Disney Dining – Animal Kingdom’s Best Dessert

Posted on January 7, 2019 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

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?

Joe’s Disney College Program – My Role in Quick Service Food and Beverage

Posted on June 6, 2018 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

That elation over being accepted into the Disney College Program didn’t last long before being replaced by anticipation over that all important question…what would I be doing? Would I be in a park? At a resort? Wide World of Sports Complex? Parking lot? Finally, I was notified that my assigned role would be….QSFB! That’s DCP-speak for Quick Serve Food and Beverage. This didn’t sound too bad and when I realized I’d be working in Animal Kingdom, I got really excited.

Joe’s Disney College Program – My Role in Quick Service Food and Beverage

-by Joseph Green

My prior work experience consisted of strenuous summer farm labor as a child (just kidding, Dad, it was great!), working in a big-box pet super-store doing everything from ordering live fish to ringing up customers to stocking shelves and cleaning up dog “accidents” in the aisles. My last job before the DCP was as a bank teller…great hours, lots of responsibility, and tons of customer service and cash handling. I feel like that combination of work experience came in extra-handy when I joined the ranks of the thousands of Disney park employees who cook, serve, and clean up at all those counter service restaurants and kiosks.

After the general DCP on-boarding training, I was sent to DAKlamation to get acclimated to DAK (Disney’s Animal Kingdom). This training was interesting and fun.

TIPS for On-the-Job Training: I highly recommend wearing something comfortable that doesn’t make you too hot. No jackets, if it can be helped. It will need to business attire or close to it at least. You’ll be walking around your location (resort, park, etc.) for a large portion of the day and some people who wore jackets or long sleeves were very obviously uncomfortable from the heat and the amount of walking. And on the first day of actual job training, expect to be sitting in front of a computer for several hours. Computer training comes first and prepares you for what to expect when you go to your actual work location. The computer is where you’ll first be introduced to things like handling currency and proper hold times and temperatures for food. If your location serves alcohol, you’ll be required to learn about how alcohol affects the body and signs of intoxication.

Photo courtesy of Melissa Pigdon Twitter @Method2TheMagic

When I reported to my work area in Harambe Market, I was trained on some very basic duties (emptying trash, greeting guests and handing out menus) first. Then as time went on, I learned how to assemble orders, ring up guests, and work at other locations like the Harambe Fruit Market (I roasted a lot of corn there). I enjoyed the fact that I was able to train in different locations, and given the chance I highly recommend it. I’m not sure how much availability there is for cross-training around the parks and resorts and other areas, but I found it very refreshing. Being able to move to different locations throughout the day gave me a much-needed change of scenery and kept tasks from being too monotonous.

The fact that I had trained in multiple locations also allowed me more opportunities to extend and pick up shifts because I wasn’t limited to just Harambe Market, I could move to the Fruit Market, Kusifiri Bakery, or Tamu Tamu Refreshments when I was needed.

Being familiar with your park (or other location) is also extremely helpful. Not just your work area, but the whole park, resort, complex, etc.. Spend time in it, get to know it. Learn the fastest ways to get to each area and experience all the shows, shops, and attractions. Develop an honest opinion on the shows, rides, and dining options because you will be asked. You will be asked about things outside of your role MUCH more often than you think. I spent many of my breaks walking around Animal Kingdom just enjoying the scenery and people watching.

I always felt like guests really appreciated my honest opinion when they asked for it, and I was able to give that to them because of the time I’d spent in the park. If someone asked me where they could get a beer I wouldn’t just point them to the closest place that sold beer, I’d ask them, “what kind of beer do you like?” If they liked Bud Light I knew just where to send them, if they wanted something a little different I could tell them to check out the Dawa Bar by Tusker House and have Steve hook them up with a Golden Monkey.

Things like that create a really personal experience for you and the guests. It’s really unexpected for them and they honestly appreciate you taking the time to ask about what they want and what they like because it shows that you genuinely care about helping them. I’ve had many guests come back to find me after I sent them somewhere just to thank me for my recommendation because they really enjoyed it.

If you have any questions about DCP roles, ask away and I’ll do my best. Come back soon for more information about my experience including what to pack, how to stay out of trouble, what to expect day-to-day, and more. Thanks for reading…Joe.

Disney’s Quick Service Dining Plan Review

Posted on July 20, 2017 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

When Megan and I were planning our recent trip to Walt Disney World, I mentioned our interest in trying the Quick Service Dining Plan. With two snack and two counter service meal credits per day, we believed we’d have much more flexibility in our park touring versus our typical vacation habit of booking one or more sit down meals per day. What we were hoping for: Delicious food, tasty snacks, and a good value.

Disney’s Quick Service Dining Plan Review

What we spent – Regular price for this plan is $48.19 per person per night of stay. We got a small Disney Vacation Club discount, which brought our price down to $46.34 per person per day for a total of $278.04.

