Thirty one years of guest memories plus a renewed interest in retro-tiki culture could add up to a win-win situation for Disney and guests alike if Adventureland’s Tahitian Terrace restaurant and dinner show could be revived. Earlier guests to this wonderful oasis hideaway are still talking about how magical it was and what fond memories they have of it. Hula dancers, firewalkers, and the best island ribs west of Tahiti were featured.
The Tahitian Terrace originally opened in 1962 and ran until 1993 to make way for the Aladdin’s Oasis dinner show, which ran for two seasons. Aside from some storytelling venues, this prime little piece of real estate and been vacant for over a decade now.
It would be great to get a little more romance of the islands back into Adventureland!
49 comments:
Great idea. Just update and for god's sake don't do something tacky like a movie tie-in such as the Lion King Buffet or Stitch's Pineapple Revue. AND NO ALCOHOL!!! You can save that for the wino's at the 7-11 parking lot. That does NOT belong at Disneyland!!!
That sounds incredible. --My wife lived in Hawaii for close to ten years and pines for it all the time. --Were you to go back to a Polynesian theme I know you'd have at least one loyal family in regular attendance.
I always wanted to try both of these restaurants - but who wants to spend time away from the rides. Now that I'm older, and the thought of eating takes on almost as much pleasure as the thought of riding rides, none of these classic Disneyland restaurants exist anymore. Honestly, when they made it a resort I thought we'd see more sit down venues. They added restaurants to Downtown Disneyland and DCA - but every single one is like a four star restaurant. I'd like for them to put back the Tahitian Terrace and The Big Thunder Ranch, and maybe add something like the Cinderella Castle restaurant and open another nice restaurant on Main Street or in Tomorrowland (a themed cool sit down restaurant in Tomorrowland - like eating in a space station or something - how cool would that be! Of course, my mind naturally begins to think about The Restaurant At The End of The Universe and a Talking Cow telling you of the latest cuts of beef... but I'm just wierd that way ;)
Disneyland could certainly use more places to sit and eat.
I wholeheartedly agree. I even remember the story -- another illustration of Walt's desire to give the public a great show -- of how he had staff cut into and trim the size of a faux tree hiding speakers and a lot of wires so people could better see the stage.
This venue deserves to be revived. The mildly amusing Aladdin dinner show was frequently sold out ... anyone remember the chocolate genie lamps? Why the dinner theater isn't in use today is beyond me.
If I remember right it wasn't an inexpensive meal, but reasonable when considering the quality entertainment. People pay $40 or more for a Hawaiian lulau.
The guest experience at Disneyland includes the shows and live performances. Sometimes the interaction between guests and castmembers is where the true magic happens and memories are made ... catch Cruella De Vil as she refuses to put her autograph near "those rodents" Mickey or Minnie Mouse and watch the children.
The Aladdin stage show at DCA is great ... the Hunchback of Notre Dame that Disneyland ran for a few years was quite good as well. Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, the Coke Corner piano players, the Kids of the Kingdom, Millionaire Play It and the awesome Fantasmic! ... all have provided the guests with memorable shows and attracted their own loyal fans.
Most of the live entertainment at Disneyland is extremely good -- they're drawing professional and would-be actors.
Yes, bring back the firewakers and Hula dancers or put in a "Lion King" African-style dinner show.
Aloha, Paul!
Tahitian Terrace was my favorite place to eat in Disneyland - - and what a show! Hula girls and fire dancers flew me to the tropics for an hour or two of pure escape and exotica!
If the economics of a dinner show don't work for the accountaneers, why not reconceive it with shorter, revolving act breaks and open seating, counter service for an appetizing menu of pupus and a range of virgin tropical drinks!
It would be my personal hangout at DL! And with Tiki culture so back in vogue, I'm sure it would be packed with hipsters, loungers and more.
