Jelly Rolls, the dueling piano bar at Disney's Boardwalk, is stuck in time – it looks and feels exactly the same as when I first visited in the early 00s. In some ways, that’s a good thing. Resident star Scotty is still one of the best live musicians I’ve ever seen. And the prices -- $6.25 I think for a beer – seemed ridiculous a decade and a half ago, but are now some of the lowest on property. The $15 cover still grates, but now barely more than a 3-D movie at AMC, when it used to be double the price. On the flip side, it’s the same odd mountain-lodge-meets-neon-beer-sign warehouse décor it’s always been. And 80% the same song line-up as 2002: expect “Sweet Caroline”, “Don’t Stop Believing” and a ton of Billy Joel. At least service has improved, which was always a major drawback along with the prices.
The bar is basically the Ken doll of Orlando’s dueling piano venues – it’s oddly sexless. While Howl at the Moon revels in using naughty words, and Pat O’Brian’s is known to work blue after 10 pm, the most risqué thing you’ll hear here is Sir Mix-A-Lot, and you’ll also get a lot of songs from Disney cartoons and park attractions. While Howl subjects bachelorettes to “It’s A Small One After All” (a blistering parody of their groom’s manhood), the brides-to-be at Jelly Rolls are serenade by the “Tree in the Woods” song, with the exact lyrics and choreography you learned in kindergarten. Which I could maybe see if it was an all-ages venue, but it’s strictly 21+. To stress, the piano players are talented, just not the atmosphere you might expect.
Another odd thing: at 8 pm on a Friday night, the bar is packed. Forget finding a seat, good luck finding a square of floor space to stand. By 11, busy, but no real issue finding a seat. I left around midnight but I suspect by 1 it would be half empty. A strange pattern for this sort of bar. Also the median age went from AARP member to young Millennial as the night progressed.
I had no trouble parking around 9, but signs are up indicating it might have been on lock-down earlier. Thanks Skyliner.
All in all, not the worst way to spend a night at WDW. (Granted, the number of venues available to do that is a lot smaller than when I first went in 2001.) Improved service and more reasonable pricing make me inclined to go back once a month or so.