How does waiting for a table at Trader Sam's "work?"

[tlovesdis]

I have given up on trader sams, service is terrible, the reason there is no tables is everyone is waiting for their order.

Same with us. We went on a Thursday at 8pm about a month ago, all tables were full, we waited and waited and no one was leaving because they weren't getting their drinks! Last year when we went, we managed to get a table, but the service was sooooooooooooooo slow!!!

There are so many places at the resort to get a drink!!!

 

[5forMickey]

There are so many places at the resort to get a drink!!!

Preface this with I've never been or been interesting in going but I wonder if some of the problem is that it was built to service customers of the Hotel and not such a rush from the other park guests? I'm not sure I understand why if you weren't staying at the hotel you want to visit Trader Sam's? It's kind of like when people ask about using the pool when they are staying somewhere else, if I'm wanting to relax and have a drink or sit by the pool the last thing I would want to do is have to leave and go back to a different hotel, it would kill the whole "relax" thing for me. Like I said, just wondering it seems like it was intended to service the small number of hotel guests and isn't big enough for the number of guests that are frequenting it.

Maybe they should look at enlarging and adding staff if they are going to continue to try and serve so many guests.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Preface this with I've never been or been interesting in going but I wonder if some of the problem is that it was built to service customers of the Hotel and not such a rush from the other park guests? I'm not sure I understand why if you weren't staying at the hotel you want to visit Trader Sam's? It's kind of like when people ask about using the pool when they are staying somewhere else, if I'm wanting to relax and have a drink or sit by the pool the last thing I would want to do is have to leave and go back to a different hotel, it would kill the whole "relax" thing for me. Like I said, just wondering it seems like it was intended to service the small number of hotel guests and isn't big enough for the number of guests that are frequenting it.

Maybe they should look at enlarging and adding staff if they are going to continue to try and serve so many guests.

I live 15 minutes away from Disneyland. There's no reason for me to stay at the hotel. I've eaten at Napa Rose many times even though I'm not a hotel guest; I've eaten at Goofy's Kitchen. Why is this different? I don't think Disney minds my non-hotel patronage.

There's a significant difference between using a hotel pool that's meant for paying guests (where the "payment" for using the pool was the room fee), and going to a dining establishment where you're paying (a premium) for that experience on its own. It's not the same at all.

 

[5forMickey]

I live 15 minutes away from Disneyland. There's no reason for me to stay at the hotel. I've eaten at Napa Rose many times even though I'm not a hotel guest; I've eaten at Goofy's Kitchen. Why is this different? I don't think Disney minds my non-hotel patronage.

You missed my point. Those places are built large enough for many patrons. People are having a hard time getting a seat at Trader Sam's. If the DLH thinks it's a good investment to serve guest other than those staying at their hotel, maybe they should enlarge the building and hire more staff, thus making it easier for those that are wanting to enjoy the establishment an easier time in getting service and/or a seat.

If I weren't staying there, and I had such a hard time getting service or a seat, I wouldn't be going there I'd go somewhere else. If I were staying there and didn't want to leave the resort that might make me wait that long, otherwise, I'd find someplace that had a larger capacity.

I was responding to tlovesdis's comment

 

[Khokhonutt]

You missed my point.

But you did state/ask, "I'm not sure I understand why if you weren't staying at the hotel you want to visit Trader Sam's?"

Maybe it's not common at DLR, but it's very common at WDW. O'hana (and its bar) at the Polynesian is one of the places we visit every trip, yet we've never stayed at the Polynesian. At WDW we often take a ride on the resort Monorail to visit the Monorail resorts, we enjoy seeing the sights and stop at the bars for a drink. We're planning our arrival day at DLR to do the same, stop by each Disney resort to see what they look like and probably stop at Trader Sam's for drinks and lunch that day. Whether or not Disney should adjust capacity is certainly worth debating, but I can think of plenty of valid reasons why someone would stop by Trader Sam's (many of them are on the public menu and are served with rum ) whether or not you're staying at the hotel.

 

[5forMickey]

But you did state/ask, "I'm not sure I understand why if you weren't staying at the hotel you want to visit Trader Sam's?"

I did because I wouldn't want to leave a park where people push and shove you all day to get a spot or ahead of you in line, to go to a place to "relax" where people push and shove you or where you have to hover over people to wait to jump on a seat if and when someone leaves.

