I just paid $80 for 3 drinks at Trader Sam's!

[hsmamato2]

I got a Pearl souvie drink cup on the terrace a few months back.... if you have a kiddo you may be able to get the drink to go, or just sit on the patio and enjoy for a few minutes....

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Is there an issue with the soda. I was there in 1/16 and we went to the Grog grotto. There was a family with kids who wanted Cokes. They were told that coke was not served there and pointed to the non-alchoholic beverages.

Maybe the soda machine was not working or we misheard.

Just a guess, but they may do that so people don't go there and just order a Coke to see the "show."

 

[wilkeliza]

Can't remember how much we spent for it but in November my friends and I got the Nautilus. Let me tell you that this is easily a triple. None of the super expensive drinks we have tried at either Trader Sam's were single mix drinks. Most were doubles or triples. When we realized that the prices weren't that crazy. My Nautilus now serves as the day to day table decoration. I really want to turn it into a house plant pot but I kill all plants so it would never work haha. For now I'll keep putting some short cut flowers in it and use it as a vase.

 

[kbelle8995]

Just a guess, but they may do that so people don't go there and just order a Coke to see the "show."

That was my opinion as well. I've heard people talk about getting a soda at Trader Sam's. But that night no so I wonder if that changed over time. I don't always want an alcoholic beverage but I do love the Non-alcoholic choices so I don't mind particularly.

 

[trwhite88]

Definitely worth the price for the quality of the drinks. Even in NYC, not many cocktail bars stock actual orgeat syrup for cocktails. Sam's makes a welcome change from most of the WDW cocktails, which seem very sweet to me and are usually made from premixes.

 

[bumbershoot]

That I'm not sure. But in Trader Sam's, they pour your drink in a souvenir glass and then give you a slip to pick up a boxed/wrapped glass on your way out to keep. The glass your drink is poured in is for bar use only. So if you are able to take drinks out of Trader Sam's, I suspect you'd have to ask them for your drink in a regular glass and pay for the souvenir glass separately.

Didn't work that way for our pearls in February. We were there for quite awhile, drinking our drinks, paying the check, chatting. The server had ample opportunity to do it like that, but she didn't. Indicated we were to just take the pearls, so we did.

Might be the plastic vs glass issue people have mentioned with the pearls.

 

[trwhite88]

Didn't work that way for our pearls in February. We were there for quite awhile, drinking our drinks, paying the check, chatting. The server had ample opportunity to do it like that, but she didn't. Indicated we were to just take the pearls, so we did.

Might be the plastic vs glass issue people have mentioned with the pearls.

Same for my experience August 2015 - the glasses are prepackaged and ready to go whereas the pearls are all "souvenirs" and had to wash them out back in the hotel. Could ask the grotto staff to quickly rinse them, if that was an issue.

 

[nkereina]

Didn't work that way for our pearls in February. We were there for quite awhile, drinking our drinks, paying the check, chatting. The server had ample opportunity to do it like that, but she didn't. Indicated we were to just take the pearls, so we did.

Might be the plastic vs glass issue people have mentioned with the pearls.

Interesting. The two we got were glasses, not the pearls. Maybe because the plastic can't be re-used or something? Who knows!

 

[Boopuff]

Just a guess, but they may do that so people don't go there and just order a Coke to see the "show."

They wouldn't see a "show" for ordering a coke. Each alcoholic drink has a "show" to go with it. When you order a pearl - the giant pearl opens up behind the bar, order a nautilus they shout "dive, dive" etc. haven't seen any show to go along with coke. Besides..who the heck brings kids to a bar????

 

[wilkeliza]

Didn't work that way for our pearls in February. We were there for quite awhile, drinking our drinks, paying the check, chatting. The server had ample opportunity to do it like that, but she didn't. Indicated we were to just take the pearls, so we did.

Might be the plastic vs glass issue people have mentioned with the pearls.

Same for my experience August 2015 - the glasses are prepackaged and ready to go whereas the pearls are all "souvenirs" and had to wash them out back in the hotel. Could ask the grotto staff to quickly rinse them, if that was an issue.

Interesting. The two we got were glasses, not the pearls. Maybe because the plastic can't be re-used or something? Who knows!

The pearls are plastic so you get the one you drank from, same as the kids tiki. I heard it is because the plastic ones can't be sanatized they have to be thrown out. The ceramic and glass cups can but run through the sanatized so they reuse them and give the guest a brand new one.

 

[gdrj]

do they have the souvenir glasses there too or just in trader sam's?

That I'm not sure. But in Trader Sam's, they pour your drink in a souvenir glass and then give you a slip to pick up a boxed/wrapped glass on your way out to keep. The glass your drink is poured in is for bar use only. So if you are able to take drinks out of Trader Sam's, I suspect you'd have to ask them for your drink in a regular glass and pay for the souvenir glass separately.

Outside you can get the souvenir glasses as well. Just like inside they serve the drink in a souvenir glass (if you don't intend to purchase the glass I would make sure you tell them when you order. We had 1 CM who assumed we wanted to purchase). When we left we brought our receipt inside and they gave us the boxed new clean glasses.

 

[wilkeliza]

They wouldn't see a "show" for ordering a coke. Each alcoholic drink has a "show" to go with it. When you order a pearl - the giant pearl opens up behind the bar, order a nautilus they shout "dive, dive" etc. haven't seen any show to go along with coke. Besides..who the heck brings kids to a bar????

People still come for the show. They just wait for someone else to pay the big bucks so they can see it. Trader Sam's is family friendly until 8pm. I feel like there had to be soda when we were there because my friend doesn't drink and I'm pretty sure he got a coke but maybe he got a non-alcoholic drink can't remember because I tried to drink that nautilus we were all suppose to share by myself haha.

 

[skylynx]

There are two, if I remember correctly, types of non-alcoholic punches available in souvenir plastic tiki mugs (the same mugs that are available at the Dole Whip lanai with Dole Whip floats in them) for around $10 which includes the plastic mug. You may be able to order the punch for less without the mug, but there was no Coke available the times we were there.

 

[Disney_Mama]

We have not been yet but I know we will at some point. But those prices are crazy!!!

 

[Grumpy247365]

I paid over $50 for the Nautilus and I loved it! I can't wait to back to add to my collection. I need the Uh-Oa bowl.

 

[Mousetopia]

I've never even heard of this place but I certainly wont be visiting with prices like that. What is the justifiable means for paying $80 for 4 drinks? Is there a character meet and greet? Some other kind of experience?

Well as noted above you can get a drink for $11. Up to you whether you need souvenirs

 

[alliecats]

This may be a dumb question but do you have to have a reservation to go here? Is it drinks only?

 

[skylynx]

No reservations available-it's first-come, first-served and seats fewer than 50. There are a very limited number of small plate appetizers, unlike Trader Sam's in Disneyland which has burgers and pulled pork, etc.

 

[Disneyliscious]

I dont know if this has already been posted in this thread but for those who have never been (including myself) here is a video of the full experience.

Pretty neat looking but not worth it for me personally.

 

[enchantedtikigoddess]

These seem like pretty normal tiki bar prices to me...I was at Frankie's Tiki Room in Vegas last month and my bill was $75 for 4 drinks, 3 of which came with souvenir tiki mugs. That was before tip, so the op's bill doesn't really seem outrageous to me if we're comparing apples to apples.