We reached Trader Sam’s at about 4:05 and they were already at maximum capacity. So we were given a pager and went outside to the Tiki Terrace to wait.
We checked out the Tiki bar menu…
We were both hot and thirsty so decided to order a non-alcoholic beverage (aka a Sam’s No Booze Brew). Allison chose the Skipper Sipper and I went with the Schweitzer Falls…
Skipper Sipper – Tropical Juices, Organic Agava Nectar, Falernum, Mint, and fresh Lime Juice topped with Soda Water – $4.79
Schweitzer Falls – Tropical Juices and Sam’s Gorilla Grog Topped with Sprite – $4.79
It looks like we photographed our drinks before we stirred them up. Once given a good stir with our straws, these were both very good and did the job of quenching our thirst. Both were given a rating of 5.
We sat on the terrace for at least 45 minutes sipping our drinks and enjoying the surroundings…
They even had live entertainment out on the terrace…
Finally at around 5:00 our pager went off and we were allowed to enter the Grotto bar inside.
Our dinner reservation at Kona Cafe was at 5:30 so we quickly placed our drink order once we found a table next to a “window” with a view of the volcano.
For our cocktails, Allison chose a Shrunken Zombie Head and I went with a Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum (yes, that’s 5 Tikis )…
My drink was $11.50 and Allison’s was $19.50 since it was served in a souvenir shrunken head cup…
So our drinks were not cheap, but Allison really liked hers (rated it a 5) and loves the cup that she got to take home. My drink was a little too strong though for my taste, and since we had so little time before our ADR I had to drink it quickly instead of sipping it slowly. Consequently, the Tiki Rum drink with a little too much “tiki” only received a rating of 3 for me.
But overall our first experience at Trader Sam’s Grotto and Tiki Terrace was a good one. I just wish we had had more time to savor those expensive drinks and experience more of the fun atmosphere and special effects.