Anyone not like the AKL

[themainemom]

Stayed at AKL last week. Is there anyone else out there who does not like AKL? I found it to be VERY dark. The pool was great and it was nice to see animals. We went through Beach Club to walk to Epcot and I thought "ah, this is what I was looking for" so bright and cheery. I just found AKL to dark.

 

[zalansky]

I agree with you. We booked AKL after our Disney cruise in 2003 and when we checked in we found it far too dark and it seemed gloomy, especially after coming off the cruise! We checked out right after we checked in and ended up at Port Orleans.

 

[Danadisney]

I have heard that same comment about the AKL....We found it to be relaxing which we could always use when visiting WDW! We never want to rest, we just keep going, going, and going!!! We like the BC too though. It is prime location and beautiful resort!

 

[dawgfan]

Same here. I am into the brighter stuff and noted the theme here as not quite what I wanted. It was an interesting place but just not where I would stay. I feel the same about the WL. I do not like the theme.

 

[Stitch Inside]

Stayed at AKL last week. Is there anyone else out there who does not like AKL? I found it to be VERY dark. The pool was great and it was nice to see animals. We went through Beach Club to walk to Epcot and I thought "ah, this is what I was looking for" so bright and cheery. I just found AKL to dark.

We check in next Friday, should we pack flashlights?

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We didnt like it at all. We were there once and the 3 ds have begged us not to go back there. The whole time we were there little ds kept up the mantra, this is my worst vacation ever, take me back to the Polynesian, over and over again. We had alot of issues like attacked by bugs going to pool, burning my mouth on the spices on the sugar cane chicken at the mara, getting food poisoning at boma, just me, dirty towels on the floor, broken ice machine in the hall and the worst was hardly ever seeing any animals the whole time from our balcony which we paid alot for, like deluxe savannah view. Didnt matter what time of the day, only time they would come was when the feed truck was there, also some cm at the front desk with an attitude, what, you want to change your room because you cant see any animals and its too far away etc. Thanks but no thanks again for the akl. You couldnt get me to stay there unless I won a free trip there. Also little ds thought the story teller was boring, o.k. in his defense, our pastor was a missionary in africa and always told us lots of stories, so I guess he just didnt want to hear any more etc., the craftsman in the gift shop acted like we were bothering him etc. I tried to keep an open mind, we did have a chuckle, we finally saw a few giraffe, when at like 5:30 am when the mears guy (also a never again) came to pick us up, not from our balcony, but in the public viewing area as we were walking to the lobby. I think we are probably an exception however, most people love AKL.

 

[kpm76]

We've never stayed there but walked around quite a bit on our last trip to see if it was somewhere we would like to stay and we determined it just isn't our style at all. I agree with many of the above posters...seems very dark, not cheery. So many people love it though....it's just a matter of personal preferance.

 

[J and R's mom]

You can add us to the list of nay-sayers. On our last trip to WDW we took the bus from Animal Kingdom over to AKL to check it out and eat lunch (we were staying at the Wilderness Lodge on that visit...which we LOVE). I almost booked us to stay there instead of WL because it was new and seemed like it would be a neat place to stay. But, we decided to stay somewhere we knew that we liked and check this resort out for our next visit. I'm glad we did it that way.

My husband and I were so disappointed in the resort (AKL). It was dark and depressing and it had a bad smell to it (I guess from all of the animal droppings).

We kept getting lost, even though we thought we were following the signs. The pool was nice, but food court was also very disappointing and dark. And the busses to and from the hotel took too long.

We were glad we went over there, though. It let us see that we don't want to stay there.

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

Wow - we feel just the opposite - we love it! and we love WL too...

AKL had the best customer service of any Disney resort we have been too, no bad smells - just great ones from Boma! - no bugs, lots of animals all the time from our balcony - we knew it would be on the dark side, but we like the darker tones - no need for a flashlight! it isn't that dark!

Our one and only complaint is that the hallways going to our room were very cold - AC must have really been working!

They clean the savannahs at least twice a day, if not more, to remove the animal droppings.

We are returning to AKL in June and WL in December...

 

[NeverWantToGrowUp]

We stayed in AKL two weeks ago, and my family didn't like it that much either. We did see quit a bit of animals from our room but that novelty worn off after two days. Our DD and DS like the pool and the novelty of watching animals from our room the first two days but that's pretty much it. But the number one reason that we will not go back to AKL...the bus ride to any park other than AK is just too long!!! After two days of long wait and long ride on the bus, we started to drive and park in Boardwalk Inn so we can just walk to EPCOT or MGM and to MK resorts to hop on monorail to the park.

