Disney Dining – Animal Kingdom’s Best Dessert

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We were big fans of Harambe Market in Animal Kingdom long before Joseph worked there during his stint in the Disney College Program.  We love the atmosphere and the consistently solid menu choices for a quick lunch or dinner.  Oh, and there’s good beer there too. Lately, Harambe Market has moved ahead of Flame Tree Barbecue and Yak & Yeti for me.

Disney Dining – Animal Kingdom’s Best Dessert

What we didn’t know before Joseph became an expert on all things Harambe is that the Market serves up an excellent dessert.  As part of his Disney College Program training, Joe tasted everything on the Harambe Market menu.  What surprised him most was the number of dishes he enjoyed after thinking initially they were not something he would like.  Dessert was a surprise to him because the Safari Cake’s description didn’t sound all that good. And this is why, I’m sure, Disney has those DCP members employed in food and beverage service taste the food! 

Not being a dessert person, I would never have noticed any dessert item on the menu, much less tried one.  On our last family visit to Animal Kingdom, Joseph encouraged us to try the Safari Cake and thought even I, born without a sweet tooth, would like it.

What’s a Safari Cake?

It looks a bit like Boma’s famous Zebra Domes, but much larger.  It’s a coconut cake, but fancy.  Inside there’s pineapple filling and coconut mousse and the entire concoction is covered in chocolate glaze.  It’s very tropical tasting and the blend of flavors is indeed delicious. Neither the coconut nor the pineapple are overpowering. I think even non-coconut people would like this dessert.

Intergalactic travel, safari expeditions, and Yeti hunting can surely work up a powerful appetite!

So the next time you find yourself in Animal Kingdom near Harambe Market and crave a sweet treat, you should consider giving this cake-y dome of deliciousness a try! Our family unanimously agrees that the Safari Cake is Animal Kingdom’s best dessert.

Have you tried a Safari Cake? What’s your favorite sweet treat in Animal Kingdom?

Disney Cruise Excursions – Bicycling in Astoria, Oregon

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Who doesn’t love a good Disney vacation adventure? We always try to pack in as much action-packed, fun-filled excitement as we can.  We’ve been zip-lining, scuba diving, sea kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, and more.  After we booked our West Coast Cruise from Vancouver to San Diego, I poured over the available excursions for our stop in Astoria, Oregon.  When those nice folks from Disney Cruise Concierge services called to help us book activities, we knew what we wanted.  A bicycle tour!

Disney Cruise Excursions – Bicycling in Astoria, Oregon

As we sailed towards Oregon, the weather forecast was not favorable at all.  Chilly (to us, anyway) and with rain predicted, we weren’t even sure the excursion would still be on.  When we woke up that morning, things had turned around.  The day was sunny and, while not exactly warm, was very comfortable.  We booked the early adults-only tour so we’d have the afternoon to explore.  After breakfast, we met up with our tour group and walked off the Wonder into Astoria.

Local vendors and artists had set up tents in a festival-like market and we passed a variety of wares on our way to the tour’s meeting area.  A selection of well-used bicycles awaited and we quickly chose our rides and fastened on our helmets.  Our tour guides introduced themselves as Ronni and David.  Ronni took the lead and we started out right away with the early history of Astoria.

Once dominated by canneries, the waterfront bore evidence of a once bustling fish-processing industry.  Our tour moved into town, past historical sites and museums – all the while Ronni shared stories about each location which kept the tour interesting and educational.  Best of all, there were absolutely NO hills to climb.

Tour Highlights

There were two parts of the tour I liked best.  The first one was seeing sea lions outside of a zoo.  These guys were fascinating and I could have watched them for hours.  All males, congregated on and around some boat docks, they were piled on every available surface and on top of each other.  Just like in Finding Dory, there was a “Gerald” whose every attempt at finding a basking spot was rebuffed by shouts of, “OFF! OFF! OFF!” Noisy, funny, and so interesting!  I was delighted.

The other highlight was visiting Fishhawk Fisheries.  The owner of this fish-processing establishment welcomed us inside where we watched fresh fish being cleaned and learned about the different types of fish processed there.  Our group was then invited up to the owner’s office (what a view!) for snacks of fish dips, of course, with veggies and chips.  While we ate, we listened to stories of Astoria’s past and present dependency on the fishing industry.  This was interesting and a very special, unexpected treat!

To end the tour, Ronni (tour guide and Astoria’s only meter maid) brought us all safely back to the pier where those booths were set up.  I asked her what was being offered and she described different wares.  I was not surprised to learn that she is also an artist specializing in pet portraits and had her own booth set up nearby.  Missing Junior as I was, I found the prospect of having his sweet little face immortalized on canvas irresistible.  A few weeks later, Junior’s portrait arrived and is the perfect souvenir from our fun and memorable bicycle tour of Astoria.

New Year, New Disney To-Do List

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So long, 2018, you were a lot of fun, you brought milestones and plenty of adventure, but it’s time for you to go.  Hello, 2019, I have high hopes for you.  If you don’t mind going a bit slower than last year, that’d be much appreciated.  I like to savor time and it likes to speed by faster than I ever imagined possible.

As usual, I’ll take a pass on any New Year’s Resolutions. No thanks, really, I’m a firm believer in making changes when the time is right, not because it’s January 1st.  So, having already turned over any leaves that were not to my liking, I’ll move on to my favorite part of the New Year…

New Disney To-Do List

See these movies: Usually we manage to head to our local theater on nearly every holiday we can. 2018 was different and I’ve got some movie catching up to do and boy, my entertainment budget is about to be blown to pieces. My ranking of importance to me is shown beside each movie. Outraged? Shout it out in a comment.

