AKL Concierge Question

[cjsmom5]

We've stayed at the AKL below in a Savannah Room but this trip are making the jump to concierge. I have a couple questions that I thought this great group might be able to answer.

1) What are the savannah view rooms like from the 5th and 6th floor? Do the trees obstruct the view since they have grown up over the years? We've always been on the third floor and the view has been great!

2) What is your favorite concierge savannah view room?

3) What is the difference in between the standard and deluxe savannah view room? Is the size difference noticeable?

4) What is your opinion of the food offerings in the concierge lounge?

Thanks for all your help. We are really excited for our trip this year.

 

[DJmommy]

Bump!

 

[dwbelle]

We are staying at the AKL Concierge in November for the first time as well and would love to know too!

 

[Minybear]

I havent been on this board for a long, long time. So I will give this question a shot.

We have been to AKL concierge 2 times and we love it there. Unknown when we will go back since we are DVC members. I will give your questions a shot.

1) What are the savannah view rooms like from the 5th and 6th floor? Do the trees obstruct the view since they have grown up over the years? We've always been on the third floor and the view has been great!

[I]We have only been on the 5th floor and in my opinion yes the 5th floor savannah rooms are obstructed from the trees, but you will have a good view of all the animals on the savannah. If you do get the 6th floor in my opinion it will be more obstructed then the 5th floor from the trees.[/I]

2) What is your favorite concierge savannah view room?

Zebra trail. Our first location of our room. On our last visit to AKL I dont know which savannah we were on but we really didnt care much for it, but we we saw fewer animals.

3) What is the difference in between the standard and deluxe savannah view room? Is the size difference noticeable?

We personally havent been in any other rooms at the AKL we have only done concierge. So I really cannot personally compare the 2 rooms. I know for sure that the deluxe room is much bigger then the standard room.

4) What is your opinion of the food offerings in the concierge lounge?

My memory is foggy here. I know we loved their juices. They have a special one from Africa that we dearly love but I dont know the name of it. In my opinion their food offerings have gone down since we first stayed there. It used to be lots of food offerings around dinner time. You almost could have dinner there, but not anymore. Now (if my memory services me right) just some snack offerings. Maybe someone else can help you with this. Sorry.


I hope if when you stay at AKL concierge that you have planned on doing the AKL concierge morning safari (sorry I forgot the name). Its approx $50 per person and worth every minute of it. We have done it twice and love it.

Minybear

 

[cjsmom5]

Thanks Minybear -- appreciate you responding. You did a nice job. Perhaps there are others out there that can fill in the gaps. Appreciate your help.

 

[ducklite]

I havent been on this board for a long, long time. So I will give this question a shot.

We have been to AKL concierge 2 times and we love it there. Unknown when we will go back since we are DVC members. I will give your questions a shot.

1) What are the savannah view rooms like from the 5th and 6th floor? Do the trees obstruct the view since they have grown up over the years? We've always been on the third floor and the view has been great!

[I]We have only been on the 5th floor and in my opinion yes the 5th floor savannah rooms are obstructed from the trees, but you will have a good view of all the animals on the savannah. If you do get the 6th floor in my opinion it will be more obstructed then the 5th floor from the trees.[/I]

We've been on the fifth and third floors, and haven't found the views much different between them.

2) What is your favorite concierge savannah view room?

Zebra trail. Our first location of our room. On our last visit to AKL I dont know which savannah we were on but we really didnt care much for it, but we we saw fewer animals.

Agreed, Zebra trail

3) What is the difference in between the standard and deluxe savannah view room? Is the size difference noticeable?

We personally havent been in any other rooms at the AKL we have only done concierge. So I really cannot personally compare the 2 rooms. I know for sure that the deluxe room is much bigger then the standard room.

Actually, the first time we stayed at AKL it was just DH and myself, and long story but we were CL guests but assigned to a standard savannah view room. There isn't much of a difference, it's 40 square feet. 40 square feet is a bit more than 2 feet deeper in the room, that's it.

4) What is your opinion of the food offerings in the concierge lounge?

My memory is foggy here. I know we loved their juices. They have a special one from Africa that we dearly love but I dont know the name of it. In my opinion their food offerings have gone down since we first stayed there. It used to be lots of food offerings around dinner time. You almost could have dinner there, but not anymore. Now (if my memory services me right) just some snack offerings. Maybe someone else can help you with this. Sorry.


The offerings are wonderful, but not a meal replacement, except breakfast. They have at least one hot appetizers plus cheese and crackers and more at dinner time. The juice is Frunch if I"m not mistaken, and is wonderful!

I hope if when you stay at AKL concierge that you have planned on doing the AKL concierge morning safari (sorry I forgot the name). Its approx $50 per person and worth every minute of it. We have done it twice and love it.

