Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto

August 18, 2025

Quick Review

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A bit less well known than Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar in Disneyland, Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is a tiki bar located in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The drinks were good, the atmosphere was fun, but we missed the food this time. The long wait accompanied by some morning drama led to a less enjoyable experience, but objectively it was still a nice visit that I’d love to repeat in better company.

The Longer Version

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Key Info:

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• Location: Lake Buena Vista, FL
• Date Visited: Mar 13, 2025
• Visited with: My Wife, Daughter, and Parents

Our Visit:

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We visited Trader Sam’s about halfway through a longer trip to the Disney parks, something that my family does roughly every year and a half. With my growing Tiki obsession, along with it just being something new to do, I was anxiously awaiting this stop. Both Trader Sams locations are notorious for long waits, and do not accept reservations so I had hoped to get there a bit before opening to avoid the wait.

We ended up getting there a bit later than planned, and waited for roughly an hour and a half before being seated. The wait was made a bit more difficult by the fact that we had our 2 year old daughter with us, and coupled with another restless party member and the awkwardness of bringing a smaller child into a bar setting, we didn’t really make the most of the experience. Additionally, we had just learned that my wife was pregnant with our second child, so she was limited to mocktails and non-alcoholic options.

The Drinks

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Through our party, we tried the following drinks:

• Zombie ($18, or w/ mug $35)
• HippopotoMai-Tai ($18.50)
• Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum ($17.50)
• Skipper Sipper ($6.25, NA)
• Schweitzer Falls ($6.25, NA)
• Polynesian Punch ($12.50, NA)

I personally tried the Zombie, taking home the mug as a souviner as well as the HippopotoMai-Tai. I didn’t have an issue with either of the drinks I had, and appreciated the non-alcoholic options for my Wife and daughter.

Decor + Theming Elements

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As for decor, no one can beat Disney. From ride’s queues, to signature restaurants and now tiki bars the little details disney adds are always a highlight. Being nestled inside of the Polynesian, there was less of an “escapism” feel to other tiki bars, as you are already inside the theme. Nonetheless, the detail and theming elements were great. The bar itself was dark, with a lot of wood and bamboo, and the drinks were served in tiki mugs that were themed to the bar.

Notably, the bar is quite a bit smaller than one may expect for its location. The bar replaced the arcade that was in the Polynesian resort, which as an older resort was not as spacious as newer ones. This makes for a close-knit feel much more similar to some of the other tiki bars that I’ve visited than I expected.

For every drink there was a combination of glassware, tableside effects, and other show-y elements that made the experience more fun. When ordering the HippopotoMai-Tai, the server presented it calling out something that ended with “Two Shots of Rum” that sounded throughout the bar. Additionally, some sfx of a cartoony gun was played. For the zombie, the servers wore glasses that made it look like their eyes were falling out.

While we didn’t order it, when another table ordered the uh-oa the tables all around joined in a chant of “Uh-Oa! Uh-Oa!“. Some drinks made the virtual windows start storming, with the volcano pictured erupting.

These effects are something pretty uniquely Disney. While other bars may have a bit of it here and there, the level of detail and commitment to the theme at Trader Sam’s is impressive and the level of effects would just be hard to replicate without Disney’s budget.

Tiki Rating Table

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Placing Tiki bars in the table is a bit of a struggle for me, as I have two competing criteria in mind.

• The objective ratings of the drinks recieved, decor etc
• The subjective experience that we had that day, which often comes down to who was with me, the conversation we had etc.

The awkward circumstances surrounding our experience made things not quite as fun as they could have been, and overall probably lower my internal rating a bit more than is fair. That said, it was a fun experience that I’d love to try again with a more enthusiastic group.