Our guide to the best bars and places to imbibe in alcohol at Disneyland Paris covers the resort hotels, Disney Village, and parks themselves. Unlike every other Castle Park in the world, alcohol is sold to the general public in Disneyland Paris. It was the first Disneyland-style park to break with the ‘no-alcohol’ tradition when it was added to table service restaurant menus way back in 1993 (when the park was still EuroDisney!) because guests expected it as part of the “French experience.”
Locations to purchase booze in Disneyland Paris are now more widespread and even include counter service restaurants (where you can substitute a soda for a beer or wine–for a fee), but the best places are still outside of the parks, in Disney Village and the hotel bars. These establishments are open long after Disneyland Paris and the Walt Disney Studios Park close, making a late night bar crawl a great way to spend an evening at Disneyland Paris.
As such, we’ve put together what we’re calling our “Festivités d’Alcool à Disneyland Paris” (which is probably a total grammatical slaughtering, but just roll with it) for a fun nightcap at Disneyland Paris. Exploring the various Disneyland Resort Paris bars is a lot of fun, and this is a good way to see hotels besides the one at which you’re staying. Plus, all of these bars are within a short walk of one another, so it’s easy to hit them all in a night or two.
We won’t be offering specific suggestions for these location because, like the U.S. Parks, which have what I “lovingly” refer to as the Generic DisneyParks® Drink Menu®, the bars of Disneyland Paris also have a generic menu. This time, it’s called the Carnet de Bar. On the plus side, some bars do offer additional drinks and snacks with a supplement in the generic menu. HelloDisneyland has great high-res copies of all menu pages.
These bars are listed below in the order you should visit them after leaving Parc Disneyland for the night. Ready? Alright, let’s start the festivities…
Disneyland Paris Hotel: Café Fantasia – As the name suggests, this bar is inspired by Fantasia, which means a musical motif. Sorta an interesting choice for a bar catering to adults, but it more or less works. I mean, there aren’t giant pink hippos twirling around in tutus, so at least that’s a plus. This bar is definitely better at night, when the soft-lighting gives it an even more relaxed, adult vibe, and the piano player energizes the establishment just a little. Even though it’s somewhat tucked away above the lobby of the hotel, it’s still one of the more popular bars at Disneyland Paris. In the early evening, crowds routinely spill out into the lobby (also a holding area for the nearby restaurants), which is known as the Main Street Lounge.
Disney Village: Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon – Based on my observations in passing by here, this seems to be the place people pre and post-game for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The atmosphere here is raucous and decidedly western. (I still can’t quite comprehend France’s obsession with the wild west, which seems at odds with…pretty much everything else about the French.) It’s also always fairly busy, being in a prime location for foot traffic as guests leave Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park.
Disney’s Newport Bay Club: Captain’s Quarters – Amidst Newport Bay Club’s dramatic refurbishment that has transformed the hotel, Captain’s Quarters Bar has seen a refresh that has given it a more well-appointed look and feel, reminiscent of where luxury yacht owners would puff on cigars after a long day of doing whatever it is that yacht owners do. (Swimming in money pits Scrooge style, one would imagine.) While the change here is not as dramatic as elsewhere in the hotel, the difference as compared to my previous visit was noticeable, with new carpet, furniture, and detail work giving it a fresh look. This ranks at my third favorite (maybe second, depending upon my mood) bar at Disneyland Paris, and also sports its own page of drink options in addition to the standard stuff.
Disney’s Sequoia Lodge: Redwood Bar & Lounge – This is easily my favorite bar at Disneyland Paris, particularly on a chilly winter evening. It’s like a traditional lodge bar with post-modern accents, and Redwood Bar & Lounge transports you right out of Paris and into the Ahwahee at Yosemite (Err…Majestic Yosemite Hotel), warming up fireside after a winter hike. The furniture is large and luxurious, the lights are low and lit by white strands of Christmas lights in a window that look through to the lobby. Especially on a winter evening, this is one of my top picks for places to drink at Disneyland Paris. Sitting in the center of Redwood Bar, curled up on a lounger right next to that warm, pass-through fireplace…there’s no better place to drink in all of Disneyland Paris.
Note: If time is an issue, consider skipping the next two stops. They are, in my opinion, the weakest on the Festivités d’Alcool à Disneyland Paris bar crawl…
Disney’s Hotel New York: New York City Bar – Like the hotel itself, New York City Bar has a 1990s post-modern chic, albeit with a more subdued style here. There are sketches of New York on the walls and rich woods that attempt to class up the joint a bit, but it’s all still unmistakably 1990s…and unmistakably bland. It’s like a mash-up of Central Perk from Friends and Cheers from Cheers, but without any character. On the plus side, one of Disneyland Paris’ best bartenders works here. Also, when I stayed at Hotel New York a couple of years ago, I dined here almost every night, and the service was consistently the best I have had at Disneyland Paris.
Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe: Rio Grande Bar – I give Hotel Santa Fe a lot of guff, but in fairness, that’s because it is an abomination and an utter embarrassment to the “Disney” name. This hotel continues the fine tradition of Hotel Santa Fe, in what feels like a repurposed elementary school cafeteria. I guess if you want to watch soccer–or rugby or cricket or whatever made up sport Europe likes these days–the large television makes it an okay option. Otherwise, the far, far better option is across the way at Hotel Cheyenne.
Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne: Red Garter Saloon – For me, the contrast between Hotel Santa Fe and Hotel Cheyenne couldn’t be any more stark. Cheyenne is basically everything Santa Fe is not: underrated, charming, and not styled after a prison. It also has one of the best lounges at Disneyland Paris. While the menu is the same generic one as everywhere else (with a few surprises at the back–including, appropriately enough, some whiskies) the big draw here is that there are excellent seating areas both inside and outside the Saloon, including one around a fire pit. I still prefer Redwood Bar & Lounge, but Red Garter Saloon is a bit of a diamond in the rough–just like Hotel Cheyenne, in general.
That’s a wrap. Although, if you really want to be hardcore, you could venture out to Crockett’s Saloon at Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch (we’ve never done that one!). Bonus points if you make that your last stop on Festivités d’Alcool à Disneyland Paris, and successfully manage to stumble your way back to your own hotel!
For the basics of planning a visit to Disneyland Paris, check out our Disneyland Paris Trip Planning Guide. Want to see more photos or read about Disneyland Paris in agonizing detail? Check out our Disneyland Paris Trip Report!
YOUR THOUGHTS…
Have you tried your own Festivités d’Alcool à Disneyland Paris? Which bars at Disneyland Paris are your favorites? Any specific drink recommendations from the Disneyland Paris pros? Is a doing a bar crawl after a long day at Disneyland Paris something that appeals to you? Are you the #1 super fan of Hotel Santa Fe? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your questions and thoughts in the comments!
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