Defunct Disney World Fan-Favorite Jellyrolls Announces New Piano Bar Near Parks Opening in 2026!
One year after permanently closing its doors at the BoardWalk Resort in Walt Disney World, the fan-favorite dueling piano bar has confirmed that its reopening at a brand-new location with guest-friendly improvements in 2026. This shares full details, along with commentary about the future of the nighttime entertainment and dining at the Showplace of the Shore.
For those who were unfamiliar with it, Jellyrolls was a dueling piano bar featuring a team of talented musicians dazzle guests with their extensive repertoire of songs spanning decades. From the obscure tunes of yesterday to the hits of today, the skill and showmanship of Jellyrolls’ pianists takes center stage in a true dueling piano exhibition.
Jellyrolls Dueling Piano Bar announced last winter that it would be permanently closing its BoardWalk venue after the heart of Spring Break season last year, on Easter. That announcement came with a tease of the piano bar being resurrected down the road: “After nearly thirty years on Disney’s Boardwalk, Jellyrolls is making a move! Come celebrate with us into the spring season and keep your eyes on our social media for exciting new updates!”
It was later confirmed that Jellyrolls was not relocating to another location on Walt Disney World property. This makes sense, as one of the reasons for the closure (along with other third parties vacating BoardWalk) was believed to be the high rent charged by Walt Disney World.
That also put to rest fan speculation or wishful thinking that Jellyrolls would be relocating to Disney Springs or another WDW-owned resort. At that time, Jellyrolls had not revealed where it would move, or if they’ve even secured a lease elsewhere around Orlando at this point. Fast-forward a full year, and we have good news to share…
Officials with the company have confirmed via the Orlando Sentinel that Jellyrolls has lined up a new location less than 10 minutes from its former home. A grand opening is planned for late summer or early fall 2026.
Jellyrolls is building out a commercial space in Lake Buena Vista, a stone’s throw from resorts, shops and restaurants that cater to both tourists and locals, said Amber Antel, director of operations at Jellyrolls.
The new Jellyrolls location will feature free parking, and it’ll be much closer to the piano bar than was the case at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort. Patrons will also be able to be dropped off and picked up right at the front door by rideshare services, another change from Walt Disney World.
Jellyrolls has not confirmed where, exactly, its new location will be beyond Lake Buena Vista, Florida. That “city” is basically just Disney Springs, though, so there aren’t a lot of options that are both not part of Walt Disney World but still within LBV. My guess is that the new location is in one of the third party Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels, which are technically on-site but not owned by Walt Disney World.
Unless I’m mistaken, Hotel Plaza Boulevard is pretty much the only location that fits the above-mentioned parameters. Those hotels are 10 minutes from BoardWalk, non-Disney, and on the far edge of Lake Buena Vista. And if the build-out is already occurring, as stated, it’s probably visible/audible.
So…has anyone stayed in one of the Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels recently and heard or seen construction? We can probably figure out the specific spot with a reasonable degree of certainty. (Unless it’s not actually in LBV, but just on the other side of Vineland. In which case the new Jellyrolls won’t actually be on-site at Walt Disney World. Crossing that one road makes a world of difference.)
Antel told the Orlando Sentinel that it’s taken so long to find a spot because Jellyrolls owner Michael Williams was determined to find just the right location. Construction already has begun to transform the space into an entertainment venue.
Jellyrolls will retain many of the features that made it popular at Walt Disney World, such as specialty cocktails and its signature popcorn. The club will remain restricted to those age 21 and older, and the song list will still forgo overly sexual or violent lyrics. Presumably, there will still be a cover charge.
“We’re not going to change our standards,” said Scotty Kilwein, director of entertainment. “We want everyone to feel comfortable.” He expects many of his fellow piano players from the Walt Disney World location to return to Jellyrolls when the new location opens.
Jellyrolls will also make improvements over the defunct WDW location, including more technologically advanced sound and lighting. Even the stage will be given a makeover and made more prominent. “The room is being designed with the whole intention of the show being the focus,” Kilwein told the Orlando Sentinel. “It will be better for the musicians, and it will make everybody feel like they are part of the show.”
