Trader Sam's stories...

[ludari]

I live 10 miles from Disneyland and I'm an annual pass holder so I visit the parks and Trader Sam's often. I'm not too big on the crowds so I try to avoid weekends if possible and visit early if I do go on weekends. I also enjoy sitting outside and listening to the music because sometimes the inside can get a bit loud to hold a conversation. One of my favorite experiences is visiting Trader Sam's with people who have never gone and making sure we sit at the bar and asks the bartender to turn on the stools. Another favorite of mine is attending MahaloWeen event which is hosted by Trader Sam's.

 

[arcadiandj]

I live 10 miles from Disneyland and I'm an annual pass holder so I visit the parks and Trader Sam's often. I'm not too big on the crowds so I try to avoid weekends if possible and visit early if I do go on weekends. I also enjoy sitting outside and listening to the music because sometimes the inside can get a bit loud to hold a conversation. One of my favorite experiences is visiting Trader Sam's with people who have never gone and making sure we sit at the bar and asks the bartender to turn on the stools. Another favorite of mine is attending MahaloWeen event which is hosted by Trader Sam's.

I want to be you!

 

[cruisehopeful]

MahaloWeen event

Never heard of it until you posted it. I googled it and it looks fun. Not sure if I'd pony up $150. for the party, but I'll consider it if I have enough notice.

 

[arcadiandj]

I live 10 miles from Disneyland and I'm an annual pass holder so I visit the parks and Trader Sam's often. I'm not too big on the crowds so I try to avoid weekends if possible and visit early if I do go on weekends. I also enjoy sitting outside and listening to the music because sometimes the inside can get a bit loud to hold a conversation. One of my favorite experiences is visiting Trader Sam's with people who have never gone and making sure we sit at the bar and asks the bartender to turn on the stools. Another favorite of mine is attending MahaloWeen event which is hosted by Trader Sam's.

Ludari, what is MahaloWeen like? What do you enjoy about it?

 

[ludari]

Never heard of it until you posted it. I googled it and it looks fun. Not sure if I'd pony up $150. for the party, but I'll consider it if I have enough notice.

Yeah, I wasn't happy with the price either but it included entertainment, food (all you can eat), two free alcoholic drinks and a limited edition tiki mug. The tiki mug artist was also there to sign the mugs for you if you wanted.

 

[ludari]

Ludari, what is MahaloWeen like? What do you enjoy about it?

I enjoyed MahaloWeen which has luau and fire dancers, games, music, food, and of course alcohol all which was included in the price of admission. Also included in the price was a limited edition MahaloWeen tiki mug and the advance opportunity to purchase a similar mug with the reverse colors which would be on sale inside Trader Sam's sometime after the event. The tiki mug artist was also available to sign your mugs if you wanted. For me I enjoyed the Polynesian food and of course the limited edition tiki mug since I collect them. There where also people at my table who gave me their vouchers for alcoholic drinks so I got more than my fill of alcohol.

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

I know kids aren't allowed in after 8pm. Is this something fun for an 8 year old? Are the effects on during the day as well? Can you make reservations? Thanks!

 

[arcadiandj]

Has anyone had any memorable Trader Sam's experiences lately? I am listening to Trader Sam's music, which cannot be underestimated as a factor in terms of how I have fallen in love with Trader Sam's and tiki culture.

 

[Iceman93]

I know kids aren't allowed in after 8pm. Is this something fun for an 8 year old? Are the effects on during the day as well? Can you make reservations? Thanks!

Yes, it's fun for an 8 year-old (at least it was for mine). The effects are always on, at least whenever someone orders the right drink! And no, they do not take reservations.

 

[PinkBudgie]

DH and I went to Trader Sam's this past trip a few weeks ago. We went on a weekday around 4:30 or 5 to avoid the crowds. There were some people but not crowded. We sat outside and had a very relaxing time. We split the lettuce wraps (yum!). I wanted a new tiki mug but DH didn't want any of the drinks that came in them and I don't drink so I asked if we could just buy one. We already had the two faced one from the Mai-Tai so this this time I got the green barrel one that says Trader Sam's on it. DH had the Passionate Python and I had the Schweitzer Falls. Also, because we bought the mug without alcohol in it, we got an AP discount on it. We kept meaning to go back but never did. That was our second time there. Also I wasn't sure if they could accommodate my fish allergy, but they could. I prefer outside to inside. We did inside before and it was fun to see, but more relaxing outside.

 

[DisneylandDarling]

Is it a very long walk to Trader Sams from the main gates of Disneyland? We've never been, but it sounds like a lot of fun. I believe it's in the Disneyland hotel, how do you access it?

 

[Airplanes]

It's not too far of a walk but you may want to take the Monorail out into DTD and walk from there, that will cut your walking time by a lot. It's not located inside a hotel tower. Head toward the Disneyland Hotel, make a left after the giant Sorcerer's Hat, and it should be on your right, opposite of the end of the Adventure Tower/rose court garden area.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Has anyone had any memorable Trader Sam's experiences lately?