Like The Golden Horseshoe, the Tahitian Terrace was a place for the whole family - including Dad and Mom - to have some R&R and gaze at some of the beautiul eye candy of Polynesia (...and at the Terrace, of both sexes!).
Mahalo for the suggestion!!!
Children's storytelling is a waste of this incredible venue. Surely there is a place in Fantasyland for that.
I'm ALL about putting more Land-themed restaurants back; I was LIVID when the terrace went away and the dreaded Aladdin thing came in there. If they show was any fun or they'd served decent Middle Eastern food, it would have been one think to lose TT, but as it is...Well, I'm just not at all happy, to be polite about it.
I can see that the economics of the floor show may now be an option to restore, but please let us have our South Pacific cuisine and atmosphere back.
And count me in for TRATEOU. Even if HHGTTG was a sad mess of an adaptation and it can only get worse from here without Doug Adams genius, I think TRATEOU would be a great addition.
You go, Paul, you luau king!
I remember flying cross-country with my grandmother to visit her brother in California. I was 10 or eleven, and the highlight was a trip to Disneyland.
Our local cousins insisted we dine at the Tahitian Terrace for lunch. I still have the little plastic orchid that came floating in my tropical drink.
I still remember the beautiful tropical patio setting, the lush vegetation and the waterfall. As if that wasn't enough to enjoy while we ate, the waterfall parted and out came two lovely hula girls! The fire dancer was pretty amazing, too.
Down through the decades I've seen a number of Polynesian reviews. I doubt that this one was the best, but the experience was among the most memorable. It was the total immersion of the experience that was so thrilling.
I was from a small town in Pennsylvania, and this was as close to Hawaii as I ever expected to be. The outdoor room, the themed furniture and fixtures, the entertainment, even the men let me pretend I was exploring the South Pacific.
That was over 35 years ago and the world has changed. People travel a lot more and come with broader experiences under their belt. I don't know that a plastic flower floating in my fruit juice would do it for me today. But I still have a happy memory of that experience, and I'd jump at the chance to duck out of the crowds for a bit and enjoy a sit down meal where everything around me tells me I've just jumped 3,000 miles west.
You go, Paul, you luau king!
I remember flying cross-country with my grandmother to visit her brother in California. I was 10 or eleven, and the highlight was a trip to Disneyland.
Our local cousins insisted we dine at the Tahitian Terrace for lunch. I still have the little plastic orchid that came floating in my tropical drink.
I still remember the beautiful tropical patio setting, the lush vegetation and the waterfall. As if that wasn't enough to enjoy while we ate, the waterfall parted and out came two lovely hula girls! The fire dancer was pretty amazing, too.
Down through the decades I've seen a number of Polynesian reviews. I doubt that this one was the best, but the experience was among the most memorable. It was the total immersion of the experience that was so thrilling.
I was from a small town in Pennsylvania, and this was as close to Hawaii as I ever expected to be. The outdoor room, the themed furniture and fixtures, the entertainment, even the men let me pretend I was exploring the South Pacific.
That was over 35 years ago and the world has changed. People travel a lot more and come with broader experiences under their belt. I don't know that a plastic flower floating in my fruit juice would do it for me today. But I still have a happy memory of that experience, and I'd jump at the chance to duck out of the crowds for a bit and enjoy a sit down meal where everything around me tells me I've just jumped 3,000 miles west.
That's cool...The Polynesian resort is always a favorite to visit in WDW, so this would be a welcome addition in DL.
Somehting needs to be done to the Adventureland in Magic Kingdom. Half of it is vacant.
As one who has been partaking in the recent Tiki revival for the last several years, I think it's a fabulous idea to bring the Terrace back. Perhaps even open up the view a bit out to the river and the passing Jungle Cruise boats as they pull in to dock. Jungle Cruisers could catch a glimpse of the diners and shows and vice-versa.
about my childhood memory......It's true the men (and ladies) let me pretend I was on a tropical island, but I was thinking MENU as I typed. You know, tropical drinks, pineapple dessert (was it a version of the dole whip?, I can't remember)
Wanting the Tahitian Terrace back is a great thing, but the Disny company has to make some cultural decisions.
