Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is READY for the holidays!
We’ve already seen holiday decorations up at the hotel, a special holiday cupcake themed to Moana, and even an elf dome cake. Now, tiki mug collectors can ceelbrate the season with a festive collectible from Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. Here’s what you need to know if you want to get one of these beauties.
The Nutcracker Tiki Mug is BACK at Trader Sam’s Grog Gotto! We saw a version of this mug announced for Disneyland earlier this year, and we’ve seen it available in Disney World in the past as well.
A Cast Member we spoke to said that there was a line for wristbands early this morning, but that the line wasn’t too long. One Cast Member indicated that distribution for the wristbands actually started at around 10AM. When we stopped by at around 12:45PM, there was no line at all for the wristbands and wristbands were still available.
If you’re hoping to get this tiki mug, the first thing you need to do is get that wristband. Once you have one, that wristband allows you to order the drink (which comes with the tiki mug) inside Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto or outside on the patio at Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace.
Keep in mind that you’ll have to get the Mele Kaliki Mai Tai drink in order to purchase this mug. If you don’t want your mug to get dirty, you can usually get the drink in a separate cup.
While there was no line for the wristbands when we first arrived, there was a line for Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto itself. The lounge opens at 3PM, so guests were already lining up to get inside as soon as it opens.
The Cast Member we spoke to said that it has been busy, though not as hectic as some other tiki mug releases. Still, the Cast Member shared that they expect the mug will sell out today.
As we waited in the area, the line near Trader Sam’s started to get a bit more packed, so to relieve some congestion in the area Cast Members adopted a virtual line system. As of around 1:30PM, the process was as follows: guests can visit Trader Sam’s to get a wristband and get checked in for a visit to the lounge. Guests provide the Cast Member with their phone number during the check-in process, and then will get a text when it’s time to return.
The patio still works the same as before, with seating being on a first-come, first-serve basis.
As of around 2PM, a Cast Member informed us that if you put your name on the list to get into Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, it would be about a 1.5-2 hour wait. So, after the bar opens at 3PM, you’d likely be able to enter around 4:30-5PM.
The specialty mugs at Trader Sam’s typically sell out VERY quickly, and we expect this one will be no different. It appears the wait is also steadily getting longer to enter Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. So, if you’re hoping to get one of these nutcracker mugs, be sure to act quickly and stop by Trader Sam’s at the Polynesian today. We’ll keep an eye out for more updates and let you know what we find.
If you love Trader Sam’s, you should try these other spots in Disney World — click here to see more!
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