Universal CityWalk

by Doctor G
(Beer Delegate, FL, USA)

Universal CityWalk: party central under one roof for $10 entry and no cab rides required

Universal CityWalk in Orlando was the destination for a big night out with out of town friends.

My friends flew in on a Friday. These include people I met and shared many a cocktail and hangover with while living in the Cayman Islands. Our group consisted of T & V (British sisters), S (from UK also) and L (from Canada).

We were already about eight drinks into it before we left the hotel, so we were lively already. Universal CityWalk truly does offer a pretty convenient way to eat and party all in one place, without the hassle of a lot of cab rides here. Everything is self-contained. Definitely grab the all-access pass for $10 or so. Otherwise, you'll have to pay cover at every club. Trust me; it will pay for itself by the time you walk into the second bar of the night.

The first stop was for food at Bubba Gump's Seafood. Yes, we had all sorts of shrimp. Shrimp scampi, shrimp cocktail, fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, shrimp salad, jumbo shrimp, shrimp...

The first course was a round of beers and shots. Jaeger and Cuervo were the poisons of choice. And they weren't flimsy little plastic cup shots either. Oh, and did I mention that the servers were pretty hot too? And they're fast as hell.

They have a simple system of two license plates. One is blue that says "Run Forrest Run!" and the other which is red that says "Stop Forrest Stop!" If you need something, flip the red one up and any of the servers will stop and get you what you need. Now that's efficient.

Of course, T sneaked the plates outside to me while having a smoke and tried to stuff them down my pants for a souvenir. Ah, the games begin!

After more beers and shots and shrimp, we head up the escalator to this second level of clubs. Bob Marley's, Margaritaville, Hard Rock, Latin Quarter and more are all located at Universal CityWalk. However, we never made it to those as we immediately rolled into the Red Coconut Club.

Chic little place with the mack-daddy couches and chairs and a cool dance floor. On the high-rise stage, a band churned out pop and hip-hop songs in a way that made you feel like you were more in a Vegas lounge, but without too much cheese.

During the breaks, DJs keep you moving and grooving and the bartenders pour 'em strong. The house specialties are the Red Coco Tini and Freaky Tiki Tini. For me, rum and coke was the obvious choice. The girls experimented and found the drinks more than sufficient.

After several rounds, we decide to walk our way down to The Groove for more of a nightclub feel. On the way, a quick stop at a beer garden did the trick. Not a bad price either for a giant plastic cup o' quality brew. They don't mind your walking around the complex outside the bars with drinks, as long as they're in plastic cups. That way, your hand will never be empty of a drink, even in those down times walking between locations. Genius!

The Groove is a two story club with a several bar areas inside, with different themed rooms, such as the red room and (my fave) the blue room. There's an outside deck for the smokers and the prices for drinks are reasonable. The DJs spin well and the crowd is dressed well. Quite a few hotties to watch while consuming! Plus, they hit you at the door with giant syringe shots, always fun.

Universal CityWalk is party central.