There are more than 150 bars in Disney World's four parks, nearby the water parks, and surrounding Disney resorts. Daniel Miller and Rhiannon Rhay* have been to every single one—and they've got a solid drink rec at each of 'em. "I wouldn’t want to claim to be an expert otherwise," Rhiannon says.
The two friends are the faces behind Drinking at Disney, an Instagram account-turned-book that gives them a platform to share their extensive theme park boozing knowledge with other parkgoers. They can tell you when the Dole Whip first turned alcoholic (at Trader Sam's, dubbed the Spiky Pineapple), the newest bar to open in the Orlando resort, and the ideal path for pretty much any bar crawl you'd want to take.
The crawls—called "drinking plans" in the book—are part of what sets the duo's content apart from the basic lists of Disney bars available for free online. Daniel and Rhiannon offer tips on where to park, how to get from point A to point B, and what to drink in each spot.
It's taken hundreds of Disney trips to form this collective knowledge base: Daniel, an Orlando local, estimates he's been to Disney World well over 500 times. Rhiannon, who lives a few hours away, has been roughly 75 times. Since joining forces in 2013 after meeting on Twitter, of all places, one half of the pair has gone to a Disney property at least once a week (they both have annual passes, naturally).
After all that time, they of course have their go-tos: the Tambu Lounge at the Polynesian Resort—what Rhiannon considers one of the most underrated bars, especially given its proximity to the mega-popular Trader Sam's; Epcot's Rose and Crown Pub in the United Kingdom, modeled after a traditional British pub; and La Cava del Tequila in Epcot's Mexico area. Daniel calls the last two "the gold standard at Epcot. You're either gonna start your day in one or the other."
As for drinks themselves, Rhiannon loves Dawa Bar's Bloody Mary, which is served with candied bacon made fresh each morning, and Tipsy Ducks in Love, which tastes like "bourbon milk chocolate" and can be found at the China Pavilion's Joy of Tea drink kiosk. Daniel likes the Tempting Tigress at Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom and the Ottawa Apple in Canada at Epcot.
Their biggest drinking at Disney tip, though? Make sure to explore the resorts. "Most people when they travel they think, okay, this is the hotel I'm staying in, why would I go to some other person's hotel? But with Disney, exploring the resorts is such a key factor."
In the book, many of their favorite drinks are from Disney resorts—which, yes, you're welcome to visit even if you're not staying overnight. The Gurgling Suitcase, found inside Disney's Old Key West Resort, is another unsung hero, Daniel says.
If you're not well-versed in Disney's food and beverage scene, the one drink you probably are familiar with is the Dole Whip. Rest easy, both Rhiannon and Daniel are pro-Whip in its many iterations (though adding vodka was not a good idea, Rhiannon advises). It's popularity is a good sign of what's to come at Magic Kingdom, which only recently started serving wine and beer in restaurants, Daniel says. "It gives me faith that we’ll continue to expand the booze offerings in the Magic Kingdom, which is the home of Dole Whip." From your mouth to Walt's ears.
*Last name has been changed.
