Dunc's Bar Reviews

[Dunc]

OK, let's move along. Day 7. Jiko - also SSR pool bar, very briefly.

During the afternoon, Teresa was working by the pool in the Grandstand section. This was a pretty quiet area, most of the time, although slightly spoiled by several people who seemed to actually live in the spa pool, and obviously had hearing problems, as they spent most of their time shouting at each other. I popped over to the pool bar to get her a drink at one point (water). I had a Long Island Iced Tea, purely in the interests of research. It was ok. It didn't really feel like one of those bars you wanted to sit at and engage the barman in conversation. He was probably very happy about this.

At about 5.30, we Ubered over to AKL. I'm not sure if Ubering was a verb previously, but it is now. We had a 6.30 ADR at Jiko, and I wanted to check out the bar. Teresa ordered a pineapple juice. I had my usual. It was very nice, and the barman was friendly in a 'don't talk to me, I'm busy' sort of way. The view from Jiko is of some fake rocks. Fabulous food, and had a long lecture from the over-attentive waiter about South African wines. The cheapest was $53 per bottle, and costsŁ4.99 in Sainsburys. I stuck with the LIIT's from the bar, tipping a dollar a drink. I had 3. On the way back, we Ubered to the Boardwalk, because I wanted to go to Jellyrolls. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough cash for the entrance fee. They wouldn't take MB's on the door, although they do accept them for drinks. We then made the mistake of getting the bus to DS. It was St. Patrick's Day. The bus stopped at the Swan and Dolphin, picking up many noisy green-clad revellers en route. It was a nightmare. The Springs was heaving (literally, in some cases). We walked back to SSR.

Day 9. (Nothing to report from Day 8). Cali Grill brunch.

I'd really been looking forward to this. Unlimited Mimosas.
On arrival, we went up to the bar, and were offered a Mimosa from the large trays set up on the bar. We took in the view and were shown to our table. The waiter didn't notice my Mimosa was almost empty, so I drank Teresas'. We had tons of food. I had to ask for another mimosa. After a while, I took a break to go to the bar area, ostensibly to look at the view, but really to get another mimosa from the bar. Went back to table. Teresa had gone to the loo. The waiter noticed our lack of Mimosage, and brought two new ones. I drank both, and when Teresa got back, I said the waiter was rubbish and hadn't brought any new drinks. I think it was five, in all. To be fair, they weren't very strong. Slept most of afternoon.

Next - Day 10. Nomad's

[Goldia]

Reading along. I can't wait to find out where the best long Island ice teas are served. did you try any manhattan's? We love a bourbon cocktail.

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Awesome. This thread is brilliant! I suspect the bartender at Jiko's was Brian.

[Dunc]

Mr. Tom, Big guy? Early 40's? He made a good Long Island...

Goldia, the best Long Islands were definitely Cali Grill, although this may have something to do with the altitude...

Day 10. Nomad's.

I'd previously read a review and seen pictures on easywdw, and was looking forward to this in a big way. We planned to spend an evening at AK, finishing off with the tree light show (ROL wasn't running that evening). So, we arrived about 6, and went straight to Nomad's. It was pretty empty. One person at the bar, one table occupied inside, and one outside. Beautiful place. I walked to the bar. The barman told me to get a table, and a server would be along soon. Presumably he was too busy to take our order, as he had one customer at the bar already. So, being of a polite disposition, we took a table on the verandah, and waited for the sole server to finish having a chat with the only other occupied table in view. After about 10 minutes, she was still talking, and we started walking. Not the best... I consoled myself back at SSR with some of Teresa's gin.

Day 11. Yacht Club - Lobby bar and Steakhouse. Jellyrolls.
We had a 7pm ADR at the Steakhouse, so Ubered to the YC. Got dropped at the BC, as the back route from YC to RC in the car park was closed off for repairs. Was ok, as it's only about a half hour walk through the corridors.
We had an hour or so, and decided to revisit the Lobby bar (can't remember the name. Something to do with boats, or captains. Not The Crews Cup, which is more of a pub layout. It'll come to me later. ) Anyway, guess what I had a couple of? And Teresa had an Amber Ale. Apparently this is not a brand name, as when I ordered, the server asked which Amber Ale I wanted. Every day's a schoolday. I tipped a dollar a drink, and was pleased to notice that the previous customer did the same. (I've been tipping a dollar a drink since 1989.) Drinks were lovely, and we had some truffle fries, which are amazing. After all, it was ages until dinner...
Dinner was fabulous, as was our table, which was right in the middle of the bay window. I love the tablecloths. I've heard that it's the only WDW restaurant that uses tablecloths apart from V&A (I'm quite prepared to be shot down on this, it's just something I read, somewhere).
We had a bottle of Syrah. $59, but well worth it. A really fabulous wine. When buying wine at a restaurant, I tend to order the third least expensive wine on the menu. The steaks were excellent - we both had the 6oz Fillet, which was more than ample.

