9/4 - 9/10 AKL Concierge

[Yak]

I got so much info lurking on this board that it's time for some payback in the form of a trip report.

First and foremost, AKL Concierge IPO was wonderful in getting us everything we wanted. I would stay concierge again in a heartbeat.

Landed Sunday 9/4 at MCO around 1pm. Between luggage claim, car rental pickup and drive, we probably arrived at AKL around 2:30-ish. First hiccup. Bellman brings us to a room with 2 queens for our family of 5. He calls front desk and brings us to a room on 6th floor ajacent to lounge with Sunset Savannah view. Very convenient, but, in our opinion, not as nice a view as Arusha Savannah. He scheduled a room change for us for the next day when the resort was due to empty out. Hiccup #2, we had asked concierge to buy golden ears for our kids to have in room upon arrival. They weren't there, but showed up by the time we returned from the parks that night (as well as some extra little stuff for the delay). We were slightly miffed with 2 hiccups upon arrival, but little did we know, that they would be the only problems.

We drove to MGM, saw a couple shows, had dinner at Mama Melrose on the Fantasmic package. The food was pretty good. We got to Fantasmic about 35 minutes before showtime and the place was packed (EMH night), except for our section. Thank goodness we did the dinner package. Everybody was pretty beat, so we went back to concierge lounge for a nightcap, then to bed.

Labor Day started with CRT Breakfast at 8:30 and an extremely and suprisingly empty day in the park. We rode everything at will. We had a wonderful dinner at Yachtman's Steakhouse that night, followed by the Illuminations Cruise on the Breathless. That was just special. If you can, DO IT!

Empty parks day again on Tuesday followed by dinner at Spoodles, which was only so-so. We did 1/2 hour on a surrey bike (never again - too much work right after dinner). Boardwalk was quiet, and it had started to rain, so back to concierge lounge to relax.

Wednesday was Seaworld followed by a couple hours in the pool, which was a nice break. Dinner at Boma--wonderful.

Thursday, we did the Sunrise Safari. Also wonderful. We had dinner at Crystal Palace in MK. 20 minute wait just to check in and get the pager. Ridiculous. Food was disappointing. Walked on some more rides, watched Spectromagic and Wishes. Now it's 10:15pm and we got my kids up at 6:30 for the safari. Back to AKL for much needed sleep after a loooong day.

Friday, parks empty again--I mean just walking on things like Test Track and Soarin'. Scary empty. Dinner at Chef Mickey's, which is a must for my family. Food was better than Crystal Palace. Once around the loop on the monrail for fun (2 of us got to ride up front) and back to resort for nitecap and bed.

Saturday, departure day (2pm flight), wonderful service that Disney provides with airline check-in at the resort. By 8:45 we had our luggage checked and boarding passes in hand and were off to MK for a few more hours of fun. Finally, some crowds (not that we missed them), but still managable in the a.m. At 11:30 we left for MCO and that was it. Oh, and as we caught the monorail for the TTC, the rest of my family got to ride in the front of monorail again. Nice way to end it.

I'm happy to answer questions. Fire them in if you got 'em.

 

[DVC@BWV]

Hi Yak,
What were the offerings in the concierge lounge during your stay, and what were some of the things the concierge IPO got for you? Thanks!

 

[RobynK]

Sounds like you had a great trip!

 

[goodferry]

Sounds like you had a great trip! We also did dinner at the Yachtsman followed by the Breathless cruise, and loved it! We sat for a while and laughed with the people on Surrey bikes trying to make it over that bridge from the Boardwalk to the Yachtsman! Lots of dads having to get out and push convinced us to pass on the surrey bikes. Glad you enjoyed AKL concierge, we have yet to try that. Thanks for the report

 

[Yak]

What were the offerings in the concierge lounge during your stay, and what were some of the things the concierge IPO got for you? Thanks!

In the morning, your standard continental breakfast items like muffins, croissants, danish, bagels, etc. During the day, there were light snacks like chips, pretzels, soda, juice. From 5pm to 7pm, there are some Boma appetizers. The morroccan meatballs were excellent. Ribs, chicken on a stick and salmon on a stick, African wine. From 7-10pm there were small desserts, again from Boma, as well as apertifs like Baileys, Grand Marnier and Cognac.

IPO booked all of my PS, including CRT breakfast. They also booked my Breathless Illuminations Cruise and Sunrise Safari for me.

...laughed with the people on Surrey bikes trying to make it over that bridge from the Boardwalk to the Yachtsman! Lots of dads having to get out and push convinced us to pass on the surrey bikes...

Information I could have used last week. LOL.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Thanks for the report. We will be at AKL Concierge's in December. Would you recommend the 5 or 6th floor? Also, can I request Arusha Trail now?

 

[erikthewise]

What days of the week is the Sunrise Safari currently offered?

 

[Yak]

Thanks for the report. We will be at AKL Concierge's in December. Would you recommend the 5 or 6th floor? Also, can I request Arusha Trail now?

5th floor will get you Arusha Savannah view. 6th floor will get you Sunset Savannah view or Pool view (which are the smoking rooms, I think). Arusha is a better view IMO than Sunset, but potentially a long walk to elevator and lounge. Being on the 6th floor is very convenient to the lounge, but gets you the lesser view. That's you're trade-off. You can request anything, but they generally make no promises.

What days of the week is the Sunrise Safari currently offered?

Thursdays and Sundays.

 

[DVC@BWV]

Thanks for answering my questions! I'm thinking of doing AKL concierge for either the first or last part of our trip next year...our DS6 likes Animal Kingdom so I'm sure he'd like AKL. Did you have a good view of the animals from your room?

 

[Yak]

I think the knock on concierge rooms at AKL is that they're on the higher floors, effectively putting you "further away" from the animals and looking down on them. It didn't bother me a lick, though. We had a great view. If I felt like getting a closer look, I could grab a rocking chair at one of the viewing areas and enjoy the animals there.