Any Bad Experiences At AKL?

[AndyMcV]

Hi Gang

From what I've read on the board everyone seems to really like the AKL. Is there anyone who has a bad stay at the AKL? We're thinking about going in June.

Thanks
A.

 

[madalex]

Stayed at AKL twice and have loved it both times. Beautiful resort (with fabulous theming), nice (if slightly small) rooms, great concierge lounge, wonderful restaurants (especially Jiko), super pool and seeing the animals all over the place is great.

Only complaint about AKL is its location - it is on a somewhat remote part of the property, so it is a long bus ride to all the parks (except AK, of course). However, AKL does not share buses with any other resorts (like the Epcot resort buses do), so the length of the bus ride is balanced against fewer stops.

All in all, a great resort to stay at!

 

[LindaR]

Uuummmmmmmmmmm, we did not like AKL. We stayed there May 2003. We had numerous bad experiences with the front desk and a very bad experience with a waiter at Jiko. We ended up calling Executive Offices and was told that there had been other complaints about the front desk.

The facility itself is fine. Too dark for our tastes, but that's our taste. I am glad that we gave it a try but we won't return there. There too many other resorts that appeal more to us (we had a fantastic postcard rate for AKL).

As you said, this resort seems to appeal to lots and lots of folks. I had a rental car (always get one because I have spinal problems) and this resort is a little more "out of the way" than most but we never thought that was a problem (unless you want to be able to walk to Epcot or hop the monorail).

WDW has so many resorts! They want to appeal to everyone and since we each have different tastes, there are different resorts!

 

[estnh]

Stayed there for a week in 2003 and we loved it. Beautiful lodge, great service and enjoyed the restaurants.


As previously mentioned, the only negative was location--seemed to take a long time to get anywhere.

 

[HopperFan]

Since we have our own car, first trip we drove everywhere.

Last summer we decided to give the bus a try............10 minutes was all it took to get to the MK, alittle less to EPCOT. (that was late May) I thought that was great and was better than some other resorts we have stayed in. I certainly wouldn't let the location make a decision for me.

 

[Kapp]

If you have never stayed there, you need to experience it! We loved the AKL and BOMA!!!!! We found the transportation to be great, we never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes.

You will have a great time!

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kapp

 

[kerri0616]

We had a wonderful trip in Dec. 2003. The sights and smells (good one's, I swear!) are amazing. We booked a standard room (109/nite!) and received an upgrade to savannah view along the 'best' savannah. Just sitting on the balcony watching the animals is worth the price! You don't need to stay concierge to feel like you're really pampered and on vacation, imho.

We did not find the resort 'dark' as others have said. We had a bunk bed room which created additional floor space, so there was plenty of room. Mousekeeping was top-notch. Towel animals almost daily.

Wonderful, friendly CM's. A beautiful pool. I don't think I can say anthing else except that we loved it. We used the bus service and never had a long wait. Just remember you're on vacation, you're supposed to relax, and if it takes 20 min to drive to MK, well that's better than spending 20 min at work anyday!

If you have kids, they'll just love the animals!

Have a wonderful vacation!
Kerri

 

[#1hockeymom]

AKL is one of my favorite places to be! I have stayed there four times and each time has surpassed the time before it. We love absolutely everything about the resort, from the pool bar, to the lobby.... from the balcony, to the music playing as you walk to the bus stop.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

We stayed at AKL last Nov and had very good experiences.
We had a very quick check in and were able to get into our room before 3.
Everyone was very friendly and helpful.
We thought the grounds were nice to walk around and see the naimals and there was so much to do there.

It was a little darker in the rooms than I like but I like it very bright and airy.
BUT... I would say the rooms have soft lighting not really dark. I had no problems reading putting on makeup etc... No complaints.

We liked Mara's and thought it was good especially for quick serve. The African Stew was very good and different from the usual quick service food.
We really liked Boma and had very good food and service.
We did not eat at Jiko but would like to next time.

We thought the bus service was excellent. Much quicker than taking a car. We got a rental but only to go to other resorts etc.
Much easier to take the bus to the parks.

The resort was very clean and it was a vacation destination within itself.

 

[Micca]

I'm always intrigued by those who are concerned by "dark" at the resorts. After a day in the blazing sun "dark" has quite a bit of appeal to me
The only bad experience we've had at AKL is on our first visit they put us alllllll the waaaayyyyy down to one end of the building where you could actually look out of the room where most of the animals weren't. We asked to be move and they got us a better location. Other than than, we enjoy the resort a lot. Never tried the bus as we had a car.

 

[epcotfan]

Uuummmmmmmmmmm, we did not like AKL. We stayed there May 2003.

Same here. I was there late April to Early May 2003. Bad experience.
Dirty Room, Maid threw out personal property and receipts, extremely rude and obnoxious guests (not hotel's fault), Front desk had us wait up till 3am promising fridge to be delivered and never showed....All in all a very frustrating vacation and we are easy to please. This is the first time I ever complained about a hotel room stay. We know the hotel is meant to give an aura of being remote, but we felt really isolated (not in a relaxing way) The public areas were packed with people so there weren't many places to get away from people, other than going back to the hotel room. I really wanted to love this hotel, but I didn't.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Dh and I stayed at AKL this past fall. We absolutely loved the resort and did not find the bus trips to the parks to take very long at all. In fact, our trip from MK to WL for lunch took much, much longer than any park visit we made directly from AKL! What was especially nice was that our buses were never crowded -- not even at the busiest of times. This was quite a change from our visits to other resorts. Additionally, we found the resort to be very quiet and relaxing. The staff was extremely polite and accomodating. I will say that I was not impressed with the looks of the offerings at Mara (chose not to eat anything there), but I'm generally not impressed by ANY of the quick food places.

 

[sherry8253]

My DH and I have stayed at AKL 4 times and have never had a bad experience - everyone from check in to mousekeeping have been very nice and friendly. It is one of our favorite resorts. It is nice to be able to sit out on your balcony and watch the animals with a glass of wine some evenings after walking in the parks all day.

 

[SuperDuperBounce]

I can't understand why people don't seem to like the fact AKL is so far from MK and the rest of the parks. We kind of find it refreshing after a day of crowds and standing in lines and the noise. Leaving the parks and going back to AKL is like going to another world - a nice quiet vacation from your vacation.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I'm always intrigued by those who are concerned by "dark" at the resorts. After a day in the blazing sun "dark" has quite a bit of appeal to me
=QUOTE]

Me, too! I love the somewhat dark decor at AKL...its moody and relaxing. I don't understand why people specifically wouldn't like a room because it decorated in deeper coolers. I really love the way the rooms are done at AKL and probably wouldn't like it if they were done in a way that wasn't consistent with the African theming.

We've had several wonderful stays at AKL and one really, really weird one. The good stays entailed a really unique, beautiful environment and wonderful amenities like jacuzzis next to nearby animals and great landscaping around the pool area. The Mara has some fantastic offerings far above the typical burger/ chicken fingers fare (but those are there, too!). I love the prime rib sandwiches and yogurt parfaits--outstanding!!! The resort has many great nooks to relax in and it feels kind of intimate while having a whole lot to do simultaneously. We've had very good experiences w/ the CMs there!

Our weird experience was when we had a strange run of technical problems. Our original reservation was lost and then reinstated (a bad sign, I guess), but then our sunrise safari reservation was lost (we were able to be fit in, however because we had a confirmation number), we got checked out early for no reason (it happened when we were at the pool and we came back and the room was locked), and then we were overcharged on our bill for the sunrise safari when we went to check out at our regularly designated scheduled time. It was a bizarre issue of technical stuff that ran through the whole stay. A CM on dis thought that our reservation file may have been corrupted that caused all this. In all, I am going to chalk it up to bad luck and definitely stay there again. I would definitely recommend it as well, but make sure if your reservation starts out "lost" then you have them make an entirely new one for you so stuff doesn't keep happening!!!

Have a great trip! We LOVE the deluxe savannah views.

 

[kjs1976]

We had a WONDERFUL experience last May and would very much like to be able to afford to go back. We found none of the most mentioned complaints to be even close to true...dark lighting, problems hearing toilets flushing, long bus rides, long walk from room to lobby...none! We truly loved everything about it and could've stayed there our entire trip and had enough to see, taste, and explore!

I loved the fact that only once...on a trip back from MK after Wishes...was the bus full and some people had to stand. We never had to wait more than 10 min. for a bus to any park (one just pulled away as we got there to go to MGM) and I loved the ride...you get to enjoy the scenery of Florida and WDW property. Oh, and I loved having a cool, shaded place to stand/sit for your bus as you waited...was really nice on those hot, hot afternoons and during rain....a REAL change from the All-Stars!

 

[dmslush]

On our last trip to WDW in 2001, we split the stay between the All Star Movies and AKL. After several days at ASmo (which was kind of fast paced and hectic with so many kids running around) we moved over to AKL and FELL IN LOVE. It was beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. Our room seemed like it was a mile down the hall.. the farther we walked, the more peaceful it became. I swear, it was like strolling into another world. We have decided that we will do this entire trip at AKL so that we can have more time to relax and enjoy the hotel.