Did you love AKL?

[deslynnpatterson]

tell me about AKL-- what did you love about this resort? what did you not like? How are the buses? and what if we do not have a savanna view room is it still work the stay-- i am having a very hard time choosing a deluxe resort-- and need help! We are thinking of renting points let me know what you think of AKL

 

[MYD714]

I stayed at AKL in July 2008 and I loved it!

I was traveling with my best friend and her two kids (2 & 3). Her husband was at a convention at a different hotel and actually ended up staying with us some nights. We were in a room with two queen beds, and, to my surprise, never felt crowded. The rooms were a bit darker than other resort rooms, but I liked that. It created a relaxing atmosphere after a busy day.

We ate at Mara every morning and rarely met crowds there. We didn't get to use the pool, but it was never too crowded.

The buses were not a problem. Although, the walk back from the buses is a bit uphill, making it hard to carry children after an exhausting day. Some people feel that the bus trips are long, but I thought they were comparable to other resorts. Bus transportation is hit or miss at all resorts.

The kids loved the animals and would have been content to just watch the zebras from our room all day. Every morning I awoke to the sound of "Look, zebras!" That alone made the trip worthwhile.

I was hesitant at first because I thought it was too far out and that I would hate the theming, but I was wrong. I think it became my favorite resort.

Overall, I found the resort to be beautiful and luxurious feeling. It was fun to explore and I found the service to be excellent. My husband and I are headed back there this August for our anniversary.

Good luck making your decision. Just curious...what other resorts are you thinking about??

 

[scot@dvcstore]

I have visited the resort and loved it but never stayed on property. Have a reservation for the last weekend of February, 2b/r Savannah View and dinner at Boma. Will let you know how it goes but I expect it will be great.

 

[danceintherain]

We loved it.

We didn't stay Savannah View, and ended up with a gorgeous Pool View. We still got to see animals, and probably wouldn't have spent much time on our balcony watching the animals anyways.

The food at Mara wasn't fabulous, but it was no worse than what I've seen at the other Counter Service places at Deluxe Resorts. (I don't know how it compares to Moderate or Value)

We ate at Jiko, and it was really good, though a little spicy. We also had an ADR at Boma, but we canceled.

Our Pool View room was great and convenient to both the lobby and the pool.
We didn't think the walk back from the buses was too bad, but we didn't have any kids with us.

I thought the buses were fine, but it's the only Disney resort I've ever stayed at, so I don't have much to compare them to other than going to other resorts for food. Yeah it was a bit of a ride to the Magic Kingdom, but that gave me lots of time to go over our plans for the day. The only park we had trouble with was Hollywood Studios, but that's basically the luck of the draw. It just so happened that every time we wanted to go there, the bus took forever to come.

I would definitely stay there again, especially if it was a money concern.

 

[pepe of ohio]

A bunch of trips ago we tried AKL.........beautiful resort but we did not like it and we had a Savannah view. Our room was at the end of one of the trails, long, long walk down the corridor. Our view was over a people pen, we were up 3 floors and the Savannah was barren waste land, only a few animals, long horned steer, small deer and a giraffe or 2 only when the feed truck put browse out and oh yes, one flamingo. Not a pleasant view most of the time and being the entire rear of the resort is taken up by the Savannah, nowhere to wander or walk or stroll, quite confining.

It's a bus to everywhere and with everyone lining up in the am, with no rhyme or order, it's chaos, the resort is remote, all by itself. If you want a change of scenery, it's the bus again. We also did not like the food offerings either.

We prefer a resort with access to other resorts either by walking ( Boardwalk resorts) or via a boat or monorail ( GF, Poly, CR or WL). Evening are more enjoyable boating or monorailing to lounges and dining or shopping at the close resorts.
As for the rooms, they are typical Disney resort rooms, no big difference there, it was just the remoteness to other venues and resorts all being on a bus ( we never rent a car nor use one and feel our stay doesn't warrant one) so we have scratched AKL off our list of resorts to stay at. Sorry, but that's how we felt after our stay.

 

[Sienna]

We recently stayed 8 nights in a savannah view room at AKL and loved it. It is a beautiful hotel, yet very casual and welcoming. Lots of places to view animals. We loved having a savannah view room. Although we didn't spent a lot of time on the balcony, we would go out and gaze at the animals for a little while, or sit out there with a drink. It was so peaceful. There were times with more animals than others, but we certainly had a good variety of animals, and always saw something. It was such a neat experience for the kids to wake up and say "hi" to the giraffes in the morning.

We never experienced large crowds at the buses, but that's probably because we never got an early start in the morning. We were on the quick service meal plan, and the quick service restaurant, Mara, suited us just fine. We definitely had enough variety and selection for every meal. I would definitely stay there again.

