AKL Lovers out there?

[PamNC]

Hi there! DH and I love the Poly and the YC/BC. We really really really like the convenience. The AKL is beautiful - but it seems so far removed to us. However, with the savannah view room with an AP running $151 - I'm wondering if we should try it for a quickie weekend trip. Not that I've planned one, but we're considering it. We will have a car.

My request: convince me that I'll enjoy the AKL and why. Despite the fact that it's in the middle of nowhere.

Thanks -

PamNC

P.S. Does anyone know what the AP discount rate would be for concierge? We'd love to do the Sunrise Safari...

 

[disneyma2]

Hello,
We stayed at AKL sav View in Sept 2003 and we are going back in Dec2004...can't wait!! When you arrive at the AKL you will be amazed...the lobby is gorgeous with all of the handcarved decorations. Staying at AKL is truly and experience, you feel like you are somewhere else. There is the music, a firepit and the smell of spices burning(good smell). Where else can you stay, that at 7am when you are drinking a cup of coffee, sitting on your balcony, 20ft from you is a girafffe eating his breakfast. you'll see so many different animals, yet it is not a ZOO. There are no animals smells, really like you are in Africa out in the savannah.

The reastaurants were good too. Mara was nice for quick bite to eat. Boma had great food for Breakfast and dinner. We never used Victoria falls(bar). The pool was huge and very welcoming...dd loved the zero entry.

Transportation couldn't have been any better. you don't share a bus with any other resort. The ride to mk is 15 minutes. We honestly nevert waited more then 5 min for a bus in Sept.

The cms were very friendly there. We were orgingally booked for the cabins in Dec, but changed back to akl, great rate with email for sav view. The rate for concierge was 335/night instead of 425. I couldn't justify for us a 184 night diffreence, so we are staying with the sav view for 7 nights. I'm going to ask for an upgrade when we check in and see what the cost is.....$50 a night would be great, but I'm dreaming!

One other thing....on the travel channel, they did a special on AKL last week, it's part of there great hotels...you could search to see if they are playinng it again. It will give you a great feel for the resort. Again, we are AKL Lovers.....but it is an experience you'll never forget. DD was almost 3 when we went last Sept, and all she does is talk about it!!!!!!
Good Luck

 

[PamNC]

Thanks Disneyma2 - great info and I love your enthusiasm about the resort. We've visited before - we ate at Jikos once. It is beautiful and we love animals so I think this could be fun for us for a short trip. I like the storytelling idea too.

Anyone else?

PamNC

 

[litlpixie]

We were at AKL over Easter Week and we loved it!!! Your'e really not in the middle of nowhere, honestly. The charm and comfort of the resort made us so sorry to leave it when we had to . We stayed concierge, but did not do the safari. Hopefully next time. Jiko........fabulous. The pool...huge. The staff, well we only dealt w/ concierge, and they were great and spolied me for the whole 3 days we were there. It is so far our favorite resort. A big hit with our kids!!!!

 

[ktbugsmom]

Pam NC,
My husband, 4 year old DD and I just got back last night from 4 nights at AKL. We really enjoyed it. My favorite resorts are still Boardwalk and Beach Club, BUT, I am so glad we tried this resort.

It is just very different from the Epcot area and has a wonderful feel to it. The restaurants are top notch and the theming is wonderful. It is just a nice resort to hang out at.

And, I was worried about being way far out too, but the buses were excellent. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus and the direct routes were great. I think it was much faster getting to MK from AKL than from BW or BC.

I'd suggest to give it a try - especially for a short trip. Then you can decide what you think and plan a longer trip for next time!

BTW, we loved our savannah view room.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

We stayed standard view for the first time ever and still fell in love with this awesome resort. I can't even explain it. Just something that comes over you the second you walk in the doors. The smells in the lobby, that wonderful African drum music. I could go on and on forever. This is truly my family's favorite Disney resort now. I want to try somewhere new next trip and I'm having a hard time convincing them. LoL We didn't feel that far from anything and the bus service was fantastic. Doing just a quick weekend trip to try AKL is a super idea. I'm sure you're going to love it though.

 

[#1hockeymom]

Pam,

Another reason you might love AKL is to just relax around the resort and never go anywhere! There are so many activities and things to see around the resort. I always kick myself when we get home for not taking a total AKL day and really enjoying myself! I think AKL savannah view would make a fabulous weekend getaway!

The sunrise safari is offered on Tuesday and Saturday mornings, so if you reserved concierge the Saturday would work for you. We have done the sunrise safari twice and loved it both times. I have wanted to book the sunset safari but my youngest is "too old" for Simbas but too young for me to leave him alone for that long, (and he'd want to eat with us, anyways!). One of these days...

If I close my eyes I can almost "smell" the lodge!
Debbie

 

[daannzzz]

When I go to Disneyland it is great because you can stay at a Disney reort or an offsite place and still be a 5-10 minute walk to the front gates of the park. Some of the rooms at the HoJo have views of the monorail, Matterhorn and extremely close views of the fireworks.
At WDW I have really enjoyed the GF and the Poly as well as the WL for their proximity to the MK. Even more so I loved our stay at the YC and the Dolphin. You can walk all around to so many places. I have also stayed at all the moderates and enjoyed those as well.
We all loved the AKL. We took the bus some but used our car as wellk and either way it was just as fast as taking the bus from the GF to the Studios or from the WL to AK.
At the AKL you are not able to walk anywhere, boat anywhere and there is no other resort near. It is not exciting in that surrounded by activities feeling at the Epcot resorts. But it does make you slow down and spend time meandering and asking questions. We found ourselves leaving the parks early to go back and sit on the balcony to watch the animals. We sat out and had coffee in the morning whiule taking turns showering.
There was a couple next to us with a small child. Every 40 minutes or soo the boy would come outside. The parents (or grand parents) would yell out "Any animals?" and the boy would say no and go back into the TV. A few minutes later wildebeeste would trot into the area and graze and the giraff would come over to the tree and we watched them as they all fed. At one point the Gemsbok and wildebeeste were challenging eachother and galloping around. It would quite down and the boy would come back out on the balcony. "No animals. Theres a cow." We could hear the parents lamenting having chosen the AKL. Z
We slowed down a lot and really enjoyed the resort.