There are so many places at the resort to get a drink!!!

Agreed, I would choose one of these that have enough capacity that I didn't have to wait an hour to hopefully get a seat and then complain about the slow service.

If I were staying at the Hilton, I would want to just go down to their bar for a drink to relax (well honestly I wouldn't go anywhere for a drink I don't drink) but if I were staying at the DLH I wouldn't want to go all the way over to the Hilton, wait for an hour and hope someone leaves so I can jump on their seat, get horrible service, and have people hover over me waiting for me to leave so they could get my seat. I wouldn't find that relaxing. Doesn't sound like any fun to me. I have, on the other hand, spent a few hours in the club at the DLH in the afternoon resting with friends that were having a nice drink and enjoyed their company in the quietness of it all.

 

[ImDMous]

Trader Sam's is not just a hotel bar, it's an attraction all on it's own. The inside is wonderfully decorated, has some of the tiki gods from the Tiki Room, has some animated paintings, it's just absolutely full of stuff to look at. When certain drinks are ordered, there's a mini show that goes with each drink with atmospheric effects and crowd participation. It's not a hotel lounge. If Disneyland served alcohol, it would probably be in the park.

 

[MinnieMouse84]

I'll be there by myself. Will I have better or worse luck finding a seat?

 

[DLRExpert]

I'll be there by myself. Will I have better or worse luck finding a seat?

Better

 

[rentayenta]

Love Trader Sam's but they have to come up with some sort of system aside from stalking the other patrons. It's such a fun environment and the drinks are delicious but their lack of system is a total bummer.

 

[Diznotyzed]

We wanted to just see it, so went in around 5:30pm on Sunday, Sept 11. My husband got in line at the end of the bar to just order drinks, while I kinda watched for a table. It took a long time to be served, and it was obvious if you weren't aggressive you wouldn't be getting a seat. We just took our drinks outside and easily found a table on the terrace (not the furniture type seating right outside the entrance). Halfway through our drinks a waitperson came and asked if we wanted to order food or more drinks. That might have been because we were an older couple w/no kids so the outside staff for the bar area wandered over. We jumped on that offer and had a delightful dinner out in the balmy evening.

 

[pudinhd]

There are 6 of us thinking about having lunch or dinner at Trader Sam's or Tangaroa Terrace in late June on a Saturday to celebrate my birthday. I am wondering if anything has changed since these posts. I think finding a place for 6 of us together would be a challenge. I think I read that Tangaroa Terrace is counter service, but I am not sure if that is correct, or how the seating would work if it's shared with Trader Sam's. Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions!

 

[rentayenta]

Nothing has changed. We were there right after Thanksgiving and the service and seating were terrible.

 

[pudinhd]

Nothing has changed. We were there right after Thanksgiving and the service and seating were terrible.

Bummer!! I was hoping! Thanks!

 

[SMD]

I would get there 15-20 minutes before it opens for lunch to get 6 seats at the bar. If you can't get 6 seats inside you should be ok outside or can go to Tangaora next door.

 

[klacey1]

OP report: It could have been pure dumb luck, but my boyfriend and I arrived at Trader Sam's at 6:30 pm on Friday, Oct. 28th. The parks were insanely crowded. We found two seats at the bar and stayed for 3 hours. Service was fantastic--the bartender was super attentive and we never waited ridiculously long to order drinks or food. My boyfriend was sitting on the sinking stool and the bartender had a lot of fun with him. We loved witnessing all the antics. When we left, a couple took our seats, but we never felt stalked or rushed at all. It was honestly the highlight of our trip. Pretty pricey but I still think a good value--$200 for 8 drinks, appetizer platter, burger, and four souvenir glasses.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...I think I read that Tangaroa Terrace is counter service, but I am not sure if that is correct, or how the seating would work if it's shared with Trader Sam's. Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions!

TT is CS, so you could get there during non-peak hours to find a table inside or outside (more seating outside, I think) for 6 people. You can get drinks at TS to bring over to your table. There has been a rope dividing the outside seating area between TS and TT, so if you are over the divider in the TT area, the TS servers will not come by. We've done group dinners at TT before and not had any trouble getting tables for groups of 6 or more. Those that wanted drinks from TS went over to order and brought their drinks back. The rest of us had regular beverages from TT. We have not tried ordering food from TS and bringing it over. The food from TT was fine for us.