"It's Time to Eat Again!!"

[iluvpluto27]

Loving your detailed reviews of the lounge and sunrise safari offerings, really looking forward to experiencing both soon. The culinary tour sounds good too.

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

Do you have to stay at the AKL in order to do the Sunrise Safari? I am thinking about staying there next year.If you could please tell me the cost for Adults and children he will be 3 years old next year if the Lord spares our life, I hope that anyone can be allowed to do the Sunrise Safari, and would you share the difference in the Kilimanjaro Safari or is it for guest on the concerige level? Whatever you would care to share with us would be greatly appreciated, Oh and by the way you are doing a wonderful report.

 

[John's Mom]

Do you have to stay at the AKL in order to do the Sunrise Safari? I am thinking about staying there next year.If you could please tell me the cost for Adults and children he will be 3 years old next year if the Lord spares our life, I hope that anyone can be allowed to do the Sunrise Safari, and would you share the difference in the Kilimanjaro Safari or is it for guest on the concerige level? Whatever you would care to share with us would be greatly appreciated, Oh and by the way you are doing a wonderful report.

This should answer all your questions:

Sunrise Safari Breakfast Adventure is available only to AKL Club Level guests on Sundays and Thursdays. You meet in the concierge lounge at 6:30 a.m., then departure from the lodge to Animal Kingdom is at 7:30 a.m. The tour, along the Kilimanjaro Safari ride path in Animal Kingdom, lasts about 45 minutes and includes multiple stops so that you can stand up and take pictures. Each of the animals along the way is described in great detail, since there is plenty of time.

After the Safari, you go to the Pizzafari Restaurant for a breakfast buffet, which includes both standard American and African items. Each person also gets a FastPass to Kilimanjaro Safari to experience it "the regular way".

Hours: Sundays and Thursdays, starting at 6:30 a.m.

Cost: Adults is $55.00 and for children (3-9) it is $27.50. These prices are for AKL CLUB LEVEL GUESTS only. NOTE: Park admission NOT included. A credit card is required at the time of booking to guarantee the reservation (this number will be used as a guarantee only, as the safari is charged to your room the day of the event).

Reservations: This event can only be booked by contacting the Animal Kingdom Lodge Itinerary Planning Office. Note that there is a 48-hour cancellation policy. The safari can be booked 180 days out from the day of the event.

 

[hillo]

Thanks for posting that information John'sMom. That is the information I had before going on the safari. However, we did not receive fastpasses after breakfast, and I didn't think anything at the breakfast buffet had an African flair. Besides that, all the information is correct. Sorry to disappoint you, Evan&Kimberly.



After Everest, Dinosaur, and Everest again, my mom wasn't feeling well and she needed a Coke. She grabbed one at Petrifries on the way out of the park. I don't like soft drinks at all. I cut them out to lose weight 4 years ago, and I no longer like them. However, I took a sip of her coke just because I was thirsty, and it was probably the best Coke I have ever had. It must have had added pixie dust.

Next, we headed to MGM (sorry, I typed that before I realized my mistake). We were starting to get a little hungry by 4pm. Yeah, that's right, all the food we had had lasted until late afternoon. We headed over to Backlot Express and saw that the Jedi Training Academy was going on, so we stopped and watched that. It was really cute. Then, we walked into the restaurant around 4:45. My mom and I knew we wanted to split a turkey and cheese panini that has arugula and roasted red peppers. This is the best turkey sandwich on the planet! We absolutely love it. When we walked up to the counter, my mom actually considered getting carrots. One look from me spoke a thousand words. We have had our share of carrots over the past two months that were left over from my brother's wedding. I didn't want any more carrots while on vacation when I could have fries. She understood all that with my one look, so we happily ate our sandwich and fries. The sandwich comes cut in two, so that makes it very easy to split. My brother and his wife decided to split a sandwich and fries, also.


When we finished eating, we left MGM and headed to Epcot. I would have loved to have gotten something to eat there, but we weren't going to be spending much time there. Also, my brother didn't want to go to the World Showcase where all the good food is located. So, we rode Spaceship Earth and did the Where's the Fire exhibit in Innoventions. An awful storm was approaching, so we decided to rush out of the park and hop on the monorail before the storm reached us. This plan worked very well. We did have to run in the rain when we reached MK, but not very far. The rain turned to a drizzle that lasted for quite a while, but at least it was only a drizzle.

I won't give a trip report of the rest of the night at the MK, since this is a food review. My mom needed another Coke from Pecos Bill's for the caffeine around 8:30pm. While she was at the counter, my brother and I grabbed a few pickles and mushrooms from the fixin's bar. S-i-L said we shouldn't have done that, but I looked at it like 1) we've payed a lot to come to Disney and I think that a couple of pickles and mushrooms won't bankrupt them and 2) my mom did buy a Coke and she is entitled to put pickles in her Coke. Instead of her doing that, I ate them. The pickles and sauteed mushrooms were quite good.

The last thing we had this day was a hot fudge sundae from Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies around 9:30. We discovered these almost 4 years ago, and they are amazing. They're the perfect size. No splitting here. We each got our own. We opted to get vanilla ice cream (soft serve). My mom and I asked for no whipped cream. They are heavenly. There is outside seating here, but since there was a little drizzle coming down, we took them to Cosmic Ray's and ate them in there.

