.
Is 'drinking around the world' getting more popular?
This trend is far from new.
While there isn't a definitive origin, some say it started with employees when EPCOT first opened in 1982. It can also be traced back over a decade on Reddit forums. No matter when it started, it's still very much an adult activity at Disney. People are still posting on social media about their experience drinking around the world today.
Seliga said she's seen more bachelorette trips and big groups drinking around the world. There's even a Facebook group with over 100,000 followers called Disney Day Drinkers Club.
These types of trends are growing with video-centric social media, according to Mike Kostyo, vice president of food and beverage consultancy Menu Matters and an expert in food industry trends for over a decade. You might've seen social media videos of people counting their drinks at weddings; this follows the same format.
"It's fun to watch someone get progressively sillier and noticeably less in control in the span of a minute or two," said Kostyo.
For Seliga, it's less of a goal, and more about the experience.
"I love having something to do," said Seliga. "And now that I have an annual pass, it kind of feels like I girl-mathed my way into it being a free thing to do."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Want to 'drink around the world' at EPCOT? Here's one woman's plan
