Trader Sam's Grog Grotto - Worth It?

[kbmartin]

My DH and I are looking for some fun, new things to do at Disney outside of the parks. I'm intrigued by Trader Sam's Grog Grotto at the Poly. Can anyone tell me a little about it? Other than the decorations, what makes it special and fun? The menu honestly doesn't appeal to me (it would to my DH), and we aren't big drinkers, but I'd make an exception if this is a really fun place. Would you make a special trip there?

 

[Cinderella94]

. Would you make a special trip there?

No. It was fun, but truthfully my primary motivation for going was getting one of the souvenir glasses. That was enough to make me happy, and after that I was ready to go. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very fun place, I just think it would be more fun with a big(ger) group than on date night as it’s very loud. We went before our Ohana ADR.

But that’s just my opinion and certainly had to do with our personalities (neither of us are really ones to engage in the antics) but it was fun to watch for a bit. And I do plan to go back one day for another glass!

 

[SteveH]

Yes IMHO it was one of the most fun 'adult' times I've had at Disney. The decor and antics were what you would expect from the Imagineers. The drinks were top notch too. We totally enjoyed the food we had. But the most fun was getting to know people sitting with us at the surf board table. We enjoyed talking with them so much we didn't even get up and really check out the decor as much as I had planned. I wouldn't miss it if we went to WDW again, in fact we're trying to figure out when we can visit the cousin of it at Disneyland.

 

[holden]

We really enjoyed our time there! I’d recommend it, but plan to stay at least an hour to see most/all of the entertainment.

 

[Allybaster]

It's the one place we never miss! We're drinkers, though, so YMMV. The theming is top notch, the food and drinks are excellent and it's really really fun. Any time we get a mai tai back home we joke about hippos in the trees (order a hippopotomaitai) and you'll get it. Beware of the sinking bar stool!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

You don't need to drink alcohol to enjoy Trader Sam's. I've taken DS10 a few times and we just get "mocktails" ($4.99!) and apps. Plenty of people will be ordering the specialty cocktails that trigger the special effects, so you won't be missing out and won't be spending extra money on something you aren't really interested in drinking.

Why not make an evening out of it? You don't mention where you are staying, but we typically pair a stop at Trader Sam's with a whole monorail and boat tour of the MK resorts. We usually start at Trader Sam's and then head somewhere else on the monorail for dinner.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We went a few years ago and it was really fun. It was expensive. I had a signature cocktail with a souvenir glass and DH had 2 beers and our total was over $30.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I am in the minority, but....it smelled like a frat bar and the drunk 50 year olds were not as amusing as they think they were. (And this from a person who is never bothered by the "infamous" Epcot drunks) Service was pretty bad too.

I won't be back.

 

[BrianL]

You don't need to drink alcohol to enjoy Trader Sam's. I've taken DS10 a few times and we just get "mocktails" ($4.99!) and apps. Plenty of people will be ordering the specialty cocktails that trigger the special effects, so you won't be missing out and won't be spending extra money on something you aren't really interested in drinking.

Why not make an evening out of it? You don't mention where you are staying, but we typically pair a stop at Trader Sam's with a whole monorail and boat tour of the MK resorts. We usually start at Trader Sam's and then head somewhere else on the monorail for dinner.

I think it's a cool place and I don't drink. One thing to note though is that they will not sell a mug without pouring the drink. I have always found some people to drink my alcohol for me to get the mug, which I love, but there are no exceptions to this rule for whatever reason.

 

[gillep]

Yes IMHO it was one of the most fun 'adult' times I've had at Disney. The decor and antics were what you would expect from the Imagineers. The drinks were top notch too. We totally enjoyed the food we had. But the most fun was getting to know people sitting with us at the surf board table. We enjoyed talking with them so much we didn't even get up and really check out the decor as much as I had planned. I wouldn't miss it if we went to WDW again, in fact we're trying to figure out when we can visit the cousin of it at Disneyland.

Definitely carve out a bit of time to visit Trader Sams at DL, it is so much fun. I personally, do not prefer the WDW version, everything feels really forced there compared to the DL version. DH really likes the drinks though so when we are at WDW we do the drinks outside on the terrace which I really like, and has the bonus of not having to wait for a seat. I think it is definitely something to do once as a lot of people really do love the WDW version.

 

[MomOTwins]

We were staying at the Poly and stopped in for a half hour. There are a lot of cool animation effects associated with the beverages you order. It was really memorable and fun.

