Trader Sam's Grog Grotto and Tiki Terrace opened on Saturday bringing the hugely popular concept from Disneyland to Walt Disney World.
Trader Sam's brings two new lounge areas to Disney's Polynesian Village Resort - inside is Trader Sam's Grog Grotto, and then outside is Trader Sam's Tiki Terrace. The two share the same menu, but both have separate entrances and are essentially separate experiences.
Inside at Trader Sam's Grogg Grotto, you'll find seating for just 51 guests, but lots of detailed theming and an environment worthy of a theme-park attraction. The menu offers a range of speciality cocktails, ranging in price from around $20 to $50 - served in a specialty take-home souvenir glass. Also on offer is a selection of appetizers, including Sushi Rolls and sliders.
View the full menu here.Outside at Trader Sam's Tiki Terrace there is seating for 80 guests, with live music, a walk-up bar, and table service offering the same menu as inside at Trader Sam's Grog Grotto.
Both are open from 4pm to midnight, with Trader Sam's Grog Grotto only admitting guests aged 21+ and over after 8pm. Outside on the Tiki Terrace there is no age restriction.
If you want to visit Trader Sam's Grog Grotto you'll need to go to some effort. Firstly, there is no parking available at the Polynesian Resort for anyone other than resort hotel guests, or those with a confirmed dining reservation. Guests visiting by car for Trader Sam's will be denied entrance at the security checkpoint and sent to the TTC for parking, which means another 30 minutes or so to get back to the resort by foot or the monorail.
Assuming you manage to overcome the transportation difficulties, you will then need to somehow get past the high demand for the 51 seats. On opening night, pagers were given out to those guests waiting after the initial 51 seats were taken, but demand for the pagers was so high that their distribution was halted at 4:45pm, leaving guests with no way to get onto any kind of wait list, leaving it to a first come first served, luck of the draw situation. As you can imagine, given the difficulties getting in, many guests once inside stay for a couple of hours at least. Much of the initial high demand will no doubt decrease over the next couple of weeks, and getting in to Trader Sam's should be come easier.
Outside at the Tiki Terrace, the 80 seats give you a better chance to get in, but for many it will be the secondary choice after all the elaborate theming inside at the Grog Grotto. There is live music outside however, and there will soon be a waterfall to enhance the area. The terrace is not covered, so during the summer months weather may become an issue.
There are no discounts available at either Trader Sam's, nor are reservations accepted. Trader Sam's is currently in soft opening, with an official opening set for later in April 2015 as part of a series of enhancements to Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, including a new lobby, main pool area and addition of the DVC Bungalows and Deluxe Studios.
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