Trader Sam's

[lomillerin]

Can anyone tell me about this place?
Are kids allowed?
How is the food if looking for a light dinner?
Is there entertainment?
Thanks.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Under 21 before 8PM only.

There is some live music, especially on the terrace.

Food is more appetizer/small bites, and the venue does NOT take DDP if that's an issue for you.

No ADRs.

 

[ammag]

We went last fall wiht my kids, right when they opened, we got there at 3:30 and we were let in at 4. A very fun place, ordering certain drinks triggers animatronics and fun from the waitstaff. They have non alcoholic drinks, and the mixed drinks we had were good. We also got dumplings for the kids, those were ok. We only sat inside did not venture outside since we wanted the inside experience. Highly recommend!

 

[DisHmsklMom]

We love Trader Sam's (with our teens). We've eaten both inside and on the terrace. We have sampled a number of their dishes and so far all have been really good. It is definitely a light meal. My kids do really enjoy all of the action in the bar area, we've shared tables a number of times with others, and we've met great people. It's a very intimate (small) bar area so it's easy to chat with those around you.

 

[DrunkJam]

We're staying at the poly next year. I get the impression that it isn;t a place you can just pop in to for a drink? Is it massively crowded ALL the time? I don' mind being on the terrace or anything, just hoping that if I get chance to pop down for a cocktail I will be able to get served!

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

We're staying at the poly next year. I get the impression that it isn;t a place you can just pop in to for a drink? Is it massively crowded ALL the time? I don' mind being on the terrace or anything, just hoping that if I get chance to pop down for a cocktail I will be able to get served!

We stayed at the Poly last August. We were able to stop in 2 times with no major waiting. The first day, we made it a point to get there at just about 4 because we really wanted to check it out. We showed up just before opening and waited the 5-10 minutes for them to open and let the first people in. The second day, we stopped by around 5:30pm before our 6:30pm Ohana dinner reservation. We were told a wait of 20-30 minutes and were paged in less than 5 minutes! Obviously the dates/times may make a difference, but we didn't find it difficult!

 

[DrunkJam]

We stayed at the Poly last August. We were able to stop in 2 times with no major waiting. The first day, we made it a point to get there at just about 4 because we really wanted to check it out. We showed up just before opening and waited the 5-10 minutes for them to open and let the first people in. The second day, we stopped by around 5:30pm before our 6:30pm Ohana dinner reservation. We were told a wait of 20-30 minutes and were paged in less than 5 minutes! Obviously the dates/times may make a difference, but we didn't find it difficult!

Thanks for this! I am looking forward to it already

 

[Easto]

It's a small place and the sign at the door is tiny. We walked by it a bunch of times before I clued it what it was.

Inside is small, but the atmosphere is awesome. We went in with our kids (4 &6). The food is more appetizers, not meals.

The drinks are very good, very strong

I will make it a point to go back every time I am at the Poly. It's hard to describe, but if you spend an hour inside you'll see what I mean.

 

[lomillerin]

I want to try to visit. I was hoping for a later snack/meal around 8:30.

So if we can't get there before 8, we will save this for another trip.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I want to try to visit. I was hoping for a later snack/meal around 8:30 but I will be with a DD17.

She won't be allowed in after 8 in the main lounge.

 

[DAKL101]

You could do 2 things:

A) go earlier

or

B) sit on the terrace which has no theming but has AMAZING views of wishes and serves everything they have inside.

ETA they pipe in wishes music. I have brought my kids and gone with my girls. Loved both times.

 

[HopperFan]

I want to try to visit. I was hoping for a later snack/meal around 8:30 but I will be with a DD17.

As others said she will not be permitted to enter after 8 pm. We are all clearly adults and they carded us all.

If you really want to experience it you have to go early, I personally see no point of the terrace unless you are staying there. I would only make the trip for the bar itself.

 

[lomillerin]

It's no problem. I will just try to go before 8 if not no biggie.

 

[Easto]

When we went we were around 5:00 or 5:30. We sat on the stools in the middle, there are 8 stools (maybe 10) around a long table. There were other people also sitting there but we took the empty seats. Immediately everyone started chatting and I think it was the best place to sit. We felt like we were in the middle of everything.

When we go back it's a for sure place to visit. Even better if you can manage to go without the kids.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

It is a really cool place to have a drink! The special effects when people order drinks are neat and the wait staff are REALLY into their job...which makes it more fun. The only issue we encountered was, after having a couple too many, trying to figure out how to fit the Nautilus souvenir glass we bought into our carry-on the next day

 

[MakiraMarlena]

It isn't massively crowded for the most part but the indoor room only has the capacity for 50 or so guests.

If you are there before 8 PM, they will remind you that everyone under age 21 has to leave the bar at 8 on the dot, so don't go in at 7:30 thinking you can stay past 8 because you were there already, give yourself enough time to have food if that's what you want to do. On the outdoor patio, there's no age limit anytime and they will serve food out there, too.

 

[Tiggerette]

I'll echo the reviews here, and add a few thoughts. Certain speciality drinks allow you to take the drink home. They will give you a boxed version of the glass/boat/bromeliad planter… that you ordered. The boxed version will be a fresh (not-used) version. I learned the nautilus was much bigger than I anticipated. Many photos of the container are quite beautiful, but hard to see the scale. Plan ahead for your luggage space and weight needs.

You can also bring your own fun props. We had a great time with the staff. We brought:
- Yacht captain's hat
- Sailor's hat
- Glittery Tiki Head Boppers
- Glow Stick bracelets
- Tiki/Polynesian Shirts (You can buy Trader Sams tiki shirt in the Poly gift shop)
Bonus for wearing shirts/items that glow in black light. DH wore an OOgie Boogie shirt under his Trader Sams shirt and it glowed spookily….

Lastly, the rum based Dole Whip (Spikey Pineapple) is normally only served on the patio. However, it's possible you could pay/tip out there and bring it inside. We really enjoyed the sushi items on the menu, and found them filling to share between two.

We had a lot of entertainment between the staff and us… lots of wacky tiki-fabulous fun!

 

[garada3]

Is service inside the bar at the (our) table or do we have to queue at the bar to order?

Thanks!

 

[lomillerin]

This sounds really fun.

 

[Anal Annie]

We stayed at the Poly DVC in June and just couldn't get the timing right with our 19 yo DS. We just never seemed to be around in the late afternoon / early evening when the opened and then whenever we DID go by later it was too late for him to be allowed in. DH and I may try to go back to squeek in a drink there on our adults only F&W trip that's coming up.