Aunt Lynnie
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2001
- Messages
- 1
Disclaimer: I've worked in the travel industry for 18 years, so I'm a little more sensitive than most when it comes to guest service. That being said, Disney comes through again with its usual magic. . .
I booked four rooms at the AKL as a Christmas gift to my family. We checked in on New Years day, and the family checked out today (1/5). I'm staying two more days due to business in the area.
Pre-trip service was excellent. No problems at all with the reservations and pre-payment. Did everything over the phone without a hitch.
Check in was a long wait. Apparently there were 700 people checking out and 500 checking in on New Year's Day. I waited for about 45 minutes in line, but the desk clerk was very nice and efficient when I finally got there. We checked in at 11:am and were given our room keys and numbers, but told that it would be between 3
m and 5m before we could actually get in. We were all coming in at different times, and the first of us to get there were myself, my sister-in-law and two small children (3 yrs and 8 months). They gave us a number to call to see when our rooms were ready, but having the room numbers was more of a charm. A quick walk to the area and a $20 handshake with the housekeeper had us in the room at 11:30am, and insured that the next three rooms cleaned were ours. Our entire party was settled in by 2m, while others were sleeping on sofas in the lounge until 5m. A little added expense, but well worth it in my opinion.
The Lodge itself is very nice, as is the case with all Disney properties. An amazing lobby, and very nice cast members. The manager of guest relations "walked the line" at check in, to welcome everyone, which turned out to be a plus in my situation as I had a problem later that called for her attention (more later).
We weren't entirely happy with the food at AKL, as there were only three choices, and the cheapest left much to be disired. Here again, I work in the travel industry (cruise industry to be exact), so it may be that I'm spoiled. I've seen many posts that were very positive about the food, but I would have preferred more choices.
Victoria Falls, the main bar, was great. Service was a bit slow, but still, a great place to relax at the end of the day when the kids were in bed!
We didn't use the pool as it was too cold, but there were several people who used it night and day. Maybe being from Fort Lauderdale makes it tough for me to put on a swimsuit in 60 degree weather, but the pool was heated and those using it seemed happy!
Transportation was fine. No more than a 20 minute wait for any bus, and about a 15 minute drive to the MK. Only worth noting if you're making an appointment for a character breakfast or similar. This lodge is the farthest from any park (other than the Animal Kingdom), so plan accordingly.
We visited all four parks, and the kids' favorite was the MK by far (big surprise). If you have a birthday (or not) stop by town hall and get a "birthday button". It will give someone special attention throughout the day.
If you don't know about child swapping, talk to a CM about it. We had a party of 12, and on some rides, it meant we all got to go again, but on others only two people could go again. This is when you have a child too small to go on the ride. Basically, you take your small child through the entire line, then one adult sits out with the child while the other rides. Then, when you get back, you pass the child off and the other parent gets to ride. As I said, for the most part it meant that we all rode again, but in Epcot at the Test Track, they made all but one get off. This was a bit disappointing to the other kids who, at this point, thought they would get another turn.
USE THE FAST PASS!!! We started the week as "newbies", having not been to Disney in several years. Fast Pass allows you to "reserve" a spot in line for a later time, and then avoid the long lines. You have to use your park pass to get one, so have one person collect everyone's park passes as soon as you get there and send them off to one of the popular rides. In MK, for example, my family got in line at the jungle cruise while I ran to Space Mountain for fast passes. Once I had the passes, I joined my family in line for the jungle cruise. Later that day we walked onto Space Mountain with a 15 minute wait, while others were in line for 90 minutes! This is such a great service! You MUST take advantage of it.
My "Don't Miss" rides/attractions are as follows (in no particular order):
MK:
Space Mountain
Thunder Mountain
Splash Mountain
Hall of Presidents
Alien Encounter
and of course the standards: Pirates of the Caribbean, Small World, etc, etc.
Epcot:
Test Track
Honey I Shrunk the Audience
MGM Studios:
Sci Fi Cafe (not a ride, but such a neat place to eat - get priority seating)
Tower of Terror
Rock-n-Rollercoaster
Animal Kingdom:
It's Tough being a Bug
River Rapids ride (in Asia - can't remember the real name)
Dinosaur (in Dino-Land)
Safari (in Africa)
Towards the end of my trip I decided to get my laptop out and get back to work. Unfortunately, we realized at that point that the valet had completely lost my keys! I wasn't at all happy (as one can expect), but I must say that the people at the Lodge handled things as best as can be expected. As I mentioned earlier, the guest service manager had introduced herself while we were all in line at check in. It's funny, because it's one of the things I insist upon with my employees and I'm constantly telling them how such a small thing can make a problem easier to deal with later. Well, as "theory" would have it, I ended up dealing with the same guest services manager when my keys went missing. It really was easier dealing with someone I had already met. She was very nice, and extremely thorough in working through my problem. To date, they haven't found my keys, but they have provided transportation for my family when it was time for them to catch flights, and they have promised to pay any expenses I encounter when it comes to changing locks at home, etc.
