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!