Head Salesman on Disney Jungle Cruise has own Grotto- Trader Sam's Grog Grotto

Greetings from Trader Sam's Grog Grotto!

Trader Sam's is a Tiki Bar tucked away inside Disney's Polynesian resort. The entrance is non descript ( almost as if it is a secret) and if you didn't know it was there, it can easily be missed. We've heard about Trader Sam's for years and years ( and even how difficult it is to get in here). People would start lining up in the Polynesian hallway hours before the grotto even opened just for a chance to be a part of this experience.

Trader Sam's recently started opening up earlier in the day ( previously it didn't open till later in the afternoon), so we finally thought maybe we would take a chance at getting in.

On a Sunday afternoon, after a round of golf, we made our way to the Polynesian Village resort and were granted access to the famous Grotto!

Let's take a moment for a little back story. Before Trader Sam became the proud proprietor of his own tiki hideaway at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, he was known for something a little more adventurous!

Disney fans will remember Trader Sam from the Jungle Cruise ride in Magic Kingdom, where he appears at the end of the attraction as the “head salesman” of the jungle.

You may recall this famous line:

“Trader Sam’s the head salesman. He’s got a great deal for you—two of his heads for just one of yours!”

Disney Imagineering loves weaving stories across attractions, and Trader Sam is one of their best examples of a character who “expanded his business.” According to the lore, after years of selling shrunken heads and questionable souvenirs in the jungle, Sam decided to branch out. He took his entrepreneurial spirit to the tropical islands of the Pacific, where he opened a tiki bar filled with artifacts from his travels.

His collection grew, maps, relics, shrunken heads, nautical oddities, and eventually became the chaotic, immersive space we know today as Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto.

Was our experience here as exciting as the lore itself?

When we entered, I immediately saw why it was so hard to get into this place. The space seats less than 50 guests.

There is a main bar, and then side tables and chairs scatter around the space. We were seated with other guests at a high, long table in the middle of the room. The place has a dark, moody vibe, similar to the Beak and Barrel we previously visited. There are no real windows here. Just a fake window out to the ocean that changes scenery as the storm rolls in. For being such a small space, there were certainly a lot of details to take notice to.

When our server approached us, I noticed that she didn't have the same Disney charisma we are use to at other venues. It didn't seem like she was playing a part, she just didn't seem friendly. I wondered if it was because the beverages we ordered were not alcoholic ones. She seemed surprised when we asked to order some appetizers and then she got a tad friendlier. She got really nice when it was time to hand us the check!

All the drinks here had a tropical theme to them.

I got the Schweitzer Falls, ( the Jungle Cruise's name for the back side of water) which was tropical juices and Sam's Gorilla Grog topped with Sprite.

                                                        Lacey got the Skipper Sipper.

                                                            Both were refreshing drinks.

For our appetizer we got the Kalua Pork Tacos with cabbage and pickled vegetables. These were tasty as well. You can't really go wrong with a taco!

As we ate our food and sipped our drinks, we saw the mood change throughout the grotto. We saw the "storm" roll through and heard many of the "inside jokes" the bar tender would should out when certain drinks were ordered. I guess guests who have been in the grotto long enough caught on to this jokes because now they were in on them too. For example, there were some gun shot sound effects that would go off whenever a guest would order 2 shots of rum. And then of course the crowd would holler out loud. I'm sure there were probably some drinking games involved too.

This was a cool place to check out once, but I don't think I would try to make it a regular visit.