While visiting the theme parks at Disney World is fun and all, there’s plenty MORE fun to be had back at the hotel.
Disney World hotels are filled with super immersive theming, some great shops, and even restaurants to indulge in some themed cuisine after a day in the parks. One hotel perk that we believe is slept on by many Disney World visitors is the POOL BAR! No matter the temperature or time of year, you can always hang out by the pool bars and chat around some cocktails and small bites.
While many pool bars require you to be staying at that hotel to be able to enter the pool gate and even approach the bar, many bars have walkup windows outside the gate or are located outside of the gate entirely. This means that you can walk up whenever, and you don’t even need to be staying at that hotel to have some drinks there.
This post will highlight all of the spots that you can visit regardless of hotel reservations, all to create the ULTIMATE Disney World pool bar crawl. Let’s go!
Barefoot Pool Bar
Located at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort at the Lava Pool, Barefoot has a walk-up window that allows anyone to indulge here.
Here, we recommend the Voyager drink, and you can even get fan-favorites like Mango Margaritas and other tiki drinks. Yep, you can even get some served up in a coconut! For food, we enjoyed the Fried Wonton Chips, Black Pepper Parmesan Chicken Wings, and the Grilled Chicken Avocado Wrap. If you’re looking for more of a tiki, beachy vibe, this is the pool bar for you!
Bar Riva
Bar Riva is located right next to the pool at Disney’s Riviera Resort and has indoor seating. This is a European/Mediterranean bar and eatery that provides light nourishment while you lounge.
Here, we like the Burrata Salad and the Vegetable Skewers. Oh, and did we mention that you can enjoy BAKED BRIE here? Yep, it’s a winner! We like coming here for food, but there are also plenty of cocktails to choose from.
The Drop Off
Located at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, The Drop Off is located next to the hotel’s main pool area — the Big Blue Pool.
This is a great spot for drinks, and even has a spiked POG juice drink — Frozen POG Juice Rum Punch.We also enjoyed the Spiked Hibiscus Lemonade!
Hurricane Hannas Waterside Bar and Grill
Hurricane Hannas is located just outside the pool area at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. Here, you’ll have a great view of Stormalong Bay and Crescent Lake!
The last time we were here, we enjoyed the gigantic Storm Chaser cocktail. Another thing we enjoy about dining here is that you can actually get kids meals that are served in a pail! Then, you have a meal AND a pool toy!
Well, what do you think? Will you be enjoying any of these pool bars soon? We’ll continue to keep you updated with more Disney news and advice, so make sure to follow along for more so that you never miss a thing and are always in the loop.
Interested in more Disney World pool news? Click here!
Need Disney Restaurant Advice? We’ve Got EVERYTHING You Need to Know
The ONLY Disney Dining Planning Tool You’ll Need Is Here – Get the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining!
See Our Complete Disney World Restaurants Guide
The Best Magic Kingdom Restaurants
The Best EPCOT Restaurant Restaurants
The Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants
The Best Animal Kingdom Restaurants
The Best Disney Springs Restaurants
Check Out Dozens of Disney Dining Tips and Tools
Learn All About Tipping at Disney Restaurants
How to Use Mobile Order in Disney World
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest Disney food news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
Have you ever visited any of these pool bars? Let us know in the comments!






Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.

TRENDING NOW
We just got a TON of news about what to expect from Horizons: A Carousel...
There's a MASSIVE problem happening at Disney's Wilderness Lodge -- the second one in just...
This is not a drill! Egg Sandos have officially hit EPCOT!
These are the best days NOT to go to the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival.
This popular Muppets Souvenir Cup is GONE at Hollywood Studios after only one week!
Hot take: the longest line at Disney isn’t for a ride, it’s for your own...
We think we'll be getting some BIG Disney World announcements this week!
If you want to enter, you'll need to act FAST!
Getting to Disneyland Paris is currently a LOT harder for the next few weeks!
Prices have gone up at a Disney World restaurant.
We're loving these Disney shirts that you can snag at Walmart!
Here are seven items you should order on Amazon right now for some Disney magic!
A big change may be coming to EPCOT's Germany Pavilion soon!
We're breaking down the concept art for the NEW restaurant coming to Disney World!
This is the walkway that we try to avoid in Disney World -- because it's...
Here's why you shouldn't book that long table service reservation right in the middle of...
These Disney World restaurants might be cheaper than you think, but their value is what...
An October Extended Evening Hours date was just added for Animal Kingdom!
You need to grab these custom Disney souvenirs off Amazon!
Loungefly just introduced a new process to buying exclusive, limited merchandise online, and it's gonna...