Even though Aladdin's Oasis would sell out 10 shows a day, and was, what, $29.95? per person....By the time that disney paid for the meal, waiters, bussing staff, actors, and technicians, the accountanteers pegged it right that the park made a better profit on selling the guest a cheeseburger at Tomorrowland Terrace.
My answer to that was that that people come to Disneyland for magical experiences. Buying a cheeseburger at Tomorrowland terrace is not a magical experience. But experiencing dinner and a show with Aladdin and the gang can be. Or a throwback to the old Tahitian Terrace Show. How about mixing Tiki birds into the outdoor show, as Walt originally intended?
But the company must first embrace that the guest experience is more important that the profit margin. Not in all cases, but in some.
"anonymous" is right: A full-service restaurant with entertainment at that location probably just isn't profitable.
(Note that full-service with live entertainment apparently works profitably in a larger venue like Epcot's Biergarten...)
Still - here's a suggestion: since it sounds like Adventureland is losing the Bengal Barbecue soon, why not move the Barbecue's menu (plus some Hawaiian and Asian dishes) and counter-serve approach at a "new" Tahitian Terrace - with a small Hawaiian show, of course. This kills three birds (what to do with Aladdin's Oasis, how to replace the Barbecue, and how to bring the Terrace show back) with one single stroke.
seems to me it's *way* too hip a thing to do for today's Disney to bring back the Tahitian Terrace. Yet it would rule. Imagine having a Shag-designed remodel.
There's certainly enough business, look at the Blue Bayou, always booked up because it's 1) one of the few really decent sit-down restaurants in the park, and 2) land and ride themed. Even without being able to get a drink there (and oh, how I want a real Julep when I eat there, it just feels wrong without it in such a bayou atmosphere), I always book there and always spend way too much money.
There's room for another place like this. A decent polynesian-themed restaurant would kill in that spot. It might not generate the same pure profit you get selling nickel cokes for three bucks, but there's no question it would be a profit center and it would upgrade all of adventureland, which is taking on a ragged and un-cared-for look.
I never got to experience the Tahitian Terrace. It would be great to see it return.
I love tiki bars and culture. Does anyone know if the big concrete tree still exists?
Here's a little Tao lesson that Disney management and Imagineers should consider when dealing with classic offerings at the theme parks ... whether they be the Tahititian Terrace, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, the PeopleMover or something else.
"Things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed."
I'm not opposed to growth, to change, to plussing whatever currently exists ... but don't give the public something LESS in exchange.
The human, castmember to guest experience is one of the places where the magic is made and guest memories are solidified ... and, while a dinner theater show may not be the profit-generator of some other restaurants or walk-up snack bars ... that's simply short-sided thinking.
The public, especially the diehard Disney fans, have seen too much of this corporate thinking ... the Disney Magazine (a moneymaker) isn't making ENOUGH money so let's shut it down ... UGHH!
Why bother to to offer the unique Fantasia ice cream flavor at Carnation ... it's cheaper not to. UGHH!
Let's turn the Golden Horseshoe into an ice cream parlor -- now, there's theming! Food service should offer barbecue sandwiches, Walt's chili, fried chicken (not chicken or fish fingers), and rootbeer or sasparilla at the Golden Horseshoe.
All this erodes the theme, the experience, the show.
Yes, bring back the hula dancers and firewalkers and an appropriate menu for a restaurant at the Tahitian Terrace. Charge us $30-40 for lunch and $40-50 for dinner ... bet it would be an easy sell and the guests would love it. And, you know what, it'll make money -- maybe not as much as some of the overpriced snack bar items -- and become part of those memories future generations will hold dear.
Disney used to be about magical experiences. To me growing up, the Golden Horseshoe Revue and the Tahitian Terrace were as important as Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion.
