AKL Savanna View

[boscov]

I love the idea of having a Savanna view room at AKL, however, I am nervous that it doesn't justify the added cost. I've seen some people on here say that they didn't really see that many animals. I know this is subjective, but is the extra money worth it or is there plenty of places to see the animals at the resort?

 

[pixarmom]

We absolutely LOVED our pool view room at AKL last year, and I prefer it over the savannah view, regardless of the cost. I'm not an animal fan generally, but my husband and kids were interested in the animals and thought they were able to see plenty around the resort. As you mentioned, it's very subjective, but I'd say the pool view was a perfect category for us for both the view and the location. And the bonus is that pool view so inexpensive compared to the savannah view and just a few dollars more per night than standard.

 

[minnie mum]

Just our experience, but we never seemed to lack for any animals from our savannah view room. Any time I peeked out, or went out onto the balcony there were always animals to watch. OTH, yes, there are lots of places to view animals from the public areas of the resort. Whether the added plus of a SVroom is of sufficient value is completely subjective and only you know if it is worth the extra money for your family. I'm sure you'll have a lovely vacation no matter which you choose.

 

[Julie711]

DH and myself stayed here a few weeks ago kid free for my 30th birthday. We had a standard view studio originally booked, at ck-in in my husband asked if any savannah views were available, explained it was my b day and they gave us one, FREE. . We were on the fifth floor and it was such a nice view, we always saw animals, especially in the morning. It was so relaxing and quite to sit on the balcony and take in the view!

 

[audrey2580]

I second all the above. We have stayed there 2 times and always saw animals. Love Love Love AKL.

 

[boscov]

Ok, so another question, since I have everyone's attention about AKL; Did you feel the resort was far away from everything besides Animal Kingdom? It looks like it would be quite a trip to MK or DTD. Just curious!

 

[tinka-belle]

MK is the farthest, about 12-15 minutes once you're on the bus. The other parks are not bad at all.

 

[3angelsmom]

I think it depends how much time you plan to spend in your room. We're the type of family to get up and go in the morning, not linger over a cup of coffee, so watching the animals from our balcony was not as important to us. We stayed 6 nights and most days saw the animals from the public viewing areas on the way to or back from the parks. We also had an incredible view from the balcony of the community room on the one morning we did sleep in. We didn't feel like we were missing out or didn't get to see the animals enough with a standard view.

To answer your other question, yes AKL did feel isolated but it's such a beautiful resort that we didn't mind. It felt like we were coming "home" after a long day at the park. You may feel differently if you want a nightlife.

 

[anjalee6]

I feel like being far away is subjective too. If you are talking about distance from MK than yes it's far. But we have stayed at MK resorts and felt far away from AK. I think it just depends on where you are going to the most. If you are going to spend most of your time at MK, then AKL might seem really far away. We spend time at all parks equally so traveling to MK never really bothers us.

 

[minnie mum]

When you look at the actual time it takes to travel from AKL to MK, it is only about 10 min. longer than it would take from an Epcot area hotel. To me this is practically nothing. I certainly never felt isolated from the rest of WDW: it's only a bus ride away, and not a long one at that.

OTH, it does have a splendid sense of being completely in its own world.

 

[glocon]

We have only stayed there once, and yes it was savanah view. To us, seeing the animals was the main reason we chose that resort.

We did enjoy our coffees on the patio each morning, and if you don't mind getting dressed and walking down the hall to a public viewing veranda, than you don't need to get a sv. The public areas are lovely, of course.

The animals feeding areas are in the savannah, so they are always out there, since that is where they will get their food. Disney did this purposefully, so that guests would always see animals.

If you can swing a sv room, I would do it. If not, don't forgo AKL by any means, get the standard or pool view. It is a magnificant resort.

And it might be 10 min or so farther than other resorts, but in the grand scheme of things- so what?

 

[RI Disney Clan]

What sells my family on the AKL is not the animals, it's the awesome pool and slide. My kids were 8 and 5 last year and it was the first time they could be alone in the pool. They had a blast and so did me and the wife!! And the great thing about the AKL, it isn't too crowed like many of the other pools that get pool hoppers.

I love the peacefullness of the AKL and like being away from the craziness. We always rent a car so everything is at least 10 minutes away.

We've done the Savannah View for the past 4 years but this May we opted for the pool view. Mostly to save money but I'm not going to miss the view of the animals. Been there, done that. Time for something different. We did enjoy it when it was a novelty. It didn't take long for the kids to forget the animals were out the window anyway.