Just returned - AKL Resort. Review and Questions?

[kentear]

The Animal Kingdom Lodge was one of my favorite resorts we have stayed at! What a great vacation we had. We have been to Disney World so many times I have lost count. Our goal is to stay at every resort in Disney. We are down to 5. This is part AKL review with a little trip report thrown in. I hope it is ok on this board.

Some quick background. We only visit Disney during May and September. We have stayed at all levels of hotels at Disney from Value to moderate to deluxe to villas. Our party is two 40+ adults. This year we stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We paid $209 plus tax a night for a Savanna view room.

I'll start with the not so good stuff.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Arrival - We did have several bumps when we checked in but after the first day things were back on track. As I said, we have stayed in almost ever WDW resort except for a couple. Disney service has always been top notch. AKL was a bit off I'm afraid from our experience. However, it may be all of Disney I'm just not sure. We noticed a lot fewer cast members so I think Disney has been cutting back to try to save a few dollars. However, it shows from even a year or two ago. We arrived by stretch limo (surprise for our 15th year anniversary). We used FL Tours. They were great. Dean was our driver and I'd love to have him again. We arrived at the hotel on a Thursday 9/10 just after noon, we were greeted by...well...no one. There was not a cast member in sight. We didn't need help with bags or anything but thought it was unusual. Perhaps they were helping other guests but if so, they weren’t in sight. (nor were there other cars in the welcome area either). Weird.

AKL Check In - We had "pre-checked in" via the Disney web site thinking it would save us time. We waited in the "pre-checked in line" and a cast member motioned us over the regular line to help check us in. We were there for 30 minutes at the check in desk. The problem was she ran our credit card through with the wrong expiration date. After several attempts (she didn't' tell us this until after the 3rd time) the card was denied. We called Chase to find out they put a hold on the card because "someone in Florida is trying to run the card through but keeps using the wrong expiration date." Not a problem, I just wish the woman had checked the date a little more closely when she was running it through over and over. It caused me a few minutes of heart failure because it was the ONLY card we brought with us. We were then told that our room was not ready. Not a big deal, this happens often when we get there early. What was unusual was that she said it wouldn’t be ready until 4pm. I was bummed but understood. That is the real check in time anyway. I asked how full the hotel was. She said “not very full at all. You will have the pool all to yourself and gave a little laugh”. I asked why the long delay with the room then. She said, she didn’t know but knew the room was not clean yet (remember this for later). No big deal. We gave our cell phone number and they texted us when the room was ready. Very cool idea. We checked our bags and went to buy our park tickets.

Concierge Desk - We went down the line to the concierge area to buy our tickets. The very nice cast member asked us for our room keys so he could put the passes on the keys. We told him we didn’t get keys when we checked in. He said he needed the keys to put the passes on since we were staying in the hotel. We told him we were not given keys and he told us he needed them to put the passes on them. We told him we did not receive the keys and he said he needed them to put the passes on…see a pattern? He just didn’t’ get it. I stopped and asked very kindly, if he might go check with the woman who checked us in about the keys. He agreed down 4 windows to Heidi to find out where our keys were and came back a few minutes later apologizing. He said they should have been given to us when we check in because he needed them to put our passes on…sigh. Not a problem, he added the passes and off we went to have lunch at an adult beverage or two at the Poly.

AKL Room - We received a text message at 3:40 that our room was ready. (the latest we have ever check in) We headed back to the hotel and made our way to our room 4583 in the Arusha Savanna Zebra Trail wing. It was a great room with a fantastic view. More on that later in the “good news section”. What was so *****ney was that the room was…well…dirty. There was dust on everything, there was white softscrub stuff on the floor in the bathroom that hadn’t been cleaned up and was dried on, the netting above one of the beds was all messed up, there was a travel book about Brazil on the bedside table (interesting book, I kept it), there was the clear part of a crest white strip on the vanity in the bathroom, it was all sort of weird. I know I keep using that word but it fits. The room was not dirty. However there was no way the room had just been vacated. I’m not saying we should have been allowed in the room sooner, I really have no idea why we waited though. This room must have been vacant for some time though. Maybe the Savanna makes the rooms so much dustier than other resorts? It wasn’t enough to be moved to another room, just odd based on all of our previous trips to Disney.