All of these improvements makes sense, as Jellyrolls was both showing its age at the BoardWalk and difficult to access due to security and parking restrictions at the resort. Even without the foot traffic and convention business from the Crescent Lake Resort Area, moving might be a net positive for Jellyrolls’ popularity, especially with (presumably) a much cheaper lease at one of the third party Disney Springs hotels.
Jellyrolls fans can sign up to be notified of the official location and opening date at jellyrollsorlando.com. Antel said she thinks music fans will find the new venue worth the wait. “We weren’t just looking for a new home, we were looking for the right home — one we intend to be in for a long time.”
Jellyrolls was an opening day BoardWalk original, and first opened in 1996. I’d honestly be surprised if it changed much between the 1990s and 2020s. The last time we stopped in at Jellyrolls, it was exactly the same as I remember from over a decade ago.
Although Walt Disney World has seen a revival of adult-centric bars and other offerings in the last several years, that hasn’t always been the case. For a while following the closure of Pleasure Island, Jellyrolls was one of the few adult-only offerings at Walt Disney World.
Between that and its nearly 30-year history, Jellyrolls has developed a loyal fan following. That’s more or less how we became ‘regulars’ of Jellyrolls at one time; Pleasure Island had closed, making Jellyrolls one of the de facto on-site hangouts for twentysomethings. It was also popular with College Program participants and younger Cast Members, who received free entry at one time (maybe still do).
Honestly, Jellyrolls lasted longer than we expected at the BoardWalk. There had been perpetual rumors about the imminent closures of both that and Atlantic Dance Hall for the better part of a decade. With Big River already gone, this had become the ‘dead’ end of the BoardWalk.
Big River and Jellyrolls aren’t the only two departures from Disney’s BoardWalk Resort. Prior to that, both ESPN Club and Ample Hills went out of business during the COVID closure. Subsequent to reopening, Walt Disney World began a multi-year reimagining of the BoardWalk.
This culminated with the opening of the Cake Bake Shop Restaurant by Gwendolyn Rogers. That also added BoardWalk Deli, Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs, and a few other minor changes. Most notable up until Cake Bake was the reimagined rooms at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, which are a bit of a mixed bag.
One year later, there’s still no word yet on any plans for a permanent replacement for Jellyrolls.
Don’t hold your breath on Walt Disney World revealing a replacement for Jellyrolls anytime soon. Big River Grille & Brewing Works abruptly closed two years ago, and it’s been radio silence from Walt Disney World since. We wouldn’t expect to hear anything from Disney for months. It wouldn’t surprise me the least if there’s no announcement until 2027.
Frankly, it doesn’t seem like Walt Disney World has a great idea of what to do with the BoardWalk. They’ve kind of let the ‘district’ fade with the expansion of Disney Springs, but at the same time, it’s still incredibly popular–especially during conventions–and Cake Bake has revitalized the other end of the area.
It’ll be interesting to see what replaces Jellyrolls at the BoardWalk in the long term. If we’re thinking about this logically, what makes the most sense is a sports bar & grill. Something that’s a mix between Jellyrolls, Big River and ESPN Club would be perfect. It would also fill a vital role that’s now conspicuously absent from this area.
There are a lot of dads and other sports fans who enjoy watching “the big game,” and there’s not a great option for that that’s easily accessible from the parks. This spot is easily accessible from EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as well as 10 resorts that cater to a wide range of demographics. A sports bar & grill makes a lot of sense here. Have the former Big River serve as the restaurant side, and Jellyrolls can be the bar half.
It’s unfortunate that this didn’t happen in 2019. Cake Bake Shop could’ve gone on this end and ESPN Club could still be operating in its old location had this been master-planned better. There’s only so much Disney can do with tenants ending their leases, but perhaps Walt Disney World could’ve foreseen this based on rents and receipts. It’s not like Big River or Jellyrolls were doing gangbuster business. Disney has a pretty good idea of whether third party tenants are viable.
If they’re looking for free ‘Armchair Imagineering’ about other potential concepts to revitalize the BoardWalk, we have no shortage of ideas in Top 10 Restaurant Replacement Concepts at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort.
While it’s fun to speculate about the possibilities, it’s probably also worth examining the reality that Disney’s BoardWalk isn’t the counterprogramming to Disney Springs that it was envisioned back in the 1990s.
