Rested and refreshed we headed on over the the Boardwalk. This jewel is situated smack-dab between the International Gateway of World Showcase and Hollywood Studios. If we hadn’t ducked out for a nap, we could have just walked on over. Now we needed to take a bus ride back to the studios and hop on a boat to get to our destination. Still easy-peasy. We exited the boat at the Swam and Dolphin Hotel complex. The sunset was stunning.
Glorious
The lighting scheme at the hotel was beautiful.
What a beautiful place to walk!
Just like that, we’re on the Boardwalk!
This area includes three hotels and a plethora of restaurants, shops and live entertainment. One of the best aspects of the Boardwalk is that you do not need a park ticket to enter, it’s completely open to the public. Let’s take a tour around, shall we? First, the Atlantic Dance Hall. This does not appeal to me. Although it looks like a ballroom dancing venue, it’s really a video DJ club. No thanks, but there’s no cover, so if you want to peek in you can.
Not usually crowded – if you like to dance, you’ll have room to move.
Next up, JellyRolls, a favorite of several friends of mine. It’s a dueling piano bar, so the live music aspect could have pulled me in, but there’s a $12.00 cover charge! We wanted to hop around tonight, so this wouldn’t be a good investment.
Maybe next time. Jellyrolls.
We’ll be chatting about this place later in the week. Stay tuned, friends.
In the evening you’ll find buskers, magicians, jugglers and such entertaining guests.
He’s working on his core.
He totally had this.
The caricature business is a bit slow tonight.
Magician extraordinaire!
The Flyin’ Fish?
We’ve reached our first destination, Abracadabar. This is a brand new cocktail lounge featuring a “magician” theme. As with most things Disney there is an overly elaborate back story regarding the bar’s origins.
Abracadabar!
We had to use the handle. Our powers must have been weak.
This is a relatively small space considering it serves as the lounge for two neighboring restaurants, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in eye candy. There is an incredible amount of memorabilia on display to take in.
Handcuffs, straight jacket and keys artfully framed.
Book shelf teaming with magician wares.
The decor itself was lush.
The prices of the cocktails have “disappeared”!
Drink coaster I didn’t take. Really, I’m disappointed in myself.
I’m pretty sure this was the Coney Island Negroni: a Boulevardier inspired by the piers of Coney Island; Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, Campari, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
This was a nice bourbon drink which was well prepared. All the cocktails here are twelve dollars (you have to search for this on the back page), which is a commensurate price point for a lounge of this caliber.
But, free bar snacks!
The real draw here for us “Disnerds” is the schtick. Several of the signature drinks are presented with a magical flair. Unfortunately for me they’re all waaaay to sweet for my tastes, Luckily, the “Moms’ Weekend” group of ladies next to us were all too willing to imbibe in these treacly concoctions.
A wave of the Magic Wand!
Voila! A purple drink is transformed into a lighter purple drink!
Oh the cute bathroom signage!
Stawp!
Back to the stage.
A few more snaps of the atmosphere:
Elegantly stocked bar.
A menagerie of mirrors.
Moving on!
Our next stop would be at the the titular hotel of the Boardwalk area, the Boardwalk Resort. The location here is great, just steps away from Hollywood Studios. While there are a lot of good reasons to stay here, there’s one huge reason not to:
THE INSANE CLOWN POOL!!!!!!
Nothing says fun like being spat out of the gullet of a psycho Bozo. I thought this was horrifying during the day, but man, those glowing eyes! Let’s looks at this cute elephant to calm down.
Dang, the clown’s creeping on us.
The Boardwalk resort is fashioned after an idealized version of the hotels in Atlantic City during the Victorian age.
Merhorse (?) Chandelier
Painting of the boardwalk midway.
Seems legit.
Cozy seating areas are dotted all around the lobbies.
Colorful decor reflects the carnival atmosphere.
Tucked up on the second floor is our next destination, the Bellevue Lounge.
Just around the landing.
This lovely little haven is stuffed with cushy couches and seating areas where guests can play boardgames, chat and of course, enjoy a drink.
