Number 9 is really FINE! Welcome to AKL LITE - the 'unofficial' FAQ Thread

[kimmar067]

I really really hope it works out Kim....

...that makes TWO of us...

 

[nadira36]

....baby has really discerning tastes....BTW ~ always remember: Never put baby in a corner!

Also...my son has celiac disease and a dairy allergy so I'm Hoping we have good luck at Mara when we need it.

We have a family of celiac's and, in general, we've found Disney to be a great place to travel. However, other deluxe quick service's have been where we've had problems - and that's what I'm worried about here as well - but hopefully Mara will be better than others. We've dined at Boma and Jiko and had great service for gluten-free - their GF Mickey waffles are great - when we first went GF Disney was the only place that we could even imagine getting a waffle or pancake even remotely close to 'normal'.

We're optimistic about Mara, but will say having stayed (and dined) at Pop, AoA as well as the Poly, AoA had the best GF food hands down - but the one Chef at Pop was the best on Disney property as far as going out of his way to make the food amazingly good and presentation spectacular (though there are a couple others that are a very close second).

Hi AKL Fans!

We are currently booked at POP for our August vacation, but based on what estimated savings may be coming in for that time frame are considering switching to AKL Standard View. We ate at Jiko there on our last trip and loved the resort. Can anyone reference programs or things their kids loved that would help us make the decision? I'm trying to convince my DH that we should go Deluxe for the first time!

In general the activities at each resort will be similar for the kids - but each resort will have their own flair. So really it doesn't matter what the list is - it depends on how enthusiastic the CMs are. And whether you'll be at the resort during the specific activities. Pop was great for kids activities - but really we weren't at the resort enough to really partake. My kids (at the time age 4 and 2) loved POp and were VERY disappointed when we switched to the Poly next trip - but they fell in love with the Poly next (Stitch is a HUGE draw for them - as are the volcano and hula lessons). However no playground. Pop has a playground, but it's hidden and once dark settles, it's impossible to use. At AKL The playground is close to the pool and has enough light that it can be used well after dark - and you can see the giraffes right from the playground (with a bit of shoulder standing help from mom/dad).

If you think you'd want to stay at each resort (just once even), or would enjoy the fun theme of Pop, or are park commandos in anyway - then stay at pop. It is a good resort - though the rooms are a lot smaller than deluxe. Once you stay deluxe, it's VERY difficult to talk yourself into value. If you stay AKL now and then POp next time, you'll be disappointed in Pop - however, as a value resort, it's really nice - but it is not deluxe.

 

[nadira36]

...that makes TWO of us...

You HAVE to find a way! Don't you know, all good suspense dramas turn out okay in the end - you will find a way.

 

[kimmar067]

We're optimistic about Mara, but will say having stayed (and dined) at Pop, AoA as well as the Poly, AoA had the best GF food hands down - but the one Chef at Pop was the best on Disney property as far as going out of his way to make the food amazingly good and presentation spectacular (though there are a couple others that are a very close second)....

...I agree with this!

 

[dgbg100106]

....uhhhhh......errrrrrr......ummmmmm......uhhhhhh......

I need more than that! WTH is going on!

 

[YCFAN]

We have stayed at AKL around 6 times now. We have made a tradition of either starting our trip there or finishing it up at this resort. Our stay is usually somewhere between one to three nights and we do a split stay somewhere else. We're currently planning a July 2014 extended family trip so to finish that trip we are staying the last two nights of a 10 night trip at AKL!!!

There will be 12 of us and I booked the Royal Assante Suite and two additional CL rooms. We've had this suite before and it is fantastic!! Our dates are July 26-28, 2014. The wait is gonna KILL me!!!!!

 

[dgbg100106]

We have stayed at AKL around 6 times now. We have made a tradition of either starting our trip there or finishing it up at this resort. Our stay is usually somewhere between one to three nights and we do a split stay somewhere else. We're currently planning a July 2014 extended family trip so to finish that trip we are staying the last two nights of a 10 night trip at AKL!!!

There will be 12 of us and I booked the Royal Assante Suite and two additional CL rooms. We've had this suite before and it is fantastic!! Our dates are July 26-28, 2014. The wait is gonna KILL me!!!!!

Congratulations and I have added you to the list...

I would love to see photos from the suite?

 

[WDWNext]

Is there a link/thread to discuss the best rooms/room views in AKL ?
We have a pool view, but what does that mean ? Is the view good or does it mean we will see some patches of blue between the branches of trees in front of the balcony ? ...

I guess mostly looking for pool view because thats what we have reserved.

 

[YCFAN]

This is the bed in the master bedroom.

Foyer

Sitting area in master bedroom.

I have more but they seem to have disappeared from photobucket. I'll have to re-upload them. These are from when we went in 2006. It will be interesting to see if anything has changed when we go next year.

 

[n3rf]

Is there a link/thread to discuss the best rooms/room views in AKL ?
We have a pool view, but what does that mean ? Is the view good or does it mean we will see some patches of blue between the branches of trees in front of the balcony ? ...

I guess mostly looking for pool view because thats what we have reserved.

excellent question.

I to am interested in an answer to this,.... we are planning an August trip and we want/hope to stay at AKL with a Savannah View (if possible/affordable) does that mean we automatically get savannah view or does it depend on the room how good the view is or should we go with a standard room if some balcanoies have good views and save some money?

Can't seem to find pictures here of the views from different types of room (e.g. savannah, standard, pool view etc)

 

[RapunzelsGoodMom]

Hi AKL Fans!

We are currently booked at POP for our August vacation, but based on what estimated savings may be coming in for that time frame are considering switching to AKL Standard View. We ate at Jiko there on our last trip and loved the resort. Can anyone reference programs or things their kids loved that would help us make the decision? I'm trying to convince my DH that we should go Deluxe for the first time!

I was looking for something similar recently and went to easywdw dot com and about three or four pages back on his blog he did a walk-through of both Kidani and Jambo (separate posts because he took so many great photos). Awesome because he has photos of the activity boards and also the food you can buy. Really, super helpful!

 

[RapunzelsGoodMom]

Twenty. Four. Days.

 

[kimmar067]

This is the bed in the master bedroom.

Foyer

Sitting area in master bedroom.

I have more but they seem to have disappeared from photobucket. I'll have to re-upload them. These are from when we went in 2006. It will be interesting to see if anything has changed when we go next year.

OMG ~ awesome pix! Thanks for sharing....

 

[RapunzelsGoodMom]

Grasping at straws but the woman I rented from just told me she has a few points left.....guessing CL studio is still not available for 4/11 - 4/14? Figured I would just check in case....my mom would really like a glass of wine (but happy to buy her a bottle at the store)!

 

[Brave teacher]

Grasping at straws but the woman I rented from just told me she has a few points left.....guessing CL studio is still not available for 4/11 - 4/14? Figured I would just check in case....my mom would really like a glass of wine (but happy to buy her a bottle at the store)!

Nope...Sorry...all booked

 

[RachelTori]

Grasping at straws but the woman I rented from just told me she has a few points left.....guessing CL studio is still not available for 4/11 - 4/14? Figured I would just check in case....my mom would really like a glass of wine (but happy to buy her a bottle at the store)!

No DVC CL availability for those dates. Most cancellations/changes happen before 30 days out (that's when points go into Holding, which is a dirty word to DVCers!) so it's pretty doubtful your owner could get the CL studio by waitlisting this close to your check-in date.

The Lounge at Jambo, Victoria Falls, is a lovely place for an evening cocktail. (it opens at 4pm daily)

 

[RapunzelsGoodMom]

No DVC CL availability for those dates. Most cancellations/changes happen before 30 days out (that's when points go into Holding, which is a dirty word to DVCers!) so it's pretty doubtful your owner could get the CL studio by waitlisting this close to your check-in date.

The Lounge at Jambo, Victoria Falls, is a lovely place for an evening cocktail. (it opens at 4pm daily)

Holding sounds scary....but good to know and I'm certainly very happy where we are - just like to keep GRANDMA happy who is so nice to come and help me with the kiddos on this trip! But I will definitely have to check out the lounge....or send her there is wine on the porch won't do! Who doesn't like to watch the giraffe while you have a cocktail?

 

[Debrn]

We stayed at Kidani studio savannah view. We loved the resort and were so glad we chose Kidani over Jambo. It was much more relaxing, the staff was wonderful, and the shuttle was so easy to go to Jambo. The busses were great we never waited very long and always had a seat.
The kids loved the animals, night vision goggles and the african drumming.
And omg those zebra domes so delicious

 

[iheartjuppy]

We haven't stayed at AKL since 2010 and didn't do all that much exploring. We stayed at Jambo House on the same floor as the lobby and pretty much lived on our balcony any time we were at the resort. I remember seeing some activities but when we went in 2011 and stayed at Wilderness Lodge they had nightly movies outside - is that only at resorts with a "beach"? We didn't participate bc DS was small and tuckered out. Is there popcorn or snacks for sale? Are the s'mores I saw in a previous thread still done at AKL? If they are at AKL are they at Jambo and Kidani or just one (which one)? We are planning for more time to enjoy the resort this trip, so I'm trying to make sure we do some of the fun activities.

 

[Debrn]

We haven't stayed at AKL since 2010 and didn't do all that much exploring. We stayed at Jambo House on the same floor as the lobby and pretty much lived on our balcony any time we were at the resort. I remember seeing some activities but when we went in 2011 and stayed at Wilderness Lodge they had nightly movies outside - is that only at resorts with a "beach"? We didn't participate bc DS was small and tuckered out. Is there popcorn or snacks for sale? Are the s'mores I saw in a previous thread still done at AKL? If they are at AKL are they at Jambo and Kidani or just one (which one)? We are planning for more time to enjoy the resort this trip, so I'm trying to make sure we do some of the fun activities.

We roasted marshmallows at Kidani but don't think they had s'mores