Where to Get Your Coffee Fix at Walt Disney World
Adults of the world, I know you hear me when I say that I can't possibly start my day without my morning coffee. But until recent years, I've had to settle at Walt Disney World for a Coke Zero to start my day with a caffeine kick because the coffee.... Well, let's just say it was like drinking dirty water.
This is still a problem when it comes to the coffee you brew in your room. Yes, I know, it's Joffrey's beans, but for some reason, it never brews up nicely. Call me a coffee snob, but I have a pretty high end coffee machine at home that makes me a nice, strong, cup, and the stuff that comes out of the machine in the resort hotel room is not that. Go down to the quick service at the resort, and quite often, you are "treated" to the same situation, just from a larger carafe. And this doesn't even begin to address those of us who don't just like our coffee plain, and would prefer a mocha, cappuccino, or latte.
Well, we're here to save you. We might not have found the all inclusive list, but we feel like we're getting close, and if you have suggestions to add to this list, please comment and let us know! Let's help each other get our coffee fix, because we all know caffeinated adults are happy adults.
EPCOT, home of the best Joffrey's coffee stand
Joffrey's Coffee
Joffrey's is a Tampa-based coffee company, and is the official coffee of Walt Disney World. Yes, it is the coffee you find in your resort room. But there are also Joffrey's kiosks throughout Walt Disney World, including all four theme parks, and these are one place you can find your coffee drinks.
We learned a little something about Joffrey's last time we visited and had very specific needs about the kind of milk that went into our coffee: NOT ALL JOFFREY'S ARE CREATED EQUAL AT WALT DISNEY WORLD. We've gone to some where they can't help us because "the machine makes it", and others where we have multiple milk options, and multiple syrup options, and they can make whatever you specify. Here are our favorites:
#1 - Joffrey's on the World Showcase plaza (between World Celebration and World Showcase) at EPCOT
This is a large kiosk and is so far our favorite Joffrey's location. They can make all manner of coffee drink: lattes, breves, mochas, cappuccino, americano, have multiple milk options (Oat milk! Heavy cream!), and have sugar free syrups. They can make your drink iced or hot. And when Joffrey's has specialty mixes, as they seasonally do, this kiosk offers them.
#2 - Joffrey's at the Skyliner hub at Caribbean Beach Resort
Right down the ramp from the skyliner hub at Caribbean Beach is a small Joffrey's kiosk, and while small, they do make hot and iced drinks such as mochas, and are a convenient stop for anyone getting anywhere from the skyliner.
Honorable mentions that we haven't personally tried yet include the Joffrey's at the Contemporary Resort (Contemporary Grounds) which appears to have a nitro coffee available, and the Joffrey's at Disney Springs. The Joffrey's at Disney Springs is actually a full storefront that also sells loose leaf teas and can do Disney-themed latte art.
Christmas decorations on Main Street. The Main Street Bakery being handed over to be a Starbucks in disguise remains controversial.
(We Don't Talk About) Starbucks
If you're a Starbucks fan, Disney also has some of those for you. These tend to be less like kiosks and more like full storefronts, and again, exist in all four theme parks, with two locations at Disney Springs. However, they can be harder to discern because the storefronts are not named "Starbucks". They will turn up as Starbucks only in the MyDisneyExperience app or on Google maps.
Another thing to know is that Starbucks people Need Their Starbucks and some of the storefronts will draw large lines, especially in the morning.
One cool thing about the Starbucks locations is that they do sell location-specific mugs for the theme park in which they are located, and these can make nice souvenirs, even if you're not going to drink coffee there. The two locations at Disney Springs also sell Florida and Orlando mugs.
We're going to be honest, we are not Starbucks fans, so we don't have a favorite as we never set foot in them. Instead, we'll list the locations:
#1 Main Street Bakery at the Magic Kingdom
The storefront has the old brown Starbucks siren logo rather than the current logo, but that's the only indication of a Starbucks until you enter. This location is open prior to rope drop, and also offers breakfast sandwiches and giant cupcakes.
#2 Trolley Car Cafe at Disney Hollywood Studios
This is the other theme park Starbucks location that opens before rope drop. They serve the coffee drinks, and also desserts throughout the day.
#3 Creature Comforts at Disney's Animal Kingdom
This is on the left side path as you enter the park and head toward Africa, in Safari Village.
