The Polynesian

For the few weeks before Katie and the family came down I would occasionally spend my lonely nights heading into Disney and the resorts. One of the resorts I would go to was the Polynesian.
While hanging out there I quickly learned the ins and outs of the place. 

First I would drive up to the gate and tell the guard I was there for dinner.  I would then present my ID and the guard would point me in the direction of the parking lot. Occasionally the guard would be more inquisitive and I would explain I was there to go to Trader Sam's (Disney's new lounge in the Polynesian).  Now there is nothing wrong with going to the resorts and telling the guards this, however the passengers in my car always get nervous when I do this as if I am being somewhat shady (though I do sometimes hop on the monorail and head over to the Magic Kingdom).  

Trader Sam's is an interactive new bar where a little performance is put on by the staff or animatronics in the bar will activate depending upon which drink you order.

The bar is small and gets filled up pretty quickly. Sometimes there is an hour wait or more to get a seat.  The alternative is to go outside, which is actually a pretty good alternative. You do not get the show, but you usually get live music and if you time it right you can catch Wishes or the Electric Water Parade. The other draw for Trader Sam's are the drinks in souvenir cups.  

The cups vary in price, but also come with the drink so they are not priced too bad . To my surprise I have seen the grandaddy of them all, the Nautilus at $52, be sold multiple times. The drink looks cool, but any drink over $50 is a little steep if you ask me.

We have gone over to the Polynesian a few times as a family to watch the parade and fireworks on the beach (the music from the park is piped in over speakers). It's a great alternative to watching the fireworks in the park. We have even brought over our own drinks and let the kids play in the sand. This is so much more relaxing than fighting crowds at the Magic Kingdom. We must say, its pretty cool that WDW is about the same distance to travel to as it was to travel to our local shopping center at our house up north. 

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