Trader Sam's Diamond Luau

Anyone have this booked or have any more info to add?
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland-hotel/trader-sams-diamond-luau/

The first night is our last night there and I'm tempted...but it's $150 a person so throwing that kind of money down without the benefit of any reviews makes me nervous. Thoughts? It would just be the two of us...definitely not spending that money on my kids :)
My friends went to another event there, and they sold tickets in excessive of the indoor capacity. There was some kind of presentation inside and not everyone got to see or hear it. They were disappointed. I think this event would be more interesting if it were at the actual former location of the Tahitian Terrace. A private group rented it a few years ago, recreated the menu and sold tickets. Disney should have done something more along those lines.
 
My friends went to another event there, and they sold tickets in excessive of the indoor capacity. There was some kind of presentation inside and not everyone got to see or hear it. They were disappointed.

That would be the "Mahaloween Luau" event last year. The reviews I've read were almost universally bad. A few days after the event, there were quite a few gift bags on eBay selling for just about $150. It was like people were trying to recoup the cost of attending the event. Hopefully, Disney has taken the complaints to heart and this one will be better.
 
Man, the best luaus in Hawaii don't cost that much. I can't imagine any food Disney would produce being worth such a price. I'm sure entertainment will be great. Authentic? Who knows.
 

Well we went to the first show, here is my review. Lets just say we have been to many Luaus in Oahu and Maui also the Sprit of Aloha in WDW (we love that show) which is half the price, so we are thinking this will be pretty good. I mean the only one that is close to this price is the one at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel which was amazing. Boy was I wrong.

The first issue, they are missing tables and chairs for about half the guests. I mean how does that even happen, its a reserved event, how do you not have enough seatings. So we start with a drink which was pretty good, then we got some appetizers, WRONG, that is the buffet meal. Pork sliders, cocoanut shrimp that looks like it comes from Costco, and some little thing with cut up bell peppers. That's it, oh except for the little cupcake for desert. I would put the value of the meal at about $8.

Now for a background, we have been to the Mothers day brunch at the disneyland hotel, back when they had one, and their buffet was amazing, and half the price. Those were easily twice as good as any vegas buffet, plus they had live music and the Disney princesses.

Maybe the entertainment can save this. SO we start off with the standard luau company dancers, who were good, they do about two dances then they stop. Ok then we get this lecture about the Tahitian terrace, that they show on two TVs, now we were in the first row and we could not see the TVs very well so I can not imagine what the people in the back were thinking.

Then we sit for a half an hour wondering if its over, but oh my the dancers start up again. Three dances in about 10 minutes then they say they are done. Really that's it.

We left scratching out heads, how can anyone blow a luau. We did get a free mug and a picture that were nice.

One more note, when we got there my wife noted the decorations were these fake tikis they were selling at Home Depot. No expense spared.

OK one more thing, so we got a nice necklace with cocoa beads, but on examination the cocoa beads were plastic. I mean really, I know at the the Waikiki ABCs you can buy a real cocoa bead necklace for about $4, for $150 could we not spring for real nuts.
 
It's a shame Disneyland put on another disappointing Trader Sam's event even after the complaints about Mahaloween last year. But as long as these events continue to sell out -- and at a whopping $150 per person -- I think there's little incentive for Disney to spend any more money to improve the experience.

I saw the tiki mugs and prints have already hit eBay. What's the story with the two (or three) different colors on the mugs?
 
This is a shame to read, but I'm glad I did. That's a steep price for a luau (I lived on Oahu for years), but would have been fun to go to. Alas, we will have to pass. At least I can still get some dole whip.
 


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