1. How is the transportation? Does it take forever to get everywhere? ... The transportation is fine, if you have nothing else with which to compare it. We had our car, but we used the bus service for the first few days. While it was slow and could use improvements (they could have more buses waiting for the crowds after Wishes at MK each night, for instance), I would say that overall, it is not bad at all. After the first few days, we had to drive somewhere, and found that it was actually more convenient with our car. So after that, we just drove to the parks. Again, because we had our car and were lucky enough to receive parking privileges, so we could park close to the park entrances, it was easier for us to drive. If you had to rely solely on park transportation, however, it is not a bad deal at all.
2. Is it worth it to stay here if not booking a savannah view room? ... Yes. We stayed in a standard-view room in May. Giraffe Trail, fifth floor, overlooking the front of the building. There was a clump of tress right outside our room, so we had a view of treetops; no parking lot or asphalt views for us. Our balcony was open-railing, and we still found it pleasant to sit outside most evenings, even with no animals to watch. Savannah view would have been at least $80 more per night, and we stayed eight nights, and I just could not justify the extra $700-plus (including tax) charge, especially since there are so many places to view animals around the hotel.
3. Has anyone had a standard or water view room, and if so, how were the views? ... Please see above. Again, the animals outside a savannah-view room, IMO, is simply an added luxury. It's not like our room was missing a toilet or a bed or another necessity. We did not "miss" anything at all without the savannah view. You just need to determine whether the higher rate is worth it for you. For some people, yes, but for us, no. To each his own!
4. Do you feel this would be a good resort for couples? (Its just my husband and I, no kids yet). ... Yes, we saw plenty of couples there, along with families with kids. I would say it's a lovely place for any sort of family, whether they have children or not.
5. How is housekeeping, bell services, front desk staff? I have read some not so nice things about the staff. ... The person who checked us in was professional, but not friendly or eager to offer up information. One woman at the guest services desk was very nice, while another was just cordial, but not overly friendly. Mouskeeping was great -- we received no towel animals, but we did not expect to get any. They did arrange our girls' stuffed animals in fun "situations" most days. They never vacuumed the room, however; I noticed crumbs sitting around for days. I had mentioned that we were celebrating my daughter's 3rd birthday while we were there, but we did not receive a card or anything. (Note: If you are celebrating something and would like to receive a "signed" card, I would not only mention it while making ressies, but also mention something at check-in, just to be safe.) The CMs who were around answering questions about animals were very friendly, except for one woman from S Africa who gave me lip because she thought I asked a dumb question (I wanted to know how close the climate in FL was to the climate of the animals' natural habits in Africa). I told her that it's because of these "dumb" questions that she has a job.
All in all, it was a nice trip. We would not stay there again, simply because we like to try different resorts. And honestly, if we had to pay rack rate ($239 per night during regular season for a standard-view room), it would NOT have been worth it at all, IMO. But you are paying for the Disney experience, along with the room and its amenities, and since that you can't experience the AKL anywhere else in this country, then it was a very worthwhile experience.
Linda