I do prefer DL to Disneyland Paris or the Magic Kingdom, but when it comes to themed dining, it is the weakest. The Blue Bayou is always rammed.
I loved the TT and I felt we have been losing much of the Disney experience with it's disappearance.
The Dapper Dans, the Horse-drawn Streetcar, the jazz groups and now missing lagniappe of New Orleans Square, the Tahitian Terrace, the Golden Horseshoe Revue, the Mark Twain, the Peoplemover - none of these are/were headline attractions or E-tickets to draw you to the park on their own, but they all contribute to the magic of the Disney experience. They are things the whole family can enjoy - unlike many of the imagineering creations in the last 30 years.
By plugging plush in the shops, fast food instead of table service, and cheap thrills instead of immersive attractions, Disney is becoming a pretty and more expensive Six Flags or Bush Experience. Not the way to go.
Maybe this could rub off on the WDW Adventureland as well. Our Tiki Room is HORRIBLE.
you go mnmears! i totally agree with what you said. i would love for the tahitian terrace to come back. i was too young to remember it, but i had recently got a hold of a copy of the menu and practically drooled. everything looked fantastic and i know that if the TT were to ever come back, it would be on the top of my list whenever i go to DL.
I have childhood memories back in the mid-1970's in Florida's Disney World tram ride past a Tathian styled resort. I haven't had the pleasure to return to Disney World for over a decade so i have no idea if that resort still stands in Florida.
I did however last visit EPCOT back in 2000. Why not add a cultural showcase of Tahiti to the EPCOT world showcase of countries. Like you've alluded to in your blog entry today.
Although the Tahitian resort may not reappear a cultural showcase and resturants could come back at EPCOT at least in Florida.
After waiting in line for some 40 minutes for kabobs and bacon wrapped asparagus and the little Aventureland "snack bar", the name escapes me like my collagen, I'd say it's time for the Tiki Lounge to re-open
Does anyone remember drinking their soft-drinks through those paper straws back in the 70s and earlier? Those things would pick up the flavor of the drink and then "mush out" by the time you got to the bottom of your cup.
I'm not suggesting that we go back to a technology that is less useful or inferior to today's. But I'm excited to see everyone's hunger for us to return to that charm that existed in the parks before the huge commercial growth in the 80s. That was a time when you could still feel the residue of the magic that was instilled by Walt. DL has a lot of it, even WDW still has plenty of it. It is just hiding there under a layer of dust, rust and cheese.
Awesome idea! Bring it back as close to the original as possible. It's all about the atmosphere, and it would indeed be a win-win.
West of Tahiti? Disneyland is about 30 degrees east of Tahiti on the globe.
With the constant popularity of Blue Bayou (I dunno about after the rehab... but I digress), Disney really needs another sit down and eat restraunt within the area. I mean, Main Street has one (though you grab your trays yourself and don't need a reservation), Tomorrowland has that pizza place, Fantasyland could use a nice one. Frontierland has that Zorro place, Bear Country has a fairly decent place, New Orleans Square has Blue Bayou and Adventureland has bengal (which has excellent ka-bobs). But, I think its time that Disney brought back an interesting dinner show instead of the Aladdin Storytime Jamboree or whatever. The theming really doesn't work well. You have Tiki room with its mascots and masks, then you have jungle cruise with its lush foliage and then you have... A morroccan style building just sitting there. They should somehow mix the theming of Tiki and Jungle Cruise and just stick Tahitian back.
From what I understand, it even had an area where you could look down on the cruise while you ate, much like Blue Bayou with Pirates.
I would love to see the Tahitian Terrace in its heyday brought back with the hula dancers and firewalkers and the wonderful ribs ( I belive Kikoman was the sponser) heck you can even find the recipie for those ribs on the net. The atmosphere and show were the best it was an E ticket all the way with E ticket food. The way I see it is if people are flocking to a constantly sold out Fantasmic dessert buffet at aprox 50.00 , they will be more than willing to pay 60.00 to 70.00 for an E ticket dinner show. I will make the first reservation for a party of 5 plus.
