AKL Questions

[DisneyDreamer2]

Ok...you guys did it! You took a place I thought I never wanted to stay and I ended up changing my ressie to stay here the entire trip (I was originally doing 3 nts at POR, 3 nts CBR, and then 2 at AKL). I read all the great reviews and after looking at pics of the rooms and lobby- wow! what a true upscale resort. With the new code out for a standard view room it seems so much more than a moderate room for not too much more. So now-here are the questions I need from the insiders who have stayed there:

1. How is the transportation- REALLY? How long of a ride to the MK? Are the busses really crowded- standing room only? Are there enough at park opening and closing? How long have you had to wait?

2. At night is there special lighting outdoors? (Like the tiki torch lit paths at the poly.) Can you walk around a bit outside- such as the viewing areas- are they special at night?

3. Does the pool get really crowded? It looks huge and wonderful. But the pics I've seen also always show it empty.

4. Any other special things you love or want to warn me about at the AKL?

I am soooo excited! I haven't told my husband. He lived in Africa for 2 years and knows he may never go back. Since WDW was always my dream vacation, i like to think of it as a compromise of both dreams. I know he is going to love the woodwork and cast members. I can't wait!

 

[lisareneeo]

I would like to hear about this resort as well. We are going to be staying here in Oct. Thanks

 

[Donalds_best_pal]

We have stayed there I think 3 times! Once for 9 days,the other for 5 and other for 7. Everytime was wonderful. You will be amazed just apon pulling the driveway. Now to answer your questions.
1. I though buses were fine, there was never a long wait for a bus to either of the parks. At opening and closign there was always extra buses working. No complanints about transportation.
2. There is a fire with rockign chairs around were people tell old african tales. There is some lighting outside. At the animal viewing areas, zoo keepers come out with night vision goggles and you can see what the animals are doing at night.
3.I never ever had problem with the pool. It is huge and would take many people to fill it up. Somtimes when its hot there is a long line for the slide.
4. Go and have fun. Its amazing resort. Talk to the african workers and ask them about there home, they love to talk about it. Try to relax and just watch the animals. Explore the resort on your own and you can find some cool nooks and cranies. Eat at Boma, it is a wonderful resturaunt.
I gurantee you will love AKL. Hope you have a lot of fun
Matt

 

[padisneylover]

I don't think you will regret your change at all. We have stayed their once and are going back in Nov for 11 nights and can't wait. The buses are great. We were there last year in April during spring break and never had to stand nor wait for a bus either comming or going from the parks. Also, AKL is one of the first bus stops at the parks so you don't have to walk quite as far when leaving the parks as you do with the moderates. The transportation is direct except for certain times when the MGM bus stops at Blizzard Beach. None of the times on the bus seemed long to us and we never actually timed them.
Boma for breakfast is a must. The buffett is fantastic and be sure to try the pressed pot coffee if it is in your budget. Dinner is good also but we perfered the breakfast.
The pool is awsome and the whirlpools are very nice and relaxing. Even though the hotel was very busy while we were there the pool never seemed crowded probably because it is so large.
The lighting at night will allow you to see animals that are close to your room and if you go out to the rock they will have night goggles for you to view the animals with. It is a total different experince seeing and watching the animals at night.
Do save time to explore the resort it's self it is truly beautiful. There is not any walking paths per say at the resort but you can walk around outside by the pool where there is several animal viewing areas as well as throughout the resort there is different views to be had from different spots.
Enjoy your stay

 

[RedE2Go]

Just returned last night from AKL. This was our first experience at a deluxe resort, so I can't compare it to the other deluxes. We have only stayed at CBR. I also kept waffling on where to stay. We got offered a decent rate at AKL and I still wasn't sure if I wanted to do it. The photos and idea of AKL never appealed to me. I have always been more of "tropical" vacation person, not animal and safari type. But, like you, all these posts convinced me to give it a try. Boy, am I glad I did AKL!!!!! Absolutely loved it. I probably would have been just as happy with any deluxe, but I am having a hard time imagining how anything could be better than AKL. The grounds were much more lush than I had expected. For some reason, I expected it to look more dry (arrid?).

Busses - we didn't have a car so we relied on only the busses. We did a lot of park hopping, so we really used the busses a lot. We NEVER waited longer than 12 minutes, and that was only one time, when we missed the first bus to the park in the morning. Every other time it was either waiting for us or we only waited 2 or 3 minutes. That was for both coming and going to the parks. Many times our family was the only one on the bus. The only time it was standing room only was after the Fantasmic show. Well, maybe one other time, but very rare. I don't remember how long the ride was to MK, but it didn't seem to bother us. We kept sarcastically saying to each other "OH, yes...this is SOOOO inconvenient", because I had read some posts about the bus service that were negative. Perhaps we just got lucky everytime though.
The pool was big enough that it never seemed crowded. There were definitely others in the pool, but never felt crowded. I agree with the other poster though, the line at the slide did get long sometimes. When we were there, maybe there were 10 or 15 kids (and adults!) were in line. It went quick, but when I'm standing at the top of a slide in a bathing suit, time seems to move slowly! The water seemed warmer than when we were at the CBR at the same time of year in 2000. That could just be a weather difference.
We asked for standard view but was upgraded to a Savannah view. If I were paying top dollar for this view, I MIGHT have been a little bothered. Only because the view here was very limited. It was right above one of the hot tub areas, but a few times giraffe and others would walk by when the feeders would entice them that direction. Otherwise, great location, very convenient to Mara, pool, hot tub.
If you have kids, they will have a blast looking for the Hidden Mickeys. Turn your sheet in after you find them and Mickey will sign a certificate for them.
Enjoy your stay.......