I was there a couple weeks ago after having lunch at Rainforest Cafe. My daughter and I sat at the bar. I was hoping for one of the special stools, but nothing ever happened that I could tell. We were only there for one long drink as we both had far driving to do afterward. It was hot inside, but the themeing can't be beat. I just love that place.

At one point, the young man sitting next to me got a lit up red drink. My daughter and I were both saying that we wished we got that because it was so pretty and the sweet young man said he would give us his light cube when he was done with his drink because he said he had lots of them at home. He and his friend told us about Mahaloween, which I absolutely have to attend if I can get tickets. I'm a major Tiki fan and my daughter is a total nutjob for anything Halloween. When we getting ready to leave, the sweet man had the bartender wash off the light up cube and he gave it to us. It was fun to be there and sitting next to a generous guest added the magic to our day. I hope I get to go back again soon.

 

[got2travel]

For those of you that miss the Adventurer's Club, you can order the Kungaloosh (old recipe) at Trader Sam's.

We typically go around 4:30 for appetizers and drinks. Sometimes we wait for a table, sometimes not. My son will be 21 in Sept, so we can finally go after 8pm, but he's Yeti sized so no one has questioned him when we've sat outside with friends. (shh, don't tell).

We love to ham it up with the bartenders when the specialty drinks are ordered and if there's fuddy duddys at the bar, I'll trigger the secret stools just because.

 

[WonkaKid]

I'm a complete Teetotaler so I've never been to TS's. However, after reading this thread, maybe I'll check it out. My mom enjoys a drink now and again. Perhaps I'll take her. When she visited a few months ago, I took her for a midday G&T at the bar at Grand Californian. She needs an occasional break from the noise. That certainly did the trick.

 

[BriannaRuth]

We love to ham it up with the bartenders when the specialty drinks are ordered and if there's fuddy duddys at the bar, I'll trigger the secret stools just because.

Ok, I'm confused -- how do you trigger the secret stools? I thought the bartender did that.

I've been to Trader Sam's a number of times but have never gotten one of the special stools -- or at least if I did, nothing happened while I was on it!

 

[PinkBudgie]

I'm a complete Teetotaler so I've never been to TS's. However, after reading this thread, maybe I'll check it out. My mom enjoys a drink now and again. Perhaps I'll take her. When she visited a few months ago, I took her for a midday G&T at the bar at Grand Californian. She needs an occasional break from the noise. That certainly did the trick.

Oh yes, do go! There are several fun non alcohol drinks on the menu. I don't drink and have never felt out of place there. Outside is relaxing and they often have live music there.

 

[choomTOP]

The panko-crusted long beans are worth a visit alone -- no alcohol required!

(Although admittedly there's nothing like gobbling down a plate of long beans while enjoying a tasty shrunken head zombie and watching all the effects in the bar, especially when you know which stools are the "special" ones and there are newbies sitting in them.)

 

[arcadiandj]

A quick mention of our most recent visit: a Saturday evening. We had planned to eat dinner at Tangaroa Terrace, but they were full, so we went to check on the Trader Sam's line, which was inside the door. So we decided I would get in line at Trader Sam's while my wife got in line at Tangaroa Terrace.

What I discovered inside was somewhat uncomfortable: it was dog eat dog in the line. There was no clear structure/it was an honor system, and the folks in front of me (I was second) were bargaining with the table to the left at the entrance to let them have their table when they were done. That table didn't look anywhere close to finishing, but they had agreed to give their table to these people. While I stood there, one or two parties (it was unclear) came into the bar and stood against the right wall (so they bypassed the line): greater lack of clarity. While I waited in line, my wife came in (she is much smarter than I am in this sort of situation) and was told the table to the left had promised itself to the people in front of us. During this time, two people towards the back left of the bar got up to leave. My wife (with her eagle eyes) saw this and quickly claimed those seats, and we were in.

The morale of this story, always listen to your wife, and ye-ouch, when we strayed from our 'be there at opening' strategy, it was much more difficult to get some of that tasty Trader Sam's mojo. I'm not sure if we will try that 'later in the day' Trader Sam's visit, but if we do, we will be ready!

Ok, enough for now.

 

[arcadiandj]

And I just realized, after reading my original post, that I haven't mentioned Bernardo. Like I said before, when we first went to Trader Sam's, it was love at first visit, but then I wanted to learn more about this amazing phenomena that is 'tiki.' Well, that's where Bernardo (one of our favorite bartenders in the world) came in. After many visits, he has acted not only as an AMAZING bartender at Trader Sam's (we have seen him work the bar by himself on several occasions-a very impressive feat), but he is so personal and friendly that he has helped to give us an education on tiki drinks as a facet of the world of cocktails. He did an amazing job of learning our personal tastes, and then he made recommendations of other cocktails on the menu that we could try. Bernardo even gave us some book recommendations so we could give making some of these drinks at home a try. So, without a question, Bernardo has been one of our favorite memories of Trader Sam's.