As we walked back through Adventureland, we decided to have a Dole Whip from Aloha Isle – we haven't had one before, and wasn't entirely sure if we would be coming back to Magic Kingdom, so bought one each – just to be safe!


Whilst Liam and Steve lined up, I hung out taking some photos, and then sat down to wait for them. I hadn't realised I'd picked a smoking area (not ideal, having that so close to a food counter in my opinion) so let the boys know I'd be moving on to wait for them just outside the entrance of Adventureland, as I couldn't handle the smoke smell which was making me heave.

The line was long at Aloha Isle (which is why I went a wandering!) and they soon rushed towards me with the Dole Whips so I could take photos for this trip report before they melted in the blazing sunshine!


Steve bought 3 Dole Whip Floats – two orange and a pineapple flavour – lushness! They are $4.99 each and can be bought with a snack credit. We sat and ate our treats before moving on.

Our ADR time slot was approaching so we walked back to Tusker House to check in. By now it was blazing hot, and it was quite the relief to see dispensers with ice cold water in the waiting area.


As a family we loved Tusker House and have been a few times for breakfast – but never for lunch. Instead of a photo outside with Donald Duck (as we have had in the past) it was just the three of us. Donald was inside going meet and greets at the tables with the other characters which are Mickey, Daisy and Goofy.


We had to wait quite a while for our table, which did panic us somewhat as we had FP+ for Festival of the Lion King and didn't want to miss it! We were shown to our table which was in another part of the restaurant that we haven't been to before, which made a nice changed, and Donald and Daisy were already doing the rounds.

We waited to meet them first before going and grabbing some lunch from the all-you-care-to-eat buffet.


I like that the buffet area at Tusker House is very spaced out so that it doesn't feel crowded when there are lots of people helping themselves to food.


There was so much choice, and I even took photos of the signs describing everything so that I could retell it to you! Parts of the buffet were running low and a bit messy, which is a shame, but I do find that to be fairly common across the board at Disney buffet restaurants.

When it comes to the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan at a buffet restaurant, you are entitled to one full buffet and one non-alcoholic beverage (usually refillable) for one credit per person.

I'm going to list what was on the buffet (that I took photos of!) to give you some idea of what sort of food they serve for lunch at Tusker House…

Whole Grain Breads and Rrolls ~ Lavosh ~ Mealie Cornbread ~ Corn Bread and Pita Bread.

South African Preserves ~ Blatjangs ~ Sambals ~ Chutney ~ Hummus ~ Taboulleh ~ Smoked Salmon Dip


Mixed Greens ~ Ranch Dressing ~ Italian Dressing ~ Coconut Curry Vinaigrette ~ Garam Masala Vinaigrette ~ Parmesan Cheese ~ Olives ~ Bacon ~ Broccoli ~ Cucumber ~ Tomato.

Shrimp & Quinoa Salad with Cinnamon Vinaigrette ~ Tossed Caesar Salad ~ Seasonal Fruit Salad.

Watermelon & Feta Salad ~ Tomato & Cucumber Salad with Mint Yoghurt Dressing ~ Toasted Couscous Salad ~ Chickpea Salad.


Cape Malay Curry Chicken ~ Orzo Pasta ~ Basmati Rice with Lemon, Cinnamon, and Cardamom ~ Seafood Stew with Tamarind BBQ Sauce.

Sweet Plantains ~ Pearl Couscous with Sweet Basil ~ Curried Rice with Golden Raisins ~ Spice Vegetable Tofu.

Sliced Turkey & Ham ~ American & Swiss Cheese ~ Mayonnaise ~ Yellow Mustard ~ Pickles ~ Strawberry Yoghurt ~ Grapes ~ Apple Sauce


Saffron-infused Root Vegetables and Cabbage ~ Peri-Peri Marinated Baked Salmon

Spit-Roasted Chicken ~ Samosa ~ Mango Chutney


Jollaf Rice ~ oven-Roasted Red Skin Potatoes with Rosemary ~ Garlic Mashed Potatoes ~ Brown Gravy


Berbere-Rubbed Beef Sirloin ~ Roasted Pork Loin with Kenyan Coffee BBQ Sauce ~ Horseradish Cream Sauce ~ Sweet & Hot Mustard Sauce.

Spit-Roasted Chicken ~ Sauteed Green Beans ~ Mashed Potatoes


Corn and Carrot Medley ~ Corn Dog Nuggets ~ Macaroni & Cheese ~ Ketchup


The only problem with a buffet as varied as this is deciding what to have! Hence my plate of a bit of everything!


The characters continued to do the rounds, and we soon met Goofy and Mickey.


Of course, we always have to make room for dessert of which there we several choices too…

Cherry- Apple Cobbler ~ Vanilla Sauce ~ Warm Banana-Cinnamon Bread Pudding.

Chocolate Chunk Cookie ~ Oatmeal Raisin Cookie ~ Chocolate Turtle Brownies.

