We arrived at AK at around 4:30 and headed straight to Africa for some snacks. We bought some popcorn and candied pecans to share between us, and some African margaritas to wash them down with!
It was soon 5 oclock however, and so after downing our drinks we headed to see the last FOTLK show of the day. Emma wanted to sit in the lion section again (purely because of the bloke representing that section in the show), and we had great seats the front-most non-reserved row!
Ooooh there he is again!
Something that I was wondering on our way out of the show
I swear there used to be a Lilo and Stitch meet near one of the big gates around here. I have this picture from 2011. However, it was now a smoking area. Am I getting confused was this the same place??
We now needed to get to DTD for our Raglan Road reservation. There are of course no direct buses from the parks to DTD, and so we jumped on the first resort bus that pulled in. This turned out to be AoA it was a very busy, but at least I could finally catch a glimpse of the resort! I got a lovely view of the resorts bus stop
I wish wed had more time to explore a little! We didnt have to wait long for a DTD bus to drop by. On the bus, a father and his young daughter were sitting opposite us! The girl couldnt have been older than five or six and was happily sitting there, playing with her Simba and Nala toys when suddenly
.ZzZzZzZzZz. We had been watching her it was just so cute. Her Dad picked her up and plonked her on his lap, and declared that she might have been the wrong choice of dinner companion for him tonight!
Tanya was already waiting at Raglan Road and we met her at the entrance. She told us about the day shed had finding her old co-workers around WDW and catching up with them all! I was so excited to be back at RR we had some great nights here during the Program although just with drinks; we had never eaten here before. Now we just needed Jo we hoped that she hadnt fallen asleep somewhere after all her cocktails! I text her and she replied telling me that she had been on a bus but it had broken down and now was waiting for another. It just wasnt her day today!
It looked like some conference was out and about tonight, as there were lots of name badges and shirts and ties around. Either that or there was an incredible amount of overdressed people around this evening! They all seemed to have descended on RR and so we had to wait a while to be seated after checking in. This wasnt so bad though as the dancers had bought their boards outside and strutted their stuff for the crowds. It was great to watch. I was so obsessed with Michael Flatley and Riverdance as a child (OK, OK, until the age of 19) so I could watch this stuff all night! Wish I could dance like that! I have been known to have a go after a few pints
Eventually, we were paged and taken to our seats. Unfortunately, we were not in the front section and couldnt see any of the dancers or band! It didnt detract too much from the experience as you can still hear everything, and its bustling and busy and a good atmosphere, but its great being able to see everything all the same. Instead, we decided wed move forward or to the bar after food to get a few drinks.
One thing that instantly struck me about this place was the attentiveness and nice-ness (sorry, I know thats not a good word) of the servers and staff! They were extremely nice and chatty, but not in that fake way. They apologised lots because there was a slight delay with our drinks and they just bent over backwards to make sure everyone was enjoying their evening! Excellent service! Even the menus made us laugh! This is the FAQ section that tickled us on the back of the menu (and is taken off the Raglan Road website).
Yes the Pub came from Ireland. The Bars are 130 years old. Much like we feel at 2am.
No we stand corrected. The restrooms did come from Wisconsin. (Go Wisconsin!)
Yes some Irish guys own it. Their Bank Manager will be delighted to see you here.
No our Servers will not try an Irish dance we tried them out and it was just ugly
Yes our food is different. Its what we eat in Ireland today (5 hours ago actually)
No we dont cook anything from frozen or anything thats not fresh.
Yes Irish cuisine has indeed come on a bit. Fancy that
No we dont know how Chef Kevin looks so young for an 80 year old man.
Yes he has cooked for Queen Elizabeth and U2.
No he wont accept low quality ingredients (see line 3 above)
Yes our house Band plays 6 nights a week. Talented too but dont tell them.
No we dont serve half pints. Its grounds for imprisonment back home in Ireland.
Yes our Irish Dancer is pretty and she did dance with that famous fancy-pants Dancer
No she is not on the dating market. (The line starts here
)
Yes you can dance if the urge takes hold of you.
No thanks but wed rather not watch. Delicate tummies you know
Yes our little shop is quite pretty with fancy clobber and gifts. Thanks.
