It's NEVER Too Late, for Number 8 - the most UNOFFICIAL, 'official' AKL thread yet!

[RachelTori]

Yes it was, thanks for the clarification.

You're welcome!

This gets me so excited!!! I see a chair in front of the tree. Does Santa sit there at certain times? And is there ever a photopass photographer present?

Yes, Santa makes appearances and yes, there is a photopass photographer there to capture the magic!

 

[czmom]

Yes, Santa makes appearances and yes, there is a photopass photographer there to capture the magic!

That's great! Do you happen to know his usual times?

 

[HugeHabsFan]

This gets me so excited!!! I see a chair in front of the tree. Does Santa sit there at certain times? And is there ever a photopass photographer present?

Omg you're killing me! We're still 33 days out...and I can't WAIT for this!! So incredibly beautiful!!

 

[RachelTori]

That's great! Do you happen to know his usual times?

We usually saw Santa in the early evening -- maybe 5-8pm. You should get an Activities Schedule at check-in, which may list that information.

You can also check the Activities Board every morning. There's one in the lobby by Bell Services and also down on Level 1, by the Boma restrooms.

 

[HugeHabsFan]

We usually saw Santa in the early evening -- maybe 5-8pm. You should get an Activities Schedule at check-in, which may list that information.

You can also check the Activities Board every morning. There's one in the lobby by Bell Services and also down on Level 1, by the Boma restrooms.

THIS makes me HAPPY!!

I'm even more excited for my kids now!

 

[czmom]

THIS makes me HAPPY!!

I'm even more excited for my kids now!

Me too!!!!

 

[ThisIsJason]

Congrats on your DVC purchase! "Welcome Home"! We consider DVC one of the best decisions we ever made!

There are several AKL/AKV regulars here who are NOT Zebra Dome fans -- that is allowed! As long as you LOVE AKL/AKV you belong here with us!

Thanks! Tied a Zebra Dome when we went to check out the resort, my wife loved the thing. Myself, not so much. Again, the resort is amazing, we spent close to an hour just wandering around the lobby looking at things. We were debating buying between here and SSR. Looking back at pictures here and at other sites, we decided here. Pictures really cannot do the place justice. That picture of the Christmas tree in the lobby looks stunning. Hopefully within 5 or 6 years a early December trip will be in the books.

Sure it's ok.....the cheesecake at Narcoosee's is what you wanna go for!!

Thanks! Narcoosee's is on our list for "firsts" this next trip. I will keep that in mind.

 

[kimmar067]

This gets me so excited!!! I see a chair in front of the tree. Does Santa sit there at certain times? And is there ever a photopass photographer present?

....gee, I never noticed....of course, my kids are older, so I never paid any attention to that....

 

[HugeHabsFan]

Me too!!!!

30 Days for you today!!

 

[Goofy_Girl]

Me and DD16 are going to be staying here for the first time in March! We fell in love with it when we went to Boma four years ago, but the price just always seemed so daunting. Well I used Disney's current stay,play and dine to take the sting out of it and opted for a standard room The night I booked I told her " hey just booked a Disney vacation for March" She was on her cell phone and gave me a great big smile ( we have been four times and I talked enough about booking this year so she was expecting it lol) Then I added " oh btw we will be staying at AKL" I feel bad for whoever was on the other end of that phone since she let out the biggest shriek and shouted "Seriously!!!" lol exactly the reaction I was hoping for That reaction alone definitely made the extra it costs booking AKL worth it, that and it's been my dream hotel to stay at ever since our first visit

 

[Pinkocto]

Me and DD16 are going to be staying here for the first time in March! We fell in love with it when we went to Boma four years ago, but the price just always seemed so daunting. Well I used Disney's current stay,play and dine to take the sting out of it and opted for a standard room The night I booked I told her " hey just booked a Disney vacation for March" She was on her cell phone and gave me a great big smile ( we have been four times and I talked enough about booking this year so she was expecting it lol) Then I added " oh btw we will be staying at AKL" I feel bad for whoever was on the other end of that phone since she let out the biggest shriek and shouted "Seriously!!!" lol exactly the reaction I was hoping for That reaction alone definitely made the extra it costs booking AKL worth it, that and it's been my dream hotel to stay at ever since our first visit

Congratulations! Awesome reaction from DD. you're going to love it, it's an amazing resort

 

[HugeHabsFan]

Me and DD16 are going to be staying here for the first time in March! We fell in love with it when we went to Boma four years ago, but the price just always seemed so daunting. Well I used Disney's current stay,play and dine to take the sting out of it and opted for a standard room The night I booked I told her " hey just booked a Disney vacation for March" She was on her cell phone and gave me a great big smile ( we have been four times and I talked enough about booking this year so she was expecting it lol) Then I added " oh btw we will be staying at AKL" I feel bad for whoever was on the other end of that phone since she let out the biggest shriek and shouted "Seriously!!!" lol exactly the reaction I was hoping for That reaction alone definitely made the extra it costs booking AKL worth it, that and it's been my dream hotel to stay at ever since our first visit

That is exactly the reaction I'd be thrilled about too! Just perfect.

