AKL complaints (long)

[disnaholic]

Great post! Everyone is different and that is why there are so many places to choose from. We are leaving in 2 days for AKL. The thing that attracted me to AKL is the uniqueness of the resort, and we do want a quiet and relaxing place to go to after our 2 park days.
Everyone is different, don't blame Disney for giving us a variety of resorts to choose from. I have seen bad reviews about All Stars, but we really enjoyed ourselves there. It was a Disney Resort we could afford, therefore it suit our needs at the time. Every resort is unique and different, why not make the best of things? After all it is Disney magic!!!!

 

[sm4987]

Great post. I think that choice is one of the things that makes Disney "Disney." I love being able to choose where I want to stay this time and planning out that for the next time. It makes each experience a different one and exciting one.

 

[epcotfan]

Golf claps for currycook

 

[Bill3]

Regardless of any situation people are going to complain.we have friends that won't stay anywhere but AS due to cost. They always find reasons not to stay at any other WDW resort. To hear tell it the Contempoary is a fleabag hotel. Hey- Different strokes for different folks. Complaining is what some folks do best.

 

[chicago641]

good to hear all sides!

 

[mrsltg]

Just an FYI...

We stayed at AKL and LOVED it, so I am a little biased, BUT... we valet parked almost every day (6 days), and we were only charged for two. I don't think that this is all that unusual, so if you need to valet, you may end up with a pleasant surprise at the end of your trip!

I love the AKL!!!

Erin

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Well said.

 

[WilmaBud]

Frankly, I enjoy reading the complaints as well as the compliments. I wouldn't find this board helpful if all I ever read was one side of the story.

Also, you can research and research about a resort, but you're never going to know exactly how you'll like it until you've actually stayed there.

I agree that you need to try and see the positive and make the best of each vacation. But it's okay to acknowledge your disappointments as well.

 

[BambiTamby]

I loved how you stated that you stayed offsite during the times you couldn't afford deluxe.

Been there, too, and now that we can afford to stay at the deluxes (and add concierge services),
we are very positive about any of our stays at the WDW resorts.
Even though I love the Poly, we did the AKL twice last year, and loved it!

Heck! I'm just thrilled to be able to stay and be there!

JMHO....but....isn't that what the "magic" is really all about?

Again, thanks for a great thread!

 

[skuttle]

Great post!! So true!

I hope less people stay at AKL that way it's less crowded when we go in May!

 

[currycook]

""""Frankly, I enjoy reading the complaints as well as the compliments. I wouldn't find this board helpful if all I ever read was one side of the story.""""

I do too. But sometimes there are valid reasons why something is the way it is and those reasons need to be pointed out. For instance the location of the AKL. Especially for those who are looking for all the facts and not just complaints or praise.

 

[Tinkbell]

Good post! What bugs me most are the transportation complaints. That extra 5-10 minute ride is quickly made up due to the fact that AKL does not share the bus with other resorts and offers a DIRECT ride to the parks. No stopping at 3 other stops and fighting for seats. My to and from time at the AKL was far shorter than my to and from time at the GF (with the exception of MK). Plus, 10 minutes was the MOST we ever waited for a bus. Sometimes the monorail has a longer wait.

I like to hear all experiences to see if my experience is the same.

 

[WilmaBud]

Good point, Curry Cook. It is kind of silly to complain about a feature of the resort (such as location) that you should be well-aware of before you even select the resort.

I'm thinking more of things that are unanticipated. For example, 4 years ago, I stayed at the Polynesian. Most posts I'd read concerning it were totally positive. Well, we hated it. It smelled bad, the staff was rude and innattentive, and the rooms were too dark for our taste (and there's no way to know that before you see the rooms in person). When I posted those opinions, I got some not-so-nice replies from Poly lovers.

So, my point is it's okay, and even helpful (IMHO), to post negative impressions of a resort. I don't think it should be discouraged. I meant no disrespect to you Curry Cook - I hope you know that. Your original post had many valid points.

 

[currycook]

For the person that wanted to know some of the negatives of the AKL - here they are but with reasons why they are. Such as location and transportation.

 

[DWDreams]

Thanks to whoever bumped this up since I missed it the first time, as well as to the author of the post itself.

I leave for AKL for the first time in a little over a week, and have had a few moments of panic reading complaints about the transportation. But I also know that transportation issues can happen anywhere at any of the resorts - heck, we stayed at BC this past August and the transportation wasn't nearly as punctual as prior stays at Epcot resorts but it happens. Anyhow, I figure I'll relish the ambience of the lodge and not sweat the small stuff. Thanks for the reminder of that sentiment, though.

 

[JudithM]

Originally posted by DWDreams
Thanks to whoever bumped this up since I missed it the first time, as well as to the author of the post itself.

I, too, missed this the first time around & have now found it amusing reading . I have had the pleasure of staying at the AKL & eating several meals at Boma's. I am not an animal lover; I have some animal allergies, & I love both the AK park & the lodge.

Sometimes it amazes me how picky some guests can be. There are many more imporatant things in this world today to concerns us all.

 

[Atlantis~crystal]

I say Bravo too!

 

[Planogirl]

Excellent post currycook.

I often wonder about some of the criticism too but I remind myself that every resort gets criticism so it's probably best just to dig the useful information out of the negative posts. I personally like darker, quieter, more isolated resorts because they seem restful after the noise and to-do of the parks but I realize that this atmosphere isn't for everyone. AKL fits me to a tee as does the WL, Polynesian and PORS but of course not everyone appreciates the same thing as me.

And it does seem to be about time for the "Poly smells bad" posts lol.

 

[TreeOfLife]

WOW love that response, currycook. Right to the bottomline and point.

If you can't handle being "in the middle of nowhere" with wild animals, miss your mac and cheese and can't walk 50 feet without complaining, what the heck are you doing at AKL then?

I hope that their frivolous complaints don't change anything else about AKL and AK park, turning them into the same ol' same ol' some can't live without. Open up and accept something different!

"Herein lies the tragedy of the age; not that men are poor - all men know something of poverty; not that men are wicked - who is good? Not that men are ignorant - what is truth? Nay, but that men know so little of men."
W.E.B. Du Bois, 1903

 

[mep319]

I just have to add that I recently read somewhere (I read too many of these boards to remember which), that they actually recorded times to and from Parks to resorts and overall AKL had the best times. Which is kind of interesting. Maybe it just feels like more time on a bus. I'll let you know when I return. I know when I input my point of view, positive or negative, it is just to help someone make an informed decision. I think most of us do, it is rarely pure complaining. I thank everyone w/ their input regardless of it's nature (well except for those who are actually mean to other posters, it is just their opinion, you can express yours without the attack). I obviously am never too disppointed in Disney, I mean I keep going back....that should speak volumes. And hey, we keep talking about it! I have to go pack!!