Walt Disney World has what may be the most underrated “pub crawl” in the world, so here’s a quick guide to it!
The “pub crawl” is a popular trend in various cities around Europe and the United States. It’s a simple idea: go to an area with various bars or pubs close together and start a tour of them. Sometimes, the crawls are themed around holidays like Halloween or St. Patrick’s Day. They can also involve challenges of ordering specific drinks and meals and fun connections.
One popular bit works for rural areas connected by railroads, so the pub crawlers can see how many town bars they can work in a day via train rides. Which has a unique connection to Walt Disney World.
The Disney pub crawls
It’s little surprise that Disney World has inspired a few pub crawls. Some are unofficial while others are openly encouraged by Disney down to merchandise for them. The most popular and famous is the Drink Around the World, where the goal is to have a drink at each of the eleven pavilions of World Showcase. That gets even bigger during the Food & Wine Festival, when it’s easy to grab a drink somewhere.
There’s the bar area around the Boardwalk, which can also work in the pubs at the Yacht, Beach, Swan, and Dolphin resorts. The Skyliner offers another connection even though the bars at the value resorts don’t quite offer as much variety in drinks. Obviously, Disney Springs alone offers a fun crawl with so many dining options.
But at the end of the day, if there’s one crawl needed for guests, it’s the one that’s been around since 1988: The Monorail Crawl.
A quick guide for the Monorail Crawl
The reason the Monorail Crawl is so appealing is how convenient it is. There’s no need for hiking around half of Epcot or the sprawling areas of Disney Springs. It can be done day or night and, best of all, you don’t have to worry about the infamously fickle Florida weather getting in the way. Even if it’s pouring rain outside, you just take the monorail to drop you off right at the covered entrance for the Contemporary, Polynesian or Grand Floridian resorts and you can head right to whatever establishment you want to hit.
There’s also the fun experience of riding the monorail, especially at night. This can be timed to coincide with the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom and getting the right seat for them with a good drink is nice.
So, which spots should be hit for this Crawl?
Contemporary
Since opening in 1971, the California Grill Lounge has been a mainstay for the resort in terms of great meals. There’s no reservations needed, the beer/wine list is extensive and if you’re not a drinker, they also offer a nice selection of teas. The downside is the cost and that it’s a bit more upscale and often requires dressing up. Still, for the view alone, it’s amazing.
There’s also the Outer Rim, an underrated spot with the good “Walk the Plank” (a mix of bourbon, almond syrup, lemon and orange juices) and the Magical Star Cocktail. If you don’t want fancy stuff, you can order regular beers and bourbons.
For those wanting actual food with their drinks, a better bet is Steakhouse 71. Not only can you get stuff like the Curious Cold Brew, which combines bourbon and cold brew coffee with vanilla ice cream, or the French 71, but also the wonderful menu of steaks, stacked burgers, salads, and snacks of chicken wings and others. It’s better as a lunch spot to kick off the crawl and can draw some good crowds to make for a fun stop.
Polynesian
While you can choose which direction to go on the monorail, many enjoy the clockwise turn so the Polynesian is next. Anyone wanting a pub stop heads right to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, the tiki bar to end all tiki bars. The decor is exquisite, the atmosphere is always fun and the drink names are delightful: The HippopotoMai-Tai, the Polynesian Pear, the Uh-Oa, the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum and more.
It’s best to be there at night for a more fun atmosphere and you can even do a crawl within the crawl of the resort’s other spots such as Tambu Lounge, Kona Café and the Oasis Bar & Grill. The island feel is what makes this place so great so anytime of the day you visit is a fun one.
Grand Floridian
As a more upscale resort than others, the Grand Floridian can come off less rowdy yet still appealing. That counts for the Enchanted Rose, a bar clearly inspired by Beauty and the Beast, which has cocktails that mix old-fashioned styles with some magical bits like the Floral Bitter Beauty and a score of beer and cider drinks.
If you want to skip that theme, hit Citricos Lounge, more fancy yet a fun kid’s menu and “zero-proof” cocktails with a range of specialty ones, wines and more. It’s a bit more expensive, so not for the more frugal, but still a great spot for drinks and meals.
While the other pub crawls in WDW can be fun, the monorail just offers an experience you can’t get anywhere else and thus another reason the lounges of Disney World are great spots!