25 Drinks of Christmas Countdown – Day 8: Old Fashioned at Belle Vue Lounge

The Christmas season is my absolute favorite time of the year. Growing up, one of the little things I loved most was getting an Advent calendar and counting down the days until Santa would be coming down the chimney. As I grew older, I had to leave Advent calendars in the rear view mirror,* but I still miss that daily countdown building anticipation to the big day. So, we’re going to start a virtual Advent calendar here at TouringPlans. For 2014, we are going to countdown our favorite drinks at Walt Disney World and the Universal Orlando Resort.

Criteria: Drinks can be alcoholic or nonalcoholic. Drinks can come from any venue on property as well as the Disney Cruise Line. Bonus points awarded for atmosphere where drink is served. Any drink with glow cubes is immediately disqualified. Ready? Let’s go!

DAY EIGHT: Old Fashioned at Belle Vue Lounge (Disney’s BoardWalk Inn)

 

Sometimes you just find the perfect drink in the perfect setting, and today we have that with an Old Fashioned at the Belle Vue Lounge. The overall theme of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn is a trip back through time, with guests being completely immersed within the aesthetic of an Atlantic seaside resort from the 1930s. Nowhere is that more evident than within the Belle Vue Lounge, which is like no other bar on WDW property and is a true hidden gem. Belle Vue will transport you back to a different era, when people took a break and sat down to enjoy conversation with friends, instead of just searching for an outlet to charge their smart phones. What we enjoy about having an Old Fashioned at the Belle Vue is that the drink is served very strong, a possible nod to the prohibition era the lounge’s theme takes place in.

Our recommendation is to grab a couple friends and spend some time at Belle Vue during your next WDW trip. There is generally not a crowd, the lounge has several complimentary games which you can play while wetting your whistle, and there is even old radio broadcasts being played over the speakers. You should also take some time and walk around the room, looking at all the wonderful little details from a time in history that may be “old fashioned,” but never truly goes out of fashion.

 

PREVIOUS DRINKS OF CHRISTMAS:

DAY ONE: Shark Attack at Chez Alcatraz

DAY TWO: Grand Marnier Slush at Epcot

DAY THREE: Flaming Moe at Moe’s Tavern

DAY FOUR: Sunken Treasure on the Disney Cruise Line

DAY FIVE: Mai Tai at Emeri’s Tchoup Chop

DAY SIX: Avocado Margarita at La Cava del Tequila

DAY SEVEN: Pumpkin Fizz at the Three Broomsticks

See you tomorrow for the next entry into the 25 Drinks of Christmas Countdown, where we are going to head into Epcot’s World Showcase. If you had fun, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch!  and Saturday Six articles, or, for your listening pleasure, check out the Pardon the Pixie Dust podcast. Your humble author can also be seen producing typos at an inhuman rate on Twitter: @derekburgan

Interested in theme park drinks? Then do we have a eBook for you! The Walt Disney World Bars and Lounges eGuide by Brian McNichols. Over 250 pages and containing well over 400 photos, this eGuide takes you through EVERY bar and lounge on WDW property (trust me, Brian has the kidneys problems to prove it!) Also included? Recipes for some of your favorite WDW drinks. Ratings, descriptions, and photos for each of the 70+ bars and lounges. Talk about the perfect Christmas present!

Special thanks to crack staff photographer Brandon Glover and Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. Be sure to also check out Brandon on The Park Blogger podcast with co-hosts Aengus Mackenzie and Brian Carey.

*That is an absolutely lie. I still buy an advent calendar every year with chocolates in it, and I also buy an annual box of Christmas Crunch, but we’ll keep that between us.