  • Ralph Breaks the Internet (8)
  • Mary Poppins Returns (6)
  • Captain Marvel (7)
  • Dumbo (1)
  • Avengers: Endgame (2)
  • Aladdin (5)
  • The Lion King (3)
  • Star Wars Episode 9 (4)
The Standard Movie Snacks

Try these attractions and restaurants:

  • Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land
  • Wine Bar George in Disney Springs
  • Anything Star Wars that’s may be open in November
  • Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Add a new runDisney event (or two): I have my eye on the Wine and Dine 10k and half marathon for 2019. I’ve not tried these events before and the November timing makes them perfect for a short getaway to celebrate my birthday. I’ve got the room booked, now I just need some registration pixie dust…wish me luck!

Try new Disney recipes: One of my favorite ways to feel close to Walt Disney World when I can’t be there is by whipping up some of my favorite Disney flavors. I just peruse this list, find one I like, and get busy cooking! I promise to share every attempt with you, if not in person, then here where you can read all about it. (That Whispering Canyon cornbread we made recently was delish!)

  • Photo courtesy of Karen Seal

Meet up with Disney friends old and new! This is always on my to-do list for every Disney vacation and I’m going to try extra hard in 2019 to meet even more of you!

What about you? What’s at the top of your Disney to-do list? If you’ve got plans, I’d love to hear about them!

Thoughtful Gifts and Holiday Mishaps

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When asked what I wanted for Christmas, I jokingly said “new wiper blades” and seriously said, “new running shoes”.  I almost always ask for running shoes since I wear them out quickly and am always in need.  My family knows me well and Christmas morning came with a bounty of thoughtful gifts that left me feeling loved.

Thoughtful Gifts and Holiday Mishaps

There were Disney gifts, of course.  Megan and Grant gave me adorable holiday Mickey and Minnie.  Raymond surprised me with a precious Pinocchio teapot.  My coworkers gave me the perfect welcome mat for our front door.

There were chicken-related gifts as well.  My sister and brother-in-law gave me this very cool bracelet that I love (and wearing it makes me feel badass) and some paper place mats with chickens on them that are way to beautiful to spill food on.  From Joseph I got a handy book about caring for chickens and Raymond found me awesome gloves to wear for chicken chores.  I love my family and their thoughtful gift-giving ways!  (I even received those wiper-blades and running shoes, too!)

After Christmas, I had a few leftover vacation days to burn before the end of the year and since Raymond’s always off the week between Christmas and New Year, it was great to have time off together to do…well…nothing.  The weather has been super rainy lately, so we found ourselves lazing around, eating, reading, and watching movies.

Now for the Mishap Part…

When I’m not outside with Junior, he’s always well-behaved out on his own.  He tends to make a backyard perimeter check, take care of business, and come right back.  He’s chased the chickens before, but only when I was outside with him.  So when we go for a walk, he wears a leash.  I let him out alone yesterday afternoon as usual, and I as I closed the door, saw him turn sharply right and quickly disappear from view.  After thinking about it for a minute, that struck me as odd, so I put on my rubber boots and went out to see what he was doing.  Junior was nowhere to be found.

As I walked around the backyard calling for him, I realized I could hear the chickens squawking like crazy and I took off running.  I spotted Junior way in the distance chasing chickens into the bayou that runs near our house.  Detouring to the back door, I leaned in and shouted my thoughts out loud to Raymond, “Junior’s killing the chickens!”

Still running, I managed to wade out into the water and grab Junior’s collar.  He was completely drenched and absolutely filthy.  I looked for the chickens he’d been chasing and didn’t see any.  Raymond had run outside during this time and started counting chickens so we’d know how many to look for.  He counted 10 which meant we were missing five.  I was sick and horrified!  Not sweet Junior!  Surely he wouldn’t have hurt anyone.

Eventually, I got Junior in the house and asked Raymond to keep him in the kitchen to minimize the mess he was making with his muddy feet and soaking fur.  While they waited inside, I kept searching along the bayou and finally found Bubbles, a sweet and beautiful gray hen, on a tiny island all crumpled up and scared, but still alive.  I waded out to her, gently picked her up and carried her back to the rest of the flock.  After another long look around, I went inside to deal with the offending canine marauder.  Raymond went back out to keep searching for the missing four chickens – all hens:  Opal, Pearl, Becky, and Moe.  (All but Moe are Sapphire Gems we bought as chicks in the fall and Moe is one of the five that hatched in May while we were away at Walt Disney World.)

First I tried shampooing Junior in the shower since he hates baths, but his long winter coat was packed with dirt, rotten leaves, pine needles, and small sticks.  Raymond came in to tell me that by his latest count, there was only one chicken unaccounted for.  I had him help me wrangle Junior into the tub.  Finally, after both shower and bath, Junior was at last reasonably clean.  I don’t know if dogs can feel contrite, but Junior seemed to know that he’d gotten carried away and was uncharacteristically well-behaved for the entire scrubbing ordeal.

Once I had Junior towel-dried and on a leash, I took him back out to help me search for Moe.  We searched until it was dark.  I counted everyone in the coop as I closed and secured the gate for the night.  Still no Moe, who’s always easy to spot because she’s bright white with black feathers around her neck.  I left the electric fence off so if she came back and tried to go in the coop, she wouldn’t get shocked.  I was heartbroken when I went to bed and thought about Moe a few times during the night.

This morning dawned clear and chilly.  I went out early to let the chickens out and give them some scratch as a treat and I could not believe my eyes!  There was Moe!  IN THE COOP!  I know this…she was not there the night before and yet here she was inside with the rest of the flock.  Raymond and Joseph both swear they didn’t let her in, so I can’t explain how this story has such a happy ending.  Junior is not a chicken-killer after all and everyone is happily enjoying a beautiful sunny day.  Tiny miracles happen all the time and today we’re thankful for this one.