Jambo! Thanks to Vallen Tucker at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge office, we have some great NEW information about the resort’s Dine With An Animal Specialist opportunity!!
As you know, the dining option is offered at Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Kidani Village. Guests can dine with an Animal Specialist, savoring cuisine from Sanaa while learning about the animals grazing outside the window. During the “untamed” lunch, your family will be immersed in African culture while posing questions to the animal expert regarding the animals on the nearby savanna.
Dine With An Animal Specialist: Menu
The four-course menu will delight your senses during this exclusive experience limited to 12 guests. It is recommended for guests over 8 years old. Special Diets can be accommodated and there is a separate menu for kids
First Course: Indian Style Bread Service
Breads – Naan, Onion Kulcha, Papadum, Paneer Paratha
Accompaniments – Red Chile Sambal, Cucumber Raita, Coriander Chutney, Mango Chutney, Garlic Pickle, Green Mango Pickle, Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus, Tamarind Chutney
Parts of the First Course Offerings
Second Course: Salad Sampler
Chickpeas with cucumber and tomato
Watermelon, lime, and radish
Roasted Beets
Second Course
Third Course: Slow Cooked in Gravy, Simple and Well Seasoned
Chicken with Red Curry Sauce and Shrimp with Green Curry Sauce
Served with Basmati Rice
Third Course
Fourth Course: Dessert Sampler
Chocolate Cake, Passion Fruit Kulfi, and Chai Cream
Chocolate Cake, Chai Cream, Passion Fruit Kulfi
(My favorite is the Kulfi! It’s like a sorbet.)
Meeting the Animals
After dining at Sanaa, guests will enjoy seeing reticulated tortoises up close!
Reticulated Tortoise
Cost and Booking Details
This opportunity is offered at Sanaa every Wednesday, 11:30 am to 1:15 pm, and is in a trial period for 16 weeks. It is open to all Walt Disney World visitors — you do not have to be staying at the resort to take part.
$49.00 (10 and older)
$29.00 (3-9) for special kid’s menu
Cost includes a $5.00 contribution to Disney’s Worldwide Conservation Fund.
Applicable tax and 18% gratuity automatically added and included in cost.
To make a reservation, call 407-938-6922, option 3 or stop by Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge. Beginning Aug. 1, 2011, reservations will be available online at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/ or call 407-WDW-DINE (939-3463) up to 180 days prior to visiting.
This is a wonderful opportunity to dine at Sanaa while learning about the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s animal program!
Thanks again Vallen!
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This sounds interesting, but I hope it’s not a replacement of the Sunset Safari, which was handsdown one of the BEST things I have ever done at WDW. We had an amazing time seeing all of the animals and the meal at Jiko afterwards was FANTASTIC! I only wish I had taken pictures of the meal!
Already have it booked and so excited to do this!
Wendy
Any idea on if this can be booked in advance? I tried calling the phone number in the last blog post about this offering and was told that you couldn’t book it in advance by phone, that you had to be present at WDW to book it. My mom and I would like to book this for our August trip and were disappointed when I was told we couldn’t book it because they weren’t taking phone reservations.
Jambo!
I’m with Beth.
We’ve done the Wanyama Safari a few times, and it is truly one of those experiences that sets Disney, and the AKL in particular, apart from the rest.
Simply astonishing to be so close to the critters, and the Safari guide is always a wealth of knowledge. The dinner afterwards at Jiko? Well, it’s just about as good as it gets. One of my favorite things to do on the property, and they’ve lowered the price from what it was originally which is very cool.
…and curry just doesn’t do it for me.
°o°
Thanks everybody for the interest! We’re really excited about this new offering so we appreciate the support.
@Beth and Jeff from NJ: This experience will by no means replace the Wanyama Safari. Wanyama is still one of our most popular offerings and is an important part of Animal Kingdom Lodge. This was partially conceived as an alternative for guests who can’t afford Wanyama or are not staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge but still would like to have a unique and special experience there. We also wanted to create something that highlighted one of the hidden gems of Walt Disney World: Lunch at Sanaa!
@Erin: We’re still trying to get the word out throughout property. Everyone’s been kinda distracted by the amazing new Star Tours ride. If you call the number on this blog post between 9AM and 6PM EST you should be able to book this experience. Calling Disney Dining will get you nowhere at the moment as they probably haven’t even heard of this experience yet and probably won’t get much information on it unless it is popular enough to be continued.
Vallen–glad to hear that Wanyama (Sunset) Safari isn’t going anywhere. I’ve heard some pretty persistent rumors that it was being discontinued 🙁 My husband actually wanted to add on DVC points at Animal Kingdom Lodge after Wanyama, he liked it that much!
This sounds perfect for my husband, whose somewhat limited mobility means he cannot do the safari trek at his favorite park, Animal Kingdom. We won’t be at WDW until November and we stay at AS Music, so I hope they decide to continue this, as we are obviously not eligible for the Wanyama tour . The price seems right for this type of experience too.
I just called the Itinerary Planning Office and finally found somebody who knew what I was talking about! LOL I made the mistake of calling the front desk first, and they were clueless. But the Itinerary folks were able to put us down for July so I was impressed. She said there was no confirmation number b/c they’re basically booking you in a spreadsheet.
You probably called the Call Center, all calls are routed through the Call Center (and they would not know about this offering) as the Front Desk does not have a direct outside line for Guests.
IPO (Itinerary Planning Office) at DAKL is the way to go! If you already on property, you could also stop by DAKL’s Concierge Desks (both at Jambo House and Kidani Village) for information/booking as well.
The food looks great but I’m thinking that there needs to be more animal interaction besides a tortoise. Do you think they will offer other animal interactions in the future?
Sanaa was/is incredible and funny how everything is in 3’s
I believe that’s a RADIATED tortoise.