Animial Kingdom Lodge

[germ539]

I have been doing some checking for a May 26-Jun 1 trip and the "Spring" special that disney is offering now is showing during the time we are going to get a "club" level room is a savings of $568.96from the original price. Is this really a good deal? If it is, would I still be able to get this deal if we went through a TA? We've never stayed at AKL, in 2007 we were supposed to stay there but ended up moving to OKW because of the construction that was going on at that time for the Villas. Any help would be appreciated. We need to make a decision on where to stay by the end of next month. TIA!

 

[disneybeachprincess]

We love - I mean LOVE - the AKL! By all means, book a savannah view room. It is amazing! You will love the entire lodge but the animals out your window is truly spectacular! It's always different & an experience in itself! I could sit all day on the balcony & watch them The villas have small kitchens which is very nice, especially if you have kids or like to have breakfast in the room, like we do. I haven't stayed at the club level but it comes with lots of perks. Good Luck & remember the savannah view!

 

[toodycat]

We love AKL. We stayed club level in 2010 for DH's 50th. It was very nice, but we wound up spending so much time in the parks that we didn't really take advantage of it. The club level rooms are not on the same floor as the club lounge at AKL, so you have to take the elevator if you want continental breakfast, midday snack or pre-dinner appetizers. Whether you decide to stay CL or not, make sure you have a savannah view. There is nothing like it.

 

[cbg1027]

I have been doing some checking for a May 26-Jun 1 trip and the "Spring" special that disney is offering now is showing during the time we are going to get a "club" level room is a savings of $568.96from the original price. Is this really a good deal? If it is, would I still be able to get this deal if we went through a TA? We've never stayed at AKL, in 2007 we were supposed to stay there but ended up moving to OKW because of the construction that was going on at that time for the Villas. Any help would be appreciated. We need to make a decision on where to stay by the end of next month. TIA!

How many nights is the price you were quoted for? And what sort of view does the room have? We need more info to know if it's a good deal or not.

Is it a percentage off the room only rate? Does it include tickets and/or a DDP?

I believe a TA can get all those same deals offered to the general public. Be warned that if you decide to use a TA, you cannot make any modifications to the reservation yourself - everything from then on has to be through the TA.

I LOVE AKL. It's amazing, relaxing, and unique resort. I could spend days there without ever going to the parks!

 

[germ539]

6 nights and the rate was first listed as room only then I added on the park hopper tickets but no DDP. This is what it says on the Disney website when I chose the room type

Standard Room - Club Level
All rooms have 2 queen-size beds, one king-size bed with one day bed, or one queen-size bed with bunk beds, table and chairs on private balcony, ceiling fan, vanity area with 2 sinks and bath. Sleeps 3 or 4. The number of rooms with king-size beds is very limited. All rooms are non-smoking. Amenities include in-room safe, voice mail, high-speed Internet access (additional fee), alarm clock, DVD player, hairdryer, iron, ironing board, coffeemaker, refrigerator and Pack 'n Play® playard. A full-size crib is available upon request. Standard Room, Kilimanjaro Club rooms offer a view of a one of the savannahs at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Kilimanjaro Club includes advance Walt Disney World Resort Itinerary Planning service, personalized Front Desk and Concierge service, evening turndown service with chocolates, secure key access to the Club Level Lounge, which serves refreshments from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, complimentary Health Club access, weekday newspaper delivery of USA Today, complimentary fax assistance. Club Level Guests can book and experience the Sunrise safari and the Wanyama safari.

Date Rate per Night
Sat, May 26 $ 416.50
Sun, May 27 $ 386.75
Mon, May 28 $ 364.00
Tue, May 29 $ 364.00
Wed, May 30 $ 364.00
Thu, May 31 $ 364.00

I think that it would be an advantage for us if we could do the club level, I would like to have the breakfast and food options. If we stay at a regular hotel you have to go down to the area where the food is for the continental breakfast so it being on a different floor wouldn't be a big deal. We've never stayed club level at Disney so, I thought it would be neat to try.

 

[germ539]

I would also like to be able to do the special safaris that are offered and it seems you can only do those if at club level

Also, can you use both pools if you are staying at the AKL? How far is the other pool from the main building?

 

[cbg1027]

I think that is a decent deal. You're getting 15-20% off rack rates there and it may be the best discount available to you.

If you are a passholder or FL resident, you might be able to get a deeper discount, but if you're not either one of those 15-20% is a decent deal.

I would hop on it while it's available, because they only allot a certain number of rooms to be booked with that pricing. Once they are gone, you will only be able to book the room at rack rate.

For further savings, you can buy your tickets from an authorized ticket dealer like Undercovertourist.com. It's not a huge savings, but if you're going to be buying 6 day park hoppers for several people, you could be looking at around $100 bucks and that's nothing to laugh about.

I haven't stayed in CL before so I can't if it's completely worth it. My personal feeling is that the only real perk is the food and beverage offerings in the lounge, and that's not worth the price difference for me. It may be to you though.

The Sunrise Safari is only available to AKL CL guests, but the Wanyama (Sunset) Safari is available to any AKL guest.

Yes, you can use both pools at AKL when staying there. The Kidani Village Pool is about a 12 minute walk from the Jambo House lobby. Obviously, the Jambo House pool will be much closer since you'd be staying in that building. I haven't been to the Kidani Pool, but I hear it has a better wet play area for children.

I'd recommend checking out the All Ears.net FAQ page on AKL. Look at the photos and check out the maps so you understand the layout:
http://allears.net/acc/faq_akl.htm

 

[pamkat1820]

We stayed at AKL in 09. It was a great experience. Totally worth it at least once. Transportation was not my favorite- it was a long wait. But the view and safri is totally worth it all