AKL - Sunset Safari

[suzywindy]

Has anyone done this and if so - do you have to stay more than one night at the AKL? I know you have to stay concierge.

We did the sunrise one last winter and had to stay a min of 2 nights and they also had it on certain days.

Pls advise - thanks.!

 

[lindeyspol]

We are just back from AKL concierge (also BWI and poly lvc). Spent only our last 2 nights at AK and wish we had spent more. Hands down the best in all aspects. I don't think there is a minimum # of nights but we jumped around and it became a pain and took away from time enjoying resorts. I would only switch one time next time. We were checking in the day of our Sunset Safari and I became worried that our room wouldn't be ready --since neither BWI or Poly had rooms ready until later than 5. We had babysitter coming and I was panicked. Of course, they were able to have our room ready and even met all of our requests--2 queens, 5th floor, zebra trail 1st set of rooms closest to elevators. Fantastic! The safari was worth every penny. The only thing I worried about was eating at same table with others from Safari, but it was great. You have so much to talk about after the great safari and the food was wonderful. The chef comes out and tells you about each item and you get to try a sampling of so many things that you might not get to try in one sitting normally. The wines were great and I believe one of them is specifically for the Safari guests only. You receive your own personalized menu to remember everything. On the safari you get to know so much info about the animals and are so close for the pictures. We had people yelling off the balconies "hey, how do we get in on that ride?" You also get a souvenier picture of you and your party in front of two giraffes. I have pictures that are being processed that I hope to get online tomorrow. Please email me if you have any specific questions. mcreedon@columbus.rr.com.

Hope I helped

Lisa

 

[lindeyspol]

Oh, I almost forgot, this safari is limited to a maximum of eight guests. We had 7 but when we were hanging out in the lobby a couple of days later, we saw a couple who appeared to be the only ones signed up that day. yes, it is more money than Sunrise, but we knew we would eat at Jiko anyway and wanted a grown up night out and this was so perfect! I have heard of not one person saying this wasn't worth every penny.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

DD22 and I did the Sunset Safari on our trip in March. It was a wonderful experience. It was only us and another couple. Our guide, Karen, was great. She has worked at AK and AKL since they opened. She cares for the animals on a daily basis so she knew all there names and funny habits.

Dinner at Jiko ... oh my gosh!! We got bread and spreads to start, 4 appitizers, 4 entrees, and a large selection of desserts. Each item was divided in 4 pieces, one for each of us. We just passed the plates around. You knew exactly what was in the dish. There was so much food! If you have allergies or other food issues, they are happy to work with you.

We loved the small party size. As the above poster mentioned, we were worried about sitting with strangers, but they seemed like old friends. We talked on and on about the tour and our favorite Disney restaurants and resorts.

It is the best thing we have ever done at Disney!

 

[suzywindy]

Thank you both for answering. They had just started to offer this when we went last year and were already signed up for the Sunrise Safari.

I might be going with a small group of friends from work in October and they are leaving the details up to their disneyfreak co-worker - me!

So I thought we might start out by first staying at the AKL and doing that safari and then the last 3 nights at another hotel - perhaps around the Epcot area since I want them to hit the Food and Wine festival.

Just did not know if you could only stay one night.

I hear you Lisa about moving - it is a pain since you do not get into your room right away. My family trip in December has no moves at all but last year I was so impressed with the AKL Concierge and how relaxing everything was so I would love to go back.

 

[mirlow]

Originally posted by lindeyspol
The wines were great and I believe one of them is specifically for the Safari guests only.

Is the wine included? Are any other drinks included?
Is it ever cancelled because of weather?

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by mirlow
Is the wine included? Are any other drinks included?
Is it ever cancelled because of weather?

We did the sunset safari back in Jan of this year and the wine pairings are included in the price of the tour $150pp. My understanding is rain or shine it is a go. We had great weather as we were there in Jan and the temps were in the 60s the afternoon/early evening we took the tour.

 

[ckj]

Here are our pics from the sunset safari, we were on the same one as Tiffany!

http://users.adelphia.net/~jareddewey/sunsetsafari.html

btw, Tiffany, we'll be down 9/25-10/2 and 12/4-12/11

 

[suzywindy]

Thank you ckj for being kind enough to post pictures. Sounds like a really nice time and very special.

 

[lindeyspol]

Just wanted to let you know that at the time our tour was supposed to start--big thunderstorms. We hung out in the lounge for about 1/2 hour waiting for it to die down. We took the time to learn about the guides and their backgrounds. When the rain slowed, we headed out--with the provided Mickey ponchos! We didn't get wet at all and it was cute to see the birds with their full wingspans out trying to dry off. Since it was still cloudy, it was easier for pictures too. I am in the process of putting my album online now so I will try to provide a link. I used the other pictures by the other poster to get a good idea too.

About the drinks, someone asked if they could substitute and they said they could but at an additional charge on a separate bill. Two of the girls were underage so they didn't get wine but I know they didn't take any off their bill! The wines were all delicious though--a cabernet, a chardonnay or other white I believe, and a yummy dessert wine. Hope this helps!
Lisa

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by ckj
Here are our pics from the sunset safari, we were on the same one as Tiffany!

http://users.adelphia.net/~jareddewey/sunsetsafari.html

btw, Tiffany, we'll be down 9/25-10/2 and 12/4-12/11

We are going to just miss you in Sept. We will be at the Dolphin from the 11th through the 19th. We will be back at the AKL and hopefully concierge (come on AP rates) in Jan of 2005. Enjoy your trips.

 

[cruisintl]

My wife and I did the Safari in early May and were the only two people on the safari . . . which made the evening that much better since this was a surprise for my wife on our anniversary . . . "yes honey . . . I rented out the whole savahanna just for you!"

Anyways, incredible experience. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and very open to answer any questions. The end of the evening with the sundowner is very memorable.

But oh yes . . . the food . . . sure everyone else has already stated it, but it was incredible! The chef personally comes out and describes all the food, breads, sauces, etc. And yes . . . the creme brulee is the best dessert of the evening!!!

Do not hesitate to book a night concierge just to be able to enjoy this experience!! We arrived on a Wednesday and had that one evening in the concierge. The rest of our trip was a Dream Maker package with a Savahanna view. I tried to get upgraded (without success), but was able to get them to put us in our savahanna room that day instead of having one night in a concierge room and having to switch rooms that next morning.

Enjoy the Safari!