Lemon Bars ~ Passion Fruit Tart ~ Pecan Chocolate Tart ~ Coconut Macaroons.

Chocolate Volcano Cake ~ Carrot Spice Cake ~ Baklava ~ Strawberry Mousse.


Lunch was a lot noisier than breakfast, and there was (of course!) lots of children running around. I'm sure that they make it clear that the characters will go from table to table, so don't worry, you will meet them, but some parents and children didn't get that memo and I saw Cast Members having to usher excited children away from characters when they were at other tables.

The service, as a bit slow – when you are after a drink refill, trying to catch the attention of someone was hard. But the food made up for the slow service, and we would go back for lunch again – maybe even dinner which I understand Tusker House offers now (but without the character dining)

We paid our bill and rushed over to watch Festival of the Lion King which we were just in time for on our FastPass+ time!

The Tusker lunch does look nice, we've done the breakfast several times but never the lunch.

wow thats a LOT of food. so jealous

Jiko – The Cooking Place

Evening came, and we drove to Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House around 8pm for our ADR at Jiko – The Cooking Place. As time has gone by, and my notes have been non-existent, I can't remember a great deal about this signature restaurant, but it is one we enjoyed as we've booked to go back on our next trip in October 2015.

AKL is a beautiful resort, and one that I would like to be able to stay in one day.


We checked in for our reservation, and had a short wait. I nipped to the rest rooms (because I always have to check them out!) and the attention to detail everywhere in Disney resorts is superb!


Eventually our buzzer went off and we were shown to our table. The restaurant décor and ambiance was beautiful and I felt really relaxed in here. It was also fairly quiet as well (i.e., the number of people as opposed to the sound!) which added to the relaxed feeling. Our waiter was very friendly and was happy to go through the whole menu with us, making his personal recommendations.


When it comes to the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan at a table service restaurant you are entitled to one appetizer, one entrée, one dessert and one non-alcoholic beverage per person (usually refillable) Signature restaurants are 2 credits per person.

Appetizers…

Me: Roxanne's Kitfo Leb Leb – Beef Carpaccio, Feta Cheese, Pistachio-Basil pesto, Berbere, Tomatoes, and Rocket ($14)

Him: Crispy Duck "Bobotie" Roll – Cucumber Raita and Green Mango Atjar ($12)

The Boy: Jiko Salad – Summer Greens, Watermelon, Blueberries, Caviar Limes, Smoked Almonds, Feta Cheese, and Lime-Date Vinaigrette ($15)


We loved doing the Deluxe Dining Plan, but Liam did struggle with appetizers – quite often we would order a light one for him and share between us instead. The duck rolls and the flat bread were delicious, and the salad was light and refreshing.

Entrées…

Me: Sockeye Copper River Salmon – Stuffed Squash Blossom, Plantain Fufu, Baby Zucchini, and Cactus Pear Broth ($45)

Him: Maize-Crusted Monkfish – Vegetables of the Moment and Tomato-Butter Sauce ($40)

The Boy: Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon – Grass-Fed Beef, Local Organic Pole Beans, Spoon Bread and South African Red Wine Sauce ($49)

I remember ordering the salmon because of the word fufu, and because I've never eaten stuffed squash blossom before! When I received it, and tasted what Steve had, I wished I'd ordered that instead – there are days when I just make the wrong choices of dishes, and tonight was one of them! Nothing wrong with the food, just wasn't feeling it…

Steve enjoyed the monk fish, which is a really dense meaty fish. Liam asked if he could have mashed potato instead of spoon bread, which they were happy to oblige with. I think he may have asked for fries, but they didn't have them… or was that at a different signature restaurant? Never be afraid to ask to switch something on the dish you've ordered if you don't like a component, more often than not, they are happy to make a substitute where possible.


Desserts…

Me: Peach Mousse Sphere – Brown Sugar Sable, and Spiced Peach Sauce ($11)

Him: Malva Pudding – Toasted Meringue, Lemon Curd, and Wild Strawberries ($12)

The Boy: Ghananian Chocolate and Kenyan Coffee Pot de Crème – Almond Crème with Almond Crunch and Raspberries ($11)

My dessert was so pretty! Light and delicious! Steve's malva pudding, was a sponge cake made with apricot jam (or at least, that's the info I can find out about it online!) and Liam nommed up all of his chocolate pud, so all winners there!


The food, food presentation, service and ambience was all top notch here, and as I said, we will be going back again.

Your pics from Cali Grill vantage point are stunning - what a view! Can't believe the variety available at Tusker House, reminds me a bit of Boma - we stayed at AKL last trip and kept on going back to this buffet! :-)

I know - amazing view!

Very similar to Boma - we've dined there on a previous trip. Difference is it's not so crowded at the buffet in TH!

Fantastic food report so far! Thanks for sharing

Loving your report x

Great updates, CG looks so good and your view was amazing.