This Disney World Hotel Is SCREAMING for Help and No One’s Listening

Disney’s BoardWalk Resort lost a MAJOR part of its identity earlier this year, and a similar replacement doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon.

When the BoardWalk first opened in 1996, the opulent hotel was different than its fellow Disney hotel brethren. While its guest facilities were on par with Disney World’s other deluxe offerings, the hotel offered something that the others didn’t. The BoardWalk wasn’t only themed to be a turn-of-the-20th-century Atlantic Seaboard boardwalk resort; it actually featured a quarter-mile boardwalk entertainment district that featured restaurants, snack shops, and even nightlife that arguably rivaled the area that was at the time known as Downtown Disney!

For the first three decades of the BoardWalk’s existence, one of the resort’s defining entertainment venues was Jellyrolls.

The piano bar became a favorite for many guests thanks to its dueling pianists, who would often engage in improvisational bits as well as playing the biggest songs of the 70′s, 80′s, 90′s, and 00’s (which guests could specifically request using $1 and $5 bills). In addition, the full bar – including the nightly “Jellyroll of the Day” drink special – and popcorn probably helped.

Jellyrolls was an 18+ establishment, and charged a cover charge ($22 as of early 2025). At the end of its lifespan, the lounge was operating from 7:00 PM to 1:45 AM each night.

Despite the bar’s cult favorite status, JellyRolls closed for good in April of 2025, joining other BoardWalk mainstays like the ESPN Club and Big River Grille & Brewing Works in the Disney history books.  At the time, the bar released a statement saying that they would be reopening off of Walt Disney World property, but whether that happens or not, an era has ended at the BoardWalk, it’s one I’ll miss as someone whose been visiting Disney World regularly over the last three decades.

While the resort still offers several restaurants we enjoy — including The Cake Bake Shop, Tratttoria al Forno, and Flying Fish — the closure of Jellyrolls means there’s only two night establishments left on the BoardWalk: The Atlantic Dance Hall, a“stylish nightclub” allows guests 21+ to dance to hits from the ‘80s, ‘90s and today and Abracadabar, a magic-themed lounge.

While Disney hasn’t announced that either of these venues is closing anytime soon, it doesn’t seem like a stretch to imagine that one or both of them may not be long for Walt Disney World. As for the Jellyrolls site, rumors have been circulating that it may be replaced by a Jazz-themed club, though there’s been no confirmation of this.

A major part of what originally made Disney’s BoardWalk Resort unique seems to be disappearing! Stay tuned to AllEars for more on its evolution.

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What do you hope replaces Jellyrolls at the BoardWalk? Let us know in the comments below.