Tag Archives: Polynesian

Jun 14 2021

Ohana At Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Ohana 1If you will be visiting Walt Disney World soon, and are looking for more dining options, you are in luck. Fan favorite ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, is reopening for breakfast and dinner daily beginning on July 9, 2021. Guests can now make advanced dining reservations for July 9, 2021 and beyond.

According to Disney:

With the backdrop of tropical greenery, ‘Ohana will again offer their fabulous all-you-care-to-enjoy breakfast and dinner offerings when they reopen. Although Disney characters will not be hosting breakfast, a strolling musician will entertain guests for dinner.

For breakfast, start with pineapple-coconut breakfast bread, move on to Stitch and Mickey Mouse waffles, then dig into “eggs”cellent breakfast skillets with ham, sausage, and breakfast potatoes.

The ’Ohana dinner features all-you-care-to-enjoy platters of grilled beef steak, roasted chicken, sausage, and island shrimp casserole served with roasted broccolini. And yes, ’Ohana noodles, ’Ohana pot stickers, crispy soy chicken wings, and the signature ’Ohana bread pudding served warm with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream are back! Yippee!

‘Ohana also offers a full assortment of signature cocktails (including the famous Lapu Lapu), beers, wines, and non-alcoholic beverages. All specialty drinks and cocktails are an additional charge.

For more information about ‘Ohana, to check availability, and to book advanced dining reservations, please click here.

Will you be dining at ‘Ohana soon?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Moana Themed Guest Rooms
Mar 17 2021

First Look At The Moana Themed Guest Rooms At Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

One of my all time favorite resort hotels in all of Walt Disney World is Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The gorgeous tropical theme, exquisitely lush grounds, spectacular volcanic pool, and unique dining and drinking experiences are just a few of things that move this resort hotel to the top of the list for many Disney World fanatics. But now there is another reason to book your next Walt Disney World vacation at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort…the newly reimagined Moana themed guest rooms! Here are the first details of what you can expect to enjoy inside these rooms, courtesy of Disney:

Recently Walt Disney World Resort revealed the first look inside reimagined guest rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, one of the most popular Disney Resort hotels at the Central Florida vacation destination. The resort is now accepting bookings for late July 2021, welcoming guests to rooms featuring a new color palette inspired by the Pacific Ocean and its many islands.

Along with all-new furnishings and fixtures, the rooms will include details, patterns and textures from the hit Walt Disney Animation Studios film “Moana” – those who look carefully may discover several characters and references to the story, including the heart of Te Fiti. In addition, the sandy ocean floor inspires the bathroom tiles and vanity’s carved details, complementing the fresh, modern overall approach to these reimagined rooms.

Reimagined Porte Cochere at Disney's Polynesian Village ResortThe resort is also developing a dramatic new porte cochere that will enhance the arrival experience as guests pull up to its Great Ceremonial House. The inviting design features a high-pitched, open-truss roof covered in a thatch style with pops of color. The area’s new open and airy vibe will be complemented by four chandeliers inspired by glass floats, fishing nets and oversized bamboo elements mirroring the chandelier inside the lobby. In addition, the resort’s Monorail station located above the porte cochere is receiving new wooden screens with geometric patterns in tropical colors, adding to the overall ambience of the entrance.

Drawing inspiration from enduring fantasies of the South Pacific, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is a tropical oasis along the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon, across the water from Magic Kingdom Park. Open since 1971, the resort transports guests to a romanticized American version of the South Seas.

Heading to Disney World?

501 WaysIf you are planning a vacation to Disney World during the holiday season, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Will you be booking a Moana themed guest room?
Please leave a comment; I would love to hear from you!

Jul 24 2015

Check Out Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto

Trader Sams

A South Seas Hideaway

Have you visited the new Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort yet? My family and I had the chance to check it out last month and we loved it! If you are a fan of tropical drinks, Hawaii, or the Jungle Cruise, definitely stop by the next time you’re in Disney World. Here’s everything you need to know about Trader Sam’s courtesy of Disney:

Trader SamsTrader Sam’s Grog Grotto is the latest addition to the newly reimagined Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.  Located off the Great Ceremonial House, the themed lounge serves exotic drinks and small plates, while offering scenic views of the marina and Seven Seas Lagoon.

Founded by Adventureland’s famous “head” salesman, Trader Sam, the Walt Disney World Resort version has some similarities to the original Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel in Disneyland Resort. But magical theming reflects its new resort location.

Guests are welcomed to Trader Sam’s, a South Seas hideaway, to explore a menu full of “magical tropical drinks and food,” and while the Walt Disney World version shares a few exotic cocktails and small plates from the Disneyland location, it has its own menu, according to Chef Lenny DeGeorge.

The famous Trader Sam cocktails, available in Disney collectible Tiki mugs, are a mix of old and new.

