AKL worthwhile if you don't get savannah view?

[meab]

I thought one of the biggest draws of AKL is that you can see the animals right from your room. But the rate for our dates is about $100 more per night for that privilege. Considering that we might not even BE in our rooms all that much, I'm debating if we'll be disappointed going with just a standard or water view. And to that extent, is it worth it even to stay at AKL if we don't get the savannah view?

Our children are 4 and 1, and we'll probably be mostly doing MK and Epcot. Are we better off skipping AKL altogether and staying elsewhere (maybe WL instead)?

Just figured I'd ask for some input. You guys are pretty knowledgable. Oh, and we're thinking of going in December.

Thanks.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

There are plenty of options for viewing the animals throughout the common areas of AKL.

We have always booked the Savannah view room. Many will tell you of upgrades to Savannah from Standard. However, there is no guarantee of the upgrade, so obviously I wouldn't count on it. We always book the room/view that we will be happy with and not counting on an upgrade.

A beautiful resort with excellent service the four trips we have made there.

 

[meab]

i know the drill with the upgrades, as we've cruised many times. this past time, i DIDN'T want an upgrade, and sure enough, we got one. whenever you're hoping for one, it doesn't happen, but when you are fine with what you have, that's when it happens i think

so that's why i didn't feel comfortable booking a standard view hoping for an upgrade when checkin rolled around.

are there other special activities or things for the kids to do that you wouldn't find at another resort (other than animal viewing)?

 

[LeesyUD]

I just got back from AKL yesterday and loved it!! We had booked a standard room and was very suprised that they actually upgraded us to a savannah view for free...the view we had from our room wasn't the greatest bc there was a fence that slightly interfered, but we did see quit a bit of animals and really did enjoy the view. However, that said I don't know if I would pay for a Savannah room...I think I would be worried that I wouldn't get a good view. If I had the money I would pay for it again...but if money is tight I would go for standard. There really were a ton of places to look at the animals and I enjoyed exploring the hotel like that. Usually I worry most about location of my room. But I didn't make any requests before hand this time bc I didn't realize how big AKL is....but we happened to get a great location. Next time I think I would request a specific area though and hope that I would get it. I just prefer not to be at the back of a resort if I can avoid it. As far as view goes it depends on availability of money.

 

[LindaR]

I'm going to give a negative answer! Back in 2003, DD16 and I stayed at AKL. I booked a standard room (was not upgraded). There are many, many random windows in which to view the animals (one was right outside our door).

I was not "in love" with this hotel and I would not choose to stay there again. If I were determined to spend $xxx, then I would choose a different resort.

If you are uncertain about this hotel/location, perhaps you would be better off choosing another resort and perhaps visiting AKL for dinner. That way you would have an opportunity to tour the facility (not that dinner is required to do that!) and make a decision about a future stay.

 

[meab]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I really really appreciate it (and welcome more of it too!)

LindaR, not to put you on the spot, but which resort(s) would you recommend over AKL? We have walked around the AKL facility before and ate at one of the restaurants, but I was still curious about staying there.

If I'm really intent on trying it out, I guess we could split our stay with another resort too.

 

[jaysue]

There are lots of kids activities at AKL and they do have the zero entry pool as well (one of the nicest on property IMHO) plus it gives the kids a chance to be exposed to African culture if you chat and spend time with the CM's from Africa.

My kids love going there and would rather stay there than at the DVC resorts that we own at

Not sure how long you are going for but maybe a split stay would work best - 2 or 3 nights Savannah view and the balance in a water/pool view room (we do split stays with our kids - 5 and 2)

I think AKL has great appeal due to the public areas being so nice and that you should take your chance for an upgrade or do the split stay.

Cheers
jaysue

 

[Viki]

I haven't been there yet - we'll be staying 1 night in Dec and 8 nights in August - but from everything I've read, you'll have a great visit no matter what room you stay in. Apparently there are great animal viewing stations all over the place, at very convenient places, and if you're looking to have a deluxe animal-loving experience while watching your pennies, I think what you propose is just the ticket.

 

[leighe]

Maybe you could compromise and do a pool view? My FIL and MIL had a pool view room on one of our trips and I thought their view was gorgeous! Our savannah view was beautiful too but we were a lot farther from the lobby, pool and restaurants than they were. I think we would probably book pool view if we stayed there again.

 

[michelewdw]

I absolutely loved AKL but I think considering the age of your kids I would stay at WL. The pools are is nice and a little more contained making it easier to watch the kids. While the pool does not have a zero entry there is a kiddie pool adjacent to the main pool. Also there is a small playground and sandy beach area for building sandcastles. It is very close to Magic Kingdom just a boat ride away and the bus service is nice because there is only one stop right out in front of the hotel. I love the entire atomsphere of WL.

Michele

 

[shellybaxter]

I'd go with another resort. Perhaps Wilderness Lodge, since it's close in price. I'd even chose a moderate over AKL standard. We had a standard room booked the first time we stayed there with our niece. We had requeste bunk beds. My four year old niece really wanted them. We checked in late one night (around midnight) and there were no more bunkbeds left. The cast member offered to move us to a bunk bed room the next morning. I said thank you and we headed off to our standard veiw room. I didn't like it. It was dark, and the windows opened out onto the front of the hotel so the view wasn't great. The room was small too. And I didn't feel comfortable on the balcony because all the people streaming in and out in the morning could look up and see me. I know none of these things are issues for some people, but they were for me. We'd booked a standard and I was willing to deal with it, but I wouldn't have stayed there again.

