AKL is it worth it?

[Miniminnie15]

Hi!
On my last visit to WDW we stayed at the GF but visited AKL and ate at jiko. We loved the food and we thought the lodge was so pretty and loved the theme. I am thinking about staying there for my next trip because I was so impressed by it. If we choose to stay here we would get the room with the bunk bed and savannah view. My only concerns are that I really want to feel like Im "in the middle of disney" so I am concerned that AKL is tot far away from the parks. I also am concerned about long bus rides to and from the park. Could you please share your experiences with the lodge?

 

[BLTLDZ]

It is ABSOLUTELY worth it!!

DH& I were very hesitant to stay here because we felt that we would be "too far". Not really the case at all.

We also rented a car, but still, it's pretty close to Epcot & the studios...and not all that far drom DTD. And from what I heard, the bus service isn't all that bad, as long as you leave yourself enough time to get from place to place.

The lodge itself, was PHENOMENAL. We stayed in a studio/villa (DVC), Savannah view. We loved every minute we spent at the hotel...in fact, we ended up staying in two nights just so we could walk around and take it all in. The lodge, in my opinion, is a vacation by itself!!! WE loved it, and we plan to stay again in December...so beautiful.

 

[rentayenta]

It's absolutely worth it. It's one of those resorts I could vacation at and never visit the parks. It's fabulous. There is so much to do: Jiko, Boma, Saana, the animals, night goggles, folk tales around the fire, the pools.......I'm so excited for this October!

 

[Karabee]

Absolutely!! I think its so beautiful there, our stay was great a few years ago. In fact, we went to JIKO last time we were down there and wished we had picked it over WL. It's def the next place we will stay again.
Oh, and don't let people tell you the transportation takes forever. The park that is the farthest is MK and it will take about 20 minutes - but it was never an issue for us.

 

[mickeynut1]

I agree that it's worth it . The resort is beautiful and we love Boma and thought Mara was great for quick CS meals. We've stayed in a pool view and savannah view and they were both awesome. We didn't mind the buses as they only service AKL and Kidani, so there's no sharing with any other resort. AKL is a little out and away from everything, but it still has that Disney feel .

 

[matt&jakesmom]

Definately a plus over here. It's one of our favorite resorts. We never feel we are away from the "middle of disney". The bus rides are not long. The most 20 minutes and that is to MK. If you haven't taken the time before to view the animals, do so. We always found the mornings to be the best for the animals to be out and roaming. Also there is night viewing behind the pool in the evenings. The CM's give you night vision goggles to look at the animals. Another thing to do is just walk around the inside of the resorts and all the pictures and artifacts of Africa. There is so much to see. Enjoy your visit!

 

[DisneyWorldPlanner]

Yes Yes Yes! This is our favorite place to stay! So Fun! I feel like I can just enjoy the resort versus the parks! Can't say enough wonderful things about it!

 

[elaw]

AKL is it worth it?

Yes ... To me it is

 

[ppony]

Worth is incredibly subjective, however, this is one resort I would recommend to anyone and everyone no matter their tastes. It was the first resort we actually felt "at home" at in all our stays and resulted in our buying into DVC.

It's no further from parks as most any other resort is. If you are staing at a MK area resort, you'll still have a ways to go to AK and DHS and Epcot. It's really relative and only LOOKS far on a map. It's not. The time is negligable and only a few minutes more or elss than anyone else. Heck, be happy you're on site! How could any place onsite be "too far"?! Do people that think it's "too far" think it'll take them 20 minutes longer to get anywhere as it would anywhere is on property? No. you're talking about the same amount of time to EPCOT and DHS as a MK area resort (if driving), less in the case of AK and a few minutes more for MK.

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

AKV is our home resort (DVC). We stayed in a 2-bedroom savannah view in Kidani in March 2010. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!!! Kids loved it too. When we first arrived, we were thinking we'd be able to get some park time in the evening of our arrival day, but then reconsidered after we got there due to time. Kids didn't care, just wanted to explore the resort instead anyway. I can't comment on the transportation, though, because we drive to WDW and we drove everywhere while we were there. We had super close parking to our villa, and it was super easy driving everywhere. We started to use the bus one time but then quickly changed our minds. We just prefer to drive ourselves.

 

[ppony]

We started to use the bus one time but then quickly changed our minds. We just prefer to drive ourselves.

I'm SOOOO with you on that. We usually rent a car but have tried the buses a few times (actually not while at AKL). We're just not "bus people".

 

[DizDaD7]

I don't know much about AKL, but my sis sure does. Go check out here threads on this resort...KIMMAR067.....AKL nut Me I'm a csr admirer, and soon to be BWV Lover...Have fun..

 

[momto2honeypots]

AKL is on my " I will get to one of these days" lists.

I heard it doesn't share their buses with other resorts so you would have , I would think, less bus hassle than you would somewhere else.

 

[MissionMouse]

I would say the AKL is a very nice resort with solid TS offerings and room views. I often recommend this resort if you want to get away and feel like having a vacation inside a vacation. It makes you feel like you are somewhere else other than Disney. It is the only resort where you are not able to walk of take a boat to a park. There is no water recreation other than the pool and you are not able to view fireworks from the resort area which is common at the other deluxe. We used our rental car to travel to MK, while AKL has a dedicated bus service there is wait factor and volume of use as it is the only way in and out of the resort using Disney transportation. Other deluxes offer multiple transportation methods to get around WDW.

If you want to get the "in the middle of Disney feel," I would recommend the MK or Epcot resort area with the MK resort being in the #1 position.

 

[bonjourmickey]

Glad to hear all the great reviews! We are staying at AKL Jambo in December. My husband lived in South Africa for 2 years so figured it would be perfect for him. What do you all recommend to get the most out of the resort?