 

[liznboys]

There were some things about AKL we didn't like either. And yes, the darkness of the decor in our room was one of those things. It was cool at first, but after a couple days, it got old, we needed light!! But we also got stuck in a room with a solid wall balcony, which prevented as much light from coming in...making it even darker. It's interesting... We visited AKL on our previous trip and were WOWED by it, which is why we chose to stay there in Feb. But after staying there for 6 nights, we realized that it is the kind of resort we like to VISIT, but not stay.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

Our family is split on the AKL. Me and my DD17 and DD18 love it...(I love all Disney Resorts to various degrees) but it is not my DW's favorite resort. She likes the animals but is not crazy about the decor or menu offerings.

I guess we will have to leave her home the next time we go to AKL.
(Yea, that will happen)

 

[tinkerbeth]

I have to be devil's advocate...we LOVE AKL. In fact, my non-disney-nut husband will only go back to WDW if we stay at AKL. That's his favourite part of the vacation. Last time, we stayed at ASMo and we wished we had stayed at AKL.

We like the darkness...I found it Soooo restful. Also we were there in August and it was HOT so the dark cool inside was very refreshing. I LOVE the smell and feel and look of the lobby. As soon as I walk in, I take a big deep breath and I feel better about the world... and not just the "world", I mean the WHOLE world...

Love the pool, L VE Boma, love the grounds, love the CM's, love the people who are from Africa and can tell you about the animals, love the animals, love the artwork, love the artifacts from Africa, love the couches in the lobby with the cartoons.

Can you tell we LOVE this place? Now granted, it is the only Deluxe I'm willing to pay for and so we have never stayed at GF or Poly or BC so I can't comment on the people who said they liked those places better.

Oh man. I hope we can go back this summer. Come on AP rates!

Just my .02!

Beth

 

[s&k'smom]

We liked it too. Though I can understand people feeling it was dark we found it relaxing. My kids loved the pools and we saw animals every time we passed any of the big windows. We found the food really good especially Boma which my husband just loved the smell wafting through the lobby. I will admit WL is his favorite but I can see us there again.

 

[cjsmith]

We've stayed there once and didn't care for it at all. We were thrilled the next morning when we transferred over to spend the rest of our time over at the Yacht Club. Our check in was horrible, our room was clean and the AC didn't work properly,their answer was to give me a fan! Plus othe place was just too dark for me. It's a neat resort to visit, it just doesn't have a deluxe feel to me like the Y&B club and GF.

 

[robinb]

We love it too. But ... that's why WDW has all kinds of resorts at all price levels.

 

[doodlebug]

We just got back on Monday from AKL and we almost didn't move over there from POFQ because we were liking POFQ so much but are glad that we did... It was a little dark but was very, very relaxing.. We had a savannah view and the only time there weren't animals out there was right after we checked in at 11am but from then on out there was always lots of animals... I also loved the smell of the lobby when you walked thru the door, the story telling by the firepit, the wonderful CMs out by the savannah that loved to talk to you, the rooms were very comfortable and the pool was a hit with the kids!!!

 

[WDW LOVR]

We stayed there for 3 nights for the first time a month ago, and I have to agree. We were not terribly impressed.

We saw the same 2 giraffes and one ostrich the whole time from our savannah view room. Nothing else. Our room was about as far as you could walk to the left so when I wanted to get a cup of coffee in the morning I worked up a sweat just getting to Mara.

The mousekeeping left quite a bit to be desired. A couple full trash cans and used towels on the bathroom floor when we checked in. Towels left on the floor 2 of the 3 mornings. Broken remote for the T.V. (although that was replaced promptly).

We thought the pool was nothing special. The water slide was lame. It was a bus trip to everywhere except the AK. We thought Mara was organized chaos.

To be fair, we thought the Lobby was themed nicely and I enjoyed Boma although my unadventurous family did not.

My whole family agreed we probably wouldn't stay there again. There are too many other resorts we enjoy more.

 

[sleepyone]

My family of 5 loved AKL! In fact my 2 year old dd wanted to leave MK and go back to the room! Also, once we got home she was disappointed...she wanted to go back to the "room". My oldest dd8 loved the pool, the animals, and the activities. I especially thought the CM's were very friendly and helpful. I know CBR will be a different experience but, I hope CBR lives up to the magic of our first trip.

 

[Goofy's Muse]

We like the darkness...I found it Soooo restful. Also we were there in August and it was HOT so the dark cool inside was very refreshing. I LOVE the smell and feel and look of the lobby. As soon as I walk in, I take a big deep breath and I feel better about the world... and not just the "world", I mean the WHOLE world... ...
Beth

I did not expect to like the AKL all that much, but this was my exact sentiment when walking into the AKL lobby for a dinner PS at Boma last August after a long, hot day at AK. At least for a visit I found the resort to be both intriguing and restful. Two of my three kids felt the same way and would love to stay there sometime. I doubt it would be for a full trip as we love both the theming and park proximity of several other resorts (e.g., BC and GF) but a few days at the AKL would be quite nice!