Sanaa for lunch from AK?

[YYCmom]

If you want to make it a field trip, I'd take the time to go to Jambo as well to see the animals there (and it's such a gorgeous hotel - Kidani is not overly impressive in comparison).

Thanks for the tip. How long does it take to walk/take the bus between Kidani and Jambo?

 

[YYCmom]

In theory it doesn't sound like a big deal to leave for lunch but IMO it's a hassle to stop mid-day (esp if you're at the back of the park), walk to the bus stop and wait (we waited 30 minutes for an AKL bus mid-day this summer...), eat, and then do the reverse. But I think AK has wonderful in park food options and prefer the convenience of staying put.

This is all good advice. I'm still not sure yet what we'll end up deciding to do.
Under consideration:
1. Leave AK - go to Sanaa for lunch - return to AK
2. Stay at AK all day (no AKL dining)
3. AK during the day, AKL for dinner at Sanaa or Boma
OR, it also occurred to me we could try:
4. Start at EPCOT, bus to AKL for lunch, hop to AK for late afternoon/evening.

 

[YYCmom]

If DHS is open, you could bus from AKL to DHS and then take Skyliner/boat/walk to Crescent Lake.

Thanks! This is helpful.

 

[CarolynFH]

This is all good advice. I'm still not sure yet what we'll end up deciding to do.
Under consideration:
1. Leave AK - go to Sanaa for lunch - return to AK
2. Stay at AK all day (no AKL dining)
3. AK during the day, AKL for dinner at Sanaa or Boma
OR, it also occurred to me we could try:
4. Start at EPCOT, bus to AKL for lunch, hop to AK for late afternoon/evening.

Number 4 will work IF Epcot opens earlier than 11:00 AM when you're there....

Good luck making a decision - they all have their pros and cons!

 

[YYCmom]

This could be a crazy idea depending on how you value your time. If you haven't visited the parks several times- and want to maximize your time experiencing attractions- I would not leave the park. It sounds like it's close and will be a fast turnaround- but the reality will be very different. By the time you exit the park (which is a hike in and of itself), wait for the bus, order, eat, wait for a bus to return, and walk back into the area of the park where you can begin to experience attractions again you are looking at well over 2 hours- probably closer to 3. We love AK and AKL, AKL is pretty much the only place we stay these days. With that said, you can see the animals on the safari attraction. Have lunch in the park at Yak and Yeti if you want to do TS- but I would pick a counter service like Flame Tree Barbeque if you haven't been to WDW a lot. AK is a short day- and if you want to see and do everything sitting down for a TS lunch is going to take a minimum of an hour- and most probably much more than that if you need to wait for a table. Once you have lunch at a counter service restaurant, queue up to do the safari a second time. I can guarantee you will see many more animals doing it this way and still come out way ahead on time. On the flip side of the coin, if you have been there many times and don't value maximizing attractions, Sanaa is a great restaurant. I would personally do CS for lunch and book Boma for dinner. Sanaa is good- but Boma is far-and-away the best restaurant within the AKL complex if for no other reason than the sheer number of choices you have on the buffet. We have eaten everywhere there is to eat there multiple times, done all the special safaris with dinner included, etc., etc., etc. Boma for dinner is your best bet IMHO if you want to experience AKL while you are in the AK area and haven't eaten there before. Depends on your priorities.

None of us have been to AK before. We've all been to DLR together a couple of times. My dad went to EPCOT maybe 30 years ago when he was at a conference - none of the rest of us have been to WDW at all.

We're staying at BCV for convenience for our first trip. Grandparents, parents, teen, and pre-teen. We have 5 park days and 3 non-park days: Space Center, Disney Springs, Water Park. We might try to do some other resort touring on our Disney Springs day, but I doubt we'd make it to AKL.

Our priorities are: 1. rides (me and the kids), 2. Disney park experience/atmosphere (me and my parents), 3. good food (almost all of us). I personally really want to check out AKL because I've heard the design is amazing, but I doubt the rest of my family cares all that much - although the other adults would probably appreciate it as well.

I think half of our group would be content to wander around watching animals and/or taking the safari multiple times, but the other half of our group will not care about animals after riding the safari once and will complain about me dragging them around to see 1 or 2 animal trails.

