blasphemy I know AKL question

[reeddi]

I got one of the e-mails with a pin code. We just returned from down there April 19th. BUT....I explained to my husband what a GREAT deal this was with food included and everything. So he says "well, ok, but only if we stay at AKL since that is your dream." It is my dream to stay there anywhere but I was looking at the difference in prices and I need your help.

I can stay Standard $1907
Pool View $2051
Savannah $2358
This is for 5 nights/6 days, tickets and dining plan for all 4 of us.

Now, of course, if money were no object it would be savannah. But the question I have to ask is "Is it really worth $90 a night for savannah view?" I know there are places you can look at the animals from the resort, so does it make sense to spend that much money?
Are there any pool view rooms that have animals in the distance or anything?


Like I said "Blasphemy I know."

 

[kimlooman]

We stayed at the AKL in Nov. of 2004 and did stay in a sav. view room with the bunk beds (the bunk beds are neat for the kids!). We loved seeing the animals out our balcony but we were not in the room that much to even enjoy it that much. We were either swimming or at the parks or eating somewhere. We got great AP rates for the room but we both agreed that we would go standard next time just because they have great look out places where you can sit and enjoy the animals and for us we were not in the room enough to warrent the extra money. Now if money is not an issue than go for it, but for most of us Disney fans I am sure that is not the case. Good luck with your decision. We really enjoyed the AKL and would definitely go back there again sometime.

 

[webray]

Savannah view rooms are outstanding..and if that is your dream, I would definately go for it.

Pool view rooms are great also..you don't get to see all the animals though. One view has a small savannah behind the pool.

AKL is an outstanding resort..either way you go..you will have a wonderful time. Especially for those great prices.

 

[whacked]

The real question is....

Would you rather have a savanah view, or $540 extra to spend in the parks.

That's the fundamental choice you are making.

Myself, I'd rather take the money in to the parks, and walk to the viewpoints in the lodge.

Only you can decide which is more important to you.

 

[fam4jc]

If you can afford it, take the Savannah view room. It will make a huge difference! We are in the parks 8 plus hours a day (my girls are still small yet) and we still were anxious to come back to our room to sit on the balcony at night! I loved sitting on the balcony in the early morning with my cup of coffee taking in the sights. It is SO worth the extra money! If you can't afford it, take the standard view and spend as much time as you can at the windows and other viewing areas. You will LOVE and ADORE this resort. My only complaint was I wish I had brought a book light as it is dark in the rooms and I couldn't read and not disturb my girls

 

[BigOnDis]

I would say that if you are questioning the money and if to spend it on have the animals right outside your room, then I wouldn't do it.

We have stayed in all three room types over the years, and I booked Pool View for this summer. The animals are nice, but we just didn't spend a lot of time watching them. We very much enjoyed the more central location of the Pool view. We didn't have quite so far to walk to the pool or the Mara for refills in our mugs. As a poster once respnded to me, "the animals in the pool can be more interesting than the real animals"

I know you will enjoy whatever you decide.

 

[isanda]

We visited last July and had a Savannah view room on the same level as the lobby. We loved sitting out in the morning and at night watching the animals by artificial moonlight. I would have though the pool rooms are a little noisier and some of the standard rooms overlook the bus stands.

The whole point of AKL in my view is the wonderful atmosphere of being so close to the animals in your own room.

Our room

The bunk beds

and best of all the view from the balcony!!!

 

[Disney01]

I also think it depends on what Savanahh you get. The poster above obviously had Arusha Savannah. We had Uzima and were over the "People Pens". We did see animals, but they were a little further away. If I had not gotten a great code, I would have been disappointed.

 

[cocowum]

I'd go with the pool view. We just returned from AKL last week and we had a pool view booked and we had been upgraded to a savannah and I turned it down. Like others have said it's a lovely view and we enjoyed seeking out the animals. You can beat the central location. Here are a few pics from our last stay.

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

Even if I am viewing the animals for a few hours a day from my room - it is worth it! I have many great memories of watching them at 2am, or at 5:30am with a cup of coffee while the rest of the family sleeps, or at 11pm waiting for the family to fall asleep...

It beats watching Krissa on the tv!

-Joe

 

[reeddi]

I "think" I will go for the standard and spend time at the viewing points. It hurts the frugal side of me to pay that much. Thank you all for your view points though, it sure did make me stop and think. I know I will go back someday with just my hubby - so I may do the savannah view that time.

