Trader Sam's now open!
 

How about a drink up? Hubby and I are going to go tomorrow evening and check things out around the Hotel also.

Disneyphile posted pics tonight on FB....looks very interesting.

It's awesome!!! Everything around the hotel area is rad. The Big Thunder model in the lobby of the Frontier tower is so neat. The new Disneyland vintage sign waterfall and monorail water slides look great at night. The waterfalls on the sign stay on late, too, so it adds to the ambience of the area. So happy!!! :cheers:

To get to Trader Sam's and Tongaroa Terrace you need to walk around the outside of the Adventure (Magic) tower on the Downtown Disney side and enter between the Adventure and Frontier towers. Walking along side the Adventure tower on the quad/pool side will only get you to a dead end :)

A little birdie also told me that Disneyphile rode the Little Mermaid attraction.

Spill it girl!

Based on her comment elsewhere it seemed to be a high "meh".

Hubby is not going with me but talked Wolfette into it. We'll be going there around 7PM.

I've ridden Mermaid also....agree with the high "meh". Star Tours is another story!

Hmmm. My "source" characterized Mermaid as a solid D Ticket. Is that the same as High Meh?


Eager to try out Trader Sam's, but leery of the almond juice they seem prone to add to every libation.

Here's the menu for Trader Sam's for those who are interested. I'm looking forward to trying some of the cocktails.

Being one who has always enjoyed Winnie the Pooh more than most, I'm encourage by a High Meh. What exactly do people expect from a dark ride anyway?

re: Sam's, I'm just excited to see a unique drink menu at the resort. Huzzah!

Just skipped over most of the posts here until I ride, er, experience Arial myself, so that I can say that Trader Sam's is my new fave DL hangout. Waaaay too much sugar in the virgin drinks (but I had one!) and in the teriyaki glop on the food (but Keith and I did share a Pu-Pu platter!), but so, so very cool. Tangaroa Terrace, next door, has good burgers and such, but it's not the Tahitian Terrace by a long shot. It definitely benefits from the outdoor seating, though, 15 feet above the pools, with the soothing sounds of Martin Denny and his ilk playing in the background.

Unfortunately, my calorie count went to hell. Ah, well. :cheers:

I can't wait to see it, certainly I have a nice tropical print dress around here someplace . . .

Me too.

Somebody please provide an excuse for C and I to go to Trader Sams :-)

It's Thursday.

We need SuPeR K! to schedule one of his patented Drink-Ups. It's the only way!

Wow. New stuff in the park and it's surrounds. We need to visit before the APs die again

Little Mermaid has awesome animatronics, but really lacks in overall ambiance and story. There are areas where the ride is almost bare, unlike the typical dark ride, where there is something to look at in every little corner. The story was cut so much that it completely lacked climax, and there is not much excitement. I give it 6 out of 10.

Now, Trader Sam's..... OMG. I cannot stop talking about the place. The theming is so detailed, and even some of the drinks have special "magic" to go with them, most notably the Krakatoa Punch and Shipwreck. It was worth every second of the hour we waited to get inside. The indoor capacity is only 45, the same as a Jungle Cruise boat.

If you're familiar with Adventurer's Club that was closed at WDW, then you'll have a gist of what this place is like. The food is fabulous, and the drinks are incredible. Be sure to read the full menu inside. Each drink has a fun "story" to go with it. For those who don't drink alcohol, there are some signature "No-Booze Brews", each with a unique recipe, name, and story, so everyone can join in the fun. The bartenders and hosts also get into the "act". One wandered the line outside wearing a pith helmet with bug net, and goggles, saying some fun things.

There are several elements in the room that "change" and do things - some are very noticeable while others are very subtle and gradual. Some of the barstools make subtle changes, some of the decor.... I won't spoil it, but you'll want to spend a good hour there.

The outside area is nice - lots of tiki torches and a live Hawaiian band, tables and rattan sofas with posh cushions. And, just down the steps are some of the cushioned benches and sofas next to a large outdoor fireplace.

The new waterslide brings back a lot of the old hotel nostalgia, with the blue steel support looking like the old monorail station at the hotel. And, 2 large waterfalls cascade from the top of the structure with nice lighting effects at night, giving a nice homage to the old waterfalls.

If I knew this is how cool it would turn out, I would have bulldozed Lost Bar and Hook's Pointe myself. Because after last night, I totally don't miss them at all.

And, I did joke with K. about when iSm will be renting out Trader Sam's for a birthday spectacular. ;)

Ken and I plan on making it a regular hangout, and even want to dress in adventure attire on future visits. :)

If there's a 7pm meet tonight, I'm in.

I'll swing by at 7 to say hi :)

Wolfy, Wolfette, Morrigoon, Cynthia, Brendan and Keith, so far... :) C'mon, all the cool kids are doing it!

Yeah, all the cool Orange County kids. Oh well, there's always my 55th Birthday Spectacular in rented-out Trader Sam's to look forward to, apparently. ;)

So if I didn't like Adventurer's Club (it would have been ok if ever not filled to capacity, but I never experienced that even deep in the off season so it was just an overcrowded, over loud bar) I probably won't like Trader Sam's?

Chris' plane is delayed tonight, so I can'g say we'll be there at 7. I'll have to make it a surprise for everyone (including the man in the air).

9 is the new 7

And Trader Sam's is pretty cool! The pool is rather meh though.

But no parking validation - grr! I had to split right at 10 because of that.

You could always sit outside.

Wasn't aware there was an outside, but if there is a place where it is possible to actually communicate with the people you're with (not particularly possible at Adventurer's Club) and doesn't require waiting more than 5 minutes to sit down, then that sounds good.

