EPCOT lifestyler that I am, went on opening day to GEO-82, the new adults-only, reservation only bar in Spaceship Earth.
Getting in was a chore. Weren't seated until 30 minutes after our ADR time. Which basically means a half hour in the rotting carcass of Project Tomorrow. Broken games, horrible indoor pool smell, constant beeping. At least it's shelter from the rain and minimally air-conditioned.
Once admitted, we took the elevator up, only to wait 15 more minutes in the upstairs lobby. But I won't complain about that, the space, and the bar itself, are stunning. The geosphere motifs are omnipresent, yet somehow still subtle and refined. Closest analogy would be Top of the World at opening. Staff is impeccably dressed doing their best to offer 5-star service. E.g., when you step off the elevator, you're offered a cool towel from a tray, just like Below Decks. The bar itself also has a wonderful panoramic view of the new Future World gardens and the iconic pavilion buildings.
It's an amazing space--yes, made better by the lack of kids. But ... there's a weird incongruence between all the formality (staff are in ties, silverware is tiny and fancy) and the fact 90% of the guests are wearing t-shirts and mouse ears. I'm not a fan of dress codes in theme parks, but it still feels off, maybe "cheapened" is the word? I get similar vibes from Nomad Lounge but this is even more fancy. Obviously a YMMMV situation but I couldn't get over the strangeness of it.
Had the flatbread, it was delicious. Elevated enough to justify the $15 price (at least with the Disney premium). But the drinks, at almost $30, were not good. My browned butter old fashioned was too sweet. And yeah, an old-fashioned should be a little sweet, but this was cloying. Like drinking a whiskey and Mrs Butterworths. My wife, a vodka girlie, went for the most approachable drink on the menu--a coconut and strawberry rum cocktail, I tasted neither fruit, both just overwhelmed by the aged rum. It was a struggle for her to finish it; the lady next to us said she ordered it for the same reason, and hated it as well. The drink menu is trying too hard, and yet still not succeeding. (I want to stress it is a full bar, you can order anything--but where's the fun in that? No idea how those prices are.) FWIW, service was great, if a little slow. Definitely trying for fine dining vibes--which again, seems out of place.
In the end, cancelled our second ADR this weekend. I love the space, but the obscene prices and the hoops to jump through to get in put a damper on my enthusiasm. I really wish it was the kind of place you could wander in and get a standard cocktail, but that is just not the Disney way.