AKL CL? Worth the extra $$?

[stobaugh6]

I'm planning a trip Mother's Day weekend to WDW to see my daughter who will be in the DCP. My mother will be joining me. My mom doesn't care much about going to the parks, she just wants to see my daughter and have some great meals. Lol! We are thinking about staying at the AKL in a savanna view room. I'm wondering if we should splurge and stay CL? We will be there 3 or 4 nights, with one day at a park. The rest of the time we will be hanging out at the resort or exploring other resorts. Is CL at AKL worth the extra money? Thanks!

Heather

 

[gwynne]

I'm planning a trip Mother's Day weekend to WDW to see my daughter who will be in the DCP. My mother will be joining me. My mom doesn't care much about going to the parks, she just wants to see me daughter and have some great meals. Lol! We are thinking about staying at the AKL in a savanna view room. I'm wondering if we should splurge and stay CL? We will be there 3 or 4 nights, with one day at a park. The rest of the time we will be hanging out at the resort or exploring other resorts. Is CL at AKL worth the extra money? Thanks!

Heather

I think CL at AKL is worth it, especially if you're going to be spending some extra time at the resort. The standard CL rooms are all savanna view, so you get that as well as lounge access.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

The only way it is worth it is if you will be hanging out at the resort otherwise you will have to structure your day around being back at the resort to take advantage of the offerings. To me it was not worth it to race back to the resort for each of the offerings they had. For the extra money I can buy us breakfast somewhere and snacks along with a bottle of wine and stay in a cheaper room and not spend as much as I would at AKL

 

[cb37015]

I'll be following this! We have CL AKL end of November!

 

[rwdavis2]

We did it in 2012 just so we could do the Sunrise Safari. Otherwise I would never pay for it. We used it for a light breakfast and rarely for anything else. The room was too far from the lounge by distance and floor to make it worth the trouble of going there very often. As was mentioned, you could stock your room with some nice food and drinks for less money.

I highly recommend Savannah view though. You can't see it (or very little of it) from the club lounge.

 

[ludari]

I absolutely love staying at AKV. I enjoy the views with the animals, restaurants, free presentations or just hanging out in the lobby. Probably the only downside staying at this resort is the distance between the parks.

 

[gwynne]

I'll be following this! We have CL AKL end of November!

We really enjoy AKL CL, love the lounge! Hope you have a wonderful stay!

 

[cutigerlady]

We did a resort only stay at AKL CL and we definitely thought it was worth it. The price between a Savannah view room and club level was not that much. Just be prepared that your room may not be on the same level as the lounge, so you may have a walk to get there. We didn't mind the walk because we got to look at animals along the way! We thought they had a variety of offerings, however after a few days the breakfast options got a little old.

 

[buzznina]

Based on you being at the resort most of the time, then yes. The only time I ever think that CL is worth it, is if a family spends a LOT of time hanging out at the resort and drinks beer or wine. For us the evening food was only out in the early evening when we were still at the park and like cutigerlady mentioned, after 2 days our family wanted a real breakfast.

 

[Nancyg56]

We thought that the CL was worth it during our AKL stay. If you plan on having resort time, and it seems your Mom will be doing just that, I would consider it. I found the CL lounge in AKL the best, especially for relaxing. It is warm and cozy, and allows for a nice place to read and to enjoy a cup of coffee or glass of wine.

 

[DJFan88]

Don't worry about the walk, it's not that far. Kudu 2nd pod offers exceptional views, without the Arusha rock getting in the way. Enjoy the beauty of the resort. CL there is very good. There is also a CL access stairway on the backside.
Don't forget when you need a bigger meal and grab QS at the mara, you can send someone up to grab a couple drinks to bring down too.
Half of the fun of the resort is walking around it!
Especially if you like a couple of drinks, it's great. Although they put out wine and cordials at certain times, you can always ask a CL CM for sangria, beer, angry orchard.
Many offerings are repeated, with slight variations. Your staying the perfect amount of time to not get sick of it.

 

[TJA]

We are thinking about staying at the AKL in a savanna view room. I'm wondering if we should splurge and stay CL? We will be there 3 or 4 nights, with one day at a park. The rest of the time we will be hanging out at the resort or exploring other resorts.

For your exact kind of trip, I think AKL CL would be perfect. Any time a family plans to spend a substantial amount of time at the resort, CL normally is a good fit. Enjoy!

 

[Rhody Red]

Especially if you like a couple of drinks, it's great. Although they put out wine and cordials at certain times, you can always ask a CL CM for sangria, beer, angry orchard.

We're staying CL next September and I haven't seen this addressed. I love Wine, but Sangrias are definitely my top thing. My question is, if a CL CM makes you a Sangria, can they accept a Tip at all?

 

[Nancyg56]

We're staying CL next September and I haven't seen this addressed. I love Wine, but Sangrias are definitely my top thing. My question is, if a CL CM makes you a Sangria, can they accept a Tip at all?

No. Please do not offer, it is an uncomfortable position for them. They are required to refuse three times, and then must turn it over to the manager, who places it in a kitty, I am told. I guess it is used as a group thing. Anyway, it can be awkward for them.

 

[Rhody Red]

No. Please do not offer, it is an uncomfortable position for them. They are required to refuse three times, and then must turn it over to the manager, who places it in a kitty, I am told. I guess it is used as a group thing. Anyway, it can be awkward for them.

Awesome. I'd heard that about CL, but wasn't sure if that applied to those kinds of things. Good to know. Thank you!

 

[Sue M]

We loved AKL CL. Especially if you're spending a lot of time at the resort. The lounge area is really nice, and we liked having a place to hang out other than our room.
We always take a mid day break from the parks and aren't park commandos, so it worked out well for us.
I didn't think it was difficult taking the elevator up to the lounge. At GF the CL usually isn't on the same floor your room is either. It wasn't an issue for us.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

I would say no. I didn't "pay" in the traditional sense. We used our DVC points. It was cool, but based on the out of pocket cost, not worth it.

 

[Nancyg56]

PLease be sure to let them know what your plans are. The IPO staff is wonderful in regards to assisting you with ADR's etc.

 

[trishadono]

Don't worry about the walk, it's not that far. Kudu 2nd pod offers exceptional views, without the Arusha rock getting in the way. Enjoy the beauty of the resort. CL there is very good. There is also a CL access stairway on the backside.
Don't forget when you need a bigger meal and grab QS at the mara, you can send someone up to grab a couple drinks to bring down too.
Half of the fun of the resort is walking around it!
Especially if you like a couple of drinks, it's great. Although they put out wine and cordials at certain times, you can always ask a CL CM for sangria, beer, angry orchard.
Many offerings are repeated, with slight variations. Your staying the perfect amount of time to not get sick of it.

Really angry orchard??? Dd21 loves that.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

YES! Always worth it and even if you were doing all park days The level of service is what makes it worth it and the help they can offer is what we love about it, even if we only make it into the lounge once a day, we're not really there for that. Since you are spending more resort time than anything, then it is definitely worth it.