Minybear

We've also done the SS twice, and we loved it as well, except the first time it was pretty much ruined by out of control kids. If you have children, keep in mind that it's not suitable for many toddlers, as it entails about an hour of sitting quietly first thing in the morning.

Anne

 

[Mamu]

Love AKL Concierge. We stayed on the 5 floor in the Zebra wing maybe 5 rooms down. It was a good size room w/bunk beds. We overlooked Arusha Rock, no obstructions. There were always animals out on the plain.

The concierge service was great, they made my PS's every morning never a problem. We ate breakfast here every morning. Fresh fruit, cereal, rolls, danish, donuts, yogurt, yummy juice, tea, hot chocolate, and Cappuccino. I can't remember everything that was offered, but there was always plenty. On the weekends the lounge did get a little crowded. There were tables and chairs, sofa's and a TV to watch (just like home) Newspapers were always available.

The afternoon selections were mixed nuts, goldfish, pretzels, gummies. We would stop by fill up a cup get our drinks and go down to the pool. All kinds of drinks were offered, soda, milk, juice, water (not bottled) teas, coffee's. There were cups with lids if you wanted to take your coffee or tea with you. Or you could use the refillable mugs that you purchased.

The evening selection were also plentiful. It changed nightly, always children's food though. There were different wines offered with the dinner selections.

At 8 0'clock the desserts were offered several different kinds plus cookies. Also different liquor's were also offered. Dessert and a spiked cappuccino (yummy)

The lodge has a great lounge also. 2 restaurants and a fast food restaurant (with good food)

Lots of outdoor sitting area's lot's were private. 2 hot tubs and a great pool and pool lounge.

There were 2 fireplaces one outdoors in the Arusha rock area, with nightly stories and one indoors near the lounge.

Lots of crafts available for children.

Everyone was so helpful. Love the lodge, and this trip we stayed at the lodge most of the time, only visited the parks a few times.

I'm a park person though, and did not get that Disney feeling while here. My 2 favorite areas are the monorail resorts and the boardwalk resorts. I find both places magicial.

Believe me I have no complaints, our vacation at AKL was wonderful. We even got towel animals. I just felt isolated, like it was just a vacation not Disney. We were never isolated though. There is plenty of transportation to the parks and we also had a car.

 

[dwbelle]

Thanks to everyone for all the great info. We have the SS booked for our trip and the CM on the phone said it would be the highlight of our trip and from the feedback on these boards it seems as if she may just be right! Thanks to everyone again.

 

[cjsmom5]

Thanks everyone for the info ... we are still debating as to whether to request to be in the standard room on the 3rd floor or in the concierge savannah view room... my DS would be so disappointed if there were trees to block the view. But, we will see.

Any other opinions are very much appreciated.

 

[Timon71]

Good evening everyone,
Thanks for all the wonderful information. This is my DD 1st trip, she will be 21 months old at the time. We had reservations for GF concierge and canceled due to great rate we received for AKL concierge. Hope to see some of you if you are going to be there between Dec. 2nd & the 11th.

Have a magical day,
Jay, Monica, & Alexis
Sunset Pointe Wedding
10-29-02

 

[cjsmom5]

Timon71

We will be at the AKL Concierge from Nov 27 until Dec 3rd -- towncar picks us up at 11am to head for the airport. Perhaps we will run into each other. That would be way cool!

 

[DJmommy]

Timon 71,

We will be staying AKL concierge Dec. 3 - Dec. 7. There are 4 of us, DH, myself, my son 6 and daughter 2 1/2. We will look for you around.

Jacqueline

 

[fauberfive]

Timon 71 and DJ Mommy

My DH and I will be at the AKL Concierge lodge from December 3rd to the 10th.

We are solo (no kids) ours our grown.

If I do not forget, look for a green DIS welcome sign on our door.

I am thinking about cutting out WV in green and writing Happy DIScember from WV. TOO GOOFY?

Have you guys been using the AKL Concierge planning staff? If so, how is that working out. I have not asked for a specific Savannah view. When we made our reservations we were asked if we wanted a pool or savannah view. I will e-mail AKL and ask about a room close to the elevator (I have limited walking somedays). Also we are reserved for the Sunrise safari on 10/8, MVMCP on 10/4 and Sedway tour on 10/6. We were planning the Candlelight Procession on 10/7 but they changed the speaker and I am thinking about cancelling.
Hope to see you there!

 

[firsttimemom]

We'll be there 12/2 - 6. Me, DH, MIL and DS (6) and DD (8). It'll be our 3rd stay in the CL and our 4th time to AKL. We love the resort and can't wait to go back.

Liz

 

[Ladyhawke10]

We've done AKL concierge.