Only at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto:

  • Polynesian Pearl
  • Nautilus
  • Castaway Crush
  • Tahitian Torch
  • Dark & Tropical Stormy

Favorites imported from Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar:

  • Krakatoa Punch
  • Uh-Oa!
  • HippopotoMai-Tai
  • Shrunken Zombie Head

Sam’s No-Booze Brews:

  • Schweitzer Fall
  • Skipper Sipper

Small bites at Trader Sam’s Grotto include chicken lettuce cups with hoisin ginger sauce; Hawaiian poke with Sriracha aioli and wonton chips; kalua pork tacos with shredded cabbage and pickled vegetables; pan-fried dumplings with soy-sesame dipping sauce; roasted chicken and pork pâté bánh mì sliders with pickled vegetables; salmon oshizushi (pressed sushi); corn-battered Portuguese sausages with curry ketchup, and a Headhunter Sushi Roll.

The lounge has 50 seats inside and 82 on the patio. Reservations are not required.

The lounge has over 1,200 pieces of memorabilia to check out and ordering certain drinks causes some fun special effects. Because of Trader Sam’s popularity, you could be looking at an hour or two wait or more for a seat inside. If you would rather not wait, head to the nearby Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace for the same menu, live Hawaiian music, plus a view of Seven Seas Lagoon.

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Have you visited Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto yet?
Did you love it? Please leave a comment!

Apr 3 2015

Finding Dole Whip

Dole Whip

Dole Whip? Dole Whip, where are you? Has anyone seen a Dole Whip?

If you are looking for the fan favorite sweet treat on an upcoming Disney World vacation, some things have changed. In March, the menus and names swapped at Aloha Isle and Sunshine Tree Terrace at Magic Kingdom. Speculation is that this swap was made in advance of the opening of a new Jungle Cruise themed restaurant. Orange BirdRumors are that this new restaurant, being built under the working name “Skipper’s Cantina”, could open as early as November of this year. Aloha Isle always has a huge line of people queued up to get their Dole Whip fix so swapping locations with Sunshine Tree Terrace will help clear up traffic in front of the new restaurant’s entrance. Also by moving Aloha Isle to the location behind the Magic Carpets, it puts the Dole Whips that much closer to the Enchanted Tiki Room, giving it a feel similar to Disneyland where you can enjoy a Dole Whip in the Tiki Room courtyard while waiting to view the attraction. Sunshine Tree Terrace will continue to serve its Citrus Swirl and that cutie, Orange Bird, will make the move, too. If you happen to adventure over to the Polynesian Village Resort to check out all the changes that are happening there, you can pick up a Dole Whip at the Pineapple Lanai which is located just outside the rear entrance of the main lobby. If you are in Animal Kingdom, you can find a Dole Whip at Tamu Tamu Refreshments in the Africa section of the park. And for just an extra $1.25 at this location, you can add a dash of dark or coconut rum to the already tasty treat!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Do you love Dole Whips? What is your favorite snack?
Please leave a comment!

Jun 23 2014

Disney World’s Jungle Juice

After recently returning from our amazing trip to Disney World, we were missing it so much we decided to make a little Disney magic here at home. This weekend, we set off on a mission to find the ingredients to make one of our favorite Disney World beverages; Jungle Juice.

Boma Jungle JuiceFor those of you not familiar with this tasty concoction, you can typically find it served at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and at several locations throughout the Animal Kingdom Park. On our most recent vacation, we were pleasantly surprised to find they were even serving it at ‘Ohana at the Polynesian Resort!

While dining on a yummy Boma breakfast, we confirmed with our server Amin, what goes into the Jungle Juice. He told us that it has changed throughout the years, but the current formula is equal parts orange juice, passion fruit juice and guava juice.

Living in one of the least tropical places around (the beautiful state of Colorado), we knew it might be a challenge to find these juices. In spite of this, we needed our Disney fix, so challenge accepted!

We checked the fridge and found that we already had a full bottle of orange juice, so we were already a third of the way to our goal!

Next, we headed off to Target. We needed to go there anyway to get some Super Soakers (it is summer after all), so we thought we would check out their juice selection. We were amazed to easily find the guava juice. Two down, just one juice to go!

Jungle Juice IngredientsThe passion fruit juice proved to be the most difficult. After trying Sprouts with no luck, we decided it was time for a Google search. And what did we find? The all-knowing Google told us that the elusive passion fruit juice could be found in the exotic place called Wal-Mart. So off we went and sure enough in a matter of minutes, we had secured all of our ingredients.

As soon as we got home, my hubby quickly mixed it up for us. We were thrilled to find that it tasted just like the real thing! A little taste of Disney right here at home whenever we need it!

Jungle Juice

What about you? Do you love Jungle Juice as much as we do? Please leave a comment!