 

[DisGirl23]

Loved it! Had a Savannah view room but, didn't really spend too much time out there. Loved Boma! Ate there probably 3 times during the week. Also enjoyed Mara as well. Didn't try Jiko.
I'd definitely stay there again!

 

[LeahA]

We stayed at AKL-Jambo last March and we liked it alot. We had a pool view and it was very nice. The room itself I don't feel was too dark, they use alot of dark wood, dark tiles, dark counter tops, so it might feel a little dark. I love the theming of this resort, the service was great. The busses are hit or miss wherever you stay. One day, great, the next day, not so great. I felt Mara was good to average. Boma also I felt was good to average.

We are staying at AKL-Kidani Savannah view room this coming March. I thought since we are DVC'ers and this is our home resort we have to try savannah at least once. We have a reservation at Sanaa, never have eaten at Jiko, would like to try someday!

Plenty of areas to see the animals if you don't have a savannah view. The pool at Jambo was nice, my kids had fun, and they have a great playground.

 

[deslynnpatterson]

I stayed at AKL in July 2008 and I loved it!

I was traveling with my best friend and her two kids (2 & 3). Her husband was at a convention at a different hotel and actually ended up staying with us some nights. We were in a room with two queen beds, and, to my surprise, never felt crowded. The rooms were a bit darker than other resort rooms, but I liked that. It created a relaxing atmosphere after a busy day.

We ate at Mara every morning and rarely met crowds there. We didn't get to use the pool, but it was never too crowded.

The buses were not a problem. Although, the walk back from the buses is a bit uphill, making it hard to carry children after an exhausting day. Some people feel that the bus trips are long, but I thought they were comparable to other resorts. Bus transportation is hit or miss at all resorts.

The kids loved the animals and would have been content to just watch the zebras from our room all day. Every morning I awoke to the sound of "Look, zebras!" That alone made the trip worthwhile.

I was hesitant at first because I thought it was too far out and that I would hate the theming, but I was wrong. I think it became my favorite resort.

Overall, I found the resort to be beautiful and luxurious feeling. It was fun to explore and I found the service to be excellent. My husband and I are headed back there this August for our anniversary.

Good luck making your decision. Just curious...what other resorts are you thinking about??

thanks so much
we are also considering SSR or BWV--- next stayed at a deluxe before and doing with my mom and we want to rent DVC points-- I have no idea were to stay-- would love to stay a BCV but its a little high in points but animal kingdom does seem a little off the beaten path and far away from everything-- its so hard deciding!!

 

[MickeyNicki]

No we didnt love it. We enjoyed the CL and that really made the trip for us because the Sunrise Safari was amazing. We did have a great savannah view and enjoyed Boma breakfast but the resort is too noisy all the time and the resort is just too far from the fun for us.

 

[jenjersnap]

No, we didn't love staying there. My kids did enjoy seeing the animals from our room but the rooms were cramped and far away from the lobby and we also endured the worst customer service experience of my entire life while we were there. Even 4 years later, I feel stressed when I think about it.

Now, we love VISITING AKL. The lobby is one of my fave places at WDW and Jiko one of my fave restaurants. We love to visit the animals with the night vision goggles and find hidden mickeys around the resort.

 

[deslynnpatterson]

We stayed at AKL-Jambo last March and we liked it alot. We had a pool view and it was very nice. The room itself I don't feel was too dark, they use alot of dark wood, dark tiles, dark counter tops, so it might feel a little dark. I love the theming of this resort, the service was great. The busses are hit or miss wherever you stay. One day, great, the next day, not so great. I felt Mara was good to average. Boma also I felt was good to average.

We are staying at AKL-Kidani Savannah view room this coming March. I thought since we are DVC'ers and this is our home resort we have to try savannah at least once. We have a reservation at Sanaa, never have eaten at Jiko, would like to try someday!

Plenty of areas to see the animals if you don't have a savannah view. The pool at Jambo was nice, my kids had fun, and they have a great playground.

is jambo the building you would stay in if renting DVC points? or could they put you in any building? And what kind of view would a studio have? Sorry for all the questions we are having a heck of a time choosing a resort and this is one of the top runners

 

[sandyneck]

We LOVE AKL. We have stayed here several times. It is me, DH, DS(15) and DD(13). The AKL casts a magical spell over those who love it, and do nothing for those who don't. I can't really explain it, but we are enchanted by the place. I can recapture the smell of the lobby by the mere mention of the resort. The pool is fabulous, Boma is delicious, and the savannah is incredible. We have always booked a standard view and always have been upgraded. We usually don't stay a full week, so i think we have a better chance of this. No matter what room you stay in, there are tons of places to sit and see the savannahs. My only advice is try it once, you will either be hooked, or you'll think it was a great resort, but won't need to stay there every time you go. Best wishes on picking a resort

 

[bitohoney]

Oh my word, it's beautiful! The theming is magnificant! We booked a standard view but got a free upgrade to a savannah view and didn't even know it until we walked out on the balcony! It's a very quiet and peaceful resort. Boma was good too! You will not regret staying at AKL!
By the way, the pillows were so comfortable that I had to try to find one just like it and I did!