Thanks again for all of your input and for the beautiful pictures. I hope I can get a room with the bunk beds.

Hey does anyone know a good standard to request or should I just keep quiet and maybe get an upgrade to Pool View?

 

[Leota]

I think it all depends on your WDW style. We have come to the point where we enjoy down time at the resort alot. We enjoy spending time on our balcony relaxing & enjoying just being there.
For us, AKL wouldn't be worth it without a Savannah view. There are other, more central resorts we enjoy much more for amenities, theme etc.... If not for the Savannah view, we wouldn't go at all.

But, like I said, it's all a personal choice, based on what you enjoy in a vacation.

 

[pouncingpluto]

I totally agree with Leota.

I really think savanna view is worth it. It's such a unique experience... no other hotel like it. When we pay the money to stay there, we want to get the true experience of the hotel. Otherwise, we'd stay somewhere else.

If we want luxury, we can try Grand Floridian. If we want the best pool, we can do Beach Club or Yacht Club. If we won't be in our room much, we can go for a moderate. But Animal Kingdom... it's all about the animals!

 

[leighe]

All these wonderful pictures are making me miss AKL - my favorite Disney resort!

I would go with the pool view. When we were there (April 2004) we had a savannah view and my in-laws were across the hall in a pool view room. I thought their view was wonderful since the AKL pool is so beautiful. I did love our savannah view as well, but we weren't in the room that much and we really enjoyed wandering around the resort and watching the animals from the public viewing spots. I would save the money and spend it in the parks.

Have a great trip!

 

[gigi1313]

we're going with a standard view in september... and cannot wait!!

does anyone have a recommended standard view that we should request (i.e. particular trail?) if so, suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[BostonRob]

The real question is....

Would you rather have a savanah view, or $540 extra to spend in the parks.

That's the fundamental choice you are making.

I see this sort of logic on these boards all the time and it is flawed. What makes you thing that the person who saves $540 on their room is going to turn around and blow in it the parks? That presumes that the poster has a budget and intends on spending every last dime. Not everybody vacations like they're in "Brewster's Millions" - there's nothing wrong with coming home with a few dollars in your pocket.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Chill out, Boston Rob, or I am gonna throw some olives at you! BTW...I always lurk on threads you post on cuz you are usually pretty funny!

I agree with what cocowum said. I have only stayed at AKL once and we had a pool room booked, and then we got a complimentary upgrade to savannah. I am glad I did it, cuz now I "know" for future reference...I would prefer the pool view.

 

[BostonRob]

Chill out, Boston Rob, or I am gonna throw some olives at you! BTW...I always lurk on threads you post on cuz you are usually pretty funny!

I agree with what cocowum said. I have only stayed at AKL once and we had a pool room booked, and then we got a complimentary upgrade to savannah. I am glad I did it, cuz now I "know" for future reference...I would prefer the pool view.

OK, a more productive response would have been this:

The AKL is beautiful - you probably won't be disapointed with any room. If view is important, but you don't want to spring for the big ticket Savannah View, then yes, I agree with those who suggest pool view.

The thing I learned in my recent stay at the AKL is that the Savannah views are kind of hit-or-miss in a couple of different ways. First off, there are several different savannahs and several different trails. Some ARE better than others. When you factor in the floor variable, - middde floors are best, tops and bottoms aren't as good, you've got to realize that there's a wide spectrum of view quality. No matter when you book, no matter when you check in, no matter what you request, there's no way of knowing what you're going to get. Compound this with the fact that, unlike any other hotel view I've ever heard of, the animals MOVE. We're not talking animitronics here - they actually go away. Yes, the staff feeds them in different places so they'll be in front of your room at some point. But you may be in a park, in a restaurant or in the shower at that time!

If you're unsure about spending the difference between pool view and Savannah view, that tells me you have a high probabability of being disapointed. Just spend a couple of bucks for the pool view - you know what you're getting and it is beautiful.

BTW, I loved the AKL. I probably won't make it back for many years, but I will go back.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

*SIGH* there is the sweet Boston Rob I know and love....

 

[Nik's Mom]

We just got back from the AKL and loved our savanah view room, even though we were overlooking the people pen on the Urusha savanah. We sat out on our balcony every day and watched the animals! If you don't want to get the savanah view, you could always just walk around the resort to see the animals. Either way, you can't go wrong with AKL!