Monorail Bar Crawl
I, of course, know that Disney isn’t just for kids. And while I LOVE the rides, the magic and the characters, I also love the adult centered things. And while this one wasn’t initially created by Disney, you bet they cashed in on the idea. The Monorail Bar Crawl became a thing a while ago and, pre-Covid, you could ‘buy’ this experience which included reserved tables and your own monorail car. However, you can easily do it on your own now and, one of the best parts is, you don’t even need a park ticket or a room at one of the monorail hotels to participate! Just an ID that says 21+.
In between stops during my second (and my sister’s first) Monorail Bar Crawl.
There are three Monorail Resorts to stop at - The Contemporary, The Polynesian and The Grand Floridian. You can make this adventure your own by choosing only one stop at each resort or more. You also, of course, have some food options along the way to make sure you can have more Disney fun the next day.
If you are lucky enough to be staying at one of these resorts (you can see this blog post for some tips on how to) then you can start and end this whenever! If you aren’t staying at one of these resorts, you will want to figure out the logistics of getting to the first one and back from the last one. The most straightforward way would be to take a rideshare or Minnie Van (currently unavailable during Covid). This obviously gets you front door service between the hotels. The other option is to use the free Disney transportation. To get there, you can take a resort bus for one of those three resorts from any park or from Disney Springs. From the resort you end at, you can take a bus back to any park or Disney Springs. At Disney Springs you can switch busses there to take one back to your resort. If you aren’t staying on Disney property, as long as you can get to Disney Springs, just take the resort buses to/from there. Using rideshare or Disney transport is the way to go since you will be drinking!
You can decide which resort to start at but I’d go with either the Contemporary or Grand Floridian as they are on the ends of the line with the Polynesian in the middle. Pro tip - if you are a Passholder ask about discounts at every stop! Most counter service spots don’t offer it but most sit down restaurants do, even if you are only in the lounge area. Double check before you start your Crawl that the specific bars/restaurants you are interested in are open and what time. Some of these spots aren’t open during Covid and some are only open in the evening. The links below take you to the menus on the All Ears website. Be sure to check the Disney website or your My Disney Experience app for specific opening hours and any menu changes.
Contemporary Options:
The Outer Rim - drinks only but nice views of the water. And depending on the time you’re there, you can spot characters coming and going from Chef Mickey’s.
The Wave - Food and drinks, reservations recommended for the dining room.
California Grill - Drink and food options. Reservations strongly recommended but you can attempt to ask at the elevator if any walk-ups spots are available at the bar. For a better chance of this, get there right when they open. It’s so popular because it has awesome views of Magic Kingdom as it’s at the top of the main resort building. This would be my top choice but The Wave or Outer Rim are fine back ups.
The Sand Bar - Drink and food options by the pool.
Top of the World Lounge - If you happen to be a Disney Vacation Club member, obviously this needs to be your stop. Yes, sadly, DVC members only.
Polynesian Options:
Tambu Lounge: Food and drinks, this is the bar adjacent to Ohana and my top choice. Large windows provide views of the resort and Seven Seas Lagoon.
Kona Island: Food (sushi!) and drinks, reservations recommended for the dining room.
Trader Sam’s: Food and drinks, they have an outside and inside area on the level by the pool. This is a great back up if Tambu is full or a good second stop at the Poly. While it shares the same name as the bar in the Disneyland Resort, it’s not the same at all (TBH, that one is better).
Barefoot Pool Bar and Oasis Bar: Drink and food options by the pool.
Grand Floridian Options:
Enchanted Rose Lounge: Drink and food options, my top pick as it’s recently refurbished with a Beauty & the Beast theme.
Courtyard Pool Bar and Beaches Pool Bar & Grill: Drink and food options by the pool.
Grand Floridian Café: Food and drinks, reservations recommended for the dining room.
Narcooseee’s: Food and drinks, reservations recommended for the dining room.
The Grand Floridian Resort is STUNNING. The Enchanted Rose Lounge is located on the second floor.
Choose Your Own Adventure!
You can always add on some other stops to make this your own adventure!
You can add in parks!
For Magic Kingdom, just continue on the monorail and hop off - but keep in mind alcohol is only served at select restaurants inside the park and you’ll need a park ticket/park pass and likely a reservation at the restaurant you want.
For the ambitious, you could add in Epcot where the drinking opportunities are endless. You’ll have to transfer monorails at the Transportation & Ticket Center to get to Epcot. Just remember, you’ll need a park ticket/park pass. If you want to eat at a non-counter service restaurant, you may need a reservation. But if a festival is going on, you’ll have plenty of food booth options to pick from.
You can add in a fourth resort!
A fourth resort can be added but you won’t be traveling via monorail. You can get to the Wilderness Lodge via boat from the Contemporary. So you could potentially start or end with this resort and have a Monorail + Boat Bar Crawl! Like the other resorts they have multiple options.
Want more information on visiting Walt Disney World?
Check out my other blog posts on Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs