Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto and Tiki Terrace - Polynesian Village Resort

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

The Disney Food Blog has posted a review with tons of photos of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto and Tiki Terrace at Disney World’s Polynesian Village Resort.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2015/04/12/review-trader-sams-grog-grotto-and-tiki-terrace-at-disney-worlds-polynesian-village-resort/

 

Some excerpts...

 

Tahitian Torch

HippopotoMai-Tai

Uh-Oa

Dark & Tropical Stormy

Castaway Crush

Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum

Skipper Sipper

Schweitzer Falls at Trader Sam’s Tiki Bar

Spikey Pineapple

Kona Beer Flight

Salmon Oshizushi

Corn-battered Portuguese Sausages

Roasted Chicken and Pork Pate Banh Mi Slider

Kahlua Pork Tacos with Cabbage and Pickled Vegetables

 

 

Some additional info in prior discussions on these threads...

 

http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/12642-changes-coming-to-polynesian-resort/page-8

 

http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/15366-tsggbr-go-to/#entry441840

 

 

If anyone wants to add their own "Fiend on the Scene" reviews here, please feel free!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Do you suppose the Disney Food Blog folks had to wait 3 hours to get into the Grotto?

[Travisma 1,317]

Do you suppose the Disney Food Blog folks had to wait 3 hours to get into the Grotto?

They probably brought them in the back door before it opened!

 

And I bet the food for the masses doesn't look quite the same. 

 

Sort of like the McDonalds ads and what you actually get.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Do you suppose the Disney Food Blog folks had to wait 3 hours to get into the Grotto?

 

According to the blog post, the author and her husband arrived an hour before opening on a weekday (I assume last week), and were admitted with the first group for the day at 4 pm.  She says that about 40 people were waiting with her, and they all got in at opening.

 

Sounds plausible.  As more time goes by, everyone who wants to see Trader Sam's will have, and it will be like any other bar on property.

 

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

According to the blog post, the author and her husband arrived an hour before opening on a weekday (I assume last week), and were admitted with the first group for the day at 4 pm.  She says that about 40 people were waiting with her, and they all got in at opening.

 

Sounds plausible.  As more time goes by, everyone who wants to see Trader Sam's will have, and it will be like any other bar on property.

 

TCD

 

I have it on good authority that a Fiend got into Trader Sam's over the weekend. He popped me a message to say the wait was about an hour at 9pm - they were told by the bartender it's usually 2+, but that at 11pm it tends to be a walk-in (they're open until midnight).

 

I don't like to share people's FB stuff without permission, so I'll let him fill folks in on the details (and hopefully pics!) when he gets home.  :)

[shoreline99 137]

Yes - I'm the guilty one!

I went Sunday night to meet another friend and there was an hour wait.

My wife and I went back today shortly after 4 and only waited a few minutes. Barely got our drink outside before the buzzer went off. An hour later our kids joined us for some non alcoholic beverages (Trader Sam's is all ages until 8 pm). It was not full when we left.

There is a hard 51 person max.

I'll give a more in depth review later in the week when we get back.

[shoreline99 137]

I had the pleasure last week of visiting the new Grog Grotto not once, but twice.
 
The first was on Sunday evening around 9, and the bar was full of patrons of mixed ages. I arrived at the Poly around 8 having spent the day, um, working my way around world showcase at the always lovely Flower and Garden Festival. My friend who was in Orlando for a conference had a dinner cancellation that evening and called me to see if I was interested in checking the place out. He arrived there and was told the bar was full, and that there was at least an hour wait.
 
He decided to test out the terrace, where Don Ho was uking his best lele, until the rain came and the terrace was closed due to lightning. (side note, this same storm caused the resort monorail to go down, ultimately for about 24 hours due to a reported lightning strike)
 
When I arrived (had to walk from the TTC), we met up at the Tambu Lounge. Nothing wrong with a few backscratchers to get started:
 

We weren't there for too long, though, but long enough for the guys sitting next to us to dump their entire Lapu Lapu across the bar like a Pineapple tidal wave. Walt the bartender was not pleased. These two will reappear later in the story as their pager for Trader Sam's buzzed before ours.
 
While at the Tambu Lounge, we had a chat with a group that had (quite obviously) just come from Trader Sam's and were raving about it. They were CM's who were off that day and were excited to have visited the bar. At their recommendation we checked out the Boutiki and the new Trader Sam's merchandise on our way downstairs. They have a Hawaiian print shirt and a regular t-shirt available. I grabbed one of the t-shirts with the Trader Sam's logo, and our buzzer went off just as we were checking out.

 

 
I'll preface this by saying that I'm quite sure that everyone who goes into Trader Sam's is going to have a different experience depending on their expectations. We went in knowing a little about the place, and boy did they knock it out of the park. As I mentioned, it's very small - 17 stools and 34 seats, all very communal in nature. No TV's or other outside distractions. We were lucky and found seats by the bar, with a group of CM's that turned out to be a bunch of Jungle Cruise skippers / attraction workers on their evening off.

 

Let's break this out in a few ways.

 

Decor:

 

View back towards the entrance:

 

 

View towards back of room:

 

 

View of the bar:

 

 

There is so much to see in the place, it's almost overwhelming. The theming is amazing, with a Tiki Room / Jungle Cruise / Adventureland atmosphere. Many exotica record covers, tiki mugs and other South Seas artifacts cover the walls and nooks. In the bar photo above you can see some of the tiki mugs available at the bar, including two Nautilus mugs on the shelf right above the beer taps.

 

A view of the upper bar area.

 

 

 

Better view of the back corner:

 

 

Back wall, including a statue that many Tiki Room fans may recall:

 

 

The other back corner, showing one of the 'windows', reminiscent of the ones in the Tiki Room:

 

 

More views of the interior:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other 'window':

 

 

Another view of the bar:

 

 

Again, great job on the theming. Disney really did a great job blending in the Polynesian aesthetic with the ride aspects of the Jungle Cruise and the Tiki Room. Everything in the room is really something to look at, and many of the pieces are references to Disney attractions (IE 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Tiki Room) or are authentic period pieces.

 

Food:

 

As was discussed in the Disney Food Blog article, the menu features appetizers. It is, after all, a bar - and Disney wants you to come in, hang out for a while and then move on. On my visits we tried several different things, and I can highly recommend the Headhunter Roll and Ahi Poke. Some of the dishes, as TCD mentioned, are straight from Ohana. Everything we tried was tasty, but the portions are not huge.

 

Yes, it's pricey.

 

Drinks:

 

One of the main attractions is the variety of Tiki drinks available. Until I find my camera, here is the menu from the outside bar we hit on the second trip there, complete with Don Ho strumming away there in the background:

 

 

Or if you prefer beer:

 

 

So, on to the Tiki Drinks. Shrunken Zombie Head:

 

 

Krakatoa Punch:

 

 

Uh-Oa in preparation:

 

 

Which is actually lit aflame when served:

 

 

I can say the drinks are great, to my taste, but some people are used to the standard bottle mix Pina Coladas, Margaritas and Daiquiris. Every one of the specialty drinks is made fresh and really gives you the flavor of the ingredients as they were meant to be served. We heard a complaint from a woman that her drink wasn't sweet enough and 'didn't taste like a real Daiquiri'. Oh well.

 

Remember the guys who spilled their drink upstairs? They complained about the drinks here for the same reason. I guess they weren't artificial enough. That's just before they got cut off and were asked to leave. Some people just don't get it.

 

I'll be back with more as soon as I finish uploading some more photos.

[shoreline99 137]

More drinks:

 

The Pearl:

 

One in every 100 is a black pearl, randomly inserted. The pearls are collected for each drink from the large oyster shell on the bar.

 

 

 

I'll apologize for the bad photos, these are from my friend's phone.

 

 

We also tried the Spicey Pineapple on the terrace, and let's just say i think Mo will be spending some time there on her next trip.

 

Interactivity:

 

Starting with the pearl as an example, ordering each of the main tiki drinks causes *something* in the bar to happen. The Krakatoa causes a volcanic eruption in the windows and much hooting and hollering by the staff (Evacuation procedures! Pay your tab!).

 

 

 

The shrunken zombie head causes jungle drums and shrunken heads to light up. Ordering a Hippomaitai causes hippo noises to be heard, followed by the infamous 'two shots..' shouted by the staff.

 

Ordering the Uh Oa causes the statue to come to life and speak to you:

 

 

 

Ordering the Nautilus, well, that's something you'll have to find out for yourselves. Let's just say it involves Captain Nemo and an octopus.

 

The staff is great and people will either love or hate the interaction. It's like the old Adventurer's club. Lots of bad puns and in-jokes. 

 

Back side of water, anyone? Eighth wonder of the world!

 

 

Which was the other complaint I heard. People went there and didn't get the schtick. Too loud, too much joking around. Really? Come on, people.

 

Oh, and watch out for your bar stool. You may end up feeling mighty low.

 

This is what I meant earlier when i said people would either love it or hate it. The drinks and food aren't cheap, but it's the entertainment factor and interactivity you want to go there for. The atmosphere there at 4 in the afternoon is much different than at 11 at night. Families can bring kids in up until 8 PM.

 

So, in summary, if you appreciated the Adventurer's club, loved the tiki room, and think the jungle cruise is the best, you should all go. And have a Shrunken Zombie Head for me.

 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Excellent job, S99!

 

Glad you made it in and enjoyed it.  I really want to get in there now!

 

TCD

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Thanks for the write up!

 

That's probably the best summary I've read of the place.  I'm really hoping I get to try it out this summer because I'm fans of all those places you mentioned.

 

WBI

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I forgot to mention that this is the first I've heard of a black pearl.  I wonder what happens when the black pearl shows up?

 

TCD

[shoreline99 137]

Thanks.

We had a great time, both times we went. The second time my wife and i went it was 5:00 on Tuesday afternoon. Totally different vibe. Lots of older couples and people that really didn't get it or had no idea what to expect in the place. That's when the lady walked out and complained about her drink.

We were able to chat with one of the bartenders for quite a while (Mickey, give him a big tip) and he said the ebb and flow is like that. Also, I'm pretty sure that part of the cost is that he told us many of the drinks are made from scratch with good booze and fresh fruit juices and herbs.

The staff is very (!) enthusiastic and I hope that doesn't wear off over time. When we were there in at night, drinks were constantly being ordered and stuff was always going on around us.

One of the hostesses was chatting with us on Tuesday (we had the kids with us so i think she was paying them some extra attention) and said the complaints they had gotten so far were pretty normal if it were a regular bar, but she was really surprised people had been complaining about the kitsch, the volume and the drinks.

I forgot to mention that the 'special' drinks inside have two prices - one with the souvenir mug and one without. Last i heard they were running low on mugs so sometimes the drinks will come in a regular glass or cup. If you purchase one, you get a brand new, boxed mug or glass when you leave from the hostess. I don't think they are selling the nautilus mugs yet, due to availability. They also have non-alcoholic tiki drinks available; our kids even got a couple of souvenir plastic tiki mugs with lids and straws.

The outside bar also seemed like a lot of fun and the entertainer was really great. Everyone seems really excited about the place.

TCD, I think you get extra hoopla with your black pearl.

Reported best times to go: about an hour after opening and after 11 at night. Expect long waits (2-3 hours, reportedly) on weekends, at opening and in the evenings. The pagers do reach to the Tambu Lounge, Captain Cooks and the outside patio area.

A word on mugs and merchandise: I've heard reports that people are coming in and buying a rack of TS Hawaiian shirts at a time and cleaning out the other merch. The CM I talked to said they only have a certain amount to put out at any one time to try to work around that now and have some limit on what people can buy at one time. A $50 shirt is fetching upwards of $85 on ebay. The mugs are also going for crazy prices (the zombie mug is roughly $9, they're going for around $30).

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Thanks for the awesome review, Tim!  I was looking forward to going here before, but am even more so now. 

 

I'm actually really glad to hear that the drinks taste like they're supposed to and not the super sugary, "fake" versions some folks have come to expect, as I'm not a fan of super sweet drinks.

 

 

We also tried the Spicey Pineapple on the terrace, and let's just say i think Mo will be spending some time there on her next trip.

 

Um.... yep!

 

Last night we booked an early ADR for Kona on our first night.  I'm pretty sure we'll be headed here after.   :bf-birddancingsmiley:

[shoreline99 137]

Mo! You can get the Spikey Pineapple two ways - the regular dole whip/rum mix or with an extra 151 floater on top....

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Mo! You can get the Spikey Pineapple two ways - the regular dole whip/rum mix or with an extra 151 floater on top....

 

Hey, my server didn't tell me that!

 

My drink definitely needed more rum.

 

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Mo! You can get the Spikey Pineapple two ways - the regular dole whip/rum mix or with an extra 151 floater on top....

 

Sold!!  :D

[shoreline99 137]

Hey, my server didn't tell me that!

 

My drink definitely needed more rum.

 

TCD

 

I don't think it was on the menu, but it was offered that way by our server. Pretty sure it was 151.

 

Feedback, maybe?

[Beckers 1,136]

I'm so excited to read a review by someone who isn't only telling us rainbows and puppies because they want Disney to continue to invite them to stuff.

I really hope Brian and I can sneak over there (and leave the kids with my parents).

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Is it 151 rum, or does the drink cost $151?