 

[kniquy]

but I'd make an exception if this is a really fun place.

Fun might depend on what time you get in there. DH and myself went this april trip. We are not big drinkers either but wanted to go for the atmosphere. We were staying at Poly so we popped in around 10ish - we were told it was a 45 minute wait so we just walked around the lobby and the beach area and started heading back to our room around 11 and poof got the text that we could go, so we went. At that time of night there were not many people there ordering drinks -- that is really where the fun happens because with each drink ordered different things happen- which was fun to watch. But again with it being late there wasn't much action. I could see going around 8pm when there is likely more people and more ordering of drinks. If I was to go back i would choose an earlier time as the bar would likely be more lively. It does help that they will text you when your spot it is open, but they give you 10 minutes to check in so you can't be far from the resort and expect to get back there in time. We did get our souvenir mugs, which you don't have to buy but we loved the tiki man mug so we had to get it.

 

[SteveH]

Definitely carve out a bit of time to visit Trader Sams at DL, it is so much fun.

It's in our plan, I know we're going July 2019 (Work conference) but my son is going to grad school in San Diego so I'm hoping I can carve out some time for Disneyland for a day and Trader Sam's too!

 

[DSLRuser]

It is a victim of it's own success. I have been here 3 times in the past 24 months. When it first opened, it was new, cool, unique......not too many people knew about it, so you could get in.

now the secret is out, there are only 24-30 seats max......and every drink is a "show"......so it takes 10-20 minutes to get a round of drinks.......and now, people recite the "show" verbiage like how people do in the haunted mansion.....they think they are cool....but end up being tools who ruin it for the new guys.

At this point.....I will go buy my $20 drinks some place else......but you should go at least 1 time

 

[Moliphino]

It is a victim of it's own success. I have been here 3 times in the past 24 months. When it first opened, it was new, cool, unique......not too many people knew about it, so you could get in.

Uh, I don't think that was ever the case. It had 6 hour waits in its opening week.

And I think the audience participation is part of the fun.

 

[emilyhuff]

Man! I hate reading all these mixed reviews and genuinely feel bad for the people that dislike Trader Sams! I think it is awesome and I think it was wonderfully crafted by imagineers, I would not miss an opportunity to stop in here! I will agree that the later you go, the less people are ordering the "fun" drinks, but that still doesn't stop us! When the entire crowd joins in chanting to Uh Oa you just feel so immersed! I love it!

 

[dismoose23]

You should at least try it once and see if you like it. Trader Sam's is one of my favorite bars on property. I am a sucker for those collectible mugs and love the cast member and guest interaction with some of the drinks.

 

[vicb]

I am in the minority, but....it smelled like a frat bar and the drunk 50 year olds were not as amusing as they think they were. (And this from a person who is never bothered by the "infamous" Epcot drunks) Service was pretty bad too.

I won't be back.

It is a victim of it's own success. I have been here 3 times in the past 24 months. When it first opened, it was new, cool, unique......not too many people knew about it, so you could get in.

now the secret is out, there are only 24-30 seats max......and every drink is a "show"......so it takes 10-20 minutes to get a round of drinks.......and now, people recite the "show" verbiage like how people do in the haunted mansion.....they think they are cool....but end up being tools who ruin it for the new guys.

At this point.....I will go buy my $20 drinks some place else......but you should go at least 1 time

Wow, totally not our experience (but respect other's opinions/experiences). We were there right at opening (actually arrived 30 min prior to opening) and it was so much fun after a long steamy, rainy day at MK. Yes it did take a while to get our drinks right at opening because it is a crush for the bartender but frankly it took us so long to decide what we wanted we were probably the last table served . Our waitress kindly brought us big ice waters while we debated our drink choices. We enjoyed the antics and audience participation, other folks were quite friendly. There was so much to look at too. Our drinks were really good and so were the apps we ordered to share. Overall we really enjoyed our visit and we did make a special trip just to go there. Poly is a nice resort to look around at too.

 

[Brocktoon]

Almost always an arrival day must-do for me. As long as I'm checked in before ~ 2PM, I head over to the Poly to make sure I'm on the list for opening. It's a great way to kick off a WDW vacation and acclimate back to the onsite bubble.

 

[Luvs Mickey]

This place is a lot of fun, we had to wait a bit but not for long. I was surprised at how small it is!