Sanaa- lunch for views or dinner for food?

[DisneyKoyote]

I looked online at the menu and the dinner options (personally) seems better than lunch, however the main concern is that it'd be too dark out for any type of wildlife view if I were to go for dinner. Unfortunately my FOP FP is booked at 5-6, so doesn't seem possible to do an early dinner either (no reservations available during that time anyways, although I still have 2 months before my trip..). Is it worth giving up lunch time views for dinner food? I'm going in early November when I assume the sun sets earlier, and I will probably not get the chance to go back to Sanaa again for a long time

 

[Mikey15]

I did lunch and dinner (separate days) at Sanaa in November last year. We started with a 2:30 "Lunch" which somehow turned into being seated around 3pm. It was great to take in the atmosphere, walk outside to see the savanna, and by the time we were eating it was time to see the giraffes getting fed, which was pretty cool! Personally we didn't see anything on the dinner menu for us that wasn't on the lunch, but either way we're very glad we got to experience it before sunset.

We enjoyed the food (bread service and the Scotch pudding desert especially!) so much that we booked a late dinner (after DHS close) on our last night. Confirmed that when it's dark out, you're not really seeing out the windows, but we still really enjoyed the food.

Either way, whether you go daytime for food+sights, or nighttime for food+atmosphere, Sanaa is worth going to.

 

[skip-seglipse]

I personally don't think the animal views are particularly exciting. I would go for whatever meal you want to eat most. The restaurant is still a nice space even if it is dark outside.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

While I do really enjoy the food and interior atmosphere of Sanaa, we also feel it loses some of its allure when it gets dark. There's still usually lots of really great options on the lunch menu, so I would try lunch if it fits in your schedule.

 

[Christine]

I know I posted on your other thread and it's surely a YMMV thing, but I've been to Sanaa about three times now and not once were the animal views anything to say were noteworthy. I know they *can* be, but that's never been my case. I would not hinge a whole plan on the animal views and do what works best for you. You will already have been in the park, on the safari, which has the most awesome views.

 

[CJJenkins]

Something we have done in the past is go to Sanaa for dinner, then stop by AKL on our way out. We peek in the gift shop to see if the woodworking demonstration is going on, then head to the animal observation area. There is almost always someone out there with night-vision goggles for viewing the animals. Not the same as watching them during your meal, but it's something different and special you could try if you choose to go with dinner.

 

[DisneyKoyote]

I know I posted on your other thread and it's surely a YMMV thing, but I've been to Sanaa about three times now and not once were the animal views anything to say were noteworthy. I know they *can* be, but that's never been my case. I would not hinge a whole plan on the animal views and do what works best for you. You will already have been in the park, on the safari, which has the most awesome views.

Thank you! Very helpful, and definitely already rethinking my plans...I suppose I will ask the other member in my party to get their viewpoint as well to see if it's worth it to them

 

[gharter]

I agree with going for the meal that looks best for you.
We go out to the Savannah to see the animals. Rarely have we been seated at an area to see the animals well. And we never felt bad about that.

 

[Davev77]

I would have to agree, go when it's best for you, we did Sanaa for lunch in August, our table didn't have the best view of the Savannah and there wasn't really much to look at in terms of animals, it really is luck if you see any animals.

 

[Mich123]

I have had both lunch and dinner at Sanaa. At lunch, we had a great window view, but very few animals. When we went for dinner, we could have taken the opportunity to use the night vision goggles. After dinner, we did see animals sleeping very close to the fence, which was kind of neat.

The dinner menu is amazing! I highly recommend dinner over lunch.