Back from the AKL! 12/19 - 12/29

[MsStinkerBelle]

We just got back yesterday morning from a wonderful 11 day/10 night stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. My daughter (8) chose this hotel and I’m really glad she did!

Pros
We were upgraded to a savannah view! When we checked in I asked for a quiet location due to my daughter’s PDD and the construction going on. We had a standard room reserved so when the CM informed me that she’d upgraded our room to a savannah view I almost cried. Our room was located on the Zebra trail (4543) which is quite a hike from the lobby but was very quiet. We passed several places where you could look out on the savannah to see the animals.

Here are a few photos taken from our room’s savannah view:

Mousekeeping was more than efficient. We got one towel animal (Mickey ears and bow tie) but throughout our stay my daughter’s toys were arranged in different ways each night. One time we came back and the mousekeeper made it seem like my daughter’s Baby Stitch had gotten into my sister’s clothes drawer and turned the TV on. Did I mention Baby Stitch was perched on top of one of the headboards with no blanket? Yep, he was ‘nekkid’. LOL!

We ate at the Mara twice and found it to be more than adequate. Boma was a big surprise for us in that the spicy foods served there are things we would have made ourselves so we loved it! Loved it so much we had breakfast there twice and dinner once. It’s a really good value and even if you don’t have adventureous (sp) taste buds you’ll still find things you like.

I have wonder if there really was any construction going on because I heard NOTHING except for the animals and the occasional ‘ranger’ vehicle driving onto the savannah to leave ‘treats’ for the animals to find.

Cons
When I read the reviews about how far this resort was from everything else in WDW, I didn’t think much of it. However, once you’re there and taking buses to the MK and EPCOT, it made me realize just how far away the AKL is from the ‘action’. We didn’t wait long for buses. Our longest wait was about 20 minutes because the bus was full or as we were walking up the bus was leaving. There is just so much time spent riding the bus from the resort to the other parks that it just wore on my nerves. It got to a point where we purposely spent more time at AK (and LOVED it!) rather than venture to EPCOT or the Magic Kingdom (AKA ‘Crazy Kingdom’ during Christmas week). Plus, I got really ‘homesick’ when we visited the MK only to see the Polynesian sitting serenely on the lagoon.

This is probably due to the uptick in crowd levels but I noticed a large increase in people in the lobby of the AKL from Christmas Day on forward. Saw the same thing over in the GF. No big deal as folks like to check out the decorations. It’s just funny because the lobby went from being quite relaxing to being abuzz with constant activity.


Ultimate verdict – This is a wonderful hotel to stay and enjoy yourself. I love it for the same reasons I love the Polynesian—the cultural design and touches that make it much more than just a ‘resort’. There are CMs there from various countries in Africa and we took time to chat with them and learn about their respective homelands. It makes this hotel seem more than what it is. With that said, I’d recommend this hotel to stay in for a few days to relax from your trip down and enjoy the AK park. After that, check into a different Disney hotel, preferably the Polynesian to enjoy the other parks. We’re planning to return to the AKL for Christmas ’09 for a stay before our DCL Western cruise. But for Christmas ’08 we will be returning to the Polynesian for our entire stay.

 

[tinawv]

Thanks for great update and pictureds on AKL. My son has always wanted to stay there, and we are considering it for our next stay. We can't decide between the Poly or AKL. I do like the fact that the Poly is so close to MK, which is where we spend a lot of our time. Outside of the long bus rides to the parks, it sounds like you had a great time.

Happy New Year.

 

[bouldertcr]

My DH, DS, and I are staying at AKL in August 2008! I am thrilled that you had such a positive experience! Loved the pictures! Now, I am really looking forward to vacation! Only 224 more days to go (lol)!!

 

[Candicno]

Great post, and exactly what I wanted to hear!

We are going at the end of January and have a split stay between AKL (first)and Poly(second). We will be doing DS & AK while at the AKL, and MK and EP while at the Poly.

I think it is really going to work out to be two "mini vacations" with a totally different feel. First we will do the newer parks, which have less rides and more atmosphere (to us) and will stay at the AKL where we can relax and watch the animals. Then, we will move over to Poly and do "traditional Disney" with Illuminations, fireworks, parades, etc.

I will admit though, the main reason we are staying at AKL is so we can easily eat a Jiko...its just to much of a hassle to try and get to AKL from another resort!

 

[LukenDC]

There is just so much time spent riding the bus from the resort to the other parks that it just wore on my nerves. Plus, I got really ‘homesick’ when we visited the MK only to see the Polynesian sitting serenely on the lagoon.

That's exactly how I felt when I stayed at the AKL. I found myself feeling distant from the rest of WDW and I really missed the Poly.

 

[John's Mom]

Thanks for the great pictures and your review of the AKL. We are staying at the Poly (first time) Dec. 9-14 and the AKL (our favorite) Dec. 14-19. This will be our first split stay.

I'm looking forward to staying at the Poly because of its tropical atmosphere and location. The only thing I'm concerned about is all the comments on the poor mousekeeping there.