[lightbikes 73]

More drinks:

 

The Pearl:

 

One in every 100 is a black pearl, randomly inserted. The pearls are collected for each drink from the large oyster shell on the bar.

 

 

 

I'll apologize for the bad photos, these are from my friend's phone.

 

 

We also tried the Spicey Pineapple on the terrace, and let's just say i think Mo will be spending some time there on her next trip.

 

Interactivity:

 

Starting with the pearl as an example, ordering each of the main tiki drinks causes *something* in the bar to happen. The Krakatoa causes a volcanic eruption in the windows and much hooting and hollering by the staff (Evacuation procedures! Pay your tab!).

 

 

 

The shrunken zombie head causes jungle drums and shrunken heads to light up. Ordering a Hippomaitai causes hippo noises to be heard, followed by the infamous 'two shots..' shouted by the staff.

 

Ordering the Uh Oa causes the statue to come to life and speak to you:

 

 

 

Ordering the Nautilus, well, that's something you'll have to find out for yourselves. Let's just say it involves Captain Nemo and an octopus.

 

The staff is great and people will either love or hate the interaction. It's like the old Adventurer's club. Lots of bad puns and in-jokes. 

 

Back side of water, anyone? Eighth wonder of the world!

 

 

Which was the other complaint I heard. People went there and didn't get the schtick. Too loud, too much joking around. Really? Come on, people.

 

Oh, and watch out for your bar stool. You may end up feeling mighty low.

 

This is what I meant earlier when i said people would either love it or hate it. The drinks and food aren't cheap, but it's the entertainment factor and interactivity you want to go there for. The atmosphere there at 4 in the afternoon is much different than at 11 at night. Families can bring kids in up until 8 PM.

 

So, in summary, if you appreciated the Adventurer's club, loved the tiki room, and think the jungle cruise is the best, you should all go. And have a Shrunken Zombie Head for me.

 

 

Thanks for this report it  may just get us back to WDW - we loved the Adventurer's Club - thanks for all the details

 

 

[lightbikes 73]

More drinks:

 

The Pearl:

 

One in every 100 is a black pearl, randomly inserted. The pearls are collected for each drink from the large oyster shell on the bar.

 

 

 

I'll apologize for the bad photos, these are from my friend's phone.

 

 

We also tried the Spicey Pineapple on the terrace, and let's just say i think Mo will be spending some time there on her next trip.

 

Interactivity:

 

Starting with the pearl as an example, ordering each of the main tiki drinks causes *something* in the bar to happen. The Krakatoa causes a volcanic eruption in the windows and much hooting and hollering by the staff (Evacuation procedures! Pay your tab!).

 

 

 

The shrunken zombie head causes jungle drums and shrunken heads to light up. Ordering a Hippomaitai causes hippo noises to be heard, followed by the infamous 'two shots..' shouted by the staff.

 

Ordering the Uh Oa causes the statue to come to life and speak to you:

 

 

 

Ordering the Nautilus, well, that's something you'll have to find out for yourselves. Let's just say it involves Captain Nemo and an octopus.

 

The staff is great and people will either love or hate the interaction. It's like the old Adventurer's club. Lots of bad puns and in-jokes. 

 

Back side of water, anyone? Eighth wonder of the world!

 

 

Which was the other complaint I heard. People went there and didn't get the schtick. Too loud, too much joking around. Really? Come on, people.

 

Oh, and watch out for your bar stool. You may end up feeling mighty low.

 

This is what I meant earlier when i said people would either love it or hate it. The drinks and food aren't cheap, but it's the entertainment factor and interactivity you want to go there for. The atmosphere there at 4 in the afternoon is much different than at 11 at night. Families can bring kids in up until 8 PM.

 

So, in summary, if you appreciated the Adventurer's club, loved the tiki room, and think the jungle cruise is the best, you should all go. And have a Shrunken Zombie Head for me.

 

 

Thanks for this report it  may just get us back to WDW - we loved the Adventurer's Club - thanks for all the details

 

 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Is it 151 rum, or does the drink cost $151?

 

C) all of the above

[shoreline99 137]

I'm afraid to look at my receipts.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I'm afraid to look at my receipts.

 

I say fill one of your commemorative mugs with rum and quickly toss them in the trash. 

[shoreline99 137]

Spikey Pineapple was $10.25 for the regular version. Shrunken Zombie Head was $10.50, $19.50 with the souvenir mug. Krakatoa Punch was $18.25 with the souvenir mug, $11.75 without. Polynesian Pearl was $16.25.

I shouldn't have looked.