If anyone has any specific questions, please feel free to get in touch!
Thanks!
Lynn
I booked four rooms at the AKL as a Christmas gift to my family. We checked in on New Years day, and the family checked out today (1/5). I'm staying two more days due to business in the area.
Pre-trip service was excellent. No problems at all with the reservations and pre-payment. Did everything over the phone without a hitch.
Check in was a long wait. Apparently there were 700 people checking out and 500 checking in on New Year's Day. I waited for about 45 minutes in line, but the desk clerk was very nice and efficient when I finally got there. We checked in at 11:am and were given our room keys and numbers, but told that it would be between 3
m and 5m before we could actually get in. We were all coming in at different times, and the first of us to get there were myself, my sister-in-law and two small children (3 yrs and 8 months). They gave us a number to call to see when our rooms were ready, but having the room numbers was more of a charm. A quick walk to the area and a $20 handshake with the housekeeper had us in the room at 11:30am, and insured that the next three rooms cleaned were ours. Our entire party was settled in by 2m, while others were sleeping on sofas in the lounge until 5m. A little added expense, but well worth it in my opinion.The Lodge itself is very nice, as is the case with all Disney properties. An amazing lobby, and very nice cast members. The manager of guest relations "walked the line" at check in, to welcome everyone, which turned out to be a plus in my situation as I had a problem later that called for her attention (more later).
We weren't entirely happy with the food at AKL, as there were only three choices, and the cheapest left much to be disired. Here again, I work in the travel industry (cruise industry to be exact), so it may be that I'm spoiled. I've seen many posts that were very positive about the food, but I would have preferred more choices.
Victoria Falls, the main bar, was great. Service was a bit slow, but still, a great place to relax at the end of the day when the kids were in bed!
We didn't use the pool as it was too cold, but there were several people who used it night and day. Maybe being from Fort Lauderdale makes it tough for me to put on a swimsuit in 60 degree weather, but the pool was heated and those using it seemed happy!
Transportation was fine. No more than a 20 minute wait for any bus, and about a 15 minute drive to the MK. Only worth noting if you're making an appointment for a character breakfast or similar. This lodge is the farthest from any park (other than the Animal Kingdom), so plan accordingly.
We visited all four parks, and the kids' favorite was the MK by far (big surprise). If you have a birthday (or not) stop by town hall and get a "birthday button". It will give someone special attention throughout the day.
If you don't know about child swapping, talk to a CM about it. We had a party of 12, and on some rides, it meant we all got to go again, but on others only two people could go again. This is when you have a child too small to go on the ride. Basically, you take your small child through the entire line, then one adult sits out with the child while the other rides. Then, when you get back, you pass the child off and the other parent gets to ride. As I said, for the most part it meant that we all rode again, but in Epcot at the Test Track, they made all but one get off. This was a bit disappointing to the other kids who, at this point, thought they would get another turn.
USE THE FAST PASS!!! We started the week as "newbies", having not been to Disney in several years. Fast Pass allows you to "reserve" a spot in line for a later time, and then avoid the long lines. You have to use your park pass to get one, so have one person collect everyone's park passes as soon as you get there and send them off to one of the popular rides. In MK, for example, my family got in line at the jungle cruise while I ran to Space Mountain for fast passes. Once I had the passes, I joined my family in line for the jungle cruise. Later that day we walked onto Space Mountain with a 15 minute wait, while others were in line for 90 minutes! This is such a great service! You MUST take advantage of it.
My "Don't Miss" rides/attractions are as follows (in no particular order):
MK:
Space Mountain
Thunder Mountain
Splash Mountain
Hall of Presidents
Alien Encounter
and of course the standards: Pirates of the Caribbean, Small World, etc, etc.
Epcot:
Test Track
Honey I Shrunk the Audience
MGM Studios:
Sci Fi Cafe (not a ride, but such a neat place to eat - get priority seating)
Tower of Terror
Rock-n-Rollercoaster
Animal Kingdom:
It's Tough being a Bug
River Rapids ride (in Asia - can't remember the real name)
Dinosaur (in Dino-Land)
Safari (in Africa)
Towards the end of my trip I decided to get my laptop out and get back to work. Unfortunately, we realized at that point that the valet had completely lost my keys! I wasn't at all happy (as one can expect), but I must say that the people at the Lodge handled things as best as can be expected. As I mentioned earlier, the guest service manager had introduced herself while we were all in line at check in. It's funny, because it's one of the things I insist upon with my employees and I'm constantly telling them how such a small thing can make a problem easier to deal with later. Well, as "theory" would have it, I ended up dealing with the same guest services manager when my keys went missing. It really was easier dealing with someone I had already met. She was very nice, and extremely thorough in working through my problem. To date, they haven't found my keys, but they have provided transportation for my family when it was time for them to catch flights, and they have promised to pay any expenses I encounter when it comes to changing locks at home, etc.
If anyone has any specific questions, please feel free to get in touch!
Thanks!
Lynn
