There’s a lot of magic to be found at Walt Disney World after dark—and no, I’m not just talking about fireworks. For grown-up Disney fans, one of the most fun (and surprisingly relaxing) ways to explore the parks and resorts is with a Disney World bar crawl. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure through some of Disney’s best lounges, hidden watering holes, and over-the-top themed bars, all connected by boats, monorails, Skyliner gondolas, or your own two feet.

Whether you’re toasting with a Lapu Lapu at the Polynesian, sipping wine flights at Disney Springs, or attempting the “Drink Around the World” challenge at EPCOT, these seven must-do crawls are your ultimate guide to raising a glass Disney style.

What Is a Disney World Bar Crawl?

A Disney World bar crawl involves going to multiple bars across Disney resorts, Disney Springs, or theme parks in one day or evening. It’s become a popular way for guests 21 and up to explore the parks and resorts in a more “adult” way and try things that they may not otherwise get to do on a more traditional family Disney vacation. While you certainly can take children along with you, it’s important to note that many of the bars and lounges require you to be at least 21 years old to enter, so Disney World bar crawls are an activity that is best suited for an adults-only trip.

The most popular Disney World bar crawls tend to be the ones that include stops at Disney resorts that are all linked by one of Disney’s free transportation options (like the monorail or skyliner). However, there are also bar crawl options in the theme parks – you’ll just need to purchase a park ticket to be able to do these.

Most hotel bars open between 11AM and 4PM, with closing times typically around midnight. And, the great thing about doing a bar crawl at the resorts is that you can take drinks to-go and explore the rest of the hotel areas (just not the pools since these are restricted to hotel guests only).

Disney Springs and Disney’s BoardWalk are also popular places to spend an evening out, exploring all of the bars.

Practical Tips for a Successful Disney World Bar Crawl

If you’re planning a Disney World bar crawl for your next vacation, here are a few practical tips to keep in mind!

Know How You’ll Get Around

The first thing you’ll need to figure out when planning your Disney World bar crawl is how you’re going to get around! If you’re doing a theme park or Disney Springs bar crawl, then you don’t have to think too much about this – you’ll be walking everywhere. However, if you want to hop to multiple Disney Resort bars and lounges, you’ll need to plan your stops around Disney’s free transportation options.

Here are the top three Disney transportation methods to strategize your bar crawl around and what resorts they connect:

• Disney Monorail: Connects Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney Skyliner: Connects Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Disney Boats: Connects Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club, and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin

Walking paths are also available to get between the monorail resorts and Disney BoardWalk resorts if you’d prefer.

When planning, keep in mind that Disney’s free transportation options only operate during park hours and then one hour after any connected theme parks close. So, for example, if you’re doing the Disney Monorail bar crawl, the monorail will only run through one hour after Magic Kingdom closes. Be sure to time the end of your bar crawl with these operating hours.

Plan Your Route and Reservations Early

Several Disney World bars require advance reservations, including GEO-82 at EPCOT and Oga’s Cantina at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You’ll need to set an alarm 60 days in advance to secure a reservation for these hard-to-get bars in the Disney theme parks. Most of the Disney Resort bars and lounges are first-come, first-served, so you’ll have more flexibility. However, it’s important to check each specific lounge you plan to visit to ensure you’ll be able to get in on the day of your bar crawl.

It’s also important to note that bar operating hours vary significantly across Walt Disney World. Hotel lounges typically open at 11AM, while premium locations like Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto and Enchanted Rose don’t open until 3PM or later and there can be a long wait for these if you’re visiting during a particularly busy season.

Plan your crawl route based on transportation schedules and bar hours. Start with spots that open early and then make your way to others as they open. The Boardwalk area works well for late-night crawling since multiple venues stay open until midnight or later.

Know Your Budget

Unfortunately, much like the rest of Disney World, bar crawls aren’t cheap! Disney World bar prices range from $12-18 for standard cocktails at resort locations and premium bars like Enchanted Rose and Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto can charge anywhere from $15-40 (!!) per specialty drink.

