Tusker House vs. Sanaa: Pros and Cons

[Weather_Lady]

Hello! I'm planning our Animal Kingdom day and am wondering which restaurant to choose for lunch. We'll be arriving at AK either just before or just after lunchtime, depending on the venue, from the Beach Club, so our options are: (1) Uber from Beach Club to AKL for lunch at Sanaa, then take the bus to AK for the remainder of the day; or (2) bus to AK from Beach Club for the day, with lunch or dinner at Tusker House.

As far as I can tell, the pros of choosing SANAA are:
- we save about $100 over the cost of Tusker House
- quieter ambiance and savannah views

While the pros of TUSKER HOUSE are:
- we save time (no need for separate transportation to a restaurant, and then to the park)
- we have more flexibility in scheduling (can visit for lunch or dinner)
- option to purchase "Rivers of Light" dining package for $20 more (well played, WDW - you've got me thinking that the opportunity to spend more money is a "pro"!!!)
- the kids can meet the characters (we will otherwise not be doing any character meals)

Items that are a "wash" are:
- Menu selections (while Sanaa is a la carte and Tusker House is a buffet, we're not big eaters, and my kids love the flavors at both places, so neither restaurant tips the scale as far as menu)

What I DON'T KNOW (and am hoping you might tell me) is:
- Will the time factor end up being a "wash" too, if we consider that although we'll need extra time to get from Sanaa to AK after we eat, we'd also need extra time to eat at Tusker House because of the character rotation?
- Does the variety and quantity of the buffet offerings at Tusker House make up for the fact that the food at Sanaa is reportedly of higher quality?
- Is there anything about Tusker House that would justify spending an extra $100 for our family of four to eat there, keeping in mind that my kids could meet all of the same characters in the parks?

Your thoughts and input would be much appreciated! I'd say I "don't want to overthink this," but who are we kidding? I do and I am.

 

[Schneewittchen]

I actually prefer the food at Sanaa, but you're talking about time, money and making kids happy. I like to make my kids happy because I live vicariously through them....

One more pro about Tusker House, if you do the character meal, you don't have to wait in line to meet the characters when you'd rather be waiting in line to see blue aliens ride rainbow pterodactyls.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I may vote differently for myself, but in your case, with the kids, I'd do Tusker House.

I've enjoyed a few nice lunches at Tusker House (without kids) better than my one trip to Sanaa, although at that time we were trying to do Sanaa "on the cheap," so that may have been unfair to Sanaa.

We couldn't see much from our seat in Sanaa, but did walk outside to the animal viewing area afterwards, which was nice. It was actually our first time ever stepping foot near AKL many years ago.

Big picture: I think kids will remember meeting the characters at their tables more than whatever they may eat at Sanaa. Bonus: killing two birds with one stone. (Eating/meeting.)

I think saving not just the time, but the hassle of traveling around, and as you mentioned, the flexibility is worth going to Tusker House.

Plus everyone gets to pick whatever they want to eat, how much, try something new without risk, etc.

 

[MagicalMommy]

I vote Tusker House in your situation! It’s one of our favorite character meals for food quality and character interaction. It’ll also be more convenient for you, and a great way to kick off your vacation with the kids/characters. That said, I really loved lunch at Sanaa too so I don’t think you can go wrong with either.

 

[Figgy1]

We did both last trip and I'd be hard pressed deciding between the 2 but in your situation it would have to be TH. Just the amount of time seeing the fab 5 there as opposed to waiting on line is worth a bit and the pleasure of not having to fp ROL is worth a few more. In my experience the characters have spent quite a bit of funny silly time with us and last trip some even made it around twice I also like having options which TH has much more of, your kids may like more exotic food but it's also nice to have choices as you never know what type of mood they'll be in on a given day