Sunrise Safari now available to DVC Members staying at AKV!

[keishashadow]

Is it possible that the tour leaves from different places on different days?

Thursday & Sunday (I believe)

I had to call MS yesterday w/question re my account. Asked again where we are to meet & was told Sunset Lounge.

Seems as though i'll be heading down 1st end of month out of posters here...will try to remember to post 'where' the meet time is @ Jambo.

Not a huge issue as I'm sure the desk will have the info @ checkin but I'm pretty sure the DVC CMs would love to have the necessary info in hand to advise members...management issue that needs to be addressed imo. How hard can it be for them to have the meeting place indicated on their booking screen?

 

[LJC1861]

We are doing the tour on thursday 5/1 so I will be sure to report back on the meeting location!

 

[keishashadow]

We are doing the tour on thursday 5/1 so I will be sure to report back on the meeting location!

please do and let us know if staying @ Jambo or Kidani...have a great trip!

 

[LJC1861]

We are staying at Jambo.

 

[LJC1861]

Just checked in here at Jambo and we are doing the Safari tomorrow. We got a lovely letter informing us that check in is here at Jambo at the Concierge desk. There will be coffee, tea and water available as we gather at the indoor fire pit. We are to be here promptly at 7 a.m. and the bus leaves promptly at 7:30.

 

[MarlaSingersLaundry]

We're going on this tour in a few weeks while we are staying Club level. I booked months ago as I was told there are limited spots available and it seeks out quickly. I wonder if there are any changes allowing more people to book or if it really wasn't selling out.


I'm almost convinced this change is a conspiracy against us since this is our first time staying club level and able to book the safari.

 

[lah3hh]

Just checked in here at Jambo and we are doing the Safari tomorrow. We got a lovely letter informing us that check in is here at Jambo at the Concierge desk. There will be coffee, tea and water available as we gather at the indoor fire pit. We are to be here promptly at 7 a.m. and the bus leaves promptly at 7:30.

Waiting for an update on how it went for you today...I am truly anxious to hear (can you tell?).

 

[LJC1861]

In a word....FANTASTIC!!!!!

So, here goes from start to finish.....

We arrived right on time at the clearly marked check in desk in the JAMBO HOUSE lobby, near the large mask in the back of the lobby. You are greeted and your party name is crossed off a master list. From there you walk down the short ramp to the circular lounge area where cast members with I-Pads scan your Magic Bands ( One of ours did not scan properly and it was taken care of very quickly) There is coffee, tea, juice and water and you are left to mingle and mill about for a few minutes until everyone else arrives. There were about 50 people of all ages on the tour this morning. We were greeted at promptly 7:15 by our 2 guides and given a few minutes of orientation. We were split into two groups and taken out to the buses. Prior to getting on to the buses our bags were searched, just as if we were going into the park. After the short bus ride we walked a short distance ( backstage) into Harambe Village. This bothered me a bit as there were young children on the tour, and typically backstage areas are off limits to children under age 16, but I digress......We boarded our Kilimanjaro Safari Vehicle and began our Safari at approximately 8 a.m. Vickie, our guide was very well versed in all of the animals and species that we saw on our tour and we had PLENTY of time to shoot all the pictures we wanted. We were also allowed and encouraged to stand up to get our shots. She let us know when the parking brake was on and when it was safe to stand up. The tour took about an hour. Following the tour we walked to Pizzafari for breakfast. We were seated at assigned tables in a sectioned off part of the restaurant. The food was delicious and included eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, grits, pap, blintzes, banana french toast ( to die for!) potatoes, biscuits and gravy, fruit, cereal, pastries, an omlette station, juices, coffee and tea. The food was hot, plentiful and delicious. The guava juice was a hit and needed to be refilled several times.

I would highly recommend this tour to all DVC members staying at AKL. It was a great way to start the morning and was truly the BEST Kilimanjaro Safari I have ever done. The animals were the most active I have ever seen...including the cheetah, who was up and walking for the entire few minutes that we were in front of the exhibit.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

 

[abarnes64]

Signed us up for sept 28th! Can't wait!

 

[lah3hh]

Thank you SO much LJC1861....your report was fantastic!!!! Exactly the type of details I was hoping to hear about.

We are scheduled to take the Sunrise Tour on 6/1/14. I originally booked our time at OKW but when I saw this Membership Magic item come out...I changed our location very quickly. I think I will be so glad that I did that even though it took quite of bit of work for MS and time on the phone.

My DD is not happy about getting up so early to take a tour but I know she will be glad she did when it is all over...thanks again!!

 

[bwvBound]

Great! So now we'll all look to you to post an answer to the question, "Which is better-Wanyama or Sunrise?" I've done the Wanyama Safari-twice. Obviously, I LOVED it. The second time, I'd gotten an unexpected bonus from work, and my first thought was to use it to do the Wanyama Safari again. The only thing I kind of disliked was that the food at Jiko was served family style, and due to a few guests, all the filet and fish were quickly gone as a few people took multiple quantities of those, and left the chicken. I've heard the "family style" of servings' been changed. Can anyone verify?