There was plenty of seating, in and out, and a duo playing all you Don Ho favorites, the drinks were more sugar then alcohol, but I loved it. The view off the patio of the pool slides and waterfalls was nice too.
I'll be back.

Yeah, I can't say that we had any difficulty chatting in or outside.

Absolutely loved it today!

I had a Shipwreck on the Rocks, and Rose had a couple of drinks that were yummy, but I can't recall their names.

It's really like the Jungle Cruise skippers opened a bar, a bar full of awesome.

I think it's a great concept with poor execution. The bar area seating is tiny. There is comfy seating outside but we found it difficult to talk over the music.

We loved to sit outside at the bar at Lost Bar and having that option removed plus having a wait to sit inside at a very small bar makes me miss Lost Bar. There doesn't seem to be an option for a walk-up bar to get drinks to bring down to the fireplace or pool area either. Someone told us a server tends to that area but we sat there for 15 minutes before giving up. In line someone else told us there was no table service there.

The unique drink and different food menu is awesome.

I see it getting very, very crowded in the summer

I have to agree with that FAIL remark. It was a bit of a disappointment on a day where I was agog with everything wonderfully new (Little Mermaid, Star Tours 2, Soundsational Parade). Trader Sam's is cute, but woefully tiny. It cannot possibly serve the needs of Disneyland Hotel guests, much less guests of the Disneyland Resort. Not even when the hoopla dies down.

The outside patio is nice and, at least when I was there, I observed servers busily at work out there. But I'd hazard to say that everyone sitting outside was well aware they were settling for that because they were prevented from sitting inside, where all the fun and action is. Not a good bit of guest psychology to my mind.

I guess I should not pass judgment until I really get to hang out inside and enjoy some food and drink at leisure (though I suppose the knowledge that ten people are waiting for their turn at my seat might nag a bit on my sense of leisure).


Initial reaction: Failure. But that didn't much detract from what I felt was the most positive rush of new stuff at Disneyland since Fantasyland was entirely reworked in 1983.

We went yesterday and had dinner at Tongaroa Terrace. It was good. I'm not sure why you can "only" have "healthier" fare with no options. Sweet Potato Fries are fine but can't you have regular ones as well? There was no one there about 6:30ish.

I agree that Trader Sams could have easily been twice the size and still kept the ambiance. It was only maybe half full, there seemed to be a few large family groups outside so it seemed fuller. It seems that during busier times they could easily pull out more tables/chairs into the fireplace area to create more seating.

I do like that at least there's some different food selections.

Can you wave to the folks in Trader Sam's from that swanky new firepit whateverthatissupposedtobe? I'll be there..

Backstory, from one of the bartenders at Trader Sam's, is that a few of the Jungle Cruise Skippers got tired of hauling boatloads of tourists around the jungle so they opened a bar.

Went last night, to meet my friend Will and squire him around the new wonders of the DL Hotel and try one of them fried toe-foo salads at Tangaroa Terrace. They had the whole damn area blocked off for a press event! I got there at 9:30, after a phone call to Disney Dining to confirm that the place was open until 10:30, so I was not a happy camper when all the DTD restaurants started closing, 'cause, you know, it's 10 o'clock at night! I get stupid and loopy if I haven't eaten in several hours, and, while William was being very kind and suggesting every other restaurant in DTD, I had gotten focused on that salad and nothing else sounded good. Combine this with the hideous case of "Pine Mouth" I've been suffering through (look it up), and I was probably less than optimal company.

Once the party guests were done, we did make our way around the backside of security so I could show William all the cool new toys, including Trader Sam's, empty except for 3 bartenders who were happy to show off the effects and tell stories!

It'd be nice if various departments around Disneyland communicated with each other.

Still want that salad.

Maybe tonight.

It's coconut panko crusted!

That's why i think that DTD is dumb for closing restaurants so early even on weekends. It's dumb. I mean if they really want happy guests they NEED to stay open much later to accompany guests who get hungry at like 11pm at night. Just my opinion. I guess our DTD stinks in comparison to Orlando's as well as Citywalk. Plus i am so used to Vegas and finding places open to eat all hours of the night. To me our DTD we got the shaft end of the stick. Ok enough venting there.

Each restaurant closes whenever it wants, and they are not owned by Disney. I'm sure that if it would make enough money they'd stay open later. Adding a whole other shift to the day would be pricey.

True but normal restaurants anywhere else usually stay open later on weekends regardless. It is a shame the ones in DTD can't stay open later to accomodate late night diners. Regardless of money needed for extra shifts.

It is frustrating to have places like Tortilla Joe's close at 10pm on a Friday or Saturday. Lost Bar was fantastic because during summer weekends you could get nachos at midnight after everything else was long closed.

Trader Sam's has last call at 1:30. Not sure when they close the kitchen though.

Kinda wish Trader Sam's had kept the nachos on the menu. I know they'd have to be re-themed, but they were good.

But they don't have nachos negating the midnight nachos with that last call ;)

I say we all need to take a look at our hips and ask if we need nachos after 10 pm. ;)

Sometimes yes, you absolutely do need nachos after 10pm ;)

The nachos don't get GOOD until at least 10:45pm.

The hips have returned a resounding yes. But I'm not sure if you can trust them ;)

Isn't it illegal to each greasy ground beef smothered in fake cheesy goodness covered in sour cream, fauxguac, pico de gallo and peppers before 10:45?

The hips have been known to lie.....I'm just saying:D

Trader Sam's is good, albeit too small

Mermaid ride very good.

That is all

Yes and yes!