Bartender taking care of business.
She seems to be giving an impassioned speech.
As adorable as the lounge was, it was such a lovely evening we decided to take our beverages outside.
Delightful wicker furniture.
Pleasant view of the walkways surrounding the hotel.
A bold glass of cabernet.
I have to say, it was so relaxing and peaceful we could have just sat on this balcony all night, but we had other goals. We set out next to have ourselves a meal.
I only have blurry pictures of the Boardwalk. Must be the wine.
A look across Crescent Lake to the Yacht Club.
A short stroll later we arrived at the Yacht Club. This is on the Epcot side of the Boardwalk. This resort is themed after the tony yacht clubs of New England. Where it’s sister resort, The Beach Club, has more of a casual, Martha’s Vineyard theme, this hotel has a highly polished nautical look.
Daddy’s going to buy you THIS island.
Keeping with the high-end theme, you’ll find a very expensive à la carte steak house here, the Yachtsman.
The Yachtsman
Yachtsman menu. $50.00 entrée anyone?
Sorry kids, we won’t be dining here tonight. I had made reservations for a splash-out dinner here, but in the end I decided it might be more fun to roam around from lounge to lounge rather than putting all our steak in one basket. Perhaps we’ll go back for an anniversary dinner someday.
We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when.
We will instead be noshing at drinking at one of my very favorite pubs, the Crew’s Cup.
Discreet signage.
The Crew’s cup is adjacent to the Yachtsman Steakhouse .
The interior leans more towards Art and Crafts with natural wood and copper accents.
Vegans should be warned that patrons of the Crew’s Cup get a view into the meat room from the Yachtsman. Carnivores, however, will rejoice!
That coulda been my dinner.
Keeping it local.
We came here for the much lauded burger (sorry, the picture didn’t come out very pretty). It was just as tasty as advertised, but the truffle fries that accompanied it were just spectacular! In other news, the second dish we ordered may have been our best bite of the whole trip.
Beer-braised Mussels and Clams – chorizo, fine herbs, garlic-herb butter with toasted focaccia
I’m a sucker for any kind of mussels so I’ve had my share of iterations of this type of dish. The Crew’s Cup version was by far the best balanced presentation I can ever remember enjoying. We lapped up the gorgeous broth, believe you me.
We had just one more establishment to visit to conclude our Crescent Lake bar crawl.
A last look back at the Yacht Club.
This stop would bring us full circle around to the Swan and Dolphin Resort. These sister resorts are on Disney property, but not Disney owned. They are nice enough, but they don’t have the detailed theming that adds so much charm to the Disney resorts. They are geared towards conventions and large crowds, so the common areas are simply huge.
Very mall-like lobby.
Attractive lighting.
The Lobby Lounge. It’s a lounge in the lobby.
We wound our way through to BlueZoo, the chef-owned feature restaurant of the Dolphin Resort.
Todd English’s BlueZoo
The diners were long gone.
The bar was still ready for service.
This bar has the rare reputation of being worthy of the designation as a “Mixology Bar”. The cocktails were skillfully created before our eyes by a truly competent bartender. While the first selection was excellent, it was the flamboyant “Burnt Orange” that I had been dying to try.
Serenity: a masterful combination of square one cucumber vodka, st. germain elderflower liqueur, muddled strawberries, basil, rosemary, and a splash of lime and pineapple juice
Oh yeah, baby!
Burnt Orange: herradura blanco infused with brûléed orange and muddled with agave nectar, grand marnier, and orange juice. topped with a flaming orange
This was not just about show, the brûléed brown sugar on the orange wedge settled into the cocktail and added burnt caramel undertone to what would have otherwise been too sweet of a drink. That is to say, I lurved it.
Our leisurely evening around Crescent Lake was all that I had hoped. We strolled, we drank, we noshed and we enjoyed each other’s company. Everything a vacation should be, in my eyes.
Next Up: You guys, Animal Kingdom is truly extraordinary!