 

[kimmar067]

.....last night during sinner, my DH brought up the subject of going to WDW for Christmas....unless he sells the house that he's rehabbing, it's not likely we will be going....I asked him if mebbe we could go during another time of the year, since we have so many Visa Disney points....I didn't get any kind of difinitive answer though....

 

[John's Mom]

.....last noight during sinner, my DH brought up the subject of going to WDW for Christmas....unless he sells the house that he's rehabbing, it's not likely we will be going....I asked him if mebbe we could go during another time of the year, since we have so many Visa Disney points....I didn't get any kind of difinitive answer though....

 

[dgbg100106]

Me and DD16 are going to be staying here for the first time in March! We fell in love with it when we went to Boma four years ago, but the price just always seemed so daunting. Well I used Disney's current stay,play and dine to take the sting out of it and opted for a standard room The night I booked I told her " hey just booked a Disney vacation for March" She was on her cell phone and gave me a great big smile ( we have been four times and I talked enough about booking this year so she was expecting it lol) Then I added " oh btw we will be staying at AKL" I feel bad for whoever was on the other end of that phone since she let out the biggest shriek and shouted "Seriously!!!" lol exactly the reaction I was hoping for That reaction alone definitely made the extra it costs booking AKL worth it, that and it's been my dream hotel to stay at ever since our first visit

That is awesome, and congratulations on your stay!

 

[dgbg100106]

Here is the latest list of everyone visiting in 2012 and the upcoming dates for 2013.


If you have any updates please let me know...

November
AquaDame, 3rd - 11th, Fantasy
DaisynDonald, 6th - 15th, AKL CL
kerriemiller, 9th -17th, Jambo House
dolphingirl47, 10th - 17th, Disney Magic
jojo9610, 17th - 24th, Kidani Village
dolphingirl47, 17th to 21st, BWV
goofy4mykids, 17th - 27th, AKV CL
dolphingirl47, 21st - 27th, Old Key West
luvindisneyworld, 25th - 30th, AKL CL
John's Mom, 25th- 30th, Pop Century
franandaj, 25th - Dec 2nd, DCL


December
franandaj, Nov 25th - 2nd, DCL
scotlass, 1st - 15th, AKL
Tltorrez, 3rd - 15th, AKV Kidani
Pinkocto, 6th - 11th, OKW
jessc79, 6th - 14th, AKV
pilferk, 6th - 15th, AKV
kellyg403, 10th - 15th, AKL
HugeHabsFan, 10th - 16th, AKL
pequele, 15th -27th, AKV Kidani
RachelTori, 20th -26th, Dolphin, Drinking to the End of the World
Itinkso, 31st- Jan 9th, Off site and AKL

2013
January
Itinkso, Dec 31st - 9th, Off site and AKL
swimchick1984, 5th - 13th, AKL CL
Trublu, 21st - 28th, AKL - Jambo House
franandaj 30th - Feb 4th, AKV

February
franandaj Jan 30th - 3rd, AKV, Savannah View
franandaj 3rd - 7th, BLT
Wendypooh, 9th - 14th, BLT
prodri1, 11th - 17th, Somewhere
wendypooh, 14th - 17th, Kidani
Athenna, 21st - 23rd, AKV
Athenna, 23rd - Mar 1st, AKV CL

March
Goofy_Girl, 1st - 6th, AKL
Pinkocto, 16th - 19th, Jambo House CL

April
miprender, 13th - 20th, OKW/VWL
franandaj, 19th - 21st, VGC
missy120, 26th - May 4th, Kidani Village Savannah view

May
missy120, April 26th - 4th, Kidani Village Savannah view
t_daniels, 7th - 13th, AKL
Wendypooh, 18th -June 4th, Aulani
dolphingirl47, 20th - 27th, Disney Wonder West Coast Repositioning
dolphingirl47, 27th - June 2nd, Disney Wonder Alaska

June
wendypooh, May 18th - 4th, Aulani
Nutty4Disney, 2nd - 8th, AKV Kidani Village
Pinkocto, 6th - 11th, BCV
goofyredraider, 10th -16th, BC
goofyredraider, 16th -24th, AKL CL

July
sharon78, 8th-18th, AKL
Z28KatCar, 18th - Aug1st, AKL CL

August
Z28KatCar, July 18th - 1st, AKL CL
MICKEY'S DREAMERS, 10th - 22nd, AKL


September
franandaj, 29th - Oct 2nd, VWL

October
franandaj, 2nd - 7th, BCV

 

[dgbg100106]

.....last noight during sinner, my DH brought up the subject of going to WDW for Christmas....unless he sells the house that he's rehabbing, it's not likely we will be going....I asked him if mebbe we could go during another time of the year, since we have so many Visa Disney points....I didn't get any kind of difinitive answer though....

Kimmar, so sorry to hear this... Hugs

 

[Px4]

Hi! Remember me? I posted way back in July, maybe June? asking a few questions before our trip. And I promised to report back what my feelings were on AKL.