This is another way that concierge saved us money. After eating breakfast we spent only about $36 on food including my mom's two Cokes. That is for all four of us for the entire day - all the way until we got into the bed about 3am.

Next up... our last few hours at Downtown Disney - Earl of Sandwich, Goofy's Candy Company, and Ghirardelli.

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

Thanks to both of you Hillo I would have not known any of this with out you so thanks a million

 

[hillo]

Since I now have ten posts, I have a few pictures - only a couple of them food. I wish I had more. I will post my old food pictures on the food porn thread when a new one is started.

This is me and my mom at Boma

]

This is my brother and his wife (with our server in the background)

This is me after eating

A view from the sixth floor looking at the pool

The fifth floor bridge

Cookie I decorated at Boma

View from the balcony - look past me

Lions on the safari

Gorilla at exit of the safari

Turndown chocolates

I tried to turn the last two. I don't know why they reverted back.

Since I referenced my birthday trip, I thought I could add these of Boma food.

This is coconut curry seafood stew and couscous. There's also a piece of pineapple and a strawberry, along with Jungle Juice.

My birthday dessert - you can see the crab soup to the right

 

[dawgfan]

Thanks for the review.

 

[TigerKat]

So glad to finally see pics of you guys!!!!! We also love the Turkey, cheese & arugula sandwich at Backlot.

 

[earthelves]

Thanks For The Fantastic Review I'm Staying At The AKL CL In Sept My First Stay On Property & After Reading Your Review I'm Really Excited

Thanks Again

 

[auntfrannie]

Thanks for taking the time to add all the info about the safari (and the great lion pictures)! Gives me something to consider for next year's trip!!

 

[hillo]

So glad to finally see pics of you guys!!!!! We also love the Turkey, cheese & arugula sandwich at Backlot.

That sandwich is the only meal we buy at the Studios now.

Thanks For The Fantastic Review I'm Staying At The AKL CL In Sept My First Stay On Property & After Reading Your Review I'm Really Excited

Thanks Again[/B]

You'll love it!! We hope to stay concierge at least for one night again.

Thanks for taking the time to add all the info about the safari (and the great lion pictures)! Gives me something to consider for next year's trip!!

Funny thing about the lions - Everyone was excited to see the big guy up on the rock. Then, when the jeep moved forward just a bit, our guide pointed out the lioness. It was great to see the two of them together. Everyone was standing up to take a picture. The people in the back of the jeep couldn't see the lioness, so our guide said as soon as the front half of the vehicle finished taking pictures and sat down, the vehicle would move forward for them. That is one of the things that make the Sunrise Safari special. Everyone on the jeep had time to get great pics while standing up and moving around.

 

[Maleficent13]

I really enjoyed your review. You've got excellent writing skills!

 

[John's Mom]

Really enjoy reading your reviews. Great pics!

 

[hillo]

We didn't get in the bed until almost 3am, so we knew we wouldn't be up early. My mom was the only one who would have to stay awake all the way home, so we would leave whenever she woke up. She decided to go ahead and get dressed around 8:30.

We had checked back into the Quality Inn we stayed at on Friday night. We did end up with a different room which was older and smelled funny. Talk about a downgrade. It wasn't a problem though, because we wouldn't be there very long.

I decided I would wait until we went to Downtown Disney to get anything to eat. Brother and his wife grabbed a muffin or pastry from the lobby. I just got apple juice for my mom and me.

At 10:30, I was hungry, and everyone else was starting to get hungry. We were in the West Side and decided to walk over to Earl of Sandwich. We walked in right at 11am, so there wasn't a wait. I got the Chicken Florentine. Brother and his wife each ordered the Ultimate Grilled Cheese.

They said their sandwiches could have had more cheese, but it was still really good. I've split the cheese sandwich in the past with my mom, and we both thought it had plenty of cheese and was really good. I believe their sandwich did have less cheese though.

My sandwich was delicious! However, I've also split that sandwich in the past, and it seemed to have less cream and spinach than before. It still had a lot of chicken though. I took almost half of it with me to eat for supper.

My mom said she wasn't feeling well, so she waited and got a Chicken Florentine later to take with her.

We always stop at Goofy's Candy Company and get the make your own treats. I've never had anything bad here. I loved everything I got. We were in there a long time, because we had 11 treats total. At first, there was only one lady working there, but more workers came in. I'm glad they did or we would have been there forever. I always have the rice krispy treat and this time I also got pretzels rods and a peanut butter oreo cookie. I personally think those are the best choices even though the cookie is not as good of value. The gingerbread mickeys are very good. Those are my mom's choice. I've had the marshmallows just covered in chocolate before (in the display case for less money), and I wasn't a fan. I think my brother enjoyed his marshmallows that were covered in candy, but I know he likes the other options better. I didn't realize each marshmallow could be done differently, but that's what my brother did.

