AKL-what are the views like?

[mkandk]

I just made reservations for the land/sea vacation for Spring Break...it's going to be a surprise for our two kids. This is a very upscale trip for us. I went with AKL because they are into animals bigtime, and I've read how awesome it is to watch the animals while on the balcony.

But what if we don't have a room facing the animals? Will we still get ample animalwatching opportunities, and is it still worth it? Will we be looking out at a parking lot?

 

[jds]

Don't worry! When we were there last October we had a standard view room (and yes, it did face the parking lot), but were still able to enjoy watching the animals.

There are plenty of areas, both inside the hotel and outside on the grounds, from which you can get excellent views of the critters. Be sure to look for them fairly early in the morning and again just before dark; that's when they tend to be most active. My favorite was watching the giraffes waiting for the pick-up truck to come in with their morning chow!

While it would be nice to watch them from your own private balcony (though actually I'm not sure how "private" those balconies feel...), we didn't feel like we were missing out by not having a savannah view. Hope you have a great trip--

 

[jdads2]

There are quite a few areas where you can view the animals. They'll also enjoy the lobby and pool, they are truly amazing. We did enjoy our savannah view rooms. We enjoyed watching the animals while we ate our breakfast.

 

[CalGal]

If your reservations are for a standard view or a pool view, you will likely not see animals from your room unless you are upgraded. However, there are several places within the resort where you can walk to view the animals. It is a lovely resort, so I am sure you will enjoy it even if you don't have an upgraded view. Better yet, try to book a savanah view if you can. These are the rooms that provide a view of the animals. I believe that most of the rooms at the AKL are savanah view. Enjoy your trip! It sounds like it's going to be very memorable.

 

[cdrn1]

I just got back Friday from AKL. We reserved a standard view, but were upgraded to pool view. We had a wonderful view of the beautiful pool, we could also see the flamingo area, and we had just a smidgeon of the savannah. We were tickled pink to see a giraffe one morning from our balcony! The balcony did feel very private, we neither saw nor heard anyone from another balcony, and we people-watched a bit and I never saw anyone watch us back! There are cameras around, we never felt watched but be aware that they are there.
There are ample viewing areas to see the animals. We were still discovering new vantage points on our last day there.

 

[audflash]

jds - I'm so glad to hear you say that you didn't feel like you were missing out with a standard view room. We booked standard view because it allowed us to stay at AKL, we couldn't have afforded it otherwise, even with the FTP. It seems like so many get upgrades but I certainly am not going to count on that and be disappointed.

We are really looking forward to staying at the akl!

 

[bellman]

Can anyone tell me if there is a better location when it comes to a water view room. We are going in Nov. and I want to call to make a request. I would like to have a room with bunk beds if we can get them.

 

[susy]

I would stay there if I had to camp out in the lobby. It really is a beautiful place! We had a pool view and were not a bit disappointed.