 

[copper0426]

I agree with most of what everyone said. However no one mentioned the food court. At breakfast it is not tooo bad, however not many choices. Dinner however was the worst food court I have ever seen. Unlike the other food courts where you stand in line and get your food when you order it, You stand in line, order it, pay for it, get a number, go sit down and wait for your food to come out. I could understand, if the food was made to order, but it is not, it is in steam trays, etc. just like the other places, so go figure. I could do with out eating there ever again. The menu also has a lot to be desired. I think they try to go to an extreme and really over do their seasonings.

Sorry, just my opinion. Don't know if anyone else feels the same way.

Do speak with the cast. When we were there we went out by the fire pit and listened to the storyteller. It was really cold 38º in december when we were there. We also listened to a cast member talk about where he came from one night. It was very interesting.

We spent 7 nights there savannah view. May do it again but Dixie Landings will always be our favorite with Wilderness Lodge coming in very close, trying to surpass Dixie. I know it is called POR just don't like that name.

Sorry so long, Diane

 

[DisneyDreamer2]

Holy cow REDE2GO- you answered a question I typed then deleeted because I thoght others would think I was crazy! I too was worried it might seem dry and arrid and not very lush and green. But then I'm thinking it's Africa what do you expect, so I deleted that question. I am so glad you found it lush and beautiful. I don't expect more than a standard room since i am getting the incredible 139.00 rate, but any upgraded obstructed view of the pool would be sooo awesome. Oh I just cant wait!

Thanks for the info on transportation. It seems so much more remote than other resorts, but then I really thought about how it only has one stop at the resort, and I'd rather taker longer in transit than stopping at other stops and resorts. Thanks again!

 

[MinnieGi]

Just another positive glowing report of AKL here!!

We stayed 7 nights in Feb. and enjoyed the resort soooooo much. We also booked standard and were upgraded to a beautiful fourth floor pool view. It was so relaxing sitting out on our balcony and hearing the beautiful African tunes and looking out onto the pool. We had a great time finding all the lookout spots for animal viewing.

Buses: They were great. Our longest wait was ten minutes. The majority were much shorter. Yes, the ride to MK is long but the rides to Epcot and MGM are much shorter and the ride to AK is of course very quick!

The outside is lit up at night and the pool area is awesome at night as well as during the day. You'll see, I can't describe well enough how pretty it was.

We were there during value season so the pool was not crowded at all. It was warm enough to swim and we did on most days and there was plenty of room in the pool. Lots of chairs around too. The hot tubs at night did fill up though!

My one bit of advice at staying at AKL is to really take the time to enjoy the resort day and night. There are special programs that the staff runs like storytelling and cookie decorating at Boma that make this resort special. The whole atmosphere is so enjoyable.

Have fun!!
Gi

 

[MiJo]

My DW and I thoroughly enjoyed this resort and look forward to staying there again.
We have no problems with the Disney bus system and we thought the AKL buses were exceptional. We have stayed at 3 moderate resorts and they all have multiple bus stops; the AKL has one, so you get on the bus and go. The only trip we felt was exceptionally long was the one to DTD which really didn't matter to us, anyway. I don't remember anyone standing on the buses we took.
The resort is really nice at night. Yes, you can view the animals 24-hours/day but they are usually off sleeping somewhere at night. I couldn't wait until sunrise each morning to watch them heading in for breakfast, especially the giraffe. You can walk around in the main Arusha Savannah viewing area and the pool area, but aside from that, there are not many other outdoor areas that you can get to. The balcony-type viewing areas are nice to relax in at night; they have rocking chairs, etc.
The pool is huge and the 2 spas are really nice. Of the spas, one is more secluded than the other and we spent time in each.
As for things to enjoy:
1) As a CM about the afternoon lobby tour and set aside an hour or so one day for that. It is very educational.
2) Get a "Hidden Mickeys" form at the Customer Services desk and hunt around for them. It's a good way to spend some time examining the main floor and Arusha Savannah areas of the resort. When you find them all, show your completed form to the CM at the CS desk. If you can't find a couple (and a few are difficult) don't be afraid to ask for help.
3) Definitely have dinner at Boma and don't be afraid to try everything, including the soups. And, don't miss the Zebra Domes on the dessert pod!
I have posted some pics of our stay at the following site:
AKL Photos