AKL? Never stayed before and would LOVE some feedback on it!

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

My husband and I have never stayed at the AKL before, but because of work and class schedules had to postpone our honeymoon till this summer. Anyways, we were considering the AKL for it because he wanted to stay someplace neither of us have been before. He's basically trying to be sweet because I've been there 12 times and have stayed almost everywhere, though I really wouldn't mind a repeat stay at a resort that I already know is nice. However we both looked at the information for this one online and got excited about it, and were just wondering what everyone thought of this resort. We won't be relying on Disney transportation so proximity to the parks is not an issue, but we just wondered how this compared to say the Polnesian or Caribbean (two resorts we both like a lot), and how their food compares to other resorts as well. Were not the sit down restaurant kind of people, but just grab a quick bite to eat and then head on our way. We do like to spend a day or two souly at the resort we are staying at though, but niether of us have even visited this resort before and just wanted to know if this was a good resort to spend a day or two just relaxing and having fun at? Thanks so much in advance!

 

[daisylove]

Great resort!!! My families definite favorite. Really wonderful themeing. The food court is the Mara. It is smaller than siome of the hotels but it has all the faves plus a few more exotic things. the African stew is so good and of course zebra domes in the take away section. yummy. They havethe refillable mugs as well. There is really so much to do at this resort you could spend a lot of time just there. Great spa and kids club too. I would highly recommend it.

 

[MICOL]

Our family loved it, we were there for the grand opening in May of 2001. The view from the 3rd floor was very nice. Kids were always excited to come back for the afternoon park break and see all the animals out our window. Very nice restaurants and the Mara was very good for a food court.

 

[madalex]

AKL is a great resort and would be great just for hanging out at. It's got a great pool, the savannahs to see the animals, two great restaurants and a great lobby bar. We've stayed there twice and if I was going to choose a resort just to hang out at, this would be one of the top two.

 

[Tikiman]

I loved the rooms, the resort and the food was some of the best I have had anywhere. We even go over to eat when staying at other resorts. The only thing I did not like was the transportation and the pool was just ok.

Now I will say transportation from many other resorts is worse but we are use to being on the monorail so it was much different. Also you can not easily visit other resorts like you can at the monorail resorts or at the Epcot resorts.

If you have your heart set on trying it than don’t let anyone else talk you out of it.

Aloha

Steve

 

[KIMHELMS99]

We were there in August of 2002. We loved it. We didn't use the transportation either so I couldn't give you any feedback there.

We had a deluxe savannah view, it was great. We loved the rooms. A lot to see at the resort itself. The pool/hot tubs were very nice.

We liked all of the restaurants although we used Mara the most. I hope you have as much fun as we did if you stay there.

 

[webray]

AKL is outstanding. The perfect resort to just spend a few days at. The pool area is wonderful. One of our absolute favorites. The restaurants are all very good, although we always eat at Boma (breakfast/dinner) or Jiko (dinner). They are both such a treat.

If you are going to be just hanging out for a couple days..why not treat yourself to concierge. The food offerings are wonderful, and it is much better than eating in Mara. Nothing wrong with mara..just not anything special there, fast food is fast food.

The room service is also very good.

 

[Carrieberry]

Ok, I will be the one to say it. We did NOT care for AKL. It was ok, but there were a few things that bothered us. BUT I think you will like it.

We did not like the Poly either and you did, and the AKl reminded us of the things we did not like about the Poly. I do think it is perfect for a romantic relaxing vacation, which ours rarely are and so that is probably one of the reasons we did not think it was "us". I would suggest splurging for the concierge level if you can afford it. We got the luck of the draw on the savannah rooms and ended up with a view of 2 giraffe (they were neat) along with a dumpster and weird strong smells from one of the restaurants and a loud generator or fan or something every time we went on our balcony. We did not like where AKL was located, but since you said that is not a concern, it will not bother you. The pool is ok, it is relaxing. We did not use it, only walked by so I can't comment on that. The food at the restaurants is good, but Mara was a hike and a half from our room- so not very convienent which is another reason why I would stay concierge. If you do go and just book a savannah view, I would put in a request of a recommended location and if you get in your room and you do not like it, request to be moved right away.

 

[wickey's friend]

My family just got back from AKL in December, and we fell in love with it! I would think it would be a wonderful spot for a honeymoon. The pool is great, the atmosphere is great and the animals are great! (Can you tell we liked it?) We only ate in Mara, but really wanted to try Boma and Jiko. They are on our list for next time.

We didn't have long waits for any bus -- the most was about 10 minutes tops. And, it really didn't take long to get anywhere either.

My vote is YES!

 

[EEyorelover22]

We love AKL and DH will NOT stay anywhere else which is fine since I never thought he'd go back to Disney. Boma and Mara are great to have there at AKL. The giftshop is nice. The bus service is great. The animals are really awesome to see. I cannot wait to get back there!!

 

[MarkLem]

We have stayed at Disney Inn (aka Shades of Green), Comtemporary, Poly, Swan, and last NYE at Animal Kingdom. Some comments:

AK is the most remote which you will either like or not like. It was nice, though, to come back from the hussle & bussle of the parks to the serene atmosphere. A room with a view of the animals is neat and very relaxing. The pool is great for kids. You have to take a bus everywhere, and sometimes we waited a good 20-30 minutes, especially to get a bus from MK back to AKL. It's a shame that as close as it is to the Animal Kingdom there is no walking path to get there. The lobby is quite a site what with the tall ceilings and theming. Restaurants are very good. Front desk service was a bit slow and unenthusiastic when we were there. Characters do show up but maybe not as often as some other resorts.

Definitely worth trying at least once to see what you think.

 

[benedicttw]

Family has been to the AKL two times. Last was just several weeks ago. The AKL was very nice, we like th pool, the food court, and the decorating of the building. The Savanna's are nice but we have not seen the animals that we thought we would. We do not use Disney tranport so the location is not an issue for us either.

I would say give it a try. We were able to get rooms for $121. per night with the AP discount.

Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TaurusSES_Sport]

Cast members aren't the nicest...

 

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

Thanks so much for all of the feedback everyone! It's greatly appreciated and my husband and I looked through it all and think we would definitely enjoy it there. One last question, if we requested a particular room location (we'd be going Savannah) then where is a good place to request? I know there are more than one savannahs but where are nice locations on each one? Thanks so much once again! All of you are great!

 

[Cass]

AKL is our favourite resort We have stayed POFQ, WL & BC and AKL blows them out of the water for atmosphere, restaurants, theming, transportation... you will love it

There are some photos on my website link below

 

[jacksmom]

Cass, You just responded to my ? storyteling times! Can you give me any other AKL tips? We have a ds8 who looooves animals! So, we would like to make the most out of our stay!

 

[mdibiaso]

we will be at AKL for 7 days in February. We have booked a Savannah room. Would asking for a room close to the bus stop (as we will be going back and forth a lot to other parks) mean that we have less of a chance of a good view of the animals. Any suggestions for room placement requests?

 

[luvdisney14]

What is storytelling time?

 

[budwmn]

Ask for one overlooking the Arusha Savannah. Also, let the CM know thet the view is VERY important to you. They will note it in your reservation. When you check in, ask the CM if your room has a good view. Tell them that you're going to be spending a lot of time on your balcony -- we did this and they changed us to a better view.

Enjoy AKL! It's our favorite place at WDW!