Animal Kingdon Lodge??

[NHTikiBeckie]

I am thinking of upgrading from POR to AKL...mostly because of the bus issues at POR. Is the bus service much better at AKL? Are the rooms close to the bus stop?

 

[lilyv]

We stayed at POR in Aug 07, had a wonderful visit. Your post made me smile, because we're now booked at AKL for Oct 08. The buses didn't have anything to do with our decision.

We visited AKL during our POR stay and just fell in love with it. Dined at both Boma and Jiko's, spent some time in the lounge, and sat for a bit in the lobby. The entire resort is just a feast for the eyes!

I wouldn't hesitate to book POR again, but I think, if I can make the budget happen, we'll do AKL in 08 and hopefully we can go to WL in 09.

We do prefer the inside hallways, elevators throughout, and a more localized resort. Whatever you decide, have a great time planning!

 

[DVC Grammy]

Unlike POR, AKL is a hotel resort. The bus stops are outside the building. Some of the rooms are further away from the elevators, as in all hotels, but to get to the bus, everyone has to get to the lobby level.
We haven't stayed there yet (first stay there in Jan.), but have eaten many meals there since it was built. We have found the bus service quite efficient, and from all reports, people staying there say it's one of the best.

 

[Mr Man]

As PP said, AKL is a hotel w/bus service located convenient to the lobby entrance at one place only (no multiple stops).

Given the large size of AKL, this could mean a bit of walking if your room is located near the end of the wings of the resort. However, you would be walking in a carpeted, climate controlled hallwaywith convenient views of the savanah as you walk, rather than being outside.

In short. It's not bad.

Bus service at AKL was the best of any WDW resort we have stayed at to date (FW,POLY, WL, POP & SSR).

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

Since there is only one stop, are the busses usually very crowded?

 

[lilyv]

The buses I took to visit AKL were not even 1/2 full. They were the same when we left the resort to go back to the parks. I'm sure it varies during the day/time of year. It is kind of apples and oranges comparing AKL and POR. One is a deluxe and one is a mod. They really are different in many, many ways.

For me, the buses at POR weren't an issue. There were sometimes plenty of folks waiting, but buses came frequently, people chose their bus, and away they went. I had the good fortune to attend a couple of Olympic events in 02. Those buses were crowded. I never saw anything remotely like that at Disney, ever.

 

[Mr Man]

Since there is only one stop, are the busses usually very crowded?

Not sure about the rest of the year. I was there from 9/9-9/15/ this year. I never had to stand on any bus. Not once. Generally, I am first to stand if there aren't enough seats (just in case DGrandma can see me from heaven ). It never came up.

Regards,

 

[wendypooh]

AKL has one bus stop, outside to the right of the lobby, it is covered, as is the entire walkway. The first door you come to from the busstop is Zawadi Marketplace, or you can keep walking and enter through the lobby doors.

The buses are not shared with other resorts either, the AKL bus goes to and from AKL to your destination, this makes it very nice and typically the buses are not crowded.

Again, wait times vary, but generally the wait is minimal.

Also, I wanted to add that there is no comparison in AKL and POR. AKL is a Deluxe resort, it is a totally different experience in every aspect. The bus situation would be the LAST reason to stay there!!! LOL

We LOVE AKL - we've stayed 3 times and this Feb. will be our 4th. It is an amazing resort. Wether you stay there or not, make sure to go tour the lodge, it is beautiful. You may want to also try Boma or Jiko, both are outstanding!!!

 

[ScottNBecky]

It really depends on what room you get as to how far away form the buses you are. I have heard others say their wait times have been longer than normal at AKL, but we travel there during the peak seasons and we haev never had more than a 15 min. wait.

 

[MomPOM]

I went in early Feb. so I can't say much about crowds. Although, one night the bus was full but it wasn't horrible. The buses were quick to come and going to the parks in the a.m. we were usually one of the few on the bus (then again we used TGM so "they" were going to the bad choices). The only complaint I have about the bus is that you have to walk through the smoking section outside to get from the bus to the lobby and vice versa. I can't remember if I lodged a complaint about it or not but I thought it was pretty ridiculous. They could easily put the smoking section on the other side of the doors and people wouldn't have to walk through it.