The Mara food court – the flatbread pizzas get 5 stars. However, 3 out of our 8 days at the Mara food court, they were out of cream in the dispensers in the morning. It wasn’t that there was a rush on coffee, the place really was quite empty. It just didn’t make any sense to me. I asked form it to be replaced once at the cashier stand and others did the other times. If memory serves, there is usually someone working the coffee/soda/condiment area in the morning. I didn’t see anyone this time. I’ve never experienced this before at Disney. Not complaining…just giving you the “not so good” stuff right now.

AKL Busses - Although we only took the busses a couple of times (we picked up a rental car from the Car Care Center) the wait seemed longer than usual and the busses were certainly far more crowded than we were used to. We have fun taking pictures of how empty the park, lines and busses are during September and sending them back to friends and family who visit during July. Devious I know but fun. This time we couldn’t. The busses we took were quite full. Both time they were to AK so maybe that is it. The buses drop off at Kidani Village before the Lodge. In my opinion, the new Kidani Village was a bit...um...ugly. I think they greenery needs to grow up a little bit over the building or something. I just didn’t’ think it was that pleasant looking. The Lodge on the other hand looks fantastic.

Cast Members - I know I said it previously but we noticed a serious lack of cast members this trip. Others who visited this week may have different experiences but it was pretty obvious to us. One of the things that makes Disney “Disney” is the great group of employees they have. I know Disney has to cut money in these hard economic times but I have to say for the first time in 30 years, I noticed a difference. If you have never been to Disney before, you may not even think of it though. I know, I know…I’m sounding like an old person but you I hope you know what I am talking about.

Now the excellent stuff:

AKL Overall - The Animal Kingdom Lodge was fantastic. So many animals to see. I think the pool must be one of the largest on Disney property but I'm not sure. It just seemed huge. Waking up in the morning and enjoying a cup of coffee watching a giraffe about 20 feet from me was pretty cool to say the least. We took several pictures and videos of the animals during our stay. We noticed that they seemed most active around dusk. There is a list of animals in your room that you may see during you visit with descriptions of each. I don’t know how Disney does it but we managed to see all but 5 types of birds and a couple of mammals. The big two – Zebra and Giraffe were all over the place.

Wait Times - The wait times for most every ride was only a few minutes. In fact, many of the wait times were non existent. One noted exception like usual was the Peter Pan Ride. It had the usual 1 hour wait. What do they do on that ride that makes the wait so long? It just doesn’t make sense. If you have an iPhone, there is an app you can download that tells you the wait times of each of the rides. We found it to be pretty much right on.

Food and Drink – Boma, like always, is excellent. It is quite different from other buffets at Disney and well worth it. A must visit place for us. The new lounge/bar in Mexico is really small. However it is pretty neat if Tequila is your thing. Did I mention we may have enjoyed a few adult beverages this trip? lol Cat Cora's new restaurant, Kouzzina, was excellent although my better half said it was Spoodles with a new name. If you like seafood, try the Fisherman's Stew - it was delicious. We also had lunch one day at the new Wave restaurant in the Contemporary. The entrees were good but the deserts were excellent. It is a nice place and an easy monorail ride away from MK or Epcot.

MNSSHP - We did Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party that was so much fun I can't believe we haven't done it before. The parade is the best I've seen at Disney. The cost is ridiculous though. I think it goes for $55 a person. If you can get past that it is so much fun. People in costumes and you get to trick or treat – yes, even adults. I have a huge bag of candy sitting on my desk. Just what I need! The fireworks are great. You can check them out on youtube (not my video but a good one). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxrBwaLegXs

Various Attractions - The revised Hall of Presidents was excellent. They have changed it quite a bit and it is much more updated. I don’t think Obama looks quite right but then again, it is animatronics. It is really a must see in my book. We were sad to hear that the American Adventure in EPCOT was having technical difficulties during our visit so we missed that. I always enjoy that.

The Carousel of Progress was alive and kicking during our visit. I’m always afraid I’ll go and it will be shut down. I know some people think its lame but I just can’t get enough of it. I’m a dork, what can I say? The Tomorrow Land Transit Authority was reopened the 2nd day we were there.

We ended up loving the American Idol Experience. We saw a couple of the daily shows one day then went back the last night were there to catch one of the finale shows. They realy did a great job. However, the Randy Jackson guy we saw a couple of times who kept calling the contestants Boo Boo was a bit annoying. We must have hit Soarin’ just after it reopened from a breakdown or something because it was a walk on for us. Unheard of! My partner when on Mission Space 4 times in a row and Expedition Everest a record breaking 6! I can’t go on either. Toy Story Mania must be the best ride Disney has ever created. The wait times were long for this time of year – 35 minutes was our longest – but worth every second.

