Can you see animals at AKL if you're not guests

[FLgirl1203]

We'll be heading to the Poly around Halloween. Our first day is going to be spent at the pool and relaxing. I thought it might be fun to check out the AKL on this visit if we might want to stay there on our next visit.

Is there a viewing area for non-guests to see the animals? Do you normally see some activity or is it a 50/50 chance?

Thanks for your hints!
Beth

 

[kel3420]

From everything I have read, the guards at the parking lot will not just let you in unless you are a guest at the resort OR have reservations at one of the restaurants there. Perhaps you might want to eat dinner there that evening, then you will be able to just wander around, OR perhaps you could take Disney transportation back and forth. I can't imagine they would check everyone's ID when getting on or off a bus.

 

[TammiMcMan]

We love checking out the other resorts while on vacation. This past trip we stayed at the GF, but I made dinner reservations for Jiko's at the AKL. The last time we were down, it hadn't opened yet and I was anxious to see it. We arrived about 2 hours before our reservation time and walked all around the hotel and grounds. They had a great viewing spot outside with staff members to answer any questions you might have. We saw quite a few animals out. The design and theme of the resort is just beautiful. Very much out of the way, so you almost felt like you're in the middle of Africa.

As for getting there, I noticed that all the resorts don't have the same parking policy. For instance, we were always waved through at Boardwalk when they saw our parking pass from the GF, but at other resorts we were stopped and asked why we were there. If you're planning on driving over, I'd check with a CM to find out if AKL has short-term parking for guests of other Disney resorts. Otherwise, you would need to take Disney transportation over and depending on the route, this could take a while. It's really worth the trip over though.

Tammi

 

[Dad of 5]

Originally posted by TammiMcMan
Otherwise, you would need to take Disney transportation over and depending on the route, this could take a while. It's really worth the trip over though.

But, the AKL has buses that aren't shared with other resorts. We stayed there for a few days back in January, and found the transportation to be very reliable.

Definitely make a stop at AKL. There are plenty of places to see animals from the public viewing areas, but there's enough of the resort itself to see to make the visit worthwhile!

 

[Synonymous]

Assuming that you don't want to make a dinner reservation there (which, by the way, you SHOULD do, because Jiko is amazing), it's easy to just hop on the AKL bus when you're done at one of the parks. Then take a cab back to your own hotel. Cabs don't cost much anywhere on the property.

Don't go over too late, though- when we went last February we ate at Jiko, then went ot look for animals around 9:00 p.m. and they were all out of sight.

 

[Magic2000]

We've visited the AKL several times during our stays - BOMA's is a family favorite and we always eat there on every trip now!

Our first time visiting, we had hopped on a bus and went for dinner, and had no problems. My little one stayed at Simba's Clubhouse for an hour while we had dinner. Dinner was great, and Allison loved her stay at the Clubhouse! Afterwards, we wandered around outside and saw many animals! It is truly a beautiful hotel!!!

Since that visit, we always include BOMAs for dinner! And, my kids love the gift shop there too! Hopefully, one time soon, we'll stay there!

 

[RHONDALEE]

We went over to see AKL last month when we were there. I told the guard at the gate that "we came for a visit" and he told me where the parking was and where the pool
was and the resturant and where to see the animals. No problem at all.

 

[ead79]

It is my understanding that you no longer have to have a priority seating and/or be staying at the AKL to come check it out. It's a lovely resort. When you pull up, just tell the guard that you're there to visit. The main viewing area is through the lobby and called Arusha Rock. You will most likely see many types of animals at any given time of day (if it's really hot you might see fewer animals).

 

[ead79]

It is my understanding that you no longer have to have a priority seating and/or be staying at the AKL to come check it out. It's a lovely resort. When you pull up, just tell the guard that you're there to visit. The main viewing area is through the lobby and called Arusha Rock. You will most likely see many types of animals at any given time of day (if it's really hot you might see fewer animals).

 

[NancyK]

We stayed at All Stars this past July. We drove over to AKL and told the guard that we were there to look around the resort. He said, "we appreciate you coming to see us" and told us to have a good time. Oh course, now DH wants to stay there next trip.

 

[kel3420]

Wow, it sounds like they relaxed their rules finally. Maybe after the intial interest after the resort opened, they changed their minds.

Great for us!

 

[DMRick]

We've visited there our last few trips. The guard just waves us through, since we have the paper showing we were staying on Dis property on our dash. We bring books and sit in the rocking chairs off the lobby on the "porch". You can look down on some animals. You can also walk around the outside area and there is generally a guide to give you info on the animals. We enjoyed relaxing there this past August. We were also there last January and enjoyed the decorations. We sat inside on a cold day around the fire place in rockers. I believe they had an outside fire also, to sit around.