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Mom & I love AKL especially the savannah view!!!! It's so great & I love being away from things. The bus service is great!!

Allison

 

[fortizsyr]

We stayed at the AKL in July '03 and we will be returning on 8/14! Savannah view in '03, and deluxe savannah view on 8/14.

We loved everything about AKL. Staff was very accomodating. Transportation was well coordinated, with a maximum average wait of about 15 minutes. Longest wait was one late evening when we decided to go to DTD.

We like the far removed ambience, which translates to still being at a WDW Deluxe Resort but distanced enough to enjoy the African theme experience.

Only issues we experienced were at pool side. The Uzima Springs staff were not very friendly, and the pool lifeguards cold have been more attentive to the "saving of chairs".

My husband not your typical Zoo enthusiast has fallen in love with this resort. Our two DS enjoyed themselves by watching the animals, the arcade, and the pool.

Mara was convenient and affordable for a quick byte.

No regrets here and we are excited!!!

 

[MinnieGi]

Although we have stayed twice at BWV and have another BWV trip planned for Feb, we loved out stay at AKL in 2003 and look forward to staying there again.

Everybody and everything at AKL was awesome to us. The cm's were very friendly and helpful, the transportation was seriously the best bus service we have encountered at WDW. We had our car in the lot but it was much faster and easier to take their buses. We loved the fact that the bus did not share with any other resorts unlike BW and Poly. The restaurants are top notch, the zero-entry pool was fabulous especially for my toddler DD, and of course viewing the animals was a neat experience.

I think the AKL would make a great long weekend trip. Lots to do right at the resort. It would be very relaxing. Give it a try!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

I, too, am a huge Poly fan, but when we tried AKL last year, we fell in love!! Now, the Poly is our second favorite resort at WDW!!

We just adore the atmosphere at this resort, as soon as you enter the lobby it seems as if all your cares and stresses just fall away. The spicy wood smell of the lobby, the beautiful architecture, the warm cm's, the fantastic food, the pool, the animals, the beautiful African art, everything about this resort makes it feel welcoming. When we stay there, we find ourselves hurrying back from the parks to enjoy the resort.

One cm in concierge last April told me that they really designed this resort for people who make lots of trips to WDW, and want to spend a bit more time at their resort. It shows, there are so many activities to occupy you while you are there. We really enjoyed the "Cultural Safari," where a young man from Zimbabwe spoke for an hour and a half about his home country. The storytelling around the firepit was also very entertaining, as was the night vision viewing of the animals. The cm's who are at the lookout points are all from different countries in Africa, and are very knowledgeable about the animals and their home countries, we talk with each of them when there.

DD loves the AKL pool, and always finds friends her age to talk to. We've never had any trouble getting a chair, and we were there during Easter week this year.

Jiko and Boma are both great restaurants, though very different. Boma is a buffet with a mixture of African-inspired and American dishes, the soups, hummus and dessserts are to die for! Jiko is an upscale restaurant with delicious food and the largest selection of So. African wines in North America, the Kalamata Olive Flatbread, Pan Fried Monkfish, and the Tanzanian Chocolate Beggar's Purses are our favorite dishes!

Just an absolutely fabulous and unique resort, I think you will love it as much as the Poly. They both transport you to exotic places!

 

[Bete]

I really like being far away from everything else at WDW. Being so secluded is a good perk to me. After a good day at the parks I like being away from it all.

Also, if you can go concierge then you have the greatest advantage of opting for the sunrise and/or sunset safari. You can't get that perk or anything else close anywhere else. I feel very special doing those activities. The experience of these activities are a treasure.

As a guest of the resort you can take an art tour and get a restaurant tour, too. The activites for guests here are the best. There's even storytelling at the firepit. Children activities is among the best of all resorts.

Obviously, the best perk is the view of the animals. I don't think there's a resort in this world that offers wild life on resort grounds like this one.

I love the uniqueness of both restaurants, Jiko's and Boma's. The enviroment is great and the food is among the best offered at Disney, in my opinion. I love the use of all the special spices.

If you like swimming the pool is wonderful and large.

I even like the rooms.

I enjoy all the cubby holes there are to view the animals. The beautiful glass entrance to the savannah is beautiful.

Christmas is my favorite time to stay there.

I consider this a bargain among the deluxe resorts. It seems there are better deals offered here, by comparison. Finally, the last resort Roy Disney stayed at before resigning was guess what? AKL. That's enough of a recommedation for me to stay there, again and again.

I will visit the other deluxes by having a meal there but when it comes to the resort of choice it's AKL, all the way.

 

[flyball]

Our last vacation at the AKL was last August and we loved the resort so much, we're returning again this August! Without rehashing the details, I'll say that we found ourselves not wanting to leave the resort after our afternoon break. We'd become so relaxed by our surroundings that we had a hard time convincing ourselves to reenter the parks (and sometimes we didn't!). I literally cried when we left, and I'm not prone to tearing up!