My Review of The Beak & Barrel at Magic Kingdom

The Beak and Barrel

On my recent trip to Walt Disney World Resort, I happened to be visiting Magic Kingdom on the Opening Day of The Beak and Barrel! This new pirate themed lounge is located next door the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in Adventureland. Serving a variety of beverages (alcoholic and non) as well as a few light bites. All ages are welcome, though you will need a reservation in advance and are limited to only 45 minutes in the establishment at this time. They also don’t want you getting your sea legs so alcoholic beverages are limited to two per person (21+ of course). Drink up responsibly me hearties!

My journey began with already having a party ticket to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party on August 29th - the Beak and Barrel’s opening day. While getting a reservation was as difficult as finding buried treasure at first (the reservations were halted due to technical difficulties and released later and I was not immediately successful in snagging one). I did end up getting a reservation by using a paid alert service through Stakeout, that I use regularly for snagging hard to get reservations for myself and clients. NOT SPONSORED (but open to it). I was able to modified up to a 9:10pm reservation and took some time out of my Halloween partying to check it out.

First impressions were jaw dropping. The space is completely immersive and very well themed and imagineered. You can see how much thought was put into the space and it’s almost overwhelming to try to take it all in.

Welcome to the Map Room

I was placed with two other singles and one couple in the map room. This space is standing only around a large table, most likely meant for studying maps. I immediately noticed the cannonball lodged into the wall behind me across from a large hole in the wall. Hmmm…

The menu features wine, beer, and rum (of course) as well as specialty cocktails. There are two Non-alcoholic specialty beverages available as well as a few bites “From the Galley”. I stuck to beverages only this visit and as I don’t imbibe it was the two non-alcoholic drinks for me - even if they were obviously geared to children “For the Buckos!” is written right there on the menu.

The Treasure Trove

The Cursed Treasure was my least favorite of the two. This felt like drinking a cookies and cream milkshake, but with coconut water instead of ice cream. It wasn’t bad, but it was a dessert in a mug that was just not for me. Heavy on the coconut flavors and the cookie crumbs gave for a weird texture thing I just was not a fan of.

On the other hand I loved the Treasure Trove which was light and refreshing and almost an elevated Lemonade in flavor. This came with a Vanilla Cake Pop, Chocolate “cannonball” Truffle and some Caramel Popcorn to snack on. The cake pop was VERY sweet, but really good and the chocolate was the perfect little nosh on the side. I’ll be honest though, I don’t know that my kids would be into either option and the limited food choices are not exactly picky eater friendly so come prepared!

During my 45 minute stay here I got to witness several activations that happen throughout the lounge. One time we were instructed to cover our ears to not hear the Siren’s Song. Then about 10 minutes later the map room revealed some secret messages. Later Rummy the Parrot lead us all in a round of song getting us all to sing YO HO YO HO A Pirate’s Life for Me! This animatronic parrot truly is a delight, and while I couldn’t see him from the map room, it was easy to pop out and catch him appearing over the bar from time to time. I know there are other interactions that I wasn’t able to see during my visit, which is a fun thing to look forward to on future visits.

Some of the fun artifacts that can be found throughout the lounge

The highlight here is 100% the staff and I encourage you to really lean in to the storytelling of being a pirate crew when you enter here. It will lead to so much more fun both with your interactions and your experience. This is nothing new when it comes to Disney, but the Cast Members are who truly breathe life into these types of spaces and make it feel so immersive. I had so much fun and it was not at all awkward or less fun because I was solo.

I did take a walk around once I settled my debts to see some of the other corners of the space and I’m sure there are so many Easter Eggs that I didn’t catch, but that just means I’ll have to come back.

TIPS FOR VISITING:

• Make a reservation at that 60 day mark so you don’t miss out! Can’t snag one, set up an alert!

• Check out the menu beforehand and make a game plan so you don’t waste any of your 45 minutes there trying to decide what to get.

• Know that you may be standing or seated with other parties. This is part of the theming and while I was worried about it at first I actually had some great interactions with the folks at my big table and it made the experience so much fun.

• Pay attention! There are fun things that happen every 10 minutes or so and you’ll want to experience them - Don’t worry, they will be impossible to miss so enjoy it when they come.

• Definitely lean in to the story and take in all the details.

Want help planning your next trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth? Reach out today!

xo, Molly