We recommend budgeting about $15-$20 per drink when you’re planning your crawl expenses and add in a little more if you’re planning to do the Disney Monorail bar crawl (since the lounges at the Deluxe Resorts tend to be more expensive). In total, you’ll likely spend somewhere between $100-$250 in total if you’re planning to purchase snacks as well (which you definitely should!).

You can cut down on costs by sharing drinks among family and friends or opting for shareable wine or beer flights instead of cocktails.

Don’t Forget Snacks and Water

Any Disney World bar crawl will involve at least three drinks and if you’re planning on all of those being alcoholic, you’ll need to ensure that you’re hydrating and eating in between to make it to all your stops.

Most Disney bars will provide free ice water if you ask and have a small snack/bar menu (if not more!) that you can order from. You may also want to consider timing your crawl around a table service reservation at one of the resort restaurants for a more substantial meal break between stops.

7 Must-Do Disney World Bar Crawls

So, what are the best Disney World bar crawls? We’ve got SEVEN of the most popular ones for you to choose from including recommended stops and alternatives!

Monorail Bar Crawl

The Disney Monorail bar crawl takes you to three Deluxe Disney World resorts without requiring park tickets. You’ll ride the Resort Monorail line between Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to get around.

Here are the top three spots to stop at in each resort:

• Disney’s Contemporary Resort: Steakhouse 71
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort: Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa: Enchanted Rose

Additional bars that you may want to consider adding to your crawl at these resorts include: California Grill Lounge and Outer Rim at the Contemporary, Tambu Lounge and Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace at the Polynesian, and Citricos Lounge at the Grand Floridian.

We recommend starting at Disney’s Contemporary Resort for food and cocktails at Steakhouse 71 and planning to spend 3-5 hours hopping from bar-to-bar after.

The Disney Monorail Bar Crawl is best for:

• People who like highly themed and immersive bar experiences
• Anyone staying at a resort on the monorail line
• Couples looking for a romantic evening activity
• Groups wanting to avoid park crowds
• Anyone interested in Disney’s very best resort dining and atmosphere

Disney Skyliner Bar Crawl

The Disney Skyliner Bar Crawl takes you high into the sky for a gondola ride through Disney that includes stops at four Disney Resorts and the option to add on two theme parks if you have a Park Hopper ticket or Disney World Annual Pass.

Here are the top four spots to stop at in each resort:

• Disney’s Pop Century Resort: Petals Pool Bar
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort: Drop Off Pool Bar
• Disney’s Riviera Resort: Bar Riva
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort: Banana Cabana

PLUS Two Optional Park Stops (requires a park ticket):

• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: BaseLine Tap House
• EPCOT: GEO-82

Additional bars that you may want to consider adding to your crawl include: Le Petit Cafe at the Riviera and AbracadaBar at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn (which is a short walk from the EPCOT Skyliner station).

We recommend starting at Art of Animation or Pop Century Resort and planning to spend 3-5 hours hopping from bar-to-bar if you only plan to visit the resorts or 6-8 hours if you’ll also be going into the parks.

The Disney Skyliner Bar Crawl is best for:

• Anyone staying at a Disney Skyliner resort
• People who want to combine their bar crawl with some theme park stops
• Groups who want a more laid-back and relaxed bar crawl experience
• Groups that plan to spend majority of their day hopping from bar-to-bar

Disney BoardWalk Bar Crawl

The Disney BoardWalk area offers one of the most walkable bar crawl experiences at Walt Disney World (though, boat transportation is also available). All of the bars for this crawl sit within a mile-long loop around Crescent Lake, making transportation between stops effortless. Plus, no park tickets are required for this one and you can easily get to all of the resort bars regardless of where you’re staying.

Here are the top four spots to stop at in each resort:

• Disney’s BoardWalk: AbracadaBar
• Disney’s Yacht Club: Crew’s Cup Lounge
• Disney’s Beach Club: Martha’s Vineyard
• Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin: Bluezoo Lounge

Additional bars that you may want to consider adding to your crawl include: Big River Grille & Brewing Works and Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, and Ale & Compass Lounge at the Yacht Club.

