AKL is Awesome!!!! A must do resort IMHO!

[disnaholic]

We stayed at AKL from 12-19 thru 12-23 and it is a great resort! The theming is great and Disney themes down to every last detail. It just took my breath away when I walked into the lobby the first time.

I have read complaints on the boards that people did not like AKL because it was further away from things than the other resorts and not in the middle of all the action. It is only a few minutes farther out (except it is very close to AK.) I think its great that AKL is in a quiet area, it adds to the atmosphere and it was really nice to have a quiet, relaxing resort to return to after a day in the parks. We liked the resort so much that on 2 nights, we left the parks early so we could come back to enjoy AKL. The resort and the rooms are a little dark. Once again, I think it adds to the atmosphere of the resort. Plus it is easy to adjust quickly. The bus service was great. We never waited more than 15 min. for a bus to and from anywhere.

We stayed in Arusha Savannah view room #2523 on Zebra Trail with bunkbeds. The room was great. This is the first hotel or resort room I have ever been in that was so comfortable. We saw animals everyday. Zebra, Giraffe, Ankole cattle and others. Our first night, there was a group of about 5 Zebra sleeping not far from our balcony.

At the viewing area at Arusha Rock, we met a really nice CM from South Africa. She explained to us that she was working for Disney for 1 year on an exchange program Disney offers.
This is one of Disney's many ways of keeping things authentic and having people from the actual countries Disney is representing working at AKL or other areas of Disney such as Epcot World Showcase. In the lobby later that evening, this CM also did a presentation on the people, foods and animals of South Africa. It was very interesting and informative with some audience interaction.

This was by far our best Disney experience and I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how to
I will also do a post on the wonderful AKL restaurants later this evening or tomorrow.

 

[sm4987]

Thanks for the wonderful trip report. I am debating if I should stay there this summer. I am reading everything that I can to make a decision. Welcome back and Happy New Year

 

[disnaholic]

I highly recommend giving AKL a try. You could always split your trip between 2 different resorts if you are not sure about doing AKL for the entire trip. No matter what you choose, I hope you have a great trip!
Happy New Year!!!!

 

[hallie]

We loved it too!!!

 

[Gail T AGAIN]

We loved everything about AKL except the dim lighting in the rooms. Will I stay there again, YEP, staying there next June concierge, it is a beautiful resort

 

[adisneynut]

Glad you enjoyed your stay there. We checked in on the 23rd. Weird!

We really did have a reat t ime there. Never met a rudr CM everyone was just a pleasant as possible. We had stayed 2 nights at the Grand before AKL and there is just no comparing the two.

I think we have found our new favorite resort.

 

[kerrynic78]

We have definitely found our favorite resort!! We split our last trip between AKL and WL and although WL was very nice, we were very sad that we didn't book AKL for the whole trip. It is so amazing and beautiful, an A+ in my opinion! Glad you had a great time!

 

[JohnTBap]

Glad you enjoyed it! It sounds great!

 

[Jinnyboom]

Isn't the AKL....the absolute BEST place

I am so absolutely in love with this resort!!!!!

Glad you all had a great time.....AND...if ANYONE has any DOUBTS about this resort....(as I did).....FORGET ABOUT IT......

This is our new DISNEY HOME

 

[lpursell]

Everyone says the lighting isn't very good. What about the bathroom for putting on make-up? Are the bathroom lights good? What about reading in bed, enough light? I'm getting concerned because it seems to be a common complaint.

 

[minnie my my]

I'm glad you had a great stay at AKL. I have visited the resort and eaten there a couple of times. I love it too. I would like to go for a weekend sometime and just stay at the resort.

 

[bridgettesmom]

lpursell- to be honest I had no problem applying make up in the morning or at night. Lights are dim, I didn't actually read in bed,but, as you will see they are not that bad.I honestly loved the lighting ,it's just part of the ambiance.

 

[padisneylover]

Ipursell,
I didn't put makeup on but did read every night and had no problem. I did read in bed though by the light. You will love the resort and the lighting is not as bad as everybody makes it sound. We went in April and had the same fears and found that everything was perfect and as you can see we are going back

 

[disnaholic]

lpursell

I did not mean to make the lighting sound that bad. It is somewhat dim but it really adds to the atmosphere of the resort. The lights over the vanity were very bright. There are lights right by the bed that I used for reading and they were fine.