Monorail Pub Crawl
Juli RussFebruary 16, 2017
My husband, Kevin and I were recently at Walt Disney World without our children! We love going to the parks and hanging out at the resort, but on this trip we were looking for some unique adult fun. I had heard about people doing a monorail pub crawl on their Disney vacations, it sounded unique and fun, we decided to give it a try!We began our afternoon at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. The famous Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto opens daily at 4:00pm, we arrived at 3:30 to avoid a long wait at the popular tiki bar. After we were given our pager we walked upstairs to the Tambu Lounge for a quick cocktail while we waited for Trader Sam’s to open. The Lapu Lapu, a rum drink served in a pineapple looked interesting and was big enough to share, which we thought was a good idea since we were visiting several bars. Kevin and I both enjoyed the cocktail and the atmosphere at the Tambu Lounge, but it was getting close to opening time at Trader Sam’s so after one drink we went back downstairs.At 4:00pm the doors opened to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto and since we were the first names on the list we were able to choose any seat in the bar that we wanted. We decided to sit at the bar and are extremely glad that we did. The bartenders were interactive, fun and very knowledgeable. The drinks at Trader Sam’s are all served in a tiki glass that can be purchased before you leave. As each different drink is served the bartenders do a little skit. As an example, when a guest orders The Pearl, the bartender walks to a giant shell, opens it and says, “It’s a PEARL!”The crowd responds with, “Thanks Shelly!”Trader Sam’s was a blast, but we had more bars to try, so sadly we had to move on.
Our next stop on the monorail was The Grand Floridian Resort where we visited The Mizner Lounge. The Mizner Lounge featured classic cocktails, appetizers and a jazz band. I ordered the delicious Mizner Cocktail and Kevin chose a glass of wine. This bar was quite the opposite of Trader Sam’s, but was a wonderful place to enjoy a quiet drink and listen to some lovely music.After relaxing for a bit, we got back on the monorail and headed to The Contemporary Resort. The Contemporary has several bars to visit, we thought the California Grill would be the perfect place to start. The bar at California Grill isn’t always available to guests without dinner reservations, but it is definitely worth asking a Cast Member if seats are open. Views from the California Grill are spectacular, especially at night where you can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Our bartender, Mike, asked what kind of drinks we like when he saw us looking at the menu. Since we were up for something new and like to try new things we told him our favorite types of drinks. Mike said he would surprise us with something. His choice of drinks for each of us was perfect, we both loved the drinks he made us. Bartenders that can make a drink based on ingredients you like are very impressive. Mike and the other bartenders at California Grill made our visit truly enjoyable and we look forward to going back.
After our drink at California Grill we popped in to The Outer Rim, the last stop on our Monorail Pub Crawl. The atmosphere at The Outer Rim was lively and very modern. The drink menu has some very fun cocktails, making it hard to choose. I ordered the Magic Star which was served with a color changing ice cube and made the drink change color every few seconds. Kevin ordered a Jai Alail IPA, who can resist a beer called Jai Alai!? The drink and the beer were both delicious, we will definitely go back again. Kevin and I had dinner reservations at The Grand Floridian and were running out of time to finish our drinks. The bartender offered to put them in to-go cups for us!! Riding the monorail with a cocktail, doesn’t get much better!The Monorail Pub Crawl was a great way to try a few bars and meet some fun bartenders. We did not visit every bar in each of the monorail resorts, we decided that we would save some for next time. Kevin is already trying to plan our next pub crawl! We both highly recommend the pub crawl for couples or a group of adults who are looking for something slightly out of the ordinary. I would love to help you plan a Monorail Pub Crawl during your next Walt Disney World visit.