AKL is a wonderful hotel; however, here are a few disadvantages if you stay there. You may want to consider the following:
AKL is great. I've stayed there several times, and have especially enjoyed the concierge. I did stay there at Christmas and found the decorations to be kind of boring and probably the least festive of any of the other Deluxe resorts. There are lots of things to like about AKL.
1. The animals. IMHO, dont book an AKL room unless you book a Savannah room; the Savannah room view is what makes this resort so unique, and you give up a lot for that view, so dont settle for a view of the pool or parking lot.
2. Public animal viewing spaces.
3. A nearly perfectly executed theme.
4. The art at AKL is distinctive and is an attraction unto itself.
5. AKL concierge. With a stay in the concierge you have the opportunity to experience an exclusive animal safari at the AK.
6. Proximity to the AK. There is, obviously, no closer resort to the AK than the AKL; if you spend a lot of time at AK, you cant do better than the AKL.
7. Interesting restaurants.
8. A large, zero entry free form pool with a water slide.
9. Arusha Rock storytellers each evening.
10. Some rooms with bunk beds.
11. Deluxe rooms that sleep five people.
12. Remote location (this is a Con for some).
Despite all the good things about AKL, it is not for some people. The following negatives should also be considered:
1. The views, while impressive at times, are also often times devoid of animals, and the vehicle trails are less than picturesque; it is not much fun to pay for a view of animals and get a view of a maintenance road.
2. The décor is not for some people. The rooms are dark and cool.
3. Distance from MK, Epcot & MGM. While it is true that AK busses are not shared with other resorts, in off-season, the busses often make a stop at the AK after leaving the AKL and then heading on to their destinations. This makes for a very long commute to the parks.
4. Only 1 pool. This pool, while large, gets crowded. There is no quiet pool, so it is also very noisy.
5. Limited recreational activities. There is, naturally, no beach or boating, but there is also no jogging path and no tennis courts.
6. Inconvenience to other resorts. The AKLs biggest drawback, IMHO, is that it is very difficult to get to any other resort. You must take a bus to a Theme Park or DTD and then transfer to another bus to get to any other resort. This is an especially big problem if you (1) get tired of the food at your resort or (2) are not an adventurous eater. Every other deluxe resort has boat or monorail access to at least two other resorts so that you can take advantage of additional restaurants and recreational activities.
7. Standard views often have highway noise.
8. The walk to your room can be extremely long.
9. Price. Savannah view rooms are expensive.
10. Non-deluxe rooms are small.
11. Remote location (this is a Pro for some).
The Grand Floridian is beautiful, and the concierge service is wonderful (I have not stayed in Sugar Loaf, but RPC is great). GF does have boating, a beach, two large pools (1 with zero entry and a waterslide), tennis, jogging, a full service spa, 5 restaurants, about 20 percent larger rooms than AKL (also, turndown service is standard at all GF rooms), mini-bars, monorail access to MK, CR and the Poly, Monorail to Epcot via the TTC, fireworks cruises, the Pirate Cruise for little ones, the afternoon tea, character dining and some rather expensive shopping. Which brings me to the GF's single biggest drawback - It is expensive. That goes for the shops, rooms and restaurants. The rooms can be a bit of a walk from the transportation, and self parking is the most inconvenient of any resort on property (it is across Floridian Way-quite a hike to the front of the resort, much less to any room). There is also a convention center, though don't mistake this for a typical convention hotel. Shorts and mickey ears outnumber suits and ties 10 to 1.
IMHO, if you can afford the difference, I'd go with a room at the GF Concierge vs. 2 rooms at the AKL.