I just can’t tell you what a great time we had this year. It has to rank up near the top of our favorite trips. My partner did not like the hotel as much as I did. If you have kids, I can’t imagine a better place to bring them. There weren’t many there during our trip because school is in but the ones who were there were so excited to see the animals. And so were some of the 40+ year old kids too.

It was sad to leave the Animal Kingdom Lodge and return to the real world.

I'd love to answer questions if anyone has any.

[mmmears]

Thanks for the great review of AKL. Sadly, I think that the "lack of CMs" is due to Disney's budget cutting, not just a problem at AK.

In April, we had so many Photopass photos taken that we ended up buying the CD for the first time ever. In July/August, we couldn't even find photopass photographers when we wanted them. I attributed it to "downsizing."

We love AKL, but then we had a clean room and no problems on check-in. Good for you that you didn't let some of these things ruin your trip, although IMO a dirty room in just unacceptable (no other way to put it).

[kentear]

Originally Posted by mmmears

In April, we had so many Photopass photos taken that we ended up buying the CD for the first time ever. In July/August, we couldn't even find photopass photographers when we wanted them. I attributed it to "downsizing."

We noticed the missing photopass crew too. I guess it is a sign of the times. Hopefully, the economy will be back on its feet in the near future.

[Rhonna]

Originally Posted by kentear

We headed back to the hotel and made our way to our room 4583 in the Arusha Savanna Zebra Trail wing. It was a great room with a fantastic view. More on that later in the “good news section”.
rn to the real world.

How far down the Zebra Trail was your room? 1/3, 1/2 way or farther? Did you feel like you were looking right out onto the viewing area and that the people down their were looking back at you? Did you feel like the rooms across the savannah from you were far away or too close? Which floor were you on?

We stayed at AKL once and didn't want to be looking at other people or rooms so we ended up at the VERY end of the Zebra Trail. Problem was the view was limited to a small little area right near the nighttime enclosure - not a lot of animal viewing nor very good theming. We will be on the main Savannah this time but I don't want to feel like we are being watched by people down on the central viewing area or across from us in the rooms.

It seems hard to find an area at AKL that has views of the animals without a lot of people able to look at your room/balcony. How did you feel about your room location in that respect?

[kentear]

Originally Posted by Rhonna

How far down the Zebra Trail was your room? 1/3, 1/2 way or farther? Did you feel like you were looking right out onto the viewing area and that the people down their were looking back at you? Did you feel like the rooms across the savannah from you were far away or too close? Which floor were you on?

How did you feel about your room location in that respect?

We were the 2nd to last room on the wing before the "end of the building rooms". We overlooked the main savannah. The room was facing directly into the main area. I know the area you stayed in and it is sort of around the back corner. We went down the back stairs a couple of times and know what you mean by people looking right into your room and not having the best view. Ours was excellent though. In fact, it felt like our own little private oasis. We were on the 4th floor. It was perfect, not too high and not too low. The Giraffe's were no more than 20 feet from our balcony many times. It was pretty amazing. If you look at a map of the AKL, http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/aklmap.htm and look between the picture of the Zebra head and the Pink Back Pelican, our room was there. It will make sense when you look at the map I think. We were room 4385

[TillyMarigold]

We were there the week before you, and Soarin' was a walk-on almost the whole time.

[tarak]

Originally Posted by kentear

We were the 2nd to last room on the wing before the "end of the building rooms". We overlooked the main savannah. The room was facing directly into the main area. I know the area you stayed in and it is sort of around the back corner. We went down the back stairs a couple of times and know what you mean by people looking right into your room and not having the best view. Ours was excellent though. In fact, it felt like our own little private oasis. We were on the 4th floor. It was perfect, not too high and not too low. The Giraffe's were no more than 20 feet from our balcony many times. It was pretty amazing. If you look at a map of the AKL, http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/aklmap.htm and look between the picture of the Zebra head and the Pink Back Pelican, our room was there. It will make sense when you look at the map I think. We were room 4385

I'll be there in just a few days - I requested 3rd or 4th floor, Zebra trail, but I think my TA only put in the request for Zebra trail. We'll see what we get - hope it's as great as your view sounds!