This is once again a themeing , magic issue that guest are craving.
I loved the TT. When I go to DL nowadays, I always want to eat at the Blue Bayou. The food isn't that great and it's too expensive, but I still make reservations and pay the $ just because the atmosphere is so cool and unlike any other restaurant I know. I was crushed when they closed the TT. I'm from Hawaii and a big fan of Tiki culture. I think it would be awesome to bring it back, or some other Tiki/Shag themed sit-down restaurant. I agree there needs to be more restaurants and attractions (American Sings? PeopleMover?) where you can sit down and relax from the hustle and bustle for a little while.
Yesterland.com has a wonderful write up of the vintage Tahitian Terrace with some beautiful photos and a scan of the original menu. (http://yesterland.com/tahitianmenu.html) It's amazing to remember that there was a time when $1.75 could buy you a full meal of ribs, rice and vegetables. You can't even buy a soda for that price at DL anymore!
Retro-tiki culture is Tahitian??? Not to be picky, but a Tiki refers to traditional ornaments created by the Maori, the Polynesian first settlers of New Zealand....
Aww man...I'm getting hungry. I'd probably take it just a teensy bit further and in addition to the terrace, open a side stand that offers plate lunches. Loco Moco, Mahi Mahi, rice, saimin soup, mac salad. Mmmmmmm!
Hey Guys!
I'm all for improving the theme parks we all know and love but I think we need to get our eyes back on the prize. There needs to be a ban on the following phrases: "bring back the (fill in the obscure rememberance of youth)" and "remember when Disney had (fill in long ago replaced attraction)". This kind of thinking, while warm and wonderful, does nothing to advance the Disney of today to become the ultimate experience we all want it to be.
I'm not looking to bash...I just want to move forward. Let's get constructive!
Here's something constructive. Remember the foundation that the Disney parks were built on and only then move forward. Moving forward while blindfolded will just make a bigger mess. And go ahead and wax nostalgic about the older attractions that were bulldozed for inferior shows. Right now their memory is tantamount to building a better park.
I remember it as a kid. Bring it back
Bringing something back like a restaurant isn't being uncreative...it's unbreaking the park. It doesn't have to be EXACTLY as it was before, but a nice sit-down restaurant with a show there WOULD be nice...and it doesn't need to be tied in with some sort of marketing campaign either.
I don't mind being sold to, I just don't like it when it gets in the way of my overall experience.
Bringing something back like a restaurant isn't being uncreative...it's unbreaking the park. It doesn't have to be EXACTLY as it was before, but a nice sit-down restaurant with a show there WOULD be nice...and it doesn't need to be tied in with some sort of marketing campaign either.
I don't mind being sold to, I just don't like it when it gets in the way of my overall experience.
I totally remember that place and the food was actually pretty good. I was really disappointed when they took it out. With the reemergence if Tiki culture, I hope they do bring it back.
What's not forward moving about fixing something that isn't working? Sure, the Alladin dinner show was timely when it happened, but there was no real appeal to return. Once it began to wane and became an expense, on paper in someone's cubicle it became a liability. Now it's something many of us who were able to experience remember fondly and long for because it was quality. It was entertaining and (heaven forbid) educational as a show, and the food was quite good. Pacific Islander culture is still exotic, mysterious, and tantalizing. Returning to a Polynesian theme isn't backward thinking, rather, taking the concept and updating it to include a more diverse Pan Pacific menu and maintaining the respect for the cultures of the peoples represented in a traditional review couldn't be more progressive. I really did like the waterfall curtain though...
I still get chills thinking about the tiki gods rumbling in anger (cna't quite remember why they did, but it was an a mazing feeling)!
