i'm no good at remembering prices (how convenient! LOL!) but i believe to get a view of the animals, you need to request (and pay for) savannah view... although i have heard some tales of being upgraded upon check-in... good luck!
You may be able to get a AAA discount or AP discount. Read some of the threads under the Codes boards for more details. I've been lucky and never had to pay rack rate the few times I've gone.
Good luck. We stayed at the AKL in Feb 05 and loved it. Make sure to allocate some time to spend their exploring and enjoying the resort.