The table where we’re seated is really close to the entrance to 'Ohana, so it’s far from an immersive experience. We’re not anywhere close to the fire pit, or the windows overlooking the Polynesian’s courtyard, but… we’re here, we’re hungry, and we’ve got a cast member friend joining us for dinner!
Big Wallaby is a delight from start to finish. All of us, but especially Brandon, Bob, and I, pepper him with questions about life as a cast member, but Wallaby doesn’t seem to mind. He’s completely at ease talking with us. And it makes for a refreshing change from conversation with just the six of us, where we talk just about what we’ve done and what we’d like to do next. At one point, Wallaby tells us that we were the first people he knew from StupidGuestTricks to ride his truck on Kilimanjaro Safaris. Cool!
The food is the usual 'Ohana brand of wonderful. Wallaby and Bob and I especially like the barbecue wings that come as an appetizer. It would be very easy to fill up on the bread, salad, and appetizers here alone, but then the meats start coming – steak, turkey, pork, and shrimp on long skewers, with different sauces for dipping.
Of course I have to try some of everything.
The dinner conversation briefly turns to the gruesome. When Wallaby was training to be a driver for the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride, he mentioned something online that was a bit chilling, and I passed it on to my family. He wrote that despite the Disney-safe tailoring of the ride, many of the animals we see are not to be trifled with, and if a stupid guest were to jump off of the truck and fall into the crocodile pit, his instructions are to gun the engine and get the truck out of there – so that the other guests onboard won’t be disturbed by the screams. True? Brandon wants to know. Wallaby confirms it. It’s true.
I’ll be staying firmly seated on that ride, thank you very much.
Our server for the evening is a friendly lady with an unusual name – Gunilla. As it turns out, she is from Sweden. She seems closer in age to Bob and Linda, and they strike up an animated conversation. Soon she learns that Wallaby is a cast member and they have a cheerful exchange. We’re soon joined by another CM, Lipoa from Hawaii.
The party’s definitely at our table.
Dessert time comes. When we were last here in ’03, any big dessert was an add-on, but we were content with the fresh pineapple and caramel sauce. Now, no fresh pineapple – bummer – but a more substantial dessert is included, a bread pudding with banana sauce. Yum! It is delicious, and reminds me quite a lot of Boma’s Banana Bread Pudding, which I’ve made on my own since our last trip.
All in all, a wonderful meal, with great food and great company.
It’s almost 7:00, and while we have to pack for our transition to the ship tomorrow, I’d be game for a little more activity. So now what?
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