Concierge & AKL

[aubeone]

Who has stayed concierge at AKL? Is it worth the money? What are some of the benefits you recieved. I am very interested in the early morning safari available to guests who stay concierge.

 

[VAgal76]

The cost of concierge is debatable. Some feel it is completely worth it while others thinks it's a complete waste of money. You're paying for service and extra amenities not just food offerings. That being said - It was SOOOO worth it for myself and my crew. Especially at the AKL with the safari offerings. I've not yet done sunrise safari, but it gets high praises from others that have done it. I was fortunate enough to experience sunset safari and was thrilled with it. This is our family's favorite resort though some other deluxes received high marks. Once we walk-in our shoulder tension just melts away.

 

[DutchsMommy]

We were at AKL concierge in Feb '05 and LOVED it. The sunrise safari was totally worth the $$ - one of the highlights of our trip. We found the concierge staff and food offerings great. I had settled the price in my mind and didn't feel like it was hanging over my head. I think if you are always thinking about the $$ you have spent you might not enjoy it as much, but if you can rationalize the expense personally then I think it is great.

 

[Plannergirl]

HI we were there one month ago today *whine cry pout* and to me yes the money was very worth it. I enjoyed the munchies and sunset safari so very much.

However

The desk staff was not very helpful in getting stuff done-they cant book same day dinner ressies downtown disney, they seemed clueless on spa services at other resorts and gave crappy directions to get to them.

Sunset safari is worth every penny and more. I think having that the night before the Sunrise safari may have had an impact on our view but I was less thrilled with the sunrise safari:
1) save for the few min your behind the scenes on the bus going into the park its pretty much the same ride with longer picture stops. In fact ours was a shorter trip than the normal ride and did not see the elphants etc.
2) having 45 folks made for a zoo. We never thought about cranky bratty kids at 7 AM who just wanted to yell, scream and throw fits while the guide was trying to tell us about the animals. Even after the "lets try to be quiet so we dont scare the animals" game the kids were still going full tilt. Mind you there was I guess 10 kids on the ride but 4-5 of these girls 9-10 year olds I am guessing were horrid. I could have saved myself the money and done the normal ride sans the headache.
3) b-fast was VERY good but same girls were running and throwing food, guests were leaving as fast as they could to avoid said kids. We sat next to the animal guide and he said this happens more than hed like to admit and it makes it VERY hard on the staff.

Sunset Safari was out of this world, the info from the animal keepers and the ability to see the animals from sometimes less than 6 inches is something I just cant put into words.

Dinner-go hungry becouse its some fantastic food and LOTS of it!

We will stay on the concierge floor at AKL again but we wont be taking the sunrise safari.

Hope this helps!

 

[lisareniff]

Is it worth the money?

Always a good question .... but it depends on how much money you have!!

I will say we enjoyed ACK CL and did not feel cheated. I don't think we would do CL every time but maybe every few years.

- the preplanning service was great. Personal phone call from the IPO.
Was able to get, then switch, a CRT ADR for us along with a number of other ADR's.

- Loved the Sunrise Safari. We didn't have the screaming children on our trip the ones that were there were attentive and very interested in what was going on. (Including ours thank goodness!) Breakfast was great.

- Lounge was very nice and great for snacks. I wouldn't think of it as a meal but it was great to pass by and have a drink or a light breakfast on the way to the parks. We enjoyed the snacks they did serve from Boma in the evening. Yumm!

Sooo... how important are these things to you? (there might be more I'm missing) Would you pay the difference in price for these things?

 

[Peter Pirate]

Concierge is never "worth" the money but if you can afford it it is fantastic.

The CM's, the offerings (particularily) and the ability to do the special safari's are just GREAT!

Conciege can never be quantified monetarily but it's great if it fits into your personal "situation" and believe me AKL Concierege is the best of the best!!!