Of course -- I'll check in! But I'm guessing my answer will be along the lines of, "It depends ..." or "Do BOTH if you can ... "

Given the wide difference in costs, I figure the Sunrise is a "no brainer" provided there is space available and that the Wanyama remains the more elusive "once in lifetime" (or twice in your lucky situation!) bucket-list item.

My answer, now that we've completed both remains, "it depends." We enjoyed our recent Sunrise Safari but the two are completely different experiences. For the price, the Sunrise Safari is a no-brainer for the occasional add-on experience. Neither are, in my opinion, something to be repeated every visit. I'd likely repeat the Wanyama every 6-8 years and the Sunrise every 3-5 years?

Our Sunrise Safari, this year, was led with great confusion as ours was only the second Safari offered through the newly relaxed restrictions offered to all DVC members staying on points vs Concierge-only. Thus, we had a very difficult time determining where to meet and when to get there. Every CM gave us different locations and times! Gladly, we received our final answer in the form of a letter slid under our door the evening before the event. (Kinda late in my opinion even if I am trying to live "just in time"!)

FWIW, our breakfast ran later than I had planned. I was quite startled to realize that I had 50 minutes to run from Pizzafari to the busses to Kidani to our room to meet an 11am checkout! (I thought we'd be done by 9a ... instead we weren't quite finished eating at 10:10a.)

 

[badbrad25]

So.. We called today to try & book in early November & we were told that the Sunrise Safari "ends" on Oct 19th. I see that someone posted that they booked for Oct 23rd.. Anyone else book past Oct 19th or 23rd???

 

[RobynPrincess]

So.. We called today to try & book in early November & we were told that the Sunrise Safari "ends" on Oct 19th. I see that someone posted that they booked for Oct 23rd.. Anyone else book past Oct 19th or 23rd???

We booked for the 19th October, but we were going to book the week after as it looked full at first (the lady on the phone got a bit confused)

 

[Best Aunt]

I admit I'm too lazy to read through all the posts, but I just wanted to add something, in case nobody mentioned it:

You may have to check in for the Safari earlier than 7:00 am.

I did the Sunrise Safari on 03/30/14 under the old rule (you still had to be staying Club Level to do the Safari).

That was a day that Animal Kingdom park was scheduled to open at 8:00 am. (Not an Extra Magic Hours day, just a day that it was scheduled to open early).

We were told to check in at the desk in the Club Level Lounge at 6:15 a.m.

I got there at 6:15. They checked my Magic Band, then told me to be in the lobby at 6:40. My room was right near the Club Level lounge, so I went back to my room for awhile before going down to the lobby.

We arrived at the park at 7:15 am.

Just wanted to point out the early timing. The confirmation e-mail I had received in September said 7:00 am, but I assume that back then they didn't realize the park would be opening at 8:00.

 

[Simba's Mom]

My answer, now that we've completed both remains, "it depends." We enjoyed our recent Sunrise Safari but the two are completely different experiences. For the price, the Sunrise Safari is a no-brainer for the occasional add-on experience. Neither are, in my opinion, something to be repeated every visit. I'd likely repeat the Wanyama every 6-8 years and the Sunrise every 3-5 years?

Our Sunrise Safari, this year, was led with great confusion as ours was only the second Safari offered through the newly relaxed restrictions offered to all DVC members staying on points vs Concierge-only. Thus, we had a very difficult time determining where to meet and when to get there. Every CM gave us different locations and times! Gladly, we received our final answer in the form of a letter slid under our door the evening before the event. (Kinda late in my opinion even if I am trying to live "just in time"!)

FWIW, our breakfast ran later than I had planned. I was quite startled to realize that I had 50 minutes to run from Pizzafari to the busses to Kidani to our room to meet an 11am checkout! (I thought we'd be done by 9a ... instead we weren't quite finished eating at 10:10a.)

Thanks so much for your review.

 

[Bostonterrierlover]

So.. We called today to try & book in early November & we were told that the Sunrise Safari "ends" on Oct 19th. I see that someone posted that they booked for Oct 23rd.. Anyone else book past Oct 19th or 23rd???

I booked for November 9th. However, when I called member services, the lady I talked to told me they don't book that. She transferred me to Animal Kingdom lodge planning where they were able to book it for me.

 

[badbrad25]

I booked for November 9th. However, when I called member services, the lady I talked to told me they don't book that. She transferred me to Animal Kingdom lodge planning where they were able to book it for me.

Copy that, thank you!

 

[moreisgood]

An update - the promotion is only running till Oct. 19th per Member Services. I also talked to the Itinerary planner at AKL, and after Oct. 19th, only Concierge level members will be able to book the tour, and stated that they have fully informed Member Services not to send anyone over to book past Oct. 19th.

So, unless the offer is extended, don't bother trying.

I'm hoping the dates will be extended!

 

[moreisgood]

And the price is going up.

$85.25 for adults
$47.93 for under 18

 

[kristenrice]

An update - the promotion is only running till Oct. 19th per Member Services. I also talked to the Itinerary planner at AKL, and after Oct. 19th, only Concierge level members will be able to book the tour, and stated that they have fully informed Member Services not to send anyone over to book past Oct. 19th. So, unless the offer is extended, don't bother trying. I'm hoping the dates will be extended!

Hmm....we are booked and paid in full for the 10/23 safari. I wonder how this is going to work???