There are some treats that are worth traveling for. We are usually in need of a walk after work, and the heat is keeping us away from the parks during the day. Kim and I wanted to get out and decided to revisit a Disney lounge where we have had a lot of fun in the past that required some walking to get to. We settled on a stroll to the Crew’s Cup Lounge in Disney’s Yacht Club Resort.

The Yacht Club is one of the furthest resorts within walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios. To get there you either have to exit out the back exit in Epcot by United Kingdom, take the walkway from Hollywood Studios past Boardwalk, or park at Disney Springs for free and take a bus directly to the hotel. There are a lot of ways to get to the Yacht Club and multiple nearby resorts and parks, so it’s never that out of the way from somewhere. We always enjoy parking at Hollywood Studios and making the long walk. It’s easy to get in and out of parking and you don’t have to worry about access to your car if it gets late and the parks are closed.

We made the walk from Studios to Boardwalk, which isn’t too bad at night. It’s worth stopping along the Boardwalk railing and taking in the view of The Yacht and Beach Club Resorts across the water. Portions of the hotel are lined with lights that reflect perfectly off the still water at night. We continued into the Beach Club to get out of the heat and walked indoors most of the rest of the way. There were some people still swimming at the pool, but the hallways were basically empty. Beaches & Cream Soda Shop did have a line and a crowd of people waiting outside. We finally arrived at the Crew’s Cup Lounge next door to the Yachtsman Steakhouse.

There is a small sailboat outside to mark the front entrance to the boat themed lounge and restaurant. I imagine the Crew’s Cup would be a place to grab a drink or wait for a table at the The Yachtsman SteakHouse next door. There is even a window into the room in between the lounge and restaurant with all the prime cuts of meat being served on display. The Crew’s Cup is open from 4:30-11pm and The Yachtsman is open from 5-9:30pm. When we arrived at 10 o’clock on a Friday, the Lounge was empty. We chose a seat at the bar to get a good look at the beers on draft.

The name Crew’s Cup refers to the sport of crew or rowing. Strangely the lounge is decorated exclusively to this theme. The lounge has a very earthy feeling, as all the structures, tables and chairs are brown or made of wood. I imagine this is in reference to the wooden boats or oars used in rowing. A full sized crew boat hangs from the ceiling in the center of the lounge. The “Cups” or trophies won by the crew team can also be spotted behind the bar. The lighting inside seemed to be lowered a bit which combined with all the brown made for a dark calm setting. Sports were on the TV behind the bar the entire time we were there, although the sound was off.

There were multiple staff members working, although some of them may go between the Yachtsman and the lounge. We were quickly greeted and ordered a Cigar City Jai Alai IPA draft. The price in this location is a little bit cheaper at $8.75 for a 16 oz beer. Although the beer menu isn’t huge it is adequate and there are a few unusual options. They definitely make sure to carry local Florida brewery beers here both in can and on tap such as Crooked Can from Winter Garden. The Crew’s Cup is a full liquor bar and they do have a small Signature Cocktails menu that includes a Captain’s Mai Tai for $11.75. They also offer a Mocktail menu identical to the one in Martha’s Vineyard Lounge in Beach Club Resort.
There is a full food menu available to order from the Crew’s Cup. This is available during dinner hours from 5-10pm. We were there after 10 so we took a look at the reduced menu. We decided to order the Everything Pretzel for $12. When the waiter returned they were carrying a large plate with a giant pretzel on it. We did not expect there to be so much, but it ended up being a good thing. The pretzel was warm and just the right amount of crunchy. The texture of the dough and seasonings on top made the pretzel into a hybrid everything bagel. It was fresh and good enough to be eaten on its own, but there were three options for dipping the pretzel. The bowl of warm orange cheese sauce tasted about average, but they provided a good amount of it even for the size of the pretzel. The local beer mustard dipping sauce was very good. It had a tangy flavor and a kick. The third sauce is like a horseradish ranch. It also was tastier than anything we expected. We are fans of cheese, but we hardly even touched the cheese sauce because the other sauces were so good. A decent amount of full sized pickled veggies also come on the side. Their vinegary flavor did add a nice contrast to the pretzel and the saltiness paired well enough with the beer. The pretzel was so big that the veggies weren’t really necessary.

After the pretzel, we were very full and really had no room for anything else. Another group had come into the lounge, but it was still basically empty. We finished our drink and headed out. Luckily, we had a long walk back to the car at Hollywood Studios. We took our time and enjoyed the walk and beautiful resorts while we digested our food. Even though it was late, bars were still open and the area was well lit. I recommend the Crew’s Cup for everyone to try the giant Everything Pretzel. It is an uncrowded spot to escape the sun that serves food and has decent local craft beer selections.