There are still times when BoardWalk is absolutely hoppin’, but it certainly isn’t a huge hangout for locals. Walt Disney World’s restrictive resort parking rules have seen to that. Even though it’s easier to park at BoardWalk than, say, Grand Floridian or Contemporary (the Fort Knox of WDW), you’re still gambling on the whims of the Cast Member at the security guard booth. If they’re having a bad day or don’t like the cut of your jib, you’re out of luck.
More than anything else, that’s the biggest problem with the BoardWalk not serving as a secondary entertainment area at Walt Disney World. Despite the local population of Central Florida exploding in the last decade, the BoardWalk is less popular (as a destination, not a resort) than it was in the late 1990s.
It’s sad that Walt Disney World has allowed BoardWalk to languish, and there’s really no good excuse for it. Whatever problems the BoardWalk has are self-induced by Disney, and fixable with different choices. There are enough on-site guests with easy access to this area, not to mention a growing legion of locals, to make the BoardWalk sustainable. It’s Disney’s choices that have “doomed” the area.
This is precisely why we expect Jellyrolls to do better in the new location with free parking and convenient, curbside drop-off and pick-up. Even if it’s not in the heart of Walt Disney World, nestled between DHS and EPCOT and a half-dozen hotels, the new Jellyrolls should nevertheless be more accessible. We hope they do well and look forward to checking out the new Jellyrolls location during one of our upcoming Disney Springs Resort Area Hotel stays!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of Jellyrolls Dueling Piano Bar opening a new location in Lake Buena Vista? Any educated guesses as to where, specifically, it’ll be? Think that something will take its place on that end of the BoardWalk anytime soon? What would be your ideal replacement for Jellyrolls? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Horizon West probably has some room for them or maybe downtown Winter Garden
If they’re having a bad day or don’t like the “cut of your jib”
You lost a lost of Millennials with that one Tom, but I got a real “kick” when I read it, and I can certainly relate to its context!
Of course the kids can Google that phrase, but that’s no fun!
I don’t even want to stay at the boardwalk resorts anymore because it’s so sad. Such a waste. And it’s not rocket science: have a huge sports bar that is family friendly, a great QS spot and some musicians playing tunes. Make it fun but also accommodate families.
The ability to drop off and pick up right at the door brings to mind the old Laughing Kookaburra Lounge at the back of the Buena Vista Palace.
I think with the Boardwalk area entertainment development, WDW is afraid to make that area too WOW and exciting as it would attract too large of crowds from EPCOT/Hollywood to manage. So they keep it low key and basically boring so no one really hangs out there too long . Crowd control like they make Grand Floridian very boring and remove the beloved Gingerbread House . But they could at least put in a decent Ice Cream place at Boardwalk . The Cake Bake shop is very cute and well run but $25 for a cake slice is ridiculous. Gidgeons in Disney springs is SO MUCH better!
Crossing that one road makes a *world* of difference.
Well played, sir. Well played.
Honestly… downstairs deep in the caves of Hilton Buena Vista Palace would be perfect for this. It’s so dead down there with a sports bar, it would be perfect since it’s down below the lobby, and can be loud until late in the night without disturbing hotel guests trying to sleep. It’s also super close to the Springs, etc.
Buena Vista Palace is a great guess. It’s been years since I was down in those ‘caves’, but I remember there being a ton of dead space. IIRC both that hotel and one or two others also has a separate building(s) that could be put to use.
The old Kookaburro was one of my first thoughts, but I don’t think Hilton is going to put a free lot on-site when they get $40 to park. Could validate in theory, but the release makes it sound like a big open lot. Really why I think all of Hotel Plaza Blvd can be ruled out.
Colloquially among locals, “LBV” includes much of 535 and even the southern-most part of Palm Parkway (think the plaza with Kobe, Kittys, Player 1…). Assuming “10 minute drive” is a bit of an exaggeration, a couple of vacant restaurants in that area could probably work. Or may be thinking closer to LBV Outlets, counting on the incoming Mattel water park to drive tourism there.
It could also be located on Chelonia Parkway, near the Bonnet Creek horels.
Isn’t that technically Bay Lake? Not that it matters…my guess is that the owner probably wasn’t using the strict boundaries of LBV, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s actually outside the area.
