Tell me about Mara....

[hockeybabe]

Can anyone tell me about Mara? I am thinking we might head that way for a CS lunch on our MGM day...I'd like to check out the resort, and we're not real fond of the MGM CS choices. Will it be worth my while?

TIA!

 

[TANYABETH]

We stayed at AKL last year and ate at Mara a few times. My husband really enjoyed the African stew and the 1/2 chicken was also good. I mostly would get the pre-made sandwiches from the cooler and even those were quite good. They also have zebra domes in their cooler which are delicious little desserts!!! I believe they also had burgers and chicken fingers and stuff like that. There was not a really huge choice of foods, but it was pretty good and it is worth it just to see the resort because it is absolutely breath taking!

 

[OKW Lover]

Mara is a nice food-court type of place. You'll find just about all the familiar stuff plus some unique items. While I wouldn't make a special trip to AKL just to go to Mara, if you are there anyway its a good place to eat. Keep in mind that you can go to AKL just to look around - you do not need to dine there.

 

[surfer_ed]

We liked it. Usually Food Courts are our style since we have 2 small kids. This one was better than most.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We had lunch at Mara when we went to visit the AK and the food was blech. Not a big fan of greasy shrimp and mushy french fries.

 

[John's Mom]

We have eaten at Mara several times. Their homemade soups are delicious, as well as the African Stew. We have also had fried shrimp and burgers. Never had a bad meal here.

 

[hockeybabe]

Can anyone give me a description of the African Stew? I am a soup and stew fan, espcially rich, homestyle soups as opposed to out-of-a-can.

 

[Tikitoi]

Another vote for the African Stew. And with a Mango Smoothie, you can't go wrong.

 

[WDWBetsy]

We're huge fans of the Mara... here's a pic of the African stew from our stay in 2005. Not sure if it's still served in the bread bowl or not. It was very tasty!

Can't wait for our 2008 trip!

 

[hockeybabe]

Mmmm, that looks really yummy! Ok, that's it, I'm going to Mara instead of the MGM CS's! Thanks everyone, and feel free to keep telling me about it

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm another huge fan of Mara. I love the Pumpkin soup (same one as Boma, but I like it a little better, probably just because I know it's cheaper), whole wheat pita chips, and zebra domes for dessert. Great, inexpensive meal.

 

[crisi]

I like Mara - its one of the better resort fast food spots - but it is out of the way from MGM - plan on half an hour each way by bus - fifteen minutes each way by car. I'm not a fan of MGM counter service either - but its worth a bad burger to get an hour of vacation time for me. The AKL is worth seeing - but even that isn't worth an hour of travel time to me.

 

[hockeybabe]

That is a thought, but we had planned at mid-day break at our resort, so we thought we'd check out another one we thought we might stay at one day instead of heading to our own. Of course, if we feel like we'd rather stay at the park, there are places we would eat at to make that happen, the food isn't that bad, it's just nothing we are crazy about. The kids probably wouldn't care, burger and pizza types, but I'm on vacation and I'd rather spend $8 on something I can't get a home for half the price, you know what I mean?

Is that half hour time based on actual sitting on the bus travel time, or getting to the bus and waiting for the bus? We are going the last week of Jan., will that make a difference?

 

[crisi]

That is a thought, but we had planned at mid-day break at our resort, so we thought we'd check out another one we thought we might stay at one day instead of heading to our own. Of course, if we feel like we'd rather stay at the park, there are places we would eat at to make that happen, the food isn't that bad, it's just nothing we are crazy about. The kids probably wouldn't care, burger and pizza types, but I'm on vacation and I'd rather spend $8 on something I can't get a home for half the price, you know what I mean?

Is that half hour time based on actual sitting on the bus travel time, or getting to the bus and waiting for the bus? We are going the last week of Jan., will that make a difference?

So much will depend on how you catch it - its probably a fifteen minute drive from MGM to AKL. It could be fifteen minutes from the back of MGM to the bus stop and it could be a twenty minute wait for the bus. Or you could get lucky, be near the front of MGM, be quick walkers, catch a bus that arrives just as you get to the stop, repeat the same luck on the way back, and spend half an hour or so round trip in transit and say "what the heck was she talking about." Or you could be at the back end of MGM when you decide to go, need a potty stop, take twenty minutes just to get to the front of the park, watch the bus pull out as you walk up and wait 20+ minutes for the next one, spend fifteen minutes on the bus and say "wow! this took forever!"

I don't find busy/unbusy to have much effect on travel times midday - they may run slightly fewer buses the end of January than they would in July, but you probably won't need to wait because one got full.

(You could take a cab over there - about $15. I don't think Mara is worth cab fare.)

The resort is worth checking out though - but we don't take mid-day breaks in January - parks aren't open long enough to waste the two or three hours on a break and it isn't hot enough that we want one. Haven't been in January myself in a few years though.

 

[Maggi May]

Can anyone give me a description of the African Stew? I am a soup and stew fan, espcially rich, homestyle soups as opposed to out-of-a-can.

As you can see from the photo, the chicken is really chunky. The flavor is one of a mild curry - sort of reminds me of the curry soups served at Boma. Absolutely delicious! I don't think it's now served in a bread bowl, though.

 

[Harambe]

We also love the Mara. Picky DS still says it's his favorite CS place. For lunch I like to get the crispy pita chips (they sell them in a little baggie) and a container of kalamata olive hummus from the cold case. We like to take our lunch out to the tables by the pool (just watch out for beggar birds - if they creep you out, stay inside the Mara).

It is a ride from MGM, but totally doable, and since you're thinking lunch, it will be easy to get a bus back to MGM or any other park. AKL is gorgeous, and watching the animals is fun.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

We also enjoyed the food at Mara but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there. If you are going to go to AKL...eat at Boma...YUM!!!

 

[cdrn1]

I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there but if you will be there anyway it's pretty good. LOVE the Chicken Pepper-Pot Soup. Good salad, the African Stew is great, and you can get Zebra Domes too. (Some say they are over-rated but I don't think they are!)

 

[mom2aredhead]

We were there right before the holidays and yes, the stew was still in the bread bowl, and it was still delicious...although I believe it is pork and not chicken as someone had suggested. (or maybe it is a combination?)
The butternut squash soup was also delicious, as were the zebra domes, and believe it or not, the cheesecake. For the kids, there are the standards - chicken strips, mac and cheese, hot dogs (btw - you can get a "side" of mac and cheese for a snack credit rather than use a CS for mac and cheese, a drink and dessert which worked out really well for my 4 year old..I didn't catch how old your kids are, but it's an option)
Anyway, we stayed at AKL and ate at Mara often. We were very hapopy with everything we ate there.

 

[hockeybabe]

Thanks everyone, I think we will try it. Again, not just for the food, but to visit the resort. I was looking for reviews that said it would be as good or better than the CS choices at Disney Studios, and I think that I got that from most of you. I would love to try Boma some day, but my picky kids are not eating like adults yet, and they would be charged as such, so it's not quite worth the $100+ we would be spending. In fact, we will be doing mostly CS this trip. Once the kids' pallettes mature, we will be trying Boma for sure (and I will have to save up more for our trips, too.) By then, maybe being on the dining plan will be worth it again, like it was when they were 9.

Thanks for all of your opinions!