Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Sorry! We don't have any recommendations for Walt Disney World Orlando right now.
Just before Walt Disney selected Orlando as the site of what he called his Florida Project, he had very nearly settled on St. Louis as the follow-up to Disneyland park. But when St. Louis city officials asked which brewery would receive the Magic Kingdom's beer concession, Walt informed them the Magic Kingdom would be no place for beer, and the deal fell apart. Funnily enough, today you'll find almost as many watering holes as there are Disney characters. After beating your feet around a theme park all day, there are lounges, bars, speakeasies, pubs, sports bars, and microbreweries where you can settle down with a soothing libation. Your choice of nightlife can be found at various Disney shopping and entertainment complexes—from the casual down-by-the-shore BoardWalk to the much larger Disney Springs, which is comprised of the Marketplace, The Landing, Town Center, and the West Side, each with an impressive assortment of shopping and dining options.
A must-see spectacular, this Hollywood Studios 25-minute special-effects blockbuster is held after dark in a packed 6,900-seat amphitheater (often with an additional 3,000 guests standing). Between music, lasers, and fireworks, Mickey Mouse emcees among an all-star cast of characters from new films and old to take on sinister villains in a fiery finish that dazzles audiences every night.
The longest-running show at Disney has hardly changed over the decades. The beloved Pioneer Hall Players—a group of Wild West singers, dancers, and comedians—perform romantic ballads, corny tunes, and slapstick. It's old-fashioned family fun you'll sing and clap along to while chowing down on barbecued ribs, fried chicken, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake, and all the fixin's. Unlimited beverages include beer, wine, and sangria. Tickets are available up to 180 days in advance so plan as far ahead as possible.
A stylish, refined alcove named after Florida Renaissance architect Addison Mizner is tucked away at the far end of the Grand Floridian's second-floor lobby. It's a tasteful low-key getaway where you can unwind with a glass of champagne, a martini, or a Manhattan while listening to a live jazz band. The extensive drink menu includes multiple single-malt Scotch whiskies and after-dinner cognacs and ports.
Inside the high-end restaurant is a bar that serves ordinary beer in expensive yard glasses, along with some exclusive and tasty cocktails. The porch-side views of the Seven Seas Lagoon, the nightly Electrical Water Pageant, and the Magic Kingdom fireworks are worth the premium you pay.
This popular luau features an outdoor barbecue with colorful South Pacific–style entertainment. Fire jugglers and hula dancers capture the spirit of Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, and Hawaii while regional dishes like Polynesian ribs and roasted chicken and pineapple-coconut guava cake transport your taste buds to the islands.Reservations can be made 180 days in advance.
The frontier theme here honors the Corps of Discovery (look overhead for a Lewis and Clark Expedition trail map). Between drinks, check out the surveying equipment, daguerreotypes, parka mittens, maps, and what the lounge claims is a pair of Teddy Roosevelt's boots.
The exotic safari theme incorporates leather directors' chairs, native masks, and the gurgling of a stream that flows from the lobby and through the lounge to cascade over rockwork into a small pool at the Boma restaurant below. Before or after dinner, this is a great spot to watch a game, sip South African wines and beers, and enjoy a casual night out with friends and family.Arrive early and check out the zebras, giraffes, and other animals on the lodge's savanna.
Sign up for Travel Tips & News
Thank you for your interest!
