AKL... Second Guessing Myself

[mmafan]

youll love AKL...and if you change youll regret it......the place is great in everyway........

 

[EmmaCate]

We stayed at AKL about 4 1/2 years ago. We really liked it! I was surprised at how much I liked it because I didn't think it would be my style, but it was beautiful. My daughter loved the parade and African drumming/dancing they did in the lobby each night. The food at Boma was very good too.

 

[bwbuddy5]

This as a synopsis of what I've read on both this board and the DVC Resorts board in the past:

1) Several (but by far, the minority) have reported that they did not get their moneys worth on animal viewing. From what I've read, if your personal schedule is flexible and allows you to be in your room at various times of the day (rather than a full-day rigid schedule), you WILL get your money's worth in animal viewing.

2) While the resort is further from MK, the buses don't have to make as many multiple bus stops (like the Boardwalk buses), so that helps offset the inconvenience. I did read, however, that one family reported that they determined they needed to walk out of their room about 1 hour before they wanted to be at MK, as the walk, wait, and bus route normally took about that much time.

3) Some of the best grub on property.

FWIW, all of the resorts are great, so make the decision and never look back.

 

[EmmaCate]

I would add that I wouldn't pay extra for a Savannah view. Our friends did and saw nothing. We didn't and saw several different animals from our room.

 

[ssmurphy28]

I will chime in here as well, just to provide that little extra reassurance and some creative ideas. We stayed at AKL for 10 nights back in January with our 10 month old and two year old. It was absolutely fantastic, and we had no complaints. Here is what I remember...

1 - The bus service was exceptional. In nine days of going to the parks, there was one time that we had to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus. We were very pleased.
2 - We booked two "free" days into our trip, just to enjoy the resort and give our little one a break. Being close to Animal Kingdom was awesome. On both of our off days, I took our two year old over to AK for the last 2-3 hours the park was open. It is amazing how much we could get done in just a couple of hours, and then be back in our room within 10 minutes of park closing. The last day we were there we rode Kilimanjaro Safari three times in a row, just before the park closed.
3 - The food was awesome. We walked from Jambo House to Kidani Village for lunch one day and it was my favorite meal of the trip. Sanaa was delicious! We booked our reservation at 11:00AM right when the restaurant opened so that we could sit right at the windows.
4 - If you are staying in a Standard Room, do not be afraid to ask for "People Pen" or "Partial Savannah" view. We did and were pleasantly surprised with a view overlooking the Savannah. We had all kinds of animals right below our balcony and did not have to pay the extra to get the view.
5 - There are lots of activities for your kids at the resort all throughout the day. There are also beads that you can collect when you complete activities. This was a nice, "free" memento that my son could take home to remember the resort and the things he did there.

Enjoy your time! You will not regret it.

 

[caracarn]

If you have a car it is not even a debate. Far superior to the other choices you have. Even with buses yes it is more "remote" than others simply because it is near AK which is by itself versus in the trinity cluster, but with patience it is still a wonderful option and the "remoteness" makes it a very quiet and relaxing area of the property late at night as you are not hearing the noise pollution from other areas like EPCOT or DD.

 

[astag05]

I would add that I wouldn't pay extra for a Savannah view. Our friends did and saw nothing. We didn't and saw several different animals from our room.

I booked a standard and requested Kudu Trail... Maybe we will get a partial view but if we don't oh well. I wasn't willing to pay that price difference for a savannah view.

 

[LvsTnk]

When you walk in the lobby and your kids look up and say WOW you will know you made the right decision. I hope it's an amazing trip and pixie dust for a view of those animals!!

 

[astag05]

When you walk in the lobby and your kids look up and say WOW you will know you made the right decision. I hope it's an amazing trip and pixie dust for a view those animals!!

Thank you

 

[ssmurphy28]

I booked a standard and requested Kudu Trail... Maybe we will get a partial view but if we don't oh well. I wasn't willing to pay that price difference for a savannah view.

We also requested Kudu Trial - Upper Level. I think we ended up in room 4220. It was a perfect spot with great view.

 

[MindyJoy11]

AKL has been our favorite resort yet!!! I have 2 upcoming trips booked for there as well. If money allowed, I would stay there every time lol. We typically always drive to parks though so buses have never been an issue with us.

 

[astag05]

We also requested Kudu Trial - Upper Level. I think we ended up in room 4220. It was a perfect spot with great view.

That's exactly what I requested!! Fingers crossed for a good view