#4 Starbucks in Connections Cafe, EPCOT
This is a large location between Spaceship Earth and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Additionally, there are two clearly marked Starbucks locations at Disney Springs. Unlike the theme parks, these are called Starbucks. One is in the Marketplace, and the other is on the West Side.
La Petit Cafe at Disney's Riviera Resort is both wine bar by night, and excellent coffee cafe by day.
Other Locations
Other coffee locations that are hidden gems exist at resorts, and sometimes within theme parks. Some are better than others. Here's a list of our favorites:
#1 Kona Island, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort
In the morning, Kona Island is a coffee and pastry shop, before it transforms into a sushi and cocktail area in the evening. Kona Island is located on the second floor of the lobby, right before the monorail platform. It serves Joffrey's coffee, including Joffrey's special Kona blend. They can make a variety of coffee drinks here, hot or iced, or even spiked with alcohol or served skinny. They also have breakfast sandwiches and pastries.
#2 La Petit Cafe, Disney's Riviera Resort
Conveniently, for some, located on the Skyliner path, La Petit Cafe is in the lobby of Disney's Riviera Resort. This is another location that serves coffee and pastries in the morning, and transforms to something else (this time a wine bar) at night. They serve a variety of coffee drinks including espresso, cold brew, a special Riviera blend cold brew, frozen cold brew, alongside your more typical coffee drinks, and they have milk substitutes and sugar free syrups. They also have a neat selection of iced teas, and chai tea lattes available for those looking for a little something different.
#3 Boulangerie Patisserie les Halles, France pavilion, World Showcase, EPCOT
You can get a very acceptable cappuccino, latte, mocha, or hot chocolate here, but we have to be honest in saying it makes the list more for the amazing variety of pastries and tarts you can get with your coffee. One thing we do love about the cappuccinos here, though, is that they don't have to be sweetened, and therefore, taste like coffee, and they are strong enough to be acceptable.
#4 Carousel Coffee, Disney's Boardwalk Resort
Serving Joffrey's coffee, this kiosk can make iced and frozen coffee drinks, and a respectable variety of specialty coffee drinks. They also serve a green tea drink, and pastries and bagels.
#5 Grounds, the Swan Reserve
This coffee location has an interesting selection including all the usual coffee drinks, nitro coffee, and ketogenic coffee with MCT oil and butter. You can also dictate your drink's flavor, and how many shots of espresso.
#6 Java Bar, the Swan
Similar to its sibling over at the Swan Reserve, this location serves some unique coffee drinks alongside the traditional, including nitro coffee, and a green tea cream latte. They also have a chai tea latte.
Granted, for some of these resorts, we're typically not going to go out of our way, especially to a resort like the Swan Reserve, when making it to rope drop or early entry is top of mind in the morning. But we offer this list especially for those either staying at that resort, or staying nearby enough to make the trip worth it.
We love EVERYTHING about Animal Kingdom. Except for the lack of decent coffee.
The Coffee "Deserts" and What we Do About It
Value and moderate resorts, for the most part, tend to only have your drip coffee in your room or at the food court, and we would name these coffee "deserts", meaning no good coffee can be found here. We've also sadly found Disney's Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom to be coffee "deserts" for us, for two reasons: We don't do Starbucks because of the insanely long lines these two locations pull, and the Joffrey's here just aren't that good. In these situations, there are a few things you can do:
1) Get your caffeine elsewhere. Our favorite "elsewhere" tends to be via a Coke Zero from the freestyle machine before we head out of our resort.
2) Bring instant or pour over coffee with you in your luggage. This is especially true at resorts. Listen, we don't know what's wrong with those drip machines in the rooms, but an instant coffee can pack more punch. There are also portable pour-over packs you can bring where you can brew your own pour-over before heading into the park for the day.
3) Caffeinated mints or gum. I suppose this falls into "get your caffeine elsewhere", but many people don't think of a non-beverage option. There are lots of choices of caffeinated mints like Rally or Viter mints, which are doubly useful because you can bring them on your flight without hassle from the TSA as well to stay awake on travel day.
The coffee situation at Walt Disney World is certainly improving, but there are places where it's not there yet, and if you don't know where to look for decent coffee, it can be hard to get going in the morning. We hope this guide helps. Did we miss a favorite of yours? Let us know by commenting over on our Facebook page, where you can also follow us to see when we post new articles each week. Until next time...
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