 

[Mommb]

Thanks for the tip. How long does it take to walk/take the bus between Kidani and Jambo?

I didn't time it, but I'd guess no more than 5-7 minutes to walk. There is a shuttle bus that runs between the buildings that would be a tad quicker, but I don't know how often it arrives.

If a bus to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, or Animal Kingdom is waiting at the bus stop and isn't full, you could take it, but make sure it will be stopping at Jambo. (Buses to Hollywood Studios were doing Jambo before Kidani when I was there last week.)

 

[YYCmom]

Sanaa is a great restaurant. I would personally do CS for lunch and book Boma for dinner. Sanaa is good- but Boma is far-and-away the best restaurant within the AKL complex if for no other reason than the sheer number of choices you have on the buffet.

I will definitely keep this in mind. Thanks!

 

[CarolynFH]

None of us have been to AK before. We've all been to DLR together a couple of times. My dad went to EPCOT maybe 30 years ago when he was at a conference - none of the rest of us have been to WDW at all.

We're staying at BCV for convenience for our first trip. Grandparents, parents, teen, and pre-teen. We have 5 park days and 3 non-park days: Space Center, Disney Springs, Water Park. We might try to do some other resort touring on our Disney Springs day, but I doubt we'd make it to AKL.

Our priorities are: 1. rides (me and the kids), 2. Disney park experience/atmosphere (me and my parents), 3. good food (almost all of us). I personally really want to check out AKL because I've heard the design is amazing, but I doubt the rest of my family cares all that much - although the other adults would probably appreciate it as well.

I think half of our group would be content to wander around watching animals and/or taking the safari multiple times, but the other half of our group will not care about animals after riding the safari once and will complain about me dragging them around to see 1 or 2 animal trails.

I’m glad to learn about your group, because IMHO AK has the most interesting atmosphere of all the parks. You need to look up at the buildings, not just straight ahead, although that’s hard to do when you’re not familiar with where you’re going! For instance, there’s a series of covered pavilions with tables and chairs next to Flame Tree BBQ, and each pavilion is themed to a different predator/prey pair via the animals carved into the posts and ceilings. If anyone is a gardener, they might want to notice how the vegetation in Africa is different from that in Asia - as are the buildings, because the Imagineers tried to recreate those places as accurately as they could. So don’t cut your time short in AK - eat QS lunch there and book dinner at AKL after park close.

 

[YYCmom]

Thank you to everyone for your feedback! We've decided to try for an ADR for Boma at dinner.

 

[IndyToThere]

We were lucky enough to get a table in front of the windows for our lunch at Sanaa. While the table spot is pretty neat, FYI likely the only animals you'll see in front of your window (at least for us) are the crane birds. The other animals are a bit further back. You can get a better view of the animals from the outside viewing areas.

For anyone stressing if they get a window view or not, don't worry too much about it. Go for the food and atmosphere of the restaurant.

 

[DjmNash]

Sanaa is always a must for us; my taste buds still have euphoric feelings when I remember my first bite of the Sanaa Burger. We go on our arrival day: fly in early, drop off luggage and then leisurely make our way to AKL. Last time we had a 1:00 reservation, but arrived at AKL so early (11:30), we kindly asked if we could move up our reservation, and they were able to seat us (no guarantees). We've always had great wait staff too. Then we wandered around looking at the architecture, shops, animals. They even had a distanced Meet&Greet in the lobby.

 

[Matt'sMom]

If you want to do Sanaa, I'd definitely recommend taking a break and going at lunch time. As others mentioned, the fun is in watching the animals while it is light outside (you won't see them after dark). Many animals on the savannah will wander past the windows, and the crowned cranes often come right up to the windows and dance around too.

We are local APs, who visit the parks often. You really can complete most of the animal trails, the Safari, and the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch, along with one of the live shows, easily before lunch time. Enjoy a relaxing lunch break and then come back and hit up the remaining attractions during late afternoon into evening. Just keep in mind that many of the areas with live animals (Safari, trails, & Rafiki's) do tend to close earlier than the remainder of the park. We recommend saving Pandora for later in the day, as that area is the most impressive after the sun goes down, when everything is lit up and glowing.