Well, I am happy to report that we fell in LOVE with AKL! We stayed in Jambo House. From the moment we checked in, until the moment we checked out it was amazing! We had a few hiccups, but they were minor. Check in was a breeze. And they had a bday surprise for me. Surprise because my birthday trip had to be moved but the CM who changed it put in I was to still celebrate, per him! The lobby was as breathtaking as everyone described! We really loved spending time looking around. Zawadi Marketplace was nice. We found everything we needed in it.

We got to our room (1st room of the trip) 4032, which was alittle back on Giraffe Trail. We booked a pool view room with double beds and in the notes it was noted to be centrally located. We thought it was a great location. A few doors down from the elevator with easy access to everything. The pool, Mara, the door by the bus stop which a nice CM made us aware of. I would have never noticed the door and even if I did, I would never thought we could use it.

We loved Mara. However, I did find that I am not able to eat some of the spices they use. The chicken flat bread almost killed my tummy! Which was disappointing because it was so good. My DD ate there daily. She loves the kids mac n cheese and fries. We didn't eat at Boma. Jiko was amazing. It lived up to the hype and then some. I had the braised short rib, dh had the duck, dd1 had the filet and dd2 had the kids steak. Everything was beyond perfect. DH food was the best duck either of us had ate. I was actually jealous of his food it was so good.

We loved the pool. AKL was pretty packed the week we were there, but we never found the pool or spas overly crowded. We spent alot of time in the pool too! Our only complaint was that it needs a better slide. It was to slow and sometimes you would actual have to pull yourself out.

The grounds were fantastic! I loved being able to see animals everywhere! It really does transport you to another place when you look out a window and see a giraffe!

Now for our hiccup. Our room flooded! And I am not talking a leak, I am talking a mess. We went down to Jiko to eat and came back and there was a puddle in our walkway and our bathroom was soaked! I called maintenance around 10pm and they were up to our room within 15min. They walked in, used a few towels to try to soak up some water and told me to go to the front desk and request another room. Either the lines on my shower or one of the rooms above us had burst. The hallway was wet too and so were the walls. Also, a lady who was on the July board with me said she had been in the room next door and had to move a day or two before because it smelled so bad, so we are thinking it must have been leaking a while. But it wasn't such a big deal. I went to the desk and they offered us a upgrade to a Savannah view room, but on the other side of the resort. I asked if they had anything else available near the pool because even tho I loved the animals, we really liked the area we were in and preferred being close to the pool and Mara. (we really put our refillable mugs to use on this trip!) So, he went in the back and came back out and said he had a room on Zebra Trail, that it wasn't a pool view but a Savannah View across from a pool view. And it had bunk beds. We had originally booked bunk beds but decided against them because we didn't want the girls to fight over them. But we went ahead and went with it. It was around 11pm and we were dead tired. The front desk had sent someone to our room to help us pack and move and when we tried to tip him, he said NO! We were in our new room and the girls were asleep by 1230. I don't know about y'all but I think that was pretty awesome! We were happy with our new room. While it didn't have the easy access to the bus stop, it was still really close to the pool and even closer to Mara and the elevator. And it had the bonus of the animals! I was surprised, I would have thought the room would have room-ier since it had bunk beds, but it wasn't. The room was even set up different. Our previous room had a chest of drawers by the closet and this room didn't. I really liked having the chest since we like to unpack. But I can safely say, after staying in both rooms we would book Giraffe Trail in the 2 Queen Bed room again, even over the Savannah View. I wouldn't pay to see the animals, they didn't have that much of a draw for us to pay the price difference. And my kids just don't really fit in bunk beds well anymore. DD2 does, but DD1 is just to tall. She had to sleep on the top because she would hit her head on the bottom.

Our only real complaint was the buses. I asked on here before going and found out that it does infact happen.... The buses in the mornings were sometimes filling up at Kadani and wouldn't have room for Jambo House. It was only MK and Epcot buses, the rest were fine. If we found the buses to full, we drove. So no biggie. We ran into one man at the pool who was waiting on a bus to Epcot one morning and he said he waited around 45min for another bus after we left to drive ourselves. He didn't have a car and said he would never stay there again because of that. We also waited on the bus at the park for long periods of time. Several times we would see several buses pick up for other resorts before we got ours. Our longest wait at a park for a bus was around 30 minutes. Which I think is a bit much. But honestly, if they would just run more buses then it wouldn't be a issue!

All in all, we would stay there again... and again... and AGAIN! But at a slower time of the year. We would prefer not to drive while there and rely on Disney Trans. If they somehow work of the bus schedule, we would never stay anywhere else!

And I have to say, of all my trips and all the different resorts I have stayed at, AKL by far and I mean, reallllllllllllly far - had the best customer service and the nicest Cast members! I spent a unreal amount of time talking to them. I don't think you could find a more welcoming, homely resort anywhere!

Our 1st room view! Room 4032

DH walking back to the room early one morning...

LOVE the curtains!

Our flooded room! You can even see the water in the walls!

View from room #2! Room #3467

 

[kimmar067]

....wow, nice pix...thanks for sharing....oh, and BTW, don't say we didn't warn ya!

 

[dgbg100106]

Glad to hear you had a wonderful time.

AS kimmar stated we knew you would love it!