When we stay at the AKL, I just feel so relaxed when I enter the lobby with the great aroma and seeing the animals outside. I feel that I left Disneyworld and entered a different country. I thought it would be better to end our stay at the AKL so that we can relax towards the end of our vacation.

Any info that you could give me on the Poly, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tink's girls]

Does anyone know where the AKL stands as far as construction? My friend is interested in taking her boys there in April or May and has promised them AKL but isn't sure about the construction issue - if there even is one anymore. She's not on the DIS (poor thing!) so I told her I would try to find out. Thanks a bunch!

 

[DISNEYmooner2008]

Thanks for the review and it's great to see you were upgraded!!! DF and I are booked in a standard room for our honeymoon and would LOVE to be upgraded... We are even considering asking maybe..... We will be arriving on 1/6 so maybe there's a chance since the christmas/new years crowd will be gone and the marathon crowd won't be there yet!!

 

[heatherlynn444]

we were there 12-15 through 12-22 in rom 4549. seriously a couple doors down from you guys! we were on the left side of the hall an dhad a couple picutres up on the door. it was quite a hike! i have teh same pic of the giraffes eating from teh tree theey cam and sawed down one day lol. so weird! glad you had a good time

 

[Colinsmom]

we were there 12-15 through 12-22 in rom 4549. seriously a couple doors down from you guys! we were on the left side of the hall an dhad a couple picutres up on the door. it was quite a hike! i have teh same pic of the giraffes eating from teh tree theey cam and sawed down one day lol. so weird! glad you had a good time

Ha! We were in 4549 from 12/5-15, so you got it right after we left! Hopefully you didn't find any surprises from our two young boys. We also got a complimentary upgrade from a standard view room, and were initially disappointed at being so close to the fenceline but we had a ton of animal activity there, and frequently saw 5 giraffes holding a "meeting" across the fence line.

Yes, the room was quite a hike but it was sooooo quiet. I would have been miserable on the third floor in that stretch between the lobby and elevator!

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Any info that you could give me on the Poly, would be greatly appreciated.

Hiya! Feel free to PM me with any Poly questions. I'd highly suggest visiting Steve Siefert's site (Tikiman). He has a wealth of Poly information that would really help you out. Just do a google search on Tikiman and you'll get the URL for his site.

 

[livie1205]

dh,dd2 and I stayed there for the first time in sept because we got a really good deal 129.00 for a standard but we did not think we would like it very much....it is now our fav resort! we loved it..we got a free upgrade to savanna view and it was great...it is kinda far away from everything but thats ok for us because we do not go to parks everyday, we like to relax at the resort some days.the cms were very nice and the hotel was very themed,the only thing we did not enjoy was boma, i really wanted to like it but i didnt...we did like the food court so it was fine and the pool was fun.we loved it so much we are spending next christmas there.we had our choice of any resort because I got such a good deal and we chose to go back to AKL plus my boys will be with us this time and they would LOVE the animals.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Does anyone know where the AKL stands as far as construction?

From what the guy at the DVC open house told me, construction on the main building should wrap up early next year. I know I saw construction cranes on the opposite side of the Zebra trail (I forget what the name is) so if they haven't broken ground on the Kidani Village complex they should soon. There wasn't any construction going on near the Zebra trail at all.

Thanks for the review and it's great to see you were upgraded!!! DF and I are booked in a standard room for our honeymoon and would LOVE to be upgraded... We are even considering asking maybe.....

I'd just mention that it's your honeymoon and you'd like someplace 'quiet'. We ran into friends of ours who were on their honeymoon and they were getting the royal treatment right and left!

we were there 12-15 through 12-22 in rom 4549. seriously a couple doors down from you guys! we were on the left side of the hall an dhad a couple picutres up on the door. it was quite a hike! i have teh same pic of the giraffes eating from teh tree theey cam and sawed down one day lol. so weird! glad you had a good time

Wow!!! LOL! Our door had two stuffed Stitch plushes in a wreath on our door. If you guys saw that, that was our room. I talked with one of the CMs at Rafiki's Planet Watch and he told me all the things they do like leaving 'treats' in the trees for the giraffes and painting PVC pipe to look like fallen tree branches. Did you guys see the 'family' of five zebras? We also saw an ostritch frantically pecking at a lock to get into our savannah.

dh,dd2 and I stayed there for the first time in sept because we got a really good deal 129.00 for a standard but we did not think we would like it very much....it is now our fav resort! we loved it..we got a free upgrade to savanna view and it was great...

I really didn't think I'd like this resort either but wow did my opinion change! And congrats on the savannah view upgrade! Sorry to hear you didn't like Boma that much. I liked the Mara but my only gripe is it closes at 11:30pm! I really felt bad for folks who arrived at the resort really late (late flights) and couldn't get anything to eat. Captain Cooks at the Poly is open 24hrs and I'm spoiled by that. Christmas at the AKL is AWESOME!