Animal Kingdom Resort

[Will The Thrill]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the boards and just had a question.

We recently booked a trip to the Disneyworld in March and we got a great rate on the Animal Kingdom Resort. What's the general opinion of the resort? a few people I talked to liked it but I heard for a couple people that they didn't like it.

So what does everyone think?

Also, what about the Cinderella breakfast at the Grand Floridian? We just tried to get Cinderella's castle and it's booked all week.

 

[Nanb]

My sister & I were at DW last year in December staying at Port Orleans French Quarter and it was very nice;

Then we were out looking at decorations at many of the resorts and AKL just took my breath away. I thought it was absolutely stunning; So much do that I'm staying there next December in a Savannah View room whether my sister can go or not Oh and Boma's was fantastic, now to try Jiko

I never thought I would find somewhere I'd enjoy more than the parks but I can already see myself sitting on a balcony overlooking the Savannah or curled up in that lobby people watching. May not even make rope drop this year

Have a great trip.
Nanb

 

[liftn]

In my opinion, one of the best resorts on Disney property. If you could affor it, I would do a Savannah room. But even if you don't, it is still awesome!

 

[Nancyg56]

My favorite resort!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

AKL is our home resort for DVC. We love it there. The biggest complaints I have heard about AKL is that it is dark and it is far away. IMHO, those are both things I LIKE about it. Really, it isn't as far out as people make it sound, but that perception does make the common areas of the resort less busy since not as many people just pop in to look around. The lighting, we find kind of romantic and who doesn't look better in dim lighting anyway? The savannah views are breathtaking. We love the interior decor and always feel at home there.

 

[Will The Thrill]

Awesome. Thanks for the responses!

 

[NiftyJ88]

I''ll be heading to AKL this Thanksgiving. I'm so excited!

 

[west&east]

Welcome to the DIS Will! Be careful- it is addicting! We are headed to AKL on 1/21. See the AKL Index I put together with tons of info and pics of the resort. The link is in my signature. Happy reading and planning!

 

[Cinderella1122]

AKL is our home resort for DVC. We love it there. The biggest complaints I have heard about AKL is that it is dark and it is far away. IMHO, those are both things I LIKE about it. Really, it isn't as far out as people make it sound, but that perception does make the common areas of the resort less busy since not as many people just pop in to look around. The lighting, we find kind of romantic and who doesn't look better in dim lighting anyway? The savannah views are breathtaking. We love the interior decor and always feel at home there.

Ditto. AKL is fantastic.

 

[aussietravellers]

We spent 21 nights at AKL in April/May in 2008 and we LOVED it. We loved the resort, the rooms, the atmosphere, the restaurants. We had a savannah view room and it was just amazing. Would definately stay there again on our next trip.

 

[ktlm]

I love AKL!!! We had a Savannah room and the giraffes liked to hang out right by it. There is nothing like sitting out on your balcony watching giraffes walk around! It does take a little longer to get places from there just because of the location, but we never had any trouble with the buses.

As for your other question, the GF dinner is Cinderella. The GF breakfast is Mary Poppins and Alice. I haven't been to either yet so I can't give you my opinion, but if you really want the castle, keep calling and checking. People cancel and you might get lucky.

 

[dd08]

DW and I stayed at AKL in December and loved it so much that we decided to buy our DVC "home" there.

The two flaws you mentioned I can see some people having problems with it. However we love it for those reasons.

1. Love the decor, love it, love it. Plus as mentioned before the SV is freaking fantastic for animal lovers like us.

2. The RELATIVE remoteness is what gives it some of the mystique of the first, the savannah view would have the same effect if you saw e.g. the monorail and Epcot in the background. Also, the bus system there was very efficient IMO. There was only a couple times that we waited more than 10 minutes probably for a bus.

that being said, for people that don't like/love animals that much, or like dark decor, or feel like they want/need to be "seconds" away form things; then AKL isn't for you.

 

[ams112007]

I have a question about AK:

for the standard rooms; can we request a Savannah view? Also, I know floors 1-4 are for standard rooms, but what are the views of the Savannah like; meaning we won't be seeing just tall grasses, right?

We're looking into our very first trip (hubby's been once) to Disney World (me, DD, my Mom, Mom in-law) in December 2009 and we want to make this trip the memory of a life time.

TIA!

 

[MickeyNicki]

The Cinderella breakfast at GF doesnt have Cindy, it has Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland and Tigger and Pooh. Dinner has Cindy.

We stayed at the AKL in Oct and I loved it, DH didnt and I think the main reason is because the AKL is way too far from everything for us. We are used to the Epcot and MK resorts but I have always wanted to try AKL. Mousekeeping was very spotty but we had amazing animal views from our balcony. The staff was great, the food was amazing (except Boma dinner blech)

 

[wendypooh]

First - Welcome to the Dis!!!