The Boardwalk and Crescent Lake is such wasted space and wasted potential for Disney. They should definitely build it out as a quasi-extension of the parks. Why not build a Haunted Mansion themed bar here, or put the Pirates bar here instead of in MK? Or bring back the character dining? People visiting Epcot/HS would come for a drink or a bite, and it would give guests staying in the Crescent Lake resorts more dining options. I get that parking is an issue, but that is easily solved by running a shuttle bus from Epcot parking, and advising guests in advance that resort parking isn’t available for dining at these places.
we experienced some excellent dueling pianos on our disney cruise to alaska last summer. i swear they knew every song requested, it was so much fun!
Hopefully the truly epic neon Jellyrolls sign survives to make the move as well. If not, it absolutely needs to go to the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati to be properly preserved and appreciated!
Difficult to respect ‘creative minds’ that would close the Adventurers Club,. still hurts,.. my remaining but dwindling loyalty to Disney issues from such memories like a phantom limb,.
My family and I visited Jellyrolls back in 2004. We didn’t know much about it and made invalid assumptions. Since it was at a Deluxe Disney resort and was named after a famous Jazz musician, we expected the musicians would play jazz numbers, standards and other, traditional classics.
We arrived early and requested multiple examples of such songs. The musicians shrugged. They didn’t know any of the songs we requested. Nothing. Eventually, they started to feel bad. When I requested “Roll With the Changes”, one guy said, “OK, that’s a song we should know, but don’t”. He went backstage, printed some sheet music and did his best to play it.
When the crowds started to arrive, we then figured out Jellyrolls is a low brow, party place with watered-down drinks and people wanting to hear pop tunes like “It’s Raining Men”. Yeah, definitely a Frat Party vibe. Nothing wrong with that, but definitely not our thing. We finished our drinks and left.
I wish the new location well, but with the same business model, we won’t be visiting.
That’s almost identical to the review I gave Jellyrolls. So glad it’s not just me 🙂
They should call the new place The Piano Man, or anything but the name of a famous Jazz musician.
“Piano Man” brings to mind Billy Joel songs which would still suggest too high of a caliber. “Party Pop Tunes On Request!” might be more appropriate.
It seems Disney wants to appeal to wealthier guests these days. One would think that would inspire an upscale, adults-only club with classic cocktails and classic music. I suppose that doesn’t look good on a spreadsheet and will therefore never happen.
Disney’s ultimate venue would be an unmanned, roped-off, concrete slab with no shade and no seating where Chinese robots make cheap drinks at insane markups with public domain techno music blaring. (No doubt a Disney exec has already pitched that idea and it’s still under consideration.)
You sound like a ton of fun to hang with, lol!
I’m rewatching the imagineering series on Disney+. I think Disney has sourced the most creative talent on the planet and I find it hard to believe they don’t have any ideas; which then makes me think it’s about them putting a cap on the budget. Not sure why, but they don’t seem to have a problem with dead spaces or leaving shuttered doors remain that way. It seems they would rather do an entire land from foundation up rather than revamp an existing space.
We often start out our vacations for a night at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista, then move over to a Disney Resort. The only construction I’ve seen was where Hotel Plaza boulevard intersects with 535. I can’t say I paid attention for any signs indicating what was coming though.
The other thing confusing about Jellyrolls is the concept of a “dueling piano bar”. I thought since “piano” is in the description, there would be really good piano playing. Even if I misunderstood the genre because it’s named after one of the most famous jazz pianists of all time, I would still enjoy good piano playing. Instead, there were singers who had learned the basics to accompany themselves on piano. Not that there’s anything wrong with that– it’s just not what I thought we were paying a steep cover charge for.
Here are some other concepts the Jellyroll management might consider:
BB King’s Blues Shack — A Build-A-Bear knockoff where you stuff your own plush armadillo. The “blues” refers to the denim fabric option. Soundtrack: exclusively “Happy” by Pharrell on a loop.
Thelonious Monk’s Jazz Underground — A basement sports bar. The only monk involved is the guy in a bathrobe who won’t leave. The soundtrack is entirely Jimmy Buffett.
Miles Davis’s Blue Note Bistro — A paint-your-own-pottery studio. The “blue note” is the shade of glaze that’s always out of stock. They play the Kidz Bop Pandora station.
As one of those “completionist” types, who wants to experience everything at WDW at least once, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve planned to go to Jellyrolls, gotten to the door & looked at the cover charge, and said “nah”.
