Great Ceremonial House

**The Great Ceremonial House** is part of *Disney's Polynesian Village Resort*. It is where *Trader Sam's Grog Grotto* is located and set.

## Description

This is a ceremonial house located within a seaside Polynesian Village. The structure has two identifiable floors and a shrine to the folk-hero, Maui. Various seemingly enchanted "tiki" sculptures are scattered around the grounds.

### Points of interest

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* **BouTiki**: On the first-floor was this boutique store, decorated with potentially sentient tikis.
* **Capt. Cook's**:
* **Kona Cafe**:
* **Kona Island**:
* **Maui shrine**: Located in the Ceremonial Hall's entrance is a large wooden shrine depicting the folk-hero, Maui.
* **Moana Mercantile**: Located on the second floor, this was a mercantile with ancient Polynesian sailing-equipment lining its walls. The mercantile took its name from the Polynesian islander hero Moana.
* **Pineapple Lanai**:
* **Tambu Lounge**:
* **Trader Sam's Grog Grotto**: This is a bar owned by ancient South American magic-user, "Trader Sam" and the colonial *Jungle Navigation Company*.

## History

### Background

It is unknown when the ceremonial house was constructed. It has an apparent affiliation with the hero Moana from Polynesia's,"Long Pause" period. Moana influenced the village for eras to come with her name being used throughout it and her likeness decorating many features such as the Moana Mercantile.

Around the late-1950s/early-1960s, an ancient magic-user from the Amazon rainforest named, "Trader Sam" came to the village. With assistance from his cousin Chief Nah-mee and his affiliate Skip Dockmonkey from the *Jungle Navigation Company*, they established a bar in the Great Ceremonial House known as, "Trader Sam's Grog Grotto". The Grog Grotto was the second bar opened by Sam in the 20th century, its sister-location being, "Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar" which was also in the Pacific and which was connected to the mystical *Wilds of Adventureland*.

Trader Sam's Grog Grotto would host a variety of different characters throughout its existence. Amongst them were the aristocratic British toad J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq. whose car-keys Sam had to confiscate, and apparently the popular singer/actress Annette Funicello who to Sam's dismay was at one point thrown into the sea as a joke. Possible patrons of the bar might have included the likes of womanizing aviator Hathaway Browne, the talking cockatoo Rosita and Walt Disney himself who was considered to be Sam's best-customer. The coming of the bar seemingly brought paranormal, "Tropical Snowstorms" during the Holiday season, engulfing much if not all of the village's region in snow and causing at-least one of its nearby volcanoes to erupt blizzards; a similar event which occured at Sam's Adventureland bar.

Sam also decorated the grotto with curios such as the taxidermied arm of the giant squid which sank the Nautilus in 1869 and which Sam's magic animated, the bottled pirate-ship *The Wicked Wench* which sometimes sprang to life within a contained storm, the shrunken heads of members of his familu from the East-Coast, a portrait of the Nautilus on Vulcania, a figure of the Florida Orange Bird, a life-preserver from the Norway pavilion of Walt Disney's *Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow*, a wooden carving of Sam's friend Lampie and an idol of the disaster goddess Uh-Oa. Captain Nemo's spirit was seemingly sometimes summoned within the bar with his voice being heard, commanding the *Nautilus XIII*.

## Jungle Cruise appearances

### Trader Sam's

#### Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

Sam's, "East coast franchise" along the Seven Seas Lagoon is referenced in this bar. The resort's depiction of Maui also appears on the entry-doors of the bar.

## Trivia

* The, "Tropical Snowstorm" affiliated with Christmas at Trader Sam's parallels the backstory of *Disney's Blizzard Beach* where a rare tropical blizzard struck Florida in the 1990s.
* In the Grog Grotto is the sign for Samoa Snacks, a shop which was removed from the resort to make way for the Moana Mercantile.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.mainstgazette.com/2015/08/management-is-not-responsible.html
2. ↑ https://www.mousesteps.com/2015/03/29/trader-sam-s-grog-grotto-lives-up-to-west-coast-version-with-unique-experiences-drinks-and-decor-150-photos-video/2/