The waterfall splashes as exotic birds chirp and a chorus of frogs and toads becomes a rhythmic
hum in the distance. Nearby, rusted boats return from the jungle to their landing by the shore.
This beautiful little clearing in the jungle serves food with a south
Asian and Pacific Island twist, this…is the Tropical Hideaway.
But this little corner of Adventureland has a rather storied history, and to understand it,
we must go back to the beginning. Let the music carry us away through time, back to 1955…
The tropical Hideaway was once known as the Pavilion Lanai, a restaurant that actually
shared the same building with Main Streets Plaza Pavilion restaurant. What made the Plaza Pavilion
and the Pavilion Lanai so interesting was that it was and still is a perfect example of how
Hollywood style construction techniques, allowed Imagineers to save space in the park by operating
two eateries from the same building, simply by carefully constructing two different facades.
Once you crossed a small stream you entered the Adventureland Veranda,
and behind the seating area was the Pavilion Lanai, a small cafeteria style restaurant
operated by Grand Central Concessionaires and decorated with Polynesian wooden countertops,
and a full-size Tahitian war canoe was constructed to be used as a light fixture. Here you could
buy 65 cent sandwiches or a whole meal for $1.25. They even served Poi,
made from taro root which was grown here in Adventureland!
From 1955 to 1960, you could sit and enjoy
island music from The Delfin Thursday Trio, headed by Miss Dell-Finn Poaha, who won Miss
Hawaii back in 1950. By 1961 Miss Dell-Finn was succeeded by Lovely Elana and her music group.
Yes, the Pavilion Lanai was the place to be at Disneyland if you wanted to relax and getaway.
Big changes came in 1962, Walt Disney wanted to refresh Adventureland, new shops were designed
by Imagineer Rolly Crump, and the Jungle Cruise was getting a humorous make-over by Imagineer Marc Davis,
but the most anticipated project was a humble little Tiki Room that Walt had asked for.
Originally, the Pavilion Lanai was going to be bulldozed in order to install a much
larger building housing a tiki themed restaurant, where diners sat below an animatronic bird show.
But Walt felt that the bird show should be an experience of its own,
exclusive from the eatery. That meant that the Pavilion Lanai could stay,
but it would have to be refreshed to match the higher quality of the new Adventureland.
And so the Tahitian Terrace was born, at first it was sponsored by Stouffer’s but then later it
was hosted by Kikkoman the soy sauce company. Guests crossed the tropical stream through a
thatched covered bridge, they were led by a beautiful young hostess to their table,
there they could order from an assortment of Polynesian themed food and beverages,
no alcohol though, per Walt Disney’s stipulation. Once diners had their meal, they were entertained
throughout the day with a variety of different performances, mainly it started with island music,
then moved into a hula dance, and was finished by a powerful performance by the fire dancers.
The dancers would emerge from the nearby waterfall that would part in the middle to let them through,
and the show took place underneath a 35-foot-tall tree with over 14,000 hand crafted leaves.
For many years, the group called the Royal Tahitians would do evening performances,
they were succeeded by the younger members who called themselves “The Young Tahitians”.
The Tahitian Terrace was considered to have the best food in Disneyland,
until the year 1967 when the Blue Bayou won that title.
The Tahitian Terrace lasted 31 years until it was replaced in 1993 for an all-new dinner show.
The place became Aladdin’s Oasis, and was surrounded by massive walls, like a fortress,
to ensure nobody could accidentally take a peek at the show without paying for the experience.
Every seat in house had a perfect view of the stage performances, and the audience sat under the
warm glow of dozens of beautiful middle-eastern lanterns of all shapes and sizes.
The restaurant even had it’s own restrooms for paying customers! The Aladdin’s Oasis dinner show ran for two seasons,
but was later cancelled. This corner of Adventureland was mostly left abandoned,
though it was still maintained and kept fresh because occasionally the venue would be used for
character meet and greets, cast member parties, managerial meetings and other such things.
There were even a few times over the years that Aladdin’s Oasis would have to be opened so guests
could use the restroom facilities while the nearby Adventureland restrooms underwent a refurbishment.
Hope came again for this little corner of the park when in February of 2018, Disney announced
a new eatery they were calling “The Tropical Hideaway”, it’s name was an obvious nod to the
lyrics of the nearby Enchanted Tiki Room. Disney fans rejoiced over this news because the concept
art showed a fully revitalized area keeping with the Polynesian theme as it was in the past.
The Tropical Hideaway held soft openings in December of 2018 and I was among the first people
on the scene. There’s a lot of nods to past here, the first thing you see before you enter is the
terrazzo magic carpet out front, this was original to Aladdin’s Oasis, and they kept it intact while
they demolished the structures around it. Also part of the outdoor lobby is still there, though
it’s been turned into a seating area. The chairs throughout the tropical hideaway are the same
chairs from the Oasis, though they were covered in rough texture and painted a rusted color.
The waterfall at the entrance is not connected to the freshwater stream below,
instead it is a closed system that is chlorinated and filtered.
All around, you can see tiki torches, they are kept lit day and night. Further into the
restaurant, as you wait in line, you can see a small corner dedicated to selling lanterns,
you might recognize these as the lanterns from the old Aladdin’s Oasis, but this is
only a portion of them, the rest were installed in the marketplace of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
To the right of the lanterns is a little dole whip stand called “Dole Whip I Presume”
this is a nod to Adventureland’s former juice shop called “Sunkist I Presume”,
now, the Sunkist juice stand was actually located where Bengal Barbeque is today,
however the Pavilion Lanai DID serve Sunkist juice drinks which is why this little nod to
the past is still well within its rightful place. When you go to get your cutlery, you can see a
display of oars, each one a reference to the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. On the
buildings you can see bird houses and perches for the various performing birds of the Tiki Room,
and…speaking of birds. Right along the water’s edge sits Rosita. Rosita is referred to in the
Tiki Room when the master of ceremonies, Jose sees the bird mobile and asks, “whatever happened
to Rosita?”. Well here she is, waiting for her jungle cruise boat to take her to regions beyond.
Funny enough, below her perch is a tiny bamboo cane and a boater hat…the same accessories that
the barker bird once wore when he used to call folks into the tiki room in the early years.
Lastly, one of the greatest things about the Tropical Hideaway was that they tore down the
walls that were erected for Aladdin’s Oasis and opened the area back up to the spectacular
views of the jungle. Words can’t quite describe the beauty of this area at night when its lit
with the torches and songs of the jungle drift in from the darkness. Nothing could ruin this peace
and beauty…well except for the awful jokes that Rosita likes to tell every minute of the hour.
The Adventureland Veranda is now once again a beloved gem in Disneyland,
a corner of the park that offers a getaway from the hustle and bustle,
a peaceful place to relax in the jungle, you might even call it…a tropical hideaway.