Savor the Savanna: Review and Tips for The Disney World Enchanting Extra
Thinking of adding this Animal Kingdom Park Enchanting Extra to your family vacation at Walt Disney World? Our Savor the Savanna Review might help you decide if it’s worth the price tag.
Even though we’ve been many times, we’ve found there are always new and special things to do in Disney World. And if we’re looking for something really special, Disney’s Enchanting Extras Collection is the perfect way to do that.
Enchanting Extras offer guests opportunities to do things beyond what’s offered with normal park admission. Guests can book these experiences through the Disney World website. The “extras” allow guests to do a variety of special experiences. For example, you can explore behind the scenes of attractions. There are opportunities for dessert parties and special seats at parades and fireworks. Guests can fish, take specialty cruises, and do much more through these offerings.
One tour offers a chance to experience Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park in a different way.
Disney’s Savor the Savanna is a small group, behind-the-scenes tour of the 110-acre Harambe Wildlife Reserve at Animal Kingdom Park. It allows guests to see the home of some of the park’s most extraordinary residents. And it does it in a way that’s unique and special.
In other words, it’s kind of a luxury, elongated version of the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction… with tapas and drinks.
But, of course, this special experience isn’t cheap. The current cost is $174 per person. So, it’s good to know ahead of time if it’s worth it.
We’re telling what to expect on this Enchanting Extra. And we’re giving you our Savor the Savanna review to help you decide if it’s the right tour for you.
Savor the Savanna Review
What to Expect on Savor The Savanna
After entering Animal Kingdom Park in Disney World, you’ll arrive to check in for your tour next to Kilimanjaro Safaris. The meeting spot will be the Curiosity Animal Tours desk. You and your small group of 12 people or less will be led to the open-air safari vehicle that’s waiting for you.
All guests and your tour operator will be seated on benches forming a semi-circle in the back of the vehicle. As you begin your journey to the savanna, your tour guide will talk about the animals you’ll be seeing. You may stop to see animals along the way if there’s a good spot to do so.
While underway, an animal specialist will stop nearby in his or her own vehicle. He or she tells guests about the animals living in the savanna and answers any questions.
When the vehicle stops, guests are welcome to stand up and get a better view of the animals.
You can’t be certain exactly which animals you’ll see on your tour. Yet, there are over 30 species of animals living here. We saw giraffe, wildebeests, lions, flamingos, Ankole cattle, zebras, rhino and more.
We got to know about the specific animals who inhabit the land as well. Our tour guides filled us in on many of the animal’s ages and characteristics. They told us where specific ones like to hang out, the funny things they do, and their individual personalities.
We also learned about what it takes to work as an animal caretaker at Disney World. Our guides talked about what their day entails (spoiler alert - it’s rarely the same). The kids were especially interested in the training involved in doing what they do.
Your tour will then continue through the savanna on the way to the Boma, the open-air deck where you’ll have food. Here you’ll be served African inspired dishes, wine, beer, and nonalcoholic drinks.
Dishes are served family-style on a table in the middle of the Boma. Guests are seated together at several tables on either side.
A server at the Boma offers an explanation of the dishes offered and guests serve themselves.
After eating, guests are invited to a private viewing deck where animals sometimes can be spotted.
And then it’s back to your safari vehicle for more views of the savanna and the end of tour.
Savor the Savanna: Review of the Experience
We really enjoyed this special experience at Animal Kingdom. The guides and animal specialists were very knowledgeable about the animals as well as how Disney cares for them. They also went out of their way to make sure we got the best views of the animals as possible. And they did so while giving the animals the space they need.
This was a great way to take an attraction we already enjoy, Kilimanjaro Safaris, to the next level. We got to ask anything we wanted about the animals. And we had a better view of them than is offered otherwise.
The time allowed was sufficient, yet not so long as to get boring. We didn’t find it overdone on time. Nor did we think it was too short.
And that holds true for my kids as well. One of our kids is a little more into animals than her siblings. Yet, this tour held the attention of all of them.
We did find that our children were the only kids on the tour. Children are certainly welcome, but the tour definitely doesn’t quite have as much “bang for its buck” for kids. The price is steep for a meal that doesn’t include alcohol.
Savor the Savanna: Review of Food and Drinks
The food and drinks offered during Savor the Savanna got a thumbs up from our family. The dishes we were served were flavorful. And they were fun to try.
Selections included grapes, other fruit cheeses, breads, spreads, a shrimp dish, and chicken salad, as well as some sweet options.
It’s important to note though that I do have adventurous eaters. All of my kids usually enjoy trying new things and they love ethnic food. No chicken nuggets on this tour for picky eaters (and who would want to pay this price for them.) So, if you have a choosy eater, this might not be the tour for you.
The appetizer sized portions were enough to make a meal for lighter eaters. For my bottomless-pit teen boy they were just as advertised - small plates, requiring more food a bit later. With just one less than the maximum on our tour, we didn’t have leftovers of the more popular dishes.
A few wines, including both red and white, as well beer were available. A favorite nonalcoholic drink known to Disney fans, POG juice, was available for kids or anyone else who wanted it.
The only thing we would have loved having in addition to our meal was a little more history about the food. One of our favorite things at Disney World is meeting people who come from all over the world to work there. And it would have been great to hear about the food from someone from the country it originated.
Know-before-you-go tips and additional information
Savor the Savanna does not include admission to Animal Kingdom. You’ll need to purchase that separately. A Disney Park Pass reservation is also required.
This experience is outside, so dress for the weather. However, your tour will be under roof. So, both the building and the safari vehicle you ride in will have some shade and rain protection. Additional sun protection and ponchos are a great idea for sunny or rainy weather.
The minimum age for this experience is 8 years old. Both of our teens and our 11-year-old enjoyed it. If your child doesn’t enjoy sitting or in-depth talk about animals, you might want to skip it though.
The tour guides and animal handlers really want this to be a personal experience for you. Thinking of some questions you might have prior to your tour is a great way make sure it is. The guides are happy to answer questions, so it’s good to know what you might want to ask before your tour.
Expect your tour to last about 2 hours from start to finish.
This Enchanting Extra is usually offered 2 times a day, between 3:15 and 6:15.
Because this is a live animal attraction, each experience will be a bit different. If you go into the tour hoping to see a particular animal, you’re not guaranteed to see it. You can expect to see a variety of animals and learn a lot about them though. And your guides will ask which animals you want to specifically keep an eye out for.
Older Savor the Savanah reviews mention welcome drinks and photos that are included with the experience. Guests do receive a keepsake at the end of the tour. But, welcome drinks and free photos are (evidentially) a thing of the past for this experience.
Did you know you can get to know the animals you’ll be seeing before you embark on your experience? You can learn about the animals who live in Animal Kingdom on National Geographic’s Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Want a special animal encounter with a smaller price tag? Check out another Enchanting Extra, called Starlight Safari, a nighttime Safari adventure. Although the experience doesn’t include food, starting at $89 a person, it’s a less expensive way to see the animals. And since it’s located at Animal Kingdom Lodge, not Animal Kingdom Park, you won’t need to buy a park ticket. Both those staying at the resort and non guests can participate in the experience.