And from one AKL lover to a "new" one.............. Jambo!!!


Here is a link to some threads regarding AKL - (the lodge) - you will find TONS of info.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=236234
scroll down until you see the links regarding AKL

We LOVE the lodge, it is our FAV. resort. Read through the threads and then if you have more questions ask away!!

As for the Cindy Breakfast - if Cindy is a must - keep trying for CRT, as someone else posted Cindy is not at the GF breakfast. If you just want princesses.............. then I can suggest Akershus Princess Storybook Breakfast.......... it was Fantastic - and we will be doing it again!!!!

Here is another link - Debs site has TONS of information too -- explore it as well.
http://allears.net/din/cb.htm

Hope this helps and good luck planning!!!

 

[mmmagic7754]

Welcome to the DIS boards(you have been sucked into our CULT )You are going to love AKL.

 

[tone.def]

So what does everyone think?

Also, what about the Cinderella breakfast at the Grand Floridian? We just tried to get Cinderella's castle and it's booked all week.

Love Animal Kingdom Lodge and love Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at Grand Floridian! If you want to see Cinderella though, try the dinner there instead if you can get it as Cinderella does not appear at breakfast.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I can't speak for all, but AKL is my favorite resort.

Now having said that....a few months back there wa quite a bit of hype here about how great Boma was, and then a month later there began a rash of people saying they HATED Boma. And other topics have ahd similar waves (before Boma, there was the cult of POR/POFQ, resorts that were not especially to my liking after reading the rave reviews).

One thing that soulnd exciting about AKl is the arrival of the new DVC resort next door. If ou go before it opens, be prepped that you'll encounter some construction and maybe missing animals. If you go after it opens...well...there could be more folks and changes...but you'd also get to check out the new place. so that could be cool. Likewise, if you go during construction - you might just get an early glimpse of somethign cool.

In September, when we were there, the construction impact was minimal. It is amazing in itself how quietly they can do consruction, for example.

 

[chalee94]

i'm more familiar with the DVC side, but i'll take a shot at these...

I have a question about AK:

for the standard rooms; can we request a Savannah view?

you can request a savanna view, but they will charge you more. it's a specific room category.

Also, I know floors 1-4 are for standard rooms, but what are the views of the Savannah like; meaning we won't be seeing just tall grasses, right?

if you have a savanna view room, no, it's not just tall grasses. i saw giraffes, zebras, ostriches and others, like these things.

here are more good pics of AKL, including a panoramic view of the main savanna.

even if you don't book a savanna view room, you can still hang out in several different viewing areas. (BTW, the giant christmas tree and christmas decorations will also make the lobby look amazing in december. see some more pics here.)

We're looking into our very first trip (hubby's been once) to Disney World (me, DD, my Mom, Mom in-law) in December 2009 and we want to make this trip the memory of a life time.

if you do a little research and think the AKL's vibe is appealing, then book it. (you might even save a little money by renting a DVC villa...but you'd need to book very soon.)

for a "once in a lifetime" trip, though, maybe spend a little more and stay on the monorail if that's more your thing. AKL/AKV is one of my favorite resorts but its unique ambiance isn't for everyone (and that's fine.)

 

[mechteach]

We just did a split stay at the Wilderness Lodge and AK Villas (which are still in the AK Lodge), and loved both for completely different reasons. We have two kids, ages 2 and 5. I'll compare the two hotels to try to give you an idea of the advantages/disadvantages of the AKL.

Things I liked about WL instead of AKV:

1) MK is our kids favorite park. The WL was much, much more convenient to that, both via bus and boat.

2) We had a fantastic view of the MK fireworks from our balcony in the WL.

Things I liked about AKV instead of WL:

1) I found the theming at the AKV to be more evocative than at the WL - I think the remoteness helped a lot with that.

2) The children's activities were more varied and frequent at the AKV. The WL has a decent list of activities, but the variety was just so-so, and the cast members running the activities were often a bit lackluster. Every cast member we encountered at the AKV was so enthusiastic, and our kids loved collecting the beads from the activities and actually learning something, too!

3) The casual dining options at the AKV were much better, IMHO. The Mara was better than Roaring Fork, and Boma was MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better than the Whispering Canyon Cafe.


Also, as others have already mentioned breakfast at 1900 Park Fare (in the GF) is not Cinderella. We did both the 1900 PF dinner and the Akershus breakfast. There is a very different ambiance at both - Akershus feels more intimate, 1900PF more like a big bustling room. You will meet more princesses at Akershus, but no guarantee of Cindy. Also, some princesses take their time at each table, while others are a bit more cursory. At 1900PF, Cindy and Prince Charming are definitely there, and seem to spend a good amount of time at each table. The stepmother and stepsisters are also hysterical, and have great interaction with the kids.