sunrise safari

[precious pixie]

I heard from someone that if you call AKL the day before a surise safari and it's not completely booked you can go even though you may be at a different Disney hotel. I will be staying at the BWV in June for my honeymoon and would love to do a safari. Has anyone tried this?

 

[TammiMcMan]

I find it hard to believe because it's advertised as an AKL concierge benefit. What if a concierge guest gets up the morning of the safari and decides they'd like to go on it? You would think that they have to keep any open spots set aside for this reason.

Tammi

 

[precious pixie]

I thought it sounded to good to be true. I guess it will have to wait until we stay at AKL.

 

[MNSusan]

We did the sunrise safari in November. Some friends were staying at another resort and I asked if there is ever any circumstance in which guests not staying AKL concierge can go. The CM told me that if the safari has too few signed up, they occasionally open it up to other AKL guests, but never any others.

 

[Fridye]

precious pixie -- You could do this "excursion" instead. This was posted on another thread.

Quote
I just received an email from the Yacht Club Planning Office about this new tour being offered called the Wildlife Discovery Excursion. Our contact is Alana.. what a wonderful young lady this is, she is really taking care of us, has answered every question we have asked and has been a huge help in getting things set up. If you ever stay on the concierge level at the Yacht Club and use the planning office, I hope you are lucky enough to get Alana. (sorry, I can't say enough good things about her)... well she took this tour the other day and this is what she had to say about it....

"I actually just went on the Wildlife Discovery Excursion just yesterday. It was very similar to the Sunrise Safari the Animal Kingdom Lodge offers to it's Concierge Guests. The main differences being that this takes place during regular park hours, and there is no meal included. We went out in a vehicle which can accommodate a maximum of 14 people, and the vehicle is great because you are able to stand up and walk around in it. On the vehicle with you is one of the Animal Program Cast Members, so they are there talking to you about the animals, savannahs, and answering any questions you might have. We were out on the savannahs for about an hour. Because it is during park hours, the regular safari vehicles for the Kilimanjaro Safaris are driving through, however the vehicle will pull off to the side in different areas of the savannah so you can watch the various animals and get a lot of great pictures. I would definitely recommend it! The tour is offered twice daily at 10:00am and 1:00pm. The cost is $45 per person, a portion of which is donated to the Wildlife Conservation Fund, and the tour begins on February 15th."

Unquote

 

[TammiMcMan]

Actually, that excursion is only open to guests staying concierge in any of the Disney resorts. The one that is open to all guests aged 16 and above is the Backstage Safari Tour. It includes a more behind the scenes look and does end with a ride through the Kilimanjaro Safari. The tour group is brought in through the "exit". The ride is exactly the same, only the standard story line about Little Red is turned off and the tour guide narrates.

Tammi