The next morning they moved us to a bunk bed room and upgraded us to Savannah view - I hadn't complained about anything - just a comp upgrade. Even though that room was still small and still dark, it just didn't matter. The bunk beds gave us a bit more room and standing on the balcony and seeing the animals was awesome!!!

We've stayed twice since and booked and payed for Savannah each time. That's the only way I would go back to AKL

 

[webray]

We could only get a water view one time when we booked at last minute, we thought well, ok, we will try it, we can look at the animals from somewhere else. We ended up loving the water view room, fantastic location and would book it again in a heartbeat.

 

[LindaR]

Meab, I guess it just depends on what YOU want and how much you want to spend for it!

DD and I get to travel a bit and prefer to stay at upscale places.......except when we are at WDW! Our favorites are the moderates! We tend to only be in the room to sleep/bathe and the rest of the time are in the parks, so for us the mods serve our needs exactly!

You don't say if you will have a car or relying upon Disney transportation (we always rent a car for the freedom). If you are relying on Dis transport, then perhaps a resort that offers boat/monorail/bus might be easier.

Our "theory" is that what we save on the cost of the hotel.....we can spend on nice meals!

Like I said, when we vacation elsewhere, amenities/service/perks are at the top of our list.............in all honesty..........we were not impressed by the service at AKL.

 

[KarenD]

My husband and I just returned from AKL last night. We had a savannah view, and it was worth it to me--more than once I peeked out at the zebras in the middle of the night. It's a great hotel, but if you're relying on Disney transportation and will be spending most of your time at MK and Epcot, I'd stay elsewhere--probably the Poly, because you can get the monorail or a boat to MK, monorail or walk to the TTC to get the Epcot monorail. Leaving the MK one night this trip about an hour after closing, the line for the AKL bus was so long that we gave up on it and walked over the the Contemporary to get a cab instead.

 

[DiscussDisney]

Just back from AKL...about 3 hours ago. We were upgraded from a pool view to a wonderful savannah view. I have to admit seeing the animals outside our hotel room was amazing. Would I pay for it? Probably not, because wherever you walk in the hotel you will see animals.

 

[stacie_d]

We stayed in a pool view room at AKL...we thought the view was beautiful. You could see the pool, and the architectual details of hte resort really well. The pool area was beautiful as well. I really enjoyed staying at this resort.

We also stayed at the Wilderness lodge. Honestly, being that they are the same price, I would probably opt for the WL because of the easy access to MK. However, we also had a great experience with the buses at AKL.

 

[meab]

thanks again for all the great responses! i know choosing a resort is a personal issue based on a lot of factors, but i really appreciate all the input here.

michelewdw, thanks for the info on the beach and playground at WL. that is a definite plus for WL.

shellybaxter, i think that's how i would feel if we went and didn't get the savannah view.

LindaR, i see what you mean about the moderates. We have stayed at the POP, POR, and Dolphin, so now we've done one of each (value, mod, deluxe). Dolphin was the nicest, Pop was the cheapest (but we had a lot of complaints), and POR seemed to fall right in the middle.

I'm not set on a deluxe for this next visit, just curious about AKL and WL. I think right now I'm leaning more towards WL for the proximity to MK, and also the beach and playground (a big draw for my kids). I haven't ruled out the moderates either, so if anyone wants to recommend a favorite for December (I've heard the pool is great at Coronado, but that will be moot for that visit!), I'm all ears (no pun intended).

Thanks again for all the great info (even if i didn't thank you specifically, i appreciate all the input from everyone!)

 

[KayakDaddy]

We booked and paid for Standard view last year and were upgraded to Savannah view. We went during a non-peak time, which probably increases your chances of getting bumped up. I did not even ask for it. It was really cool and watching animals right out of our windows was quite a novelty. DS-(4 at the time) who is normally not a morning person, would bounce out of bed in the morning to see what was grazing outside the balcony.

Having never seen where the standard view rooms were, it is hard for me to say. To me, a lot of the enjoyment of the whole resort is from things other than the view from your room. There are better vantage points other than your room to view them. Regardless of what room you have you still get the great pool and the beautiful lobby. The gift shop is one of the most extensive resort gift stores. The resturants are great, we've been back to Boma twice since then and I here there is even a good breakfast served there. It is also nice not having to share busses with other resorts.

I will stay there again, and I will probably book standard again. The resort is very nice even if you never look out the window.

 

[Buckleybunch]

We were just at the AKL this past weekend. It was just my hubby and I and my first request was a King bed.. When we got to our savannah view room and I noticed the two doubles, I called and requested to be moved. I was moved to a pool view and didn't have an regretts. As my husband I and drove home we both agreed that we wouldn't ever pay the extra money for savannah because it didn't seem worth it, we saw animals from most areas of the resorts.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Leota]

IMHO, the Savannah view is the Only reason to stay at AKL. It's a beautifully themed resort to be sure, but it is sooooo removed from everything else & as much as people love Boma & Jiko, the dining is limited to just those (and Mara which is just a food court). I am spoiled by the Dolphin, I guess - it's location & amenities.

That said, we loved the Savannah view on our April trip so much, that we booked a few nights there in Dec so the Grandsons could see the animals when we go. We checked out the public viewing areas & yes, there are fine views there. But, nothing beats having your morning coffee on the balcony watching the Savannah wake-up. I like to lounge in the privacy of my room & watch the animals.

Another thing to guage is how much time do you spend in your room or at your resort? When my son was little, we spent less time at the resort & more time at the Parks. Proximity to MK was paramount at that time. Now, we enjoy our resort as much as the Parks & dining is a key issue. So, a couple nights Savannah view with the remainder at the Dolphin is perfect for us.