We recommend starting at one of the resort lounges and planning to spend 4-6 hours bar hopping.

The Disney BoardWalk Bar Crawl is best for:

• Couples who want a fun night out at Disney’s BoardWalk
• Anyone who wants to avoid large crowds at bars and lounges
• Large groups who can’t easily fit into any of Disney’s free transportation options
• Those staying at a Disney BoardWalk area resort

Disney Springs Bar Crawl

If you want to forego Disney World park tickets, transportation, and be able to park close by, the Disney Springs bar crawl might be the perfect one for you! Disney Springs is free for anyone to visit and offers the most bars/lounges/restaurants of any Disney World bar crawl.

A Disney Springs bar crawl is a little different than the ones you can do inside the parks or resorts. Instead of the bars being spread out over multiple different locations, they’re pretty much all focused in two areas including: The Landing and the West Side.

Here are the top spots to visit at Disney Springs for a drink on your bar crawl:

• Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar
• Wine Bar George
• The Edison
• House of Blues
• Enzo’s Hideaway Tunnel Bar
• Raglan Road Irish Pub
• Paradiso 37
• City Works Eatery & Pour House

We recommend starting at Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar and then choosing 2-4 other locations to stop by based on what type of drinks you’re in the mood for. For example, Paradiso 37 has great margaritas, Raglan Road Irish Pub offers tasty beers and live entertainment, and Wine Bar George is the best place to go for wine and appetizers.

The Disney Springs Bar Crawl is best for:

• Those who want a variety of different bars without committing to one resort area
• Anyone not staying at a Disney World Resort hotel
• Groups with mixed drink preferences
• People who want to feel like they’re “going out”

EPCOT Bar Crawl

EPCOT offers a unique bar crawl experience for adults visiting the theme park thanks to World Showcase and the popularity of the non-official “Drink Around The World” challenge. We recommend picking one bar/lounge in each World Showcase pavilion and then adding in a stop at the new GEO-82 adults-only lounge (note that reservations are required) and Space 220 lounge. You can check out our complete guide to drinking around the world at EPCOT here!

The EPCOT Bar Crawl is best for:

• Adults visiting EPCOT
• Anyone who wants to try the “Drink Around The World” challenge
• Groups that want a variety of drink options including popular international cocktails

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Bar Crawl

You might be surprised by how many bars and lounges Disney’s Hollywood Studios has for adults visitors! This is one of the longer bar crawls, having you drink your way around the entire park in one day.

Here are the top spots to grab a drink in each area of the park:

• Hollywood Boulevard: Bar Cart
• Echo Lake: Tune In Lounge
• Grand Avenue: BaseLine Tap House
• Toy Story Land: Woody’s Lunch Box
• Sunset Boulevard/Animation Courtyard: Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge
• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: Oga’s Cantina (reservations required)

Start early at Hollywood Boulevard and work your way clockwise through the park. Tune-In Lounge offers the strongest mixed drinks, while BaseLine Tap House provides the best beer selection.

The Hollywood Studios Bar Crawl is best for:

• Beer enthusiasts
• Star Wars fans
• Adults spending a day at Hollywood Studios

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Bar Crawl

While specialty drinks might not be the first thing you think of when you’re headed to Animal Kingdom, this park has it all! And, because Animal Kingdom has fewer rides than other Disney Parks, you’ll have more time to relax and enjoy your bar crawl.

Here are the top spots to grab a drink in each area of the park:

• Discovery Island: Nomad Lounge
• Pandora – The World of Avatar: Pongu Pongu
• Africa: Dawa Bar
• Asia: Drinkwallah
• DinoLand U.S.A.: Trilo-Bites

We recommend starting at Nomad Lounge since it is the most popular and then making your way around the park to the other locations from there.

The Animal Kingdom Bar Crawl is best for:

• Adults spending the day at Animal Kingdom
• Anyone who wants a less crowded theme park bar crawl option
• Days where the weather is nice and you don’t mind enjoying your drink outside

Comments

Have you ever done a Disney World bar crawl? Let us know your favorite Disney bars and drinks in the comments!