 

[jojomoore]

is jambo the building you would stay in if renting DVC points? or could they put you in any building? And what kind of view would a studio have? Sorry for all the questions we are having a heck of a time choosing a resort and this is one of the top runners

I have decided to rent points for my next trip, so i have been trying to find the answers to these questions too. I believe that you tell the DVC owner that you are renting the points from all the details of the type reservation you wish to make ,and he/she tries to accomodate your wishes. (Please someone correct me if i am wrong). Studio villa rooms are available on the top floors of AKL - Jambo house and at Kindani. You can get a Savanah View or a Standard view(which will be of the parking lot.) It will take more points for a savanah view. We stayed at AKL - Kindani this past thanksgiving and paid cash for a studio - standard room (but with a room only discount.) Renting points is the least expensive way that i have found. What a wonderful resort. I was so impressed. So beautiful, so peaceful, and so luxurious, and so friendly. I personally choose Kindani over Jambo because its smaller and quieter. The theme park buses stop at kindani first so its easy to get to any of the restaurants at jambo. (DTD bus is the only one that stops at Jambo first) The lack of Quickservice at Kindani is the only negative but all studios have kitchenettes with small refridgerators and microwaves. Animal activities, arcades, and pools are available at both.

 

[jelliott04]

is jambo the building you would stay in if renting DVC points? or could they put you in any building? And what kind of view would a studio have? Sorry for all the questions we are having a heck of a time choosing a resort and this is one of the top runners

Staying in AKV you could stay in either Jambo house (main building and also AKL) or Kidani Village (DVC property). There are four different levels of AKV - Club, Savannah, Standard and Value. You can look at the DVC boards for descriptions of each. You'd have to decide before hand which building and level you wanted to stay.

As for your original question, we love AKL and bought DVC and AKV is our home resort. It is a beautiful place and just so peaceful. We love the bar above Boma to just sit and relax while waiting for our ressies. We love to eat at Boma and Jiko. Mara has Zebra Domes that you can buy so you could have as many as you wanted and not eat at Boma.

We like all the activities like storytime at the firepit for example. Animal watching is great as well, even if you don't have a savannah view room. There are lots of places to sit and watch on comfy rockers etc. Personally we just find the whole place peaceful, even with the craziness of Disney.

Jen

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We loved it.
Stayed in a pool view room. Great location. Close to everything. Our budget didn't allow for a savannah view but we didn't feel we missed out on anything. Lots of amazing viewing areas (LOVED the night vision goggles) The firepit outside is an amazingly beautiful and relaxing area. The pool was fabulous. It is HUGE and truly feels like an oasis from the parks. Tons of fun activities for the kids. The Mara was great, very clean, lots of choices.
We used the bus system and it was fabulous (however this was before they added the extra stop for the DVC area). We never waited for a bus, either going to the parks or coming home from them, more than 10 minutes. (We were there in Sept).

I would not hesitate to return to AKL. (thinking about it for Aug)

 

[Tigger2252]

We splurged and stayed CL in November. We LOVED everything about it, with the exception of Mara (we felt the food choices were limited compared to what we were used to at the Moderates). We are a family of 4, and our kids are 22 and 16. We never felt crowded in the room at all, and we really enjoyed the balcony. I would go out after a day in the park and sit with my cup of tea and watch the animals. There were a lot of things to do at the hotel. We even did ceramics which was really fun. I dream of the day we can return to AKL!

 

[RachaelA]

Love love love AKL. We love the theming, the music, the atmosphere. We loved the Savannah view room. We loved sitting on our balcony watching the animals. It was relaxing. We love Jiko. We haven't eaten at Boma. We enjoyed the food choices at the Mara.

 

[ScrapperBelle]

Our family had mixed reviews of AKL. We were in a savannah room. Not very far from the lobby/pool/restaurants...so there were no complaints there. I don't think I would want to book a std. view as there is a chance you will be right over the entrance/bus area. I would not hesitate to stay in a pool or savannah view.

We were only there one night, so we did not use the buses. Everyone in the family agreed that our room was very nice and the only time we heard neighbors was when we were out on the balcony.

My family's biggest complaint was the isolation. Even as much as I loved it there, I would not want to spend my entire vacation there (we usually spend at least 10 nights at WDW and I think you would get bored out there in a couple of days). If we ever get the chance to stay there again, it will probably be 2-3 nights at the beginning of our trip and then we'll move on to somewhere less isolated.

As for the food, I was the only member of my family who enjoyed Boma. DH and the boys liked the steak and the desserts...but that was it. We only had some snack items at Mara, but we were very pleased with them.