AKL Rooms Too Dark?

[calpete]

We are planning to stay at the AKL in late October and early November. One of the members of our party does not like "dark rooms". Have we made a mistake in booking at the AKL? Some of the threads on AKL on these boards note that the rooms are too dark. Thanks for opinions and thoughts.

 

[mep319]

Many mention that the rooms are too dark at AKL. We were there in January and did not notice it as being any darker than what WL would be. I didn't think it was dark at all. Hope this helps.

 

[SueEllen]

That was the ONLY thing I didn't like at the AKL. That is a fantastic resort--and I would stay there over and over again--however if you are traveling with someone who likes a bright room, or natural light they will be disappointed. The rooms are quite dark and the lighting is quite low, even with all of the lights on and the draperies open.
Even though I did not like the low lighting--it would not prevent me from staying there again.

Sue Ellen

 

[grinningghost]

Funny this subject came up. I was watching "Great Hotels" on the Travel Channel the other day and they featured the AKL. This place is gorgeous, but the rooms seemed dark. I just thought it was because it was on TV. But OMG - I HAVE to stay in there someday - it really blew me away - and that was on TV!

 

[LvsTnk]

I think some of it might depend on where your room is. We were under a thatched roof and the room was very dark. I hard time finding things in the bottom of my suitcase in the daytime.

Some people mentioned having the wattage changed on the bulbs because they use a lower wattage there.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I remember one night I wanted to sit and read for a while, but found it too dark in the room to do so. It was the only resort I ever had to go to the lobby in order to get bright enough light to read. I think the idea of a brighter lightbulb is a good one.

 

[disneycuban]

I know the rooms are dark, but isn't that part of the ambiance?

 

[minnie56]

Quite dark..I found it a bit of a challenge to do my make-up at times in the bathroom (Outer part)

But..it is sooooo beautiful!

I am staying there again in 2weeks!

 

[lmhall2000]

I think bringing your own light bulbs would be a great fix to the problem- there are these new (fairly $$) bulbs that really make the light seem brighter and cheery- we switched out our lights in our bedrooms and it made a huge difference. I'd go spend $15 on those bulbs and maybe call ahead (they'll think you're hilarious) to get the proper bulb size. It was dark- we had a savannah room facing the sun and it was still a bit dim for me. But restful-
Tara

 

[dph40]

We stayed at AKL one year ago. It's a beautiful resort! You won't be disappointed with the beauty. I don't remember the dim lighting being a problem at all.

My only tip is bring bug spray. This was the only resort that I've ever been eaten by mosquitoes! We stayed there the 6-12th of August 2001, and each night when I brought the kids down for an evening dip, I'd be eaten by them. I'm thinking that maybe this has to do with the animals, and they don't want to spray that aggressively. I talked with a friend who stayed there, and they did not have this same problem. Maybe it was a bad year for the little critters.

 

[LvsTnk]

Originally posted by dph40
We stayed at AKL one year ago. It's a beautiful resort! You won't be disappointed with the beauty. I don't remember the dim lighting being a problem at all.

My only tip is bring bug spray. This was the only resort that I've ever been eaten by mosquitoes! We stayed there the 6-12th of August 2001, and each night when I brought the kids down for an evening dip, I'd be eaten by them. I'm thinking that maybe this has to do with the animals, and they don't want to spray that aggressively. I talked with a friend who stayed there, and they did not have this same problem. Maybe it was a bad year for the little critters.

There was a big thread on the "no see ums" at AKL and that the only thing that would prevent these tine bugs from biting was the Avon SkinSoSoft. Some had problems with the noseeums and mosquitoes others did not.

 

[Lesley]

yes, the AKL rooms are rather dark. Whether or not that means you should change your reservation depends on how averse the member of your party is to dark rooms. It really is part of the ambiance.

And for bugs....I've discovered a product called Bite Blocker that's all natural and more effective than DEET (skin so soft never kept bugs away from me...I'm a bug magnet). Unfortunately we forgot it this past weekend and I got bitten rather badly by various bugs...I've never experienced this at WDW before and we hadn't even gone to AKL at all. I got attacked the worst on the MK ferry. But definitely try Bite Blocker...it even smells nice, unlike most bug stuff!

 

[LvsTnk]

Can you get the Bite Blocker anywhere?

These boards are great I love the sunscreen wipes another poster suggested.

 

[ADisneygirl]

We just returned from our first trip to the AKL. It was a beautiful, unique resort, and we loved it there. Were the rooms a little dark? Yes. But we had researched the hotel a bit before we went and were expecting it. The room furnishings are all dark wood, the walls were a tan color, and the lighting was dim -- to set the mood I guess. Even with all the lights turned on, the room still seemed dim. They must use low wattage bulbs.

You should have your friend visit one of the many sites that offer picture tours of the resorts -- and see a sample room for themself.

We found the room to be brighter with the drapes opened, but knowing that there were cameras directed toward our rooms made us keep the drapes closed unless we were specifically going on the balcony to look at the animals.

 

[SueM in MN]

I have heard an interesting reason (besides that the decor has a lot of earth colors) for the darker rooms at AKL. The dimmer lights in the room help to keep the animals near the buildings and the dimmer lights also make less of a contrast when you are going from inside the room to view the animals at dusk or sunrise. I don't know if this is the true reason or not, but someone had posted that was whatt they were told by a CM.

 

[kdibattista]

They were a bit darker than other resort rooms but we enjoyed it. We probably would not have even noticed it unless I heard it discussed here. It's all part of the atmosphere.

 

[DeeP]

The dimmer lights in the room help to keep the animals near the buildings and the dimmer lights also make less of a contrast when you are going from inside the room to view the animals at dusk or sunrise. I don't know if this is the true reason or not, but someone had posted that was whatt they were told by a CM.

It makes sense when you think about it. If it is not true, is sure sounds good anyway! LOL!
BTW, we love the AKL rooms and do not find them overly dark.

 

[Ronda93]

First they warn you to keep the drapes closed because people are looking. Then they stock the place with 40 watt bulbs (I stood on the bed and looked). At night you cannot read in the room.

Our suicase was open on the stand in the corner next to the closet and I came to believe that a couple of small dark items had been forgotten, but when we returned home, they were there... it was just too dark to make them out in the suitcase.

Our next trip to AKL, I plan to pick up some light bulbs during our WalMart run.