 

[Disneenut]

The only thing i can add to this is; i remember that that going BACK to the hotel you walk slightly up hill. This may not be a problem for some people, but i thought i would throw it out there.

 

[KristenHoneymooner]

The buses I took to visit AKL were not even 1/2 full. They were the same when we left the resort to go back to the parks. I'm sure it varies during the day/time of year. It is kind of apples and oranges comparing AKL and POR. One is a deluxe and one is a mod. They really are different in many, many ways.

I don't think it's a deluxe vs. mod issue so much as an AKL-is-in-an-isolated-location issue. When we stayed at GF, we always shared with eiher the Wilderness Lodge or both Contemporary and Polynesian. The sharing really increased ride time!

AKL having its very own busses sounds fabulous!

 

[honeybee30]

We've stayed at POR on several occassions and found the bus service to be pretty bad. It is so frustrating to have a bus pull up 3/4 full with POFQ folks and then get caught in a crowd of other park-goers rushing forward to get a seat. Very disorganized! The lines leaving the parks for POR can also get ridiculously long. We've had to wait for 5 busses before we even got standing room!

Needless to say, we are staying at AKL in two weeks and really looking forward to not sharing busses!

 

[flyball]

We've stayed at AKL three times in the last four years. The bus service is definitely the best of any of the resorts we've visited. The great thing about the AKL transportation is that it is dedicated to that resort. I think the worst bus service we ever had was at WL (it was a while back, but still awful enough to deter us from returning) followed by BWI (which had so many stops that travel time and crowds were definitely an issue). AKL is such an awesome resort in so many ways, even if you're at the end of the hall, it's worth the walk to the bus stop!!!

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

I think the big thing for me is it will cost me $650 to upgrade...would you all say it is worth it? I have never been to either resort and am having a hard time deciding

 

[ScottNBecky]

IF you have never been AKL is a must at some point. As for an additional $650 I understand what you are saying. Could you check to see if a standard view room is available. You wouldnt be able to see the animals from your room, but there are plenty of spots throughout the resort to take advantage of that. And it owuld be cheaper than a Sav. view room.

We usually get a standard view room b/c of the cheaper price as we know we can still see the animals elsewhere at AKL.

 

[Pennykay]

Go for AKL. We have been to both and it is definitely worth the 650.00. Have fun!!

 

[pwrflpills]

$650 for how long? A couple days or a week? Could be worth it, but don't forget that basically everything is upgraded in price at the Deluxe resorts. So you'll have extra spending in that respect as well. You'll need to ask yourself how much an additional $650+ is for you in the big picture. It might be worth treating yourselves to a deluxe if you can swing it. Then it won't eat away at you wanting to try it in the future. I could possibly feel this way from experience...

As far as bus service is concerned, I've stayed at both, so here is my read. We never had an issue of overcrowded buses at POR, but because the place is so spread out and there are multiple stops, it can take forever for a bus to come. However, all I ever read on here is how crowded the buses are there, so I guess we got lucky. I would recommend walking to the lobby, grabbing a drink and waiting at the main stop in front of the hotel.

Conversely at AKL the bus stop is centralized and the busses are not crowded, but we also had to wait quite a long time for the bus for our destination (Epcot) to show up. The buses come in dedicated to a particular destination. I think 2 or 3 came for MK before our first one came for Epcot. So I suppose that is luck of the draw as well. Finally you've got a fairly long ride to other places on property. That was kind of annoying to me and a main reason why I didn't want to stay at AKL. It's a not a big deal in the big picture and a nice long bus ride at the end of a park day can serve as a nice lullaby to small children. I just prefer to be closer to the action.

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

The $650 is for a standard room and we are staying for a week. I think I am going to go for it...the longer bus rides dont bother me too much, just waiting forever and seeing lots of crowded busses go by is a little annoying. So tough!

 

[Lilolvr]

I am thinking of upgrading from POR to AKL...mostly because of the bus issues at POR. Is the bus service much better at AKL? Are the rooms close to the bus stop?

It is not shared with any other resort so it's much better.