If empty seats is part of the reason for moving, they should look at this.
I think some of the comments here are doing a great disservice to the talent at Jellyrolls.
The roster of performers at closing were among the most gifted entertainers I’ve seen at Jellyrolls over the years. Most of them are skilled piano players. (I’d argue exceptional.) Sure, they play a lot of “party” songs – as requested by the audience. But that is far from all. I’ve requested many songs over the years – often deep cuts from favorite performers. On many occasions, a player has taken the time to learn a request backstage and play it later in the night. (I’m still in awe that Michael tackled Falling of the Rain by Billy Joel for me!)
Sure – Jellyrolls may not be for everyone – but the players deserve a lot of respect. I am fortunate to have seen many of them over the years – and am stoked that many are returning. If you enjoy music from the last seven decades or so – request a favorite. There’s a better than decent chance they will do it justice.
I hope Jellyrolls finds/maintains a clientele wherever they end up, but I am a little pessimistic. It seems like they have to be housed in an area where people are staying close by and want to wind down/turn up with convenience. Hopefully the DS hotels offer that if it is where they land. We have never stayed there so do not know the proximity. I wish them well.
Admittedly, we are no longer the Jellyrolls demographic, as we hardly drink anymore and are ready to sleep when our son is! With our first WDW trip in the late 1990s, however, we thought both BoardWalk and Pleasure Island were amazing! We were in the desired age demographic and growing up/living in Orange County, CA, it was such a difference to see the resorts catering to a younger crowd and offering alcohol (our parks were “dry” then and there was no Downtown Disney yet). It is a crime to see what has happened with BW. I am ok with things being frozen in time….if it works. BW is just forgotten and dying (died?) a slow death. “We’ve tried nothing and are all out of ideas” captures the mentality, meanwhile we could all spitball ideas that would work in seconds. Even if it was not built up to what it was in its heyday, I am still surprised that Disney does not do a character meal, which seems easily like money being left on the table, as they seem to be cash cows. And agree on the sentiment about not seeing the writing on the wall and holding off to choose to move the Cake Bake Shop to the BRG/JR area (lord knows it took long enough to open, another year would not have mattered!) and kept ESPN Zone – or build another sports bar themed venue, as that is severely lacking at WDW and again leaving money on the table at a minimum for those staying the Crescent Lake area. Brings back memories of being a kid raised at DLR and counting down the days to turning 21 to finally share the rite of passage of older friends to jump on the monorail to the Neon Cactus at the DLH for a drink while watching the Angels play on their big screen tv to jump back on the monorail back to DLR…simpler times!
This is good news. I never thought we would see it, but what I would like to see a thousand times more is Disney bringing back Mannequins Dance Palace from Pleasure Island!
I really wish Disney would formulate a plan for the Boardwalk. I really enjoy going there (and the whole Crescent Lake area) but especially today the number of boarded up locations and the lack of any Streetmosphere-types really makes it feel like a dead mall. The lack of planning and forward movement here is awful. Yes, some other resorts also have some shuttered spaces, but when the namesake feature of the resort has been allowed to wither to a shadow of its former self it makes me question Disney’s decision-making abilities even further.
“It was also popular with College Program participants and younger Cast Members, who received free entry at one time (maybe still do).”
I think you nailed the atmosphere of Jelly Rolls in that line. My take: the music is fun, and the musicians are quite talented, but everything else is, well, the equivalent of drinking jungle juice at a frat party. It’s fun once, but there are so many better options. In terms of drinks, everything is a better option.
As someone who’s been in Orlando multiple times a year since the 90s, it’s sad to say we avoid the Boardwalk specifically because it’s so difficult to get to. We’ve been three times since it opened, and that requires planning on transportation. There’s an embalance between the effort required and the payoff once you get there.
We went to Jellyrolls in the 90s and two months before it closed. And it was pretty much exactly the same. That was it’s charm. It was about the music, the fun and the energy. Looking forward to its return. Why Disney has let the BW get in this state is a crime.
“Why Disney has let the BW get in this state is a crime.”
Strongly agreed. It has big ‘we’ve tried nothing and are all out of ideas!’ energy. Whatever issues exist with BoardWalk, they are self-induced by WDW’s own policy choices.