After dinner, we ambled over to Jellyrolls, and got a high-top table at the back (which is at the front, essentially), avoiding the pit where the customers are hoping to be chosen to embarrass themselves by being called upon to impersonate teapots, or unicorns).

It was server territory. Previously I'd always sat at the bar. However, she was very good, and supplied me with several Buds, and a glass. She also did a pretty good unicorn on stage at one point. I found it a bit over-miked. Might be just my age. It was a tad early to be really good. I mostly used to get there about 10, which is about when I left this time.

Oh yeah, Ale and Compass Lounge...

Next: Day 12 - Citricos, Mizners, Traders, Tambu Lounge.

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Dunc. Sounds like Brian. Sometimes has a beard sometimes not. Tends to shave his head or like me has a No1.

[Pumba75]

Brilliant.

[eeyore]

This is just my kind of report. Love it so far. Thanks. Feels like we need a long island ice tea top 3 at the end

[Dunc]

Final instalment.

Day 12. We had an ADR at Citrico's. 6ish, I believe. Ubered over and were shown to a table straight away. The waiter was a tad glum, and slightly formal. We ordered Bud (me), and some cocktail which I didn't keep a record of (Teresa). I ordered the Bud because they had no draught lagers. The Bud was in a can, but at least they gave me a glass. Up to this point, I wasn't too impressed. A signature at the GF. Bud in a can. Hmmm.

Then everything changed. Teresa tried the cocktail, and pronounced it undrinkable. On enquiring her reasons for this, she informed me that it tasted like it was just made of alcohol. I was immediately intrigued, and offered to take one for the team, and drink it myself. Unfortunately, as stated, I didn't write down what it was called, or made of. (sorry, preposition at the end of a sentence. What did I do that for?) I drank it. It was vicious. In a very good way. It may have been a large glass of pure alcohol with a sprig of mint. The meal was served very fast, and in an efficient manner. Very clinical. We decided to take in a couple of drinks in the bar next door. Mizners.

What a lovely place. Nicely spaced tables, excellent service - I decided to let the server take over, rather than order from the bar. I had 2 Long Island Iced Teas. They were lovely. Teresa had a glass of white wine, which she pronounced the best wine she'd ever had. No idea what it was. Highly recommended as a place to stop off if you're fed up with the bloody monorail which is ALWAYS packed when I go on it, and seems to take forever to get anywhere. We then decided to go to Trader Sam's again, after a terrific visit the previous week. It was full, so we went to the deck bar outside. After several hours, a server approached. I asked for a Long Island Iced Tea, having been impressed by the one I had on the previous visit. I was told I couldn't have one, and that they only served what was on the menu. The one I was holding. Which had no prices. We left. Just as the fireworks were starting. Not great.

Consoled ourselves with a visit to the Tambu Lounge, where Long Island was available, but the experience was diminished due to the lack of atmosphere - it's a nice bar when you're anticipating a meal at Ohana, but as a stand alone experience, it's just a lobby bar.

Day 13 and last. Turf Club bar at SSR.

We popped over to the Turf Club Grille at 7pm and asked if we could get a table for about 8. This was no problem, and we decided to wait at an outside table with a couple of drinks from the bar next to the restaurant, which is like a hole in the wall. I had at least 2 Long Island Iced Teas, as I wanted a bit of variety in my life. It was lovely sitting outside. Very peaceful, and a nice setting overlooking the boat dock. The meal was excellent. The service, both from the barman and the waiter were really friendly, and made me wish we'd spent more time here during our stay.

And now...

The top 3 Long Island Iced Teas.
1. Cally Grill. Some of this is due to the location, and sense of occasion.
2. Jock Lindsay's.
3. Mizners.

The top 3 bar experiences.
1. Trader Sam's - reminds me of Adventurer's Club, a little. Indoors only. Outdoors was baaaad.
2. Jock Lindsay's - so much to look at.
3. Mizners - lovely atmosphere.

The top

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Dunc. Excellent report, thank you for posting it.
I agree with your comments about Mizners being nice. A first class place to relax and have the advantage of the waitress service. Nice peanuts as well!

[Kate]

Really enjoyed your report. Must try Trader Sam's. Really miss the Adventurers Club!