Mamu's post was very good for generally outlining the offerings.

We did the sunrise safari and just found it so-so (not trying to be a bummer, just being honest). We spend a lot of time at Wild Animal Park and the San Diego Zoo, so that, in combination with the great animal viewing at AKL, was probably enough of the animal experience needed for us. I thought the ride on Kilimanjaro showed the same basic route (albeit faster, and with the storyline) and while I didn't try the breakfast at Tusker House afterward,my son said it was good. I can only eat so much on vacation, and the AKL restaurants are pretty filling

There were plenty of hors d'oeuvres in the early evening when we visited, more than I remembered seeing at the Beach Club or Wilderness Lodge (though I think the hot appetizers at the WL were the tastiest--awesome soups).

The African Smoothie is wonderful, and I had plenty of it. There was also a cappucino machine that was convenient and tasty.

We had some problems w/ being checked out early and mousekeeping/ turn down schedules, plus we didn't find the staff very friendly in comparison to our other concierge experiences, but that could have been (and probably was) random. Again, don't want to be a bummer, just want to temper the expectations a bit, because we were slightly let down.

Our room, on the other hand, was fantastic. It was not any bigger than our other savannah rooms, but the view from the fifth floor was expansive and wonderful. Lots of great animal viewing, very peaceful looking in the evening. In general, the AKL is a very user-friendly resort and I feel quite comfortable there. It's very relaxing and it's one of our favorites

 

[LvsTnk]

Well, I will offer a different perspective since I have stayed in a Deluxe Savannah view room on the 6th floor on the Sunset Savannah.

This was our 3rd concierge stay this past July, twice on this floor and once on the Zebra Trail on the 3rd floor.

I actually like the Sunset Savannah better I have decided. We checked in late in the evening and DD(16) was the only one of our family who hadn't stayed at AKL yet. I didn't tell her we had a savannah view as we walked in the room so she hustles over to check out the view and yells "there is a giraffe sleeping right under the balcony" DH getting a total kick out of this tells her that is one of the fake ones. That giraffe stayed there all night and in the AM feeding took place right below our room. Actually our first stay was about one room over and the same thing happened. Yes, the trees block the view a bit and the selection of animals is a bit different but when we were on the Zebra trail I didn't feel like the animals were this close up. May have been the luck of the draw on those 2 trips.

As for the deluxe room I feel that these rooms are small already and the extra room helps out a bit.

The SS we have done twice, and the first time there was only one bus and safari vehicle on the second safari there were 2 of each, my suggestion if you can, get on the first safari vehicle. It seemed to me the first one got the better view and the second one was always speeding through to catch up with the first one.

As far as feeling isolated, yes there is that feeling but that is what I love about this resort, it really takes you away from it all. My family is defiantely ready to switch resorts after about 2-3 days, so that's what we did last trip.

IMHO, the staff is right up there with the Epcot resorts IPO. Offerings in the lounge can't be beat, I actually like it better than the Polynesian and it seems a little less crowded and more relaxed for sure.

Have an awesome EXPERIENCE at AKL!

 

[cjsmom5]

LvsTnk

Do you remember your room number on the Sunset Savannah...we were trying to figure out where the 6th floor rooms were as they aren't listed on the map that we have except over the lobby area.

 

[cjsmom5]

fauberfive

We just starting using the concierge staff. If you booked through a travel agent you will need to contact them so they have your contact information. They sent me a welcome letter, an informational piece on what they offer in terms of safari's and a form to complete about ADRs. They seem to be very responsive. I just sent a request tonight so I will see what their response time is but it typically has been a day or two. They said email is the best route as often they are on the phone and you have to leave a message.

 

[LvsTnk]

LvsTnk

Do you remember your room number on the Sunset Savannah...we were trying to figure out where the 6th floor rooms were as they aren't listed on the map that we have except over the lobby area.

Yes, over the lobby area, our room #'s were 6208 which was a deluxe savannah, and 6209, which was a regular savannah room. 6209 was the last room I believe, my DH and I were trying to figure this out, on that hallway. So, basically you don't have rooms on the other side of the hallway it's the railing and over look of the lobby. Now keep in mind if you were to request these rooms they were non-smoking and the roof hangs over the balcony so it gives you a very closed in feeling. But, they are steps from the lounge which is what we were looking for because we have a son with special needs.

By the third trip we had decided we liked this view much better anyway as the giraffes seemed to hang out there......my favorite animal.

Another tip, we really liked the over look behind the pool, it would be right underneath the greater kudu picture on your map. Just another place to get a little closer while they feed the animals and they have the night vision goggles as well.

That map is really confusiong to me.Haha

 

[Lollipop Mom]

We'll be at AKL CL 12/7 - 12/11 as well!