Right before we left, we went to Ghirardelli. We each got a free peanut butter filled chocolate sample. Then, we walked over to the ice cream parlor. I had wanted to try the Very Berry Sundae for over a year now, so that was my choice. The ice cream was very good, but it wasn't a good value. There wasn't much sauce on it. It also wasn't very big. Don't get me wrong, it was plenty of ice cream for the average person, but not for the price. It was $7.99. I was expecting something the size of a No Way Jose since they are the same price. This sundae was at least half the size. I recommend Beaches and Cream over Ghirardelli for sundaes. I was surprised by what I believe were blue-colored chocolate covered blueberries. I thought it was going to be a regular blueberry, but then it was hard and chocolaty. There were 3 of them and they were a nice surprise. S-i-L got a Mint Bliss Sundae. She looked like she enjoyed it.

Well, that's it for my reviews. I will be heading back to Disney in 5 weeks for free dining. I hope I can remember to take pictures of all the fabulous food. My step-dad is going to go with us this time. He hasn't gone since the year he and my mom married in 1997. We will of course be taking him to Boma, along with 3 places we have never eaten before - Tutto Italia (I did split a meal at Alfredo's before it closed), Les Chefs de France ( Je parle un peu francais), and Akershus. All ADRs are for dinner.

Thanks everyone for reading. Happy eating!!

P.S. For everyone's viewing pleasure. A No Way Jose from last November. Sans whipped cream

 

[NMAmy]

Beware the hill leading up to the bridge in front of the Swan and Dolphin. That was a difficult climb, but we loved the entire ride on the bike.

I just started reading your thread but just wanted to say that we always stay at the Dolphin and one of our favorite things is sitting on the balcony and watching folks on surrey bikes get stuck on that hill. It's usually a surprise to them and some people will get out to push the bike up the rest of the way. We're easily amused.

I enjoyed your Boma review and I must say, I thought my 17 yo dd was an adventurous eater but you really surpass her with your willingness to try all those foods. Well done.

 

[NMAmy]

Okay, finished! I loved your birthday dessert--that looked fabulous. You wrote an excellent report and I hope you have a great time back at WDW for free dining.

 

[kelleigh1]

You and your Mom look fantastic for having lost the weight. And that's a great picture of the two of you anyway. (I've always been overweight and right after we returned from our trip last December, I joined the gym. I've lost about 16 pounds. It is not easy, so congrats to you and Mom for your success!!)

Quinoa - have your tried it before Boma? I actually just started making it. I actually made some the other day and just tossed in some scallions and garlic grapeseed oil for a savory flavor. I think I'm going to try putting honey and almonds in it this weekend for breakfast. I love that you can make it savory or sweet.

Great report! I hope we'll see more from you for your upcoming trip, especially with pics now that you can add them.

 

[hillo]

I just started reading your thread but just wanted to say that we always stay at the Dolphin and one of our favorite things is sitting on the balcony and watching folks on surrey bikes get stuck on that hill. It's usually a surprise to them and some people will get out to push the bike up the rest of the way. We're easily amused.

I enjoyed your Boma review and I must say, I thought my 17 yo dd was an adventurous eater but you really surpass her with your willingness to try all those foods. Well done.

The first time around, the hill wasn't so bad. By the third time, we were having trouble. We just laughed and struggled all the way up the hill. No way were we going to push the bike!

I love trying new foods. I'm always the one in the family that gets everyone else hooked on ethnic foods. I've turned my mom into a hummus and couscous lover. I'm not sure I've sold her on my falafels, though. I'm now that one who has to explain what a chickpea is and how it can be fixed different ways.

You and your Mom look fantastic for having lost the weight. And that's a great picture of the two of you anyway. (I've always been overweight and right after we returned from our trip last December, I joined the gym. I've lost about 16 pounds. It is not easy, so congrats to you and Mom for your success!!)

Quinoa - have your tried it before Boma? I actually just started making it. I actually made some the other day and just tossed in some scallions and garlic grapeseed oil for a savory flavor. I think I'm going to try putting honey and almonds in it this weekend for breakfast. I love that you can make it savory or sweet.

Great report! I hope we'll see more from you for your upcoming trip, especially with pics now that you can add them.

Thanks and congratulations!! I know it's hard to get the weight off and so does my mom. She was 232 lbs before she entered high school. I took the initiative to lose weight, because I knew I didn't want to be so large at such a young age.

I had never heard of quinoa before seeing in the concierge lounge. My S-i-L found it at a local Earthfare and made it for my brother. They said it probably would have been better if she hadn't spilled brown sugar in it.

I'm really excited about September. Hopefully, I can remember to take pictures. If my mom and I make a point to take them, I don't think we will forget.

 

[razzzbere]

I have to say that I really enjoyed reading your posts. How did you remember all of those details?! LOL Have fun on your next trip to Disney and enjoy Chefs de France for me! They have the best kids burgers! When we went last year my then 2 yr. old only wanted fries so I tried his burger...awesome!
I got that same dessert that you had at Boma for my bday too...very cool!

 

[sherry]

I really enjoyed reading your report. I will also be there in September for free dining. We are stayin at AKL at the beginning and end of our vacation. I was wondering if you know what days the Culinary Tour of Africa is offered? Thanks so much.