Where we ate – First, let me say that we enjoyed the meal choices we made very much! We arrived on Sunday and had lunch at Pecos Bill’s (Magic Kingdom) then dinner at Wilderness Lodge’s new Geyser Point Bar and Grill. The next day (Monday), we enjoyed lunch at Harambe Market and dinner at Flame Tree Barbecue. On Tuesday we had lunch in the Mexico Pavilion (Epcot) at La Cantina de San Angel.Tuesday night we didn’t use a credit and enjoyed our one-and-only table service meal at Paddlefish in Disney Springs. That left one credit for the following day when we had lunch in the Morocco Pavilion at Tangierine Café. This picture does not do it justice. Our first time there and boy, was it delish!

What snacks we chose – We had to have Mickey ice cream bars in Magic Kingdom, but after that we got as creative as possible. We enjoyed chocolate filled beignets from the Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie in the France Pavilion (oh, wow!). Stopped in Karamell-Kuche in the Germany Pavilion for a salted caramel cupcake, caramel corn, and a hunk of caramel (my absolute fave). With one last snack credit, we grabbed some bagged pretzels at Saratoga Springs to eat on the way home.

The verdict – We did not go hungry, that’s for sure, and were happy we purchased the plan. Out of pocket, our meals would have cost about $210.68 with tax. That left about $67.36 of the meal plan price for snacks. Between us we got 12 snacks and I know most of them were over $5. So we broke even. We didn’t try to order the most expensive options on every menu and ate where we wanted to with no consideration for which restaurants would be the best value on the plan. We also ordered bottled water (relatively cheap compared to soft drinks) with every meal in order to stay hydrated. The ease of pre-paying for most of our meals was super convenient and budget-friendly. Using our Magic Bands to access our meal and snack credits was great too.

What we’d recommend: Don’t skimp on snacks because you think you’ll want to use them for something better later. Use the two each day as you go or you’ll be like us and have to snack like crazy (or stock up for later) on the last day.

Have you tried the Quick Service Dining Plan? What did you think about it?

Animal Kingdom – Africa and Harambe Market

Posted on January 8, 2016 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

In case I’ve failed to mention it lately, we love Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I actually waffle between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom when asked to name my favorite park. There may be more attractions at Magic Kingdom and all the lands are unique and fun, but Animal Kingdom draws me in so much more! Asia and Africa, even Dinoland U.S.A. – all so well-themed and detailed in a way that it’s nearly impossible NOT to spot something new on each and every visit.

Animal Kingdom – Africa and Harambe Market

Recently, we had an afternoon to stroll through Animal Kingdom and soak up not only our usual favorite places – we also visited some new places, like the Harambe Market, for the first time. In spite of the fact that it was December 26th and we expected high crowds and long lines, we found the park easy to navigate. Before, after, and in between our FastPasses for Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris, we had time to take things at a leisurely pace and loved every minute.

For today’s Friday Five, I’d like to give you the top five moments of our afternoon at Animal Kingdom.

Gorillas! I never miss an opportunity to visit the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and this time was no different. I was hoping to check up on the baby gorillas we’d seen on our last visit and was delighted to find mammas, babies, and dad(?) taking a lie-down right in front of the observation window. The area was understandably crowded, but I was willing to wait patiently for an opportunity to move closer to the window for a good look. I was happy to see a roped-off perimeter and cast member on hand to keep guests from getting right up to the glass – It’s good to know that care is taken to make sure the gorilla family has relatively undisturbed time to rest. I watched the babies play and nurse and be adorable for several minutes before moving on to take the safari.
BEST use of a former FastPass distribution area! The new Thirsty River Bar has moved in to the old Expedition Everest FastPass machine location…and what a welcome addition it is! We stopped for a refreshment just after returning from our Yeti-hunting adventure. Thirsty work that Yeti business!
Zuri’s Sweets Shop – After the whole “Poop Candy” controversy, I’d wondered if this place was even worth a visit. I was imagining a very small, limited-offering-type candy shop. I was completely wrong! The place was large with a broad inventory selection that kept me browsing for quite a while. Very cool stuff! The sweets selection was made up of a few animal-themed choices and I was enjoying the cute and clever offerings. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and was planning to walk away without making a purchase until I noticed the fudge selection included a maple nut choice. Maple flavored candy always reminds me of those Russell Stover Easter Eggs – you know what I’m talking about? They’re chocolate-covered with a flavored cream center. When I was little, the maple ones were my absolute favorite! Feeling nostalgic suddenly, I bought a piece of that fudge and tucked it into my backpack – forgetting all about it until the next day. Oh, boy! That fudge was heavenly – tasted exactly how I wanted it to – and I managed to make it last for several days.
The Perfect Details in Harambe Market! I’d listened to podcasts and read reviews and trip reports about this phenomenally themed addition to Africa. Even after seeing dozens of photos, I was surprised and so pleased by what I experienced first hand. I guess I was worried that the area would not match the incredible details of the rest of the park – that it would be “less” than the rest by virtue of its newness. I love it when I’m wrong at times like this. It’s perfect! It fits seamlessly into the rest of the park and is full of miniscule details impossible to completely discover in one visit.
Excitement is in the Air! There’s a real feeling of anticipation – a collectively held breath, if you will, about what’s coming next. For me it was like the new areas are little teasers for the monumental attractions and experiences currently under construction. When the Sunset Safari and the Rivers of Light open, the park will be completely transformed into a nighttime destination. Then when Pandora – an entire new land – comes to life, Animal Kingdom will, I believe, really come into its own. I cannot WAIT!