Club Cool Review – 50th Celebration Update
Club Cool has been a must do attraction for my family since its opening in 2005. When it closed in the fall of 2019, we held our breath hoping that our access to Beverly and the other tasty cool drinks would return to EPCOT. Well, that time has come!
During the Disney Nerds Podcast November meet up we had the pleasure of checking out the new Club Cool, and boy was I impressed! The first thing you’ll notice is its new location – attached to Creations Shop (formerly Mouse Gear). Before we entered there was an orderly line, serviced by a Cast Member, outside the double doors. The line moved quickly, and due to its new location, the entryway provides ample protection from the sun and rain. Once inside, the space is bright and clean. Gone are the sticky floors, sulfur smelling air, and windowless shopping. What remains are the refreshing air conditioning and free samples of Coca-Cola products from around the world.
Once an open soda station becomes available, a Cast Member calls your party to your own private tasting of 8 Coca-Cola beverages.
First up is Beverly which harkens back to Club Cool’s original opening. Beverly is a bitter, non-alcoholic aperitif from Italy. It’s an acquired taste… or just bring you pure fun when observing the reaction of an unsuspecting guest.
BonBon Anglais is from Madagascar and features a creamy, fruity soda. This is likely to be the crowd pleaser.
A little closer to home, Dominican Republic’s Country Club Merengue is next up. It’s very comparable to BonBon Anglais – fruity, bubbly, and refreshing. I thought this one was a bit sweeter though, and would rank it just slightly below BonBon Anglais for that reason.
Korea’s Joy by Minute Made was a surprising shared favorite for my husband and I. It’s a juice style so there’s no carbonation. We definitely picked up on the apple flavor and just a hint of lychee. If you’re not familiar with lychee, this is a great first way to experience it.
Keeping with the fruit theme, Royal Wattamelon from the Philippines offers another sparkling soda. We didn’t notice a particularly sour flavor from this one. However, my husband had a strong aversion to this flavor saying it had too strong of a Watermelon flavor. For me, this was the least note worthy option – nothing particularly bad nor great.
Conversely, China’s Smart Sour Plum was hands down our least favorite. It tasted like a cross between Korean BBQ sauce and a prune. This one is a strong pass for us next time.
Luckily, Russia’s Sprite Cucumber is up next. Just like the Sprite you know and love here in the States except this version has a bold cucumber essences running through it. I actually came back to this flavor a few times to clean my palate between the different drinks. I would like to see this flavor available in the States because it would be a great mixer with a coconut rum or even some fresh mint.
Last up is Moldova’s Viva Raspberry. As much as I loved the Sprite Cucumber, this was my favorite. It reminded me of a raspberry Italian Soda (raspberry syrup with seltzer). Viva Raspberry isn’t overly sweet and yet there’s a noticeable raspberry flavor. The little extra carbonation is refreshing and bold. I wish this flavor was sold in the store so that I could continue sipping on it while strolling through EPCOT’s new World Celebration.
Have you been to the new Club Cool? Let us know in the comments what you think of the new flavors.
