It's a Jolly Holiday with Katiebell and Brrt!

We went to Tusker House last year when it was still a CS, and loved it. There was quite an outcry when they decided to change it to a TS buffet (and heaven forbid, a character breakfast :laughing:) because it was widely thought to be one of the best CS at DAK, some said one of the best in all of WDW. Ah well, the one constant at Disney is change, right? :rolleyes: The new, revamped TH has been getting great reviews, and has been referred to as "Boma Light", so that intrigued us, since we love Boma.

When we arrived at the restaurant, the place was packed. It was sort of like Fort Knox to get into the place -- a greeter at the front verified we had an ADR to get past her rope...but only me, and Brrt had to take a seat in the covered patio area. No problem for Brrt, he cooled his heels in the shade while I continued through the "do you have a reservation?" gauntlet. Then I checked in with a guy at a podium with our top secret decoder pin reservation number...and then I was ushered to yet another podium to check in and get our pager. I re-joined Brrt at the table, enjoyed a cold drink, and took a couple of pictures:

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Finally, the pager buzzed.

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The tables were kind of close together, but the buffet area was nice and spacious. It was supposed to look open-air, but I think there was a ceiling above the cloth awning, or they'd have serious problems in the rain:

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Besides, it was cool and comfy inside, obviously AC'd. The buffet did have a lot of offerings similar to Boma, but seemed to be more Indian-inspired than the African style at Boma -- there were plain-meat-and-potato options (carved meats, mashed potatoes, etc) but there were a lot of interesting salads (couscous, orzo) and curries. So many new things to try, we found ourselves getting a tiny spoonful of this, a little bit of that...and it adds up to one full plate!

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And that's not even counting dessert:

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The desserts were all in nice little bite sized portions, and a huge variety to try -- that is some kind of caramel-pecan bar, chocolate pomegranate cake, a strawberry mousse cup (I think), macaroons (our fave!), and cherry cobbler.

Yeehaw, glad we skipped breakfast! :teeth: We'd definitely do this one again -- it's great if you have people with more adventurous palates in your party, but even my picky DS17 would have found plenty here to make him happy.

As we were leaving, entertainment was just starting in the courtyard, so we stopped to listen for a few minutes:

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We grabbed Fast Passes for the Safari, then went on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail to pass the time. The trail is really worth seeing, quite a nice walk, interesting animals and beautiful plants:

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There is a similar walking trail in the Asia area, too. And of course, we saw some really cool animals on the safari:

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Why did the giraffe cross the road? To get to the other side, silly:

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And I really think this ostrich looks like the French maid/feather duster from Beauty and the Beast:

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Dontcha think?

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Almost time for the Festival of the Lion King! So we crossed the park, stopping to gawk at the huge, amazing, Tree of Life:

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Then we went to go line up and wait for the show...

Next up: On With The Show!
 
Funny what we find or don't find when we scan through our pictures isn't it? I can't believe you were taking pictures during the roller coaster ride. I'm usually digging into DH's fist.

Wish I could see devine. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for her next time.
 
Katie - Your pictures are amazing! :goodvibes What kind of camera did you say you have? I am hoping Santa will bring me a new one for Christmas! :santa:
 
Funny what we find or don't find when we scan through our pictures isn't it? I can't believe you were taking pictures during the roller coaster ride. I'm usually digging into DH's fist.

Wish I could see devine. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for her next time.

Yeah, well...:rotfl2: Depends on the coaster...and some parts of most any coaster ride involve the longgggggg...slowwwwwww...climbbbb...to the top...but yeah, on this one it was crazy. I just wanted to capture all of the experience, so I set the camera for action pics, wrapped the wrist strap tightly around my hand, hung on for dear life, and snapped pics like crazy :laughing: Yes, I am a little crazy...

The secret to finding Devine seems to be looking for the crowd that she draws...

Katie - Your pictures are amazing! :goodvibes What kind of camera did you say you have? I am hoping Santa will bring me a new one for Christmas! :santa:

Glad you are enjoying them! I am sorting through the gazillion we took to try to pick the best ones to tell my story. There are 2 cameras for these shots -- Brrt had the Sony Cybershot, which we love, but it has a lot of settings and adjustments, and my HP Photosmart, which has simpler settings, point and shoot, but the pics aren't as sharp and it's really iffy for low light or action shots. But a lot of these pics are with the HP, and they came out pretty good, considering.
 

