AKL LITE unofficial FAQ thread#10 - I believe that's known as a 'Jambo Dozen'

[psac]

Wow, this is a MAJOR bummer. I have a club room booked for 2 nights, thinking we would have an amazing view.
I am wondering if I should cancel it, now?

Our club level room last year had a fantastic view. It's guaranteed Arusha view, usually in a good location. It's correct that some locations far from the lobby could (or might not) have better views, but we were VERY happy with ours.

 

[psac]

Here were some of our Jambo CL (non DVC) views. We were in Zebra trail right before the first outer elevators. Great location for the elevator right down to the pool and Mara.

Right



Center


Left

 

[Yonich2501]

Here were some of our Jambo CL (non DVC) views. We were in Zebra trail right before the first outer elevators. Great location for the elevator right down to the pool and Mara.

Right

https://www.flickr.com/photos/psac42/12294896056/

Center
https://www.flickr.com/photos/psac42/12294889496/

Left

https://www.flickr.com/photos/psac42/12294314755/

Seriously?! This was the view?! WOW! That looks wonderful!!!!

Thank you for sharing!!! This solidified my decision to keep my reservation. Thank you!!!!

 

[PNO4TE]

...I' going to have to start a new thread soon...at least before we're off to AKL next month...

Please, oh please... consider a different name. One that people can easily find as the FAQ for AKL.

thank you for your consideration...

 

[PNO4TE]

I'm getting a bit confused now too. So if you stay in a club room, you don't automatically get a good view?

....for the most part that is true...

correct. the CL perks are in the access to the lounge( which BTW is on a different floor than the CL rooms) and the special safari, not in a guaranteed awesome view. but since there are plenty of places to hang out and get that view elsewhere, I don't need to be serenaded by giraffes at sunset on my balcony.

I'd rather hang out with the CMs and hear their stories anyway.

Wow, this is a MAJOR bummer. I have a club room booked for 2 nights, thinking we would have an amazing view.
I am wondering if I should cancel it, now?

You are guaranteed an Arusha Savanna view. We have NEVER had a bad view from a CL room. I agree that some are better than others, but never had a bad one. I would not cancel.

 

[gwynne]

You are guaranteed an Arusha Savanna view. We have NEVER had a bad view from a CL room. I agree that some are better than others, but never had a bad one. I would not cancel.

ITA. In three AKL CL stays, we've had really nice views every time. It's wonderful to have a guaranteed Arusha Savanna view.

(The view situation may be different for the DVC (timeshare) CL rooms, I'm not sure we aren't DVC.)

 

[Splashboat]

The people who say the CL views are poor probably stayed on vacation club points. Those rooms are on the 6th floor and have partially blocked views from the roof.

 

[kimmar067]

Please, oh please... consider a different name. One that people can easily find as the FAQ for AKL.

thank you for your consideration...

....you say that like this place is a democracy.....

 

[Yonich2501]

Thank you!!! I'm going to keep it!

 

[momtwoboys]

moved our reservations from AKV hope all that have trips planned there have a fabulous time!

 

[FireflyTrance]

My husband, two year old daughter, and I are taking a short WDW trip in February before we go on a cruise. I’ve always wanted to stay at AKL, but have gotten the advice that it might not be the best for toddler since it’s far from some of the parks. I see their point, but I still really want to stay there and feel like I would be disappointed staying elsewhere. All of us really like animals. We will probably be there 3-4 nights, and we plan to spend a day at each park, or possibly skip HS and have a resort day.

I had a few questions if anyone has any insight:
1. Do you think it is possible to fit a crib in the alcove where the sinks are, outside of the bathroom? I was hoping DD2 could take a nap there since it would be darker and quieter.

2. Approximately how long does the bus take to get to MK, EP or HS?

3. I’ve budgeted we could afford 4 nights with a Savanna view, or 3 nights with the Arusha view. Is the Arusha view significantly better than the regular Savanna view? Our toddler sleeps more than we do, so I was hoping to hang out on the balcony and see some animals.