Those moments of otherworldliness, as others have mentioned, is what DW is all about to me, what separates the Disney experience from any other park. If they can create atmosphere, then they can keep Disney relevant and exciting for the kids and adults that stream through the park.
Personally, I love the tiki revitalization idea, but honestly, I think that you could choose almost any genre for the spot, and as long as the atmospherics were handled well, it would be a fine addition to DW.
BTW, this is a super cool blog!
Richard
You know of course that that space is again running the Aladdin Story Time Show?
That would be so wonderful! I didn't visit the park for the first time until after the Terrace closed, so I never got to see it. If John Lassiter is reading this, bring it back, please?!?
We Disney fans in Florida would just like to see our Tiki Room returned to it's original format and show. The current "Iago" show posesses none of the charm and whimsy of the original. This Tiki Room is no longer "enchanted" and never "flies away"!
My teenage daughters and I just went to the Anaheim Tiki Room tonight, and we all really enjoy it.
I would love to see the Tahitian Terrace come back. But as much as I enjoy the pop art of the martini/tiki culture, I would really like to see this place done up in true Polynesian style. Polynesian Plaza. It would be such a relaxing and pleasant way to take a break from sore feet and throngs of teenagers, (I'm sure you can guess what demographic I fall into), with a cool fruit drink and the sound of ukuleles.
Southern California has such a vast and active Polynesian community, that it would be so easy to find the right entertainment for the venue. My girls both danced hula when they were younger, and it seems like there are new hula halaus popping up every day.
In contrast, Aladdin's Oasis seems so uninviting, with guards at the door and velvet ropes. It reminds me of New York night clubs of my younger days, where you would stand outside hoping to get picked to enter.
Now THIS is what Disneyland needs! People who aren't blinded by the media or money and can really see what's needed. I'm really enjoying this blog. I was never able to experience the Tahitian Terrace, being to young to remember. But from what I've seen and read of it, it sounds so much more fun and original then the silly Aladdin thing they have in its place. Here's hoping the light will be seen by the Imagineers soon!
I say bring it back. Need any help let me know. I've got tiki in my blood (it helps that my parents met at a luau in Los Angeles).
Having worked at the Tahitian Terrace through college, I can say that it would be great to see it come back. It probably had the best food in the park (and some of the best people). And it's hard to beat dining on a warm breezy summer night under a giant tree, sipping Terrace punch, while live Hawaiian music plays in the background and fireworks over head. It's that type of magical experience that now missing...
I worked at TT as a musician in the 80's while I as going to college and have great memories from a different perspective...the naughty but innocent hula lessons with guest participation, chugging river boats passing directly behind the stage, and the wide eyed audience feeling the heat from the fire knife dancer's flames. What a gig!
It would be great to see this place revived esp with the whole Tiki movement going on.
I am so lucky that I experienced the TT while it was there. I never forgot what a great show and atmosphere it had. I'm really excited to hear that a Trader Vic's will be opening soon in Las Vegas, even while it's closed in Los Angeles. Themes are what made Disney, and Vegas had better remember soon that they re-made Vegas, as well. As for the folks who mentioned a space station or Restaurant at the End of the Universe; check out Quark's Bar & Grill at the Las Vegas Hilton. 'Amazing decor, great drinks.
I love these ideas as well.
Our family room is a tiki room, with an 8' faux (but very authentic) palm tree, hand-carved tikis, a tiki bar and dozens of old, classic tiki mugs.
There's more interest in "all things tiki" now than ever. We're even lucky enough in this typically-midwest, Chicago suburban area to have a really nice tiki bar not far from here, with live hula shows a few times a week.
But it would be great to have a really superb show and great food at the TT!
I also wish the Enchanted Tiki Room's new management would get fired and a New new management would take over. When we were at WDW a couple years ago, after we left the ETR, we found a CD that had "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" on it. I'm sure there's a way the ETR could be updated without the harshness of the New Management makeover.
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