[SheenaXena21]

Originally Posted by kentear

In my opinion, the new Kidani Village was a bit...um...ugly.

Oh, no!!! That's where we're staying. It won't bother me though, I still love WDW.

AMEN to your CoP comment. Big fan here!!!

Glad you had a great stay.

[Rhonna]

Originally Posted by kentear

We were the 2nd to last room on the wing before the "end of the building rooms". We overlooked the main savannah. The room was facing directly into the main area. I know the area you stayed in and it is sort of around the back corner. We went down the back stairs a couple of times and know what you mean by people looking right into your room and not having the best view. Ours was excellent though. In fact, it felt like our own little private oasis. We were on the 4th floor. It was perfect, not too high and not too low. The Giraffe's were no more than 20 feet from our balcony many times. It was pretty amazing. If you look at a map of the AKL, http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/aklmap.htm and look between the picture of the Zebra head and the Pink Back Pelican, our room was there. It will make sense when you look at the map I think. We were room 4385

Thanks! It makes sense that area would be more secluded from the public areas yet still have a good view of the main savannah. I'll see what I can put on our requests. But still that LONG walk like we had before.

[ercrbc]

Thanks for the detailed review! I'm leaving on Sunday for AKV and it will be our first time there. So excited to see it's not very crowded at the parks!

[Epcot4Me]

Thanks for such a great, detailed report. Sad to hear about the lack of CMs, but glad it didn't seem to affect your enjoyment of the trip

[iloveeeyore]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this report. We are staying a few days at AKL savanna view next summer and we are SUPER excited, and your report made me even more ! How did you get that incredible rate? Did you get to enjoy any adult drinks at the pool bar or Victoria Falls? I'm open to suggestions.

I wish we could go in September for the low crowds and MNSSHP!! We did MNSSHP years ago when the kids were young enough to take them out of school for a week, and while it was very pricey, we thought the parade and fireworks were AMAZING and well worth the cost of admission. Now that the kids are in Middle and High School, DH and I have to wait several years to be able to go this time of year again...and I'm not wishing the time away!

I think the CM problem is a WDW-wide issue at this time from what I'm hearing. Sorry you encountered some lack of service. At least the trip was great overall. Welcome back!

ETA: Just curious, what did your partner NOT like about AKL? And since you've stayed at so many resorts, what are your other favorites?

[kentear]

Originally Posted by iloveeeyore

How did you get that incredible rate?

I just called up and that was the rate they gave me. It was the room only fall special they were having.

Originally Posted by iloveeeyore

Did you get to enjoy any adult drinks at the pool bar or Victoria Falls? I'm open to suggestions.

I did. The pool bar is pretty good and fits right in to the whole theme. I remember when the AKL first opened, the whole pool area was so open and exposed sort of. The trees have all grown up around it and it is a wonderful place to sit and relax.

Originally Posted by iloveeeyore

Just curious, what did your partner NOT like about AKL? And since you've stayed at so many resorts, what are your other favorites?

He did like it but not nearly as much as me or other resorts we stayed at. I guess for him the issue was, other than seeing animals, there wasn't much else going on. He felt it was way too loud and I have to say, I would agree that at times it did seem way too loud in and around the lobby, buffet, lounge area. There was constant drumming going on. They had drumming places available for the little kids I guess and they would have little parade from the Savannah in through the lobby. Lots and lots of little kids banging on drums. Plus at the main entrance of the gift shop just off the lobby tons of drums for guests to try and buy. Cute the first time but...I see his point.
He also said it seemd a bit "off the beaten track" if that makes sense.
He felt the food choices were limited although I would disagree wtih him there. He is just a picky eater. He did like it but didn't love it.

Overall, our favorite resorts have been the Contemporary, Boardwalk, Port Orleans French Quarter and Wilderness Lodge. The final being his all time favorite and my #2.

If we received an all expense paid trip to WDW and had to stay at a resort we have already stayed in, I would pick the Contemporary and he would pick the Wilderness Lodge.

I hope this helps. :-)

[iloveeeyore]

Very helpful, thank you so much! I never imagined the AKL would be "loud." We dined at Boma before and never noticed any drumming sounds. Hmmm, guess we're used to the din of water falls in the lobbies. We also love the CR and the WL, but our all-time favorite is the Poly!

Were there any special drinks that are specific to AKL that you tried and enjoyed? (Like the Lapu Lapu at the Poly for example.)

TIA!

[kentear]

Not really. We are simple beer guys