4. In terms of the restaurants at the resort, which do you think would be best for a toddler? She isn’t that picky, but we do better in restaurants that are noisy since she can be noisy

Thanks for any insight!

 

[cleophus12]

Firefly, I think you could put a crib or a pack and play in that alcove. It really won't be much darker or quieter, but it will be out of the way. Transportation to MK is about 20 minutes as I recall and DHS and EP are about 15. I will say the Arusha view is superior to other savanna views. However, if it means staying an extra night, I'd do the four nights. You can still see animals from your balcony, but they may not be zebras and giraffes. As for restaurants, I'd choose Boma. It is quite noisy because it is a buffet and it is a rather open environment. You will love AKL. Have a great trip.

 

[lilluv117]

My husband, two year old daughter, and I are taking a short WDW trip in February before we go on a cruise. I’ve always wanted to stay at AKL, but have gotten the advice that it might not be the best for toddler since it’s far from some of the parks. I see their point, but I still really want to stay there and feel like I would be disappointed staying elsewhere. All of us really like animals. We will probably be there 3-4 nights, and we plan to spend a day at each park, or possibly skip HS and have a resort day. I had a few questions if anyone has any insight: 1. Do you think it is possible to fit a crib in the alcove where the sinks are, outside of the bathroom? I was hoping DD2 could take a nap there since it would be darker and quieter. 2. Approximately how long does the bus take to get to MK, EP or HS? 3. I’ve budgeted we could afford 4 nights with a Savanna view, or 3 nights with the Arusha view. Is the Arusha view significantly better than the regular Savanna view? Our toddler sleeps more than we do, so I was hoping to hang out on the balcony and see some animals. 4. In terms of the restaurants at the resort, which do you think would be best for a toddler? She isn’t that picky, but we do better in restaurants that are noisy since she can be noisy Thanks for any insight!

I would also recommend Boma. Great and loud for us with kids. It is a Buffet though if that would be a problem. You'd have to take turns going up to get your food. It's never been an issue for us and the food is great there!

I've stayed regular savannah view and requested the sunset savannah, kudu trail and had zebras and giraffes outside our room often. I believe you can select which trail and savannah during online check-in. Have a good trip!

 

[FireflyTrance]

Thanks for the tips about Boma, a buffet would probably work best for us, so I’m glad to hear it is kid friendly. I seem to remember AK closing early, so I’m thinking going to Boma might work best on the day we go to AK. The price difference between Savanna and Arusha isn’t that much, but I still set a resort budget that I was hoping to stick to. On the other hand I do want to see a variety of animals.

DD2 will probably still be in diapers, is there any water area she can use? If not, the playground looks fun at least. Since we are going in February I am not sure it if it will be warm enough to do anything water related either way.

 

[lilluv117]

Oops, double post!

 

[sndral]

I agree, Boma is lively and kid friendly.
Sunset is the biggest Savanna and has Giraffes, zebras and other animals. Arusha and Uzima are the same size, thus support the same number of animals. When I had an Uzima view we saw Giraffes and a pair of zebras - but I don't think the zebras are there anymore - they do move the animals around.

 

[tiggrbaby]

OK, this was back in '09, CL room, first one as you enter Zebra trail (asked for close to CL elevators for my dad who is mobility challenged).

View from balcony to left:

View just to right of Arusha:

Looking right:

Dad on the balcony:

My mom can be fussy, but was delighted with the view. Just remember that the animals have a period of time to be in the barn, so it will be empty then. But then you can people watch on Arusha Rock!

 

[Yonich2501]

Your photos are amazing!

 

[CJK]

Online check-in question. My friends have 2 rooms booked for their trip. One of the rooms is a savannah view and the other is a poolview. What requests can/should they make? I'm not sure what the options are.

 

[PNO4TE]

....you say that like this place is a democracy.....