Teddy Roosevelt Lounge is a table-service lounge in Tokyo DisneySea’s American Waterfront. The lounge sits inside of a large ship and is themed to the 26th president of the United States. Yes, you read that right. In this post, we’ll review the lounge’s atmosphere, cuisine, and value while also trying to figure out why in the world this exists!

I enjoy a lounge as much as any white guy in his 30’s who likes a good cocktail. At Disney Parks, they prove to be an especially good respite from crowds. More often than not the theme is less in your face than other aspects of the park. Take Animal Kingdom for example, the soon to be extinct DinoLand and Nomad Lounge existing in the same place is both absurd and one of the reasons theme parks interest me.

In the case of Teddy Roosevelt Lounge, I wouldn’t say it’s the subtlety that draws guests in. Somewhere between the 3rd and 7th portrait of the mustachioed national parks advocate, I’d say that subtlety was crumpled up and thrown from the giant ship’s lounge into the neighboring Pacific. There’s something else alluring about this lounge, which happens to be the best Disney has ever created.

The most obvious thing that caught me hook, line and sinker (sorry, but you had to expect at least one nautical pun in this post) is just how good Teddy Roosevelt Lounge looks. That one’s easy to explain and I’ll have more on that in a second. The question I come back to and what keeps me coming back to the lounge every single trip is why it exists in the first place. For those outside of the United States, Teddy isn’t generally the first name out of anyone’s mouth when naming presidents. He did some great things but this isn’t exactly an ode to Lincoln, Kennedy or one of the country’s founding fathers.

I have a few theories I’d like to deposit for something that’s likely unexplainable. Here goes nothing:

• Theodore Roosevelt was perhaps best known for his advocacy of national parks. Theme parks are not national parks but there is a sense of exploration about them, specifically at Tokyo DisneySea. Yes, I did just try to make a parks=parks argument in 2 sentences, found I had very little else to add and am trying to quickly move along.
• Tokyo DisneySea, and especially the American Waterfront, is very thematically appropriate. The port is set in New York after the turn of century, most likely around 1920. Who was the most well liked and popular president prior to that time? Our man, Teddy! I’m putting on my Columbo hat and starting to cook now. Sorry for the mixed metaphors, I know Columbo wasn’t a chef.
• Some Imagineer just really liked Teddy Roosevelt. Look, this isn’t the most exciting theory but it’s one of the most likely.
• Time to ‘Beautiful Mind’ this. As I’ve mentioned, Theodore Roosevelt served as president in the United States from 1901-1909. We’ve already covered that’s close in time period to the 1920 New York setting. But 1901 is 100 years before the DisneySea opening in 2001. What better way to celebrate the centennial of Teddy’s presidency than by opening a lounge dedicated to him in a theme park in Japan.

Okay, so clearly I have no idea. What I will say is that Teddy Roosevelt Lounge fits American Waterfront perfectly. Along with the bustling streets of the industrial age, there’s a sense of greed and a hint of overzealous patriotism. Both interesting critiques that by no means hit guests over the head but are subtly portrayed in ways theme park lands can’t generally pull off. Teddy Roosevelt Lounge is a big part of that, regardless of the reason for creation.

Sitting on the 2nd deck of the SS Columbia, once inside of the lounge guests are surrounded by dark woods and masculine tones. It’s the type of place Ron Swanson would frequent if he could be guaranteed that no other people would be in there. Wood carved bears are one of the first things to see upon entering, as they line the bar and look as if they’re holding up the roof. It’s a really fun bar to sit in if it’s a small party.

The further back into the lounge you get the more comfortable it becomes, with couches, cozy chairs and larger booths. Also back there are more portraits of the president. In fact, there’s an impressive amount! Some look very presidential while others are of Teddy out in nature or holding a child. I’m not sure where they found all of these, a quick Google search only draws a few matches.

I don’t want to undersell the rest of the lounge though. Whether you’re as invested in why this lounge is themed to Theodore Roosevelt as I am is not all that important. What makes this place stand out so much is how beautifully designed and decorated it is. Some of that does have to do with the theme but the real importance is that this is the most elaborate and interesting lounge in any Disney theme park. That’s the main reason that we’ve come back every time we’ve been to Tokyo Disney Resort.

The drinks aren’t bad either! While you’re soaking in the deep mahogany and wood carved bears, Teddy Roosevelt Lounge has an array of hand crafted cocktails. We’ve tried a number of them and found them to be a little stronger and tastier than most others in the park. There’s a strong selection of whiskey and brandy, if cocktails aren’t your thing. Along with all of the hard drink offerings, there’s several non-alcoholic specialty drinks as well as sodas and teas.

Coming in for a drink is totally acceptable and may even be our preference (more on the food in a second). We love taking a mid-afternoon break and resting our feet here. The 20,000+ steps DisneySea usually involves can be tiresome! What better way to relax than with a comfortable seat, a cocktail and Mr. Roosevelt intently staring at you. Maybe forget that last bit. Whether you’re enjoying the fire place, in a booth with friends or sitting by those bears at the bar, grabbing a drink here is a wonderful use of time.

As for the food, well, it’s interesting. Here’s a look at the menu. Our last visit was the first time we’ve had a full on lunch there so we’ll focus on that. We’ve also had the snack plates before and thought they were decent but there’s better food and value out in the park.

Above is the Appetizer Plate which consists of (takes a deep breath to get all of this out in one sentence) Scallop Gazpacho, Salmon Confit, Roast Beef Tortilla Wrap and Beef Stew in Pastry. It’s a weird mix! The food seems to play off the idea of American cuisine and, honestly, it might be in on the joke. For instance, there’s barbecue sauce on the Roast Beef Tortilla Wrap. Was it a tasty decision? No. Do I feel like there are some people in the American midwest or south (no offense) that do this regularly? Absolutely.

Most of the Appetizer Plate was good, barbecue sauce notwithstanding. As usual, Tokyo Disney excels with the seafood and both the salmon and scallop portions were tasty. Along with that, I enjoyed the stew which was basically a meat pie. There’s also a little salad and small piece of bread with lots of butter back there. At 2,600 yen this comes out to roughly $18 USD (as of September 2024). I wouldn’t say that’s a great value but could be worth sharing for the assortment of things you get to try.

This is the Sandwich Plate, which also includes a comical amount. A Shrimp and Salmon Trout Sandwich, Fried Chicken, Waffles and Maple Syrup and Potato Wedges are all included. We had a Ham & Egg Salad Sandwich when we were there but they have since switched that out. I’d be excited t try the current offering, as it sounds a little better to me. The one we had was decent though. Having Chicken & Waffles along with a sandwich felt like overkill but also part of the menu joke. Whether it was mocking or not, that was the best part of the dish although not exceptional. Rather it was just good fried chicken and a nice waffle piece! At 2,800 yen, this comes out to just under $20 USD. It’s quite a bit of food for that price but I didn’t think any of it was as good as other options in the park.

As you can tell, we weren’t that high on the food offerings. Don’t let that dissuade you from going to Teddy Roosevelt Lounge though. Our rating of the lounge remains sky high. You could always share one of those platters and then snack around after. I’d recommend just going for drinks above anything else and relaxing for 45 minutes in an intricately themed and designed space. Teddy Roosevelt Lounge is fascinating, both in that it exists and how wonderful it is.

Overall Rating – 10/10

Have you been to Teddy Roosevelt Lounge? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Interested in a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? Check out our Planning Guide to help you along the way! Want to travel to Tokyo Disney & Japan with us? Read this post for more details! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!