Oh wow- okay, i'm just gonna come right on out there and say it...
........hold on my MAYer friends----------- stay with me...

That Tusker House Buffet looked really really good.:scared1:

There.

I said it.

Aren't y'all proud of me?:lmao:

Seems that since this little condition known as anemia hit me- all I want is a full brontosaurus slab of red meat. All the time. Me. The girl that couldn't stand the thought of meat for ten years.:confused3

Goodness gracious, what has become of me???:goodvibes


KB!!!!!!!!!!!Thanks for the pics! Your report is getting me out of my
"I've-planned-way-too-much-and-therefore-overstimulated-the-joBird-brain-cells" slump!:banana: Not to hard to do, but what do you expectafter a year of planning??????



Shell-
Remember when we were talking about cameras back in May before the trip? I had the kodak easy share and really thought it was too big-never took it to the parks...:rolleyes1 and couldn't take pics in low light.
The new pics of the Gator game as well as the pics from Jackson Hole were taken with my new Sony Cybershot. It's awesome- and not too too confusing, even for a ditz like me.:rolleyes1 :rotfl: I highly recommend it. Just a bug in Garry's- er- SANTA"S ear.:rotfl:

:banana: :banana: :snooty: :snooty: :banana: :banana:
J~
 
The line was just starting to form for the Festival of the Lion King:

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They had misters spraying cool water on us, so that was nice because it was, you guessed it, hot and humid :headache: :scared: :laughing: Though not as bad as the previous days. Actually it was the best day we could have picked for DAK, weather-wise.

Didn't have to wait too long, and we were ushered in to be seated.

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Another excellent show -- great music, singing, costumes, novelty acts (acrobatic monkeys, an arial act with the girl in the bird costume). :thumbsup2

So, we said goodbye to Animal Kingdom:

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and made our way to Downtown Disney, for a different goodbye...

Next up: "If You Come in Here a Stranger, You'll Exit as a Friend"
 
Oh, this was bittersweet. We were in DTD 9/24, and PI was closing for good 9/28. I really don't care about dance clubs, might have checked out the Comedy Warehouse...but the true loss here, the jewel of DTD, was the Adventurer's Club. If you never went, it's hard to explain -- sort of improv/audience participation comedy/cabaret acts/Jungle Cruise/Indiana Jones/animatronic/double entendre adult humor ala Bugs Bunny/silliness and good fun. Some people loved the AC, some didn't, some didn't get it, but closing it is a huge loss to Disney, and I hope they reconsider and re-open it later...maybe on the Boardwalk, or some have suggested at DAK...

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We were all inducted as new members by Pamelia Perkins, Club President, and Fletcher Hodges, Club Curator:

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“We climb the highest mountains, just to get a better view.
We plumb the deepest oceans ‘cuz we’re daring, through and through.
We cross the scorching desert, martinis in our hand.
We ski the polar ice cap in tuxedos, looking grand.
We’re reckless, brave, and loyal, and valiant to the end.
If you come in here a stranger, you’ll exit as a friend.”

Hail thee, Babylonia:

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"Marching along we're adventurers
Singing the song of adventurers
Up or down
North, south, east, or west,
An Adventurer's life is best!"

Samantha Sterling, cabaret singer extraordinaire, sang "Those Were The Days My Friend"

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Emil Bleehall sang an ode to Bessie the Heifer, with some help from the audience:

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"Bessie the heifer
Queen of all the cows
She gave more milk than any law allows
In the mornin' she gets pasteurized
At night she gets homogenized
Bessie the heifer
The queen of all the cows."

Kungaloosh, my fellow adventurers -- you are truly and deeply missed. :sad1:

Coming up: Just Like Dublin
 
Who doesn't love the Lion King show? I could do with better seats to sit on though.:confused:

So glad you got to go one more time to the AC.
 
Oh wow- okay, i'm just gonna come right on out there and say it...
........hold on my MAYer friends----------- stay with me...

That Tusker House Buffet looked really really good.:scared1:

There.

I said it.

