Is Sunrise Safari worth the price?

[OneMoreTry]

And is it also worth getting up so early in the morning?

How great is the WOW factor on this Safari?

Will it be greater than the WHINE factor for getting up so early?

How up close are the animals?

What do we see that we can't see on animal channel or on Kilamanaro Safaris?

In other words, will I and the wife and kids say "We are SOO glad we did this?"


If we get into concierge, we would have to weigh this versus La Nouba and I must say I'm leaning towards La Nouba.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Not sure why you haven't gotten any responses... Let me bump you up.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Just noticed you have a double posted thread. Done that before...

 

[bjakmom]

DNeph (then 8) and I did Sunrise Safari two years ago and LOVED it. He is a HUGE animal lover (attends our local zoo camp every summer) and the two of us got to sit alone together in the very back seat (my favorite location as I can take pics out of the back in addition to the sides). The vehicle moves very slowly and stops at each animal location for pics and so the guide on board (not just the driver as in the normal ride- but one of the keepers who is very knowledgeable about the animals and how they are cared for at AK) can give info on each animal/area and answer questions from the kids (and the kids on our safari had lots of them !). We then had a wonderful buffet breakfast at Tusker House - one of the best breakfast buffets I've ever had at WDW - I'm not sure if they have changed the location of the breakfast since they turned Tusker House into a character meal, though.
We plan on doing SS again next June and including my DGrD (now 5) since she is also an animal lover and old enough to really appreciate and enjoy it.
I think it just depends on the ages of your kids and how much you all enjoy the animals, many of which you will also see around AKV and on Kilamanjaro (just that KS is a quick 'drive by' instead of 'in depth look') = La Nouba is a mighty tempting alternative!!

PS: the animals are not really any closer than on the ride - except that, since we were stopped in the road for pics and info, the giraffes came right next to the truck and crossed the road within about 5 feet of us!!

 

[gingermouse17]

My family and another family did went to the sunrise safari this past oct 08 and dwe all LOVED it. Waking up was the hardest part especially for me but i would do it again and again.

We saw baby birds, saw and hear the lion roar, saw the baby girafee andd his mother, ...

breakfast was also great

 

[Miz Diz]

We did the Sunrise Safari this past September. I thought the price was worth it for the breakfast alone. The breakfast was at Pizzafari in a private room. They also make a donation to the Wildlife Conservation fund in your name.
We left AKV and they drove us through the back of AK, so we could see some of the CM buildings and the barns for the animals. It was a very informative safari. They take all of the animals in at night and I was disappointed because there were some animals missing from our safari. We didn's see any giraffes. There was only 1 elephant out. We did get a pretty good view of the Okapi and the lion. I was a little disappointed because they took the same exact route as the KS ride. I thought we would go off the beaten path a little, but we didn't. They stopped at the animals and really took their times. We could ask questions and get good photos.

When we were eating breakfast, one of the guides even commented that there were a lot of animals missing that they didn't get out of the barn.

We enjoyed it and I'm glad we did it, but I thought the safari could have been better. If you are interested in getting more in depth info about the animals, then do this. If not, do La Nouba.

 

[PatMcDuck]

It is worth the price, absolutely. You see ALL the animals, and they stop for photos. You can ask questions. It was apparent to us that they seem to have a cast member on foot, ahead of the trucks on the safari, somehow flushing the animals out for us to see.

I LOVED IT! It made up for the bad room views that all the DVC concierge rooms have...........

 

[Inkmahm]

It is worth the price, absolutely. You see ALL the animals, and they stop for photos. You can ask questions. It was apparent to us that they seem to have a cast member on foot, ahead of the trucks on the safari, somehow flushing the animals out for us to see.

I LOVED IT! It made up for the bad room views that all the DVC concierge rooms have...........

psssstt... it's the food that they've hidden in the treat spots on the savanna that brings the animals out close to the road. They tell you that as part of the tour.

 

[Donna]

psssstt... it's the food that they've hidden in the treat spots on the savanna that brings the animals out close to the road. They tell you that as part of the tour.

No, actually, our guide told us there was a CM just ahead of us forcing them closer to the road. there might have been treats there too but she actually said there was a CM doing that for us. Forget his name, she did say a specific name.
As for whether its worth it, the only difference (i thought) was that we stopped for pictures. I really didn't see any more than i've seen on a regular safari, i did have a "dead" side of the jeep.
The breakfast was the best part of it, for me.

 

[BCV23]

Absolutely worth it IMO.

 

[OneMoreTry]

No, actually, our guide told us there was a CM just ahead of us forcing them closer to the road. there might have been treats there too but she actually said there was a CM doing that for us. Forget his name, she did say a specific name.
As for whether its worth it, the only difference (i thought) was that we stopped for pictures. I really didn't see any more than i've seen on a regular safari, i did have a "dead" side of the jeep.
The breakfast was the best part of it, for me.

What SIDE is the dead side?

 

[Donna]

What SIDE is the dead side?

LOL, well that day, it was the right side. It can vary every time. I got the same few pictures i would have been able to get on a regular safari. It was probably a fluke for me, just not a good day. Everyone else seems to think this is the greatest!

 

[adminjedi]

We and our kids like staying up late in the parks and sleeping in a bit. So, we opted for the Wanyama Safari. Also, it is free roaming on the Savannas at AKL and not the AK ride at a slower pace. The safari vehicles hold up to twelve. We are 11 and had it all to ourselves. It is expensive, but includes an incredible feast at Jiko to finish off an incredible experience.

 

[DisneyBB]

I didn't think it was worth the money. We did it last Christmas and the early get up was fine, as we were on a different time zone anyway (flying in from the UK the previous day). The breakfast was a big dissappointment, I expected more African food. Instead it was just the normal breakfast food that you can get anywhere. We would not do it again. I enjoyed the Keys of the kingdom tour and would rather spend my money on one of the behind the scenes tours.

 

[dianeschlicht]

WE loved it last March, and we thought the food was the best breakfast buffet we have ever done!!! To each his own I guess. Our guide happened to be the animal curator at AKL, so we got LOTS of inside information about both the animals on the sunrise ride at AK and about the animals that are also at AKL. He had been at AK before AKL, so he had a lot of personal information about each of the animals on the safari as well as about their habitats etc. He also told us that the animals are just turned out onto the safari area just before the sunrise trucks go out, so the food is freshly placed, and they are fresh to the habitats from their night in the barns. That's why they are so active that early.

He told us a lot about the reasons some of the animals were doing what they did. For instance, the Kudu was wearing a bush on his antlers. He explained that was to gain the recognition from the nearby female. Lots of little things like that is what made it so special. It certainly was worth the $60/person...maybe for the breakfast alone!

 

[RLRDA]

We will be signing up for the Sunrise Safari for our trip next August when we stay at AKV concierge. What time does it actually start (just wondering - getting up 'early' is not a problem)?? I think I read somewhere that to do the Sunset Safari you had to be 8 years old? Is that correct? We wouldn't be able to consider that as our youngest will still be 4 yrs old next August.

 

[wildernessDad]

I think it's worth it. Check out my vacation blog and be sure to check the archive pages.

http://web.mac.com/hambrose/Vacation_Site/Welcome.html