No you cant take the bronze statue (outside) home with you.
Yes our FishnChip store beside the Pub serves fresh fish flown daily from Boston.
No were not crazy. Its worth the effort. And the fish get air miles.
To drink, I went for the JayGail Sangria which was a a refreshing blend of Magners Cider, Peach Schnapps and Fruit Liqueurs & squeezes! I highly recommend it it was so good, and ended up being the first of many that night! Who knew you could make a cocktail with cider?! It was served in a jar with some fruit and just went down way to easily! The others were a bit more sofisticado and went for the very berry blueberry martini: Smirnoff Blueberry Vodka, Chambord, Triple Sec & cranberry juice. I had a try of this and it was also very good if you love sweet, very fruity drinks, then this is for you! If you like something a bit fizzy and unusual however, then go for the JayGail Sangria! As I drank more and more, I started calling it the
Gay Jail drink
that has a whole other meaning
With our drinks we were also bought some soda bread with an oil/Guinness dipping sauce. I didnt hear the gentleman say it was Guinness, and when I saw it, just assumed it was oil and balsamic. Imagine my surprise when I put it in my mouth and got an intensely sweet, rich flavour! I really enjoyed it once I realised that it was some kind of Guinness reduction again, very unusual and not something which I have tried before. It complimented the savouriness of the bread well.
For the main course I had to go with the Mixed Grill after seeing some pictures and reviews somewhere around the DIS. And it didnt disappoint! Lots of meat served on a bed of mashed potato! As usual, I was left feeling stuffed. However, we werent going to be defeated and we still ordered dessert.
Again, this was another no-brainer for me. I had heard lots about the bread pudding and I just had to try it. Our server assured me that I had made the best choice! The others all had something else, and theirs were brought out first. The server turned to me and said that mine had to come out last as it came with instructions haha! And wow, wow, wow it was huge! Why did I have lunch today lol?! I was instructed to empty this jug of goodness onto the plate and then pour over the two sauces. The menu claimed: "
Like no other pudding you have ever tried.
Believe us". And they were right! I really couldn't do it justice however, due to the quantity of meat I had just eaten!
Before
and after!
By the time we had finished with our desserts the music and dancing was in full swing. However, it was still incredibly busy that we decided wed head out, have a little walk around, and then return to get a few drinks later.
First we popped into the Apricot Lane shop located just opposite to Raglan Road. This was under construction when we were here last. There are so many cute clothes in there!!! I ended up buying a pale blue blouse I didnt need it at all, but it was in the sale and so was a justified purchase I feel! I could have easily spent a lot more though! We then carried on towards Pleasure Island I was amazed as to how quiet it was compared to when Jo and I was here on Saturday!
Nobody wants to watch this guy on his harmonica and steel drums 
We carried on heading as far as Splitsville, having a look in all the shops along the way. I bet you can guess that we spent quite a while in the Something Silver shop! I managed to resist any further jewellery urges, and the only other purchase I made was in the Sosa Cigar shop. I bought an exotic fruit and vanilla bourbon cigar for my Mum. I really hope she tries it soon as Im so intrigued!
It was now around 10pm and we decided to head back to Raglan Road. Tanya had been on her feet all day and was shattered so ended up going back to the room. The rest of us managed to sink a few more cocktails I wish Id tried something other than the JayGail, but it was too good! So why bother?! Maybe I was just having cider cravings from living in the Valleys! It was really fun watching the live band - its always a great atmosphere in here, as EVERYONE sings and claps along! Raglan Road is definitely one of my favourite ways to spend the evening in WDW!
We didnt end up staying too late as we had an early start tomorrow morning. It was Seaworld planned for tomorrow finally I was going to be reunited with my baby Shamu! I think Seaworld is actually my favourite park in Orlando or it might be a tie with Epcot for the top spot. I cant deciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!
You did very well to drink all of that at lunch time and carry on. It would have been bed-time for me I think!
if we ever decided to 'drink around the World' in the future, then I don't think a litre stein here would be such a good idea! There's no way we would make it half way round!
It really is worth it in my opinion, but make sure you book it early!
We also saw them using the whale whistle and the ball and pole which they use to train them to jump out of the water. They finished the presentation by doing a mini show I was in awe!!
