AK to AKL for Mara, FTBbq closed

[angiedora]

Hi Dis friends,
We're headed to WDW in 3 weeks. Last time we ate at AK I think Tusker House was a CS option, it was yummy! I would love to try FTbbq, but they'll be closed when we are there.
Has anyone traveled to AKL for Mara and back to AK? How much time did it take from your touring?
We love the AKL. We've eaten at Boma twice. Is Mara worth the trip over? TIA!

 

[TDC Nala]

It's a short bus ride, about 10 minutes. The trick is how much time it will take you to wait for a bus. That could be anywhere from 0 to 20 minutes, possibly more.

 

[angiedora]

Thanks Nala! Have you eaten at Mara? Would you recommend it over Pizzafari or Yak & Yeti cs?

 

[NSL]

I really enjoy Mara over many park counter services. They have good chicken caesar salads, fried chicken w/FF, pizza (more of the flat bread type), chicken strips, and my husband likes their double bacon cheeseburger. They have african stew in a bread bowl, but I have never tried it. They also have zebra domes for a desert if you are on the dining plan. I enjoy it, and if you have time and are looking for a break, I think you would enjoy it.

 

[TDC Nala]

I've eaten at Mara but I'm not sure how it compares to park CS - They do have a wider selection than many park CS. If I'm going to Yak & Yeti I'll go inside - I had the CS once and it was just OK. Pizzafari is OK if you like park pizza. Have never been to Restaurantosaurus but it's typical burgers/nuggets.

 

[angiedora]

Cool! Thanks NSL & Nala,
We will most likely take a break & go to Mara.
From what I remember, AK is fairly easy to see in less than a full day if the crowds are light. We are rope droppers and we always go to the park that has the lowest crowd prediction. I plan to ride the headliners, leave for lunch, and come back for the shows!

 

[nytimez]

Seems to that this is quite a hassle for a counter service meal.

 

[TxRabbit]

Seems to that this is quite a hassle for a counter service meal.

I understand this sentiment, but I don't always agree with it.

A meal is time out of my day and an experience, whether or not I am getting my own food and finding a place to sit or I am being served. Situation dependent, if the experience would be better in one place than another, then it is worth it to deal with a bit of hassle, because regardless of the cost of the meal, my time and my experiences are all equally valuable.

If you want a meal to be something of a break as opposed to a fast eat and go, then it is worth it to go to Mara. They have many more options than a typical CS place, because they do have some African inspired menu items. Not many, but still. We usually prefer to eat outside (yes even in big heat) if we can find a place in the shade. It's usually quieter and just being outside is more restful for my family. If I recall, the Mara outside area is near the pool, so there's a bit of activity, but not too much. People watching can be fun. If you share such a sentiment, and would also enjoy just being at the beautiful resort for a while, then Mara would definitely be worth it.

If you are thinking that you will get significantly better food by traveling to Mara, and that's your main motivation for the thought...well, if the travel ended up taking longer (waiting for the bus and all), then I'm not sure that it would really be worth it, KWIM? It is still just a CS restaurant after all.

 

[nytimez]

I understand this sentiment, but I don't always agree with it.

A meal is time out of my day and an experience, whether or not I am getting my own food and finding a place to sit or I am being served. Situation dependent, if the experience would be better in one place than another, then it is worth it to deal with a bit of hassle, because regardless of the cost of the meal, my time and my experiences are all equally valuable.

If you want a meal to be something of a break as opposed to a fast eat and go, then it is worth it to go to Mara. They have many more options than a typical CS place, because they do have some African inspired menu items. Not many, but still. We usually prefer to eat outside (yes even in big heat) if we can find a place in the shade. It's usually quieter and just being outside is more restful for my family. If I recall, the Mara outside area is near the pool, so there's a bit of activity, but not too much. People watching can be fun. If you share such a sentiment, and would also enjoy just being at the beautiful resort for a while, then Mara would definitely be worth it.

If you are thinking that you will get significantly better food by traveling to Mara, and that's your main motivation for the thought...well, if the travel ended up taking longer (waiting for the bus and all), then I'm not sure that it would really be worth it, KWIM? It is still just a CS restaurant after all.

That's all well and good. I just weigh the "upgrade" in "time and experience" versus the hassle in getting to it. IMO, the trip to the Mara is not a suitable enough upgrade over eating at a counter-service location in the park to justify the trip.

I'd make the trip for Jiko vs. Yak and Yeti, sure, but not for Mara over Yak and Yeti counter-service... sure, The Mara is better. But to me, it's just not that much better.

Having said that, I'd consider it over eating in the park if I was going after AK closed, since the park tends to close early and I wouldn't miss out on time enjoying the attractions inside the park.

 

[TxRabbit]

That's all well and good. I just weigh the "upgrade" in "time and experience" versus the hassle in getting to it. IMO, the trip to the Mara is not a suitable enough upgrade over eating at a counter-service location in the park to justify the trip.

I'd make the trip for Jiko vs. Yak and Yeti, sure, but not for Mara over Yak and Yeti counter-service... sure, The Mara is better. But to me, it's just not that much better.

Having said that, I'd consider it over eating in the park if I was going after AK closed, since the park tends to close early and I wouldn't miss out on time enjoying the attractions inside the park.

I totally get that, which is why I said that if they really wanted a break at meal time, it would be worth it, because I would imagine that the CSs would be more busy than normal with Flametree closed, but if they wanted more of an eat and go meal, then it wouldn't be.

The cool thing is that with the CS option, they can actually see how they feel that day and decide whether or not they just feel like dealing with the park choices or not.

 

[TillyMarigold]

To be honest, Mara's selection is somewhat better than Restaurantosaurus or Pizzafari, but it's not losing-an-hour-in-the-park better (an hour being just the travel time, since you'd be eating anyway--but it will be 90 minutes instead of 30 for lunch). It's also not as nicely themed as the others. If I were determined to leave the park and go to AKL for lunch, I'd eat at Sanaa.

It is a 10 minute ride from AK to AKL-Jambo, and 4 minutes back. [Or 4 minutes from AK to AKL-Kidani, and 10 minutes back.]

 

[lovesdumbo]

I thought the hot Itallian sandwhich at Pizzafari was pretty good.

I wouldn't spend the time to leave the park.