Aren't y'all proud of me?:lmao:



:banana: :banana: :snooty: :snooty: :banana: :banana:
J~


:scared1: I do NOT believe what I am reading!
 
KB - I am bummed because I still can't see any of these awesome pics that I keep hearing about :guilty:

I need a new modum for my computer at home - so until I get that I am picture-less :sad1:

The reports awesome though! Can't wait to hear more!
 
Oh wow- okay, i'm just gonna come right on out there and say it...
........hold on my MAYer friends----------- stay with me...

That Tusker House Buffet looked really really good.:scared1:

There.

I said it.

Aren't y'all proud of me?:lmao:




Shell-
Remember when we were talking about cameras back in May before the trip? I had the kodak easy share and really thought it was too big-never took it to the parks...:rolleyes1 and couldn't take pics in low light.
The new pics of the Gator game as well as the pics from Jackson Hole were taken with my new Sony Cybershot. It's awesome- and not too too confusing, even for a ditz like me.:rolleyes1 :rotfl: I highly recommend it. Just a bug in Garry's- er- SANTA"S ear.:rotfl:

:banana: :banana: :snooty: :snooty: :banana: :banana:
J~

We'll be really proud of you when you actually EAT AT A WDW BUFFET!!!!! :rotfl:


Thanks for the camera tip. I have just started looking. I want something really small, my Kodak Easy Share is too big (well it feels big when I am lugging it around the parks all day), and something easy to use. That's what I like about my Kodak, so easy to use. But it doesn't take good nighttime action shots.
 
KB - I am bummed about the AC - I have never been able to go... :guilty:

On the plus side - I finally saw your pics!!! They look awesome!!

Shelly - I have a Canon and I am in l-o-o-o-ove with it! :lovestruc I don't have it on me right now, but if you're interested then will look at it for you. But it is pretty small and easy to manage in the parks and I am pretty camera illiterate and this one is a point and click - and the pics turn out great! Definately the best one I have ever had :thumbsup2
 
KB - I am bummed about the AC - I have never been able to go... :guilty:

On the plus side - I finally saw your pics!!! They look awesome!!

Shelly - I have a Canon and I am in l-o-o-o-ove with it! :lovestruc I don't have it on me right now, but if you're interested then will look at it for you. But it is pretty small and easy to manage in the parks and I am pretty camera illiterate and this one is a point and click - and the pics turn out great! Definately the best one I have ever had :thumbsup2

YAY, you can finally see them! Got your new modem then?

Arrgh, folks...work has been brutal...I'll try to get another installment or two up this weekend...I've got dinner at Raglan Road, birthday breakfast at CP, MK, tea at the GF, Spectromagic (yes, Brrt sat through another parade! :eek: ), Epcot F&W, lots more to come! I can't believe all the fun stuff we packed into one week :goodvibes

Brrt has been sorting through the DVD's he took, cutting out the sections that aren't good, splicing together the best of the best. We haven't used the camera much at all since we got it, and it's a pain to haul it around on vacation, but he got some really great footage! Yesterday I called home and he was watching the DVD he took of the parade and the Dapper Dans, and loving it (:laughing: yeah, one day I'll get him to admit parades can be cool). And when I came home, he had the DVD he took of Wishes playing on the computer, and it really came out great -- excellent sound quality, and we were at the entrance end of Main Street facing the castle, in the middle of a huge crowd, and the fireworks are still spectacular! He mentioned that everywhere you go at Disney there is music playing. I've noticed that before...and it's completely themed to where you are, giving you that "immersion experience"...and when you move to a new area the music changes so seamlessly you don't even notice it -- like when you move from Main St. to Adventureland, or Fantasyland to Tomorrowland, the music fits the atmosphere and sets the mood.

Ah, I love Disney...so excited to be going to DL in December! :hyper:
 
Nope, my modum is still a POS :rotfl: - I went to my cousin's house last night and...........


BOOKED MY TRIP FOR MAY!!!!! :yay: :banana: :yay: :banana:

AND OF COURSE HAD TO LOOK AT YOUR PICS WHILE I COULD! ;)
 
had to show my face on this thread today-:)

KB- I know you've heard me talk about it before- but the theme park music and the ride through's can be heard on your computer at Subsonic.com.

It's what I listen to constantly- and you can even request music too!


Have a good weekend!
Jo
 
Hey GREAT pics KB..... I missed the lion king but it's a must next time i'm there...
 
Who doesn't love the Lion King show? I could do with better seats to sit on though.:confused:

So glad you got to go one more time to the AC.

Yes, we are glad we got to see it too. Brrt was just saying this morning that he wished we'd gotten back for another show, but honestly, the lines were so long, I don't think we could have gotten in. Maybe we should have made it down there early in the week, but as you can all see from the report, it's not like we exactly had a lot of down time twiddling our thumbs :lmao: I kept us about as busy as I could without Brrt digging in his heels and screaming bloody murder :laughing:

Nope, my modum is still a POS :rotfl: - I went to my cousin's house last night and...........


BOOKED MY TRIP FOR MAY!!!!! :yay: :banana: :yay: :banana:

AND OF COURSE HAD TO LOOK AT YOUR PICS WHILE I COULD! ;)

YAY for MAY! Mayer SaLUTE! :banana::banana::snooty::snooty::banana::banana: And glad you finally got to see the pics -- they add a lot to the story, I think...

had to show my face on this thread today-:)

KB- I know you've heard me talk about it before- but the theme park music and the ride through's can be heard on your computer at Subsonic.com.

It's what I listen to constantly- and you can even request music too!


Have a good weekend!
Jo

Very cool, Jo -- I will check that out!

Hey GREAT pics KB..... I missed the lion king but it's a must next time i'm there...

Oh Mari, I bet your DD will love it...the Nemo show was wonderful, too...

Wow, I've been 9 times and never noticed this. How cool! Btw, sorry to hear work has been so bad. :hug:

Aw, thanks Jana :hug: Work is...well...work. I have a great boss, co-workers I love, and the company is for the most part a good one. And I am sooo grateful, especially in today's economy, to have a job...and a union one with some security. But I work with numbers all day, for pete's sake. I never in a million years thought I'd have a numbers job :rotfl2: I've always considered myself a words person, and my degree is in Journalism, like that was worth anything :rolleyes: At least I'm a civil servant, so ultimately even though I'm a number cruncher, the stuff I do is really helping people, at least looking at the BIG picture.

This weekend has been eventful, had to have the plumber out yesterday and today :eek: But I think (I HOPE) the situation is now resolved. I'll try to pound out another update or two today.
 
I've mentioned it a couple of times in this thread, our favorite non-Disney trip ever was a week we spent in Ireland. We took a Pub and Folk tour, flying into Dublin, drinking...er...working our way across southern Ireland, up the coast, and flew out of Shannon airport. We'd love to go back and spend 2 or even 3 weeks. So, we love stopping in at Raglan Road, it brings back good good memories for us. :shamrock: :goodvibes

We had late dinner reservations, because the band (traditional Celtic pub music) doesn't start playing until 9 pm. The band was great, a guy playing the bodhran, girl on fiddle, and guys on mandolin and guitar:

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They were versatile, the bodrhan player switched to guitar, and the mandolin player picked up the concertina for some songs:

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They did a lot of traditional favorites, like Black Velvet Band, but I kept waiting for my favorite, Whiskey in the Jar (which Thin Lizzy remade, and Metallica butchered :laughing: but it's a great old song).

A dancer came out and entertained us, dancing on a small stage in the center of the room:

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Brrt does not remember what he ordered (probably too busy admiring the dancer :lmao:) but we think we both had the Serious Sirloin Steak, which was served with fried onion strings, and mashed potatoes drizzled with basil oil:

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Brrt had the strawberry apple crumble for dessert, which was very good, Brrt is picky about pastry and he loved it:

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I had Ger's Bread and Butter Pudding which was...indescribably delicious:

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It was gooey raisiny-cinnamony heaven served with little pitchers of butterscotch AND custard sauce, sooooooooo yummy :cloud9:

And...to top off the night...before we left, the band played Whiskey in the Jar :thumbsup2

We strolled by Adventurer's Club, but the line was out the door like Space Mountain...so we decided to call it a night. But all in all, what a great birthday I had! :teeth:

Coming up: Splish Splash
 












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