Disney's ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE Information & Questions

[sndral]

It was only the sunrise safari that was ending - is that one listed in the list you received?

 

[kimmar067]

.....yes...the early morning safari at AK is going to be discontinued, not the safaris at AKL....

 

[kimmar067]

....and, speaking of AK/AKL, I just recede a discounted price for "Memory Maker", along with some other things, one being the Wild Africa trek...

 

[tiriggs1]

....and, speaking of AK/AKL, I just recede a discounted price for "Memory Maker", along with some other things, one being the Wild Africa trek...

What is the current or special discount on MM?

 

[The Sunrise Student]

It was only the sunrise safari that was ending - is that one listed in the list you received?

.....yes...the early morning safari at AK is going to be discontinued, not the safaris at AKL....

Nope you are right, the ones they have listed are a late afternoon and a night vision one.

Shew... that's awesome to hear, can't wait cause we wanna do both of those

 

[AmbyJ88]

First time staying here in November 2014!! Really excited!!

 

[kimmar067]

What is the current or special discount on MM?

....it's normally $199, but the prepaid one is $149.....pretty good deal, but not worth it for just the two of us, especially when neither of us ike getting our picture taken!

 

[kimmar067]

Nope you are right, the ones they have listed are a late afternoon and a night vision one.

Shew... that's awesome to hear, can't wait cause we wanna do both of those

....wow, this is the first time I am hearing about those being discontinued....I hope that I AM right! I'll have to investigate.....

 

[AliceandAriel]

I don't think online check-in will give you a room earlier as the room assignor assigns all rooms a few days before arrival. Online check in is designed to make the process shorter once you're there. What will get you a room earlier is if they happen to have a room available in your view category. This has happened to us when we were willing to change a request in order to get in the room early.

You mentioned going straight from the airport to the parks. How will you do that? Are you renting a car or taking a car service? Magical Express will only go from airport to your hotel.

Have a great time!

Thank you for your answer! I'll just do regular check-in instead of online.

To answer you bolded question, I was going to take DME from the airport to the hotel, drop off luggage at the front and go straight to MK. Figured by the time I get off the plane at 8AM, I'll get to the resort around 9AM-ish, and to MK close to 10:00-10:30AM-ish to enjoy a fun-filled morning of the sights and sounds. Nothing starts a Disney trip like a walk down Main Street…

Side note: 8 DAYS!!! Single digits now, and I'm so excited I could scream!

 

[kimmar067]

.....doing the Single-Digit dance too.....

 

[DizDaD7]

....it's normally $199, but the prepaid one is $149.....pretty good deal, but not worth it for just the two of us, especially when neither of us ike getting our picture taken!

Not to mention the price for the cameras you 2 break when taking these pictures...

 

[kimmar067]

.....funny.....NOT.

 

[kimmar067]

.....sorry...off-topic, but here is a link to the other ALK Lite thread...check out the pix....
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3129880&page=249

 

[thumper*]

Hey all, love all the info in this thread. One thing I haven't seen discussed: do the TVs in the rooms (Jambo Arusha View) have the capability for you to plug in an external hard drive to watch your own shows ( it would require a USB port)?
Thanks!

Yes there is a little box attached that gives you several options for different connections.

 

[thumper*]

I switched to Port Orleans Riverside from AKL for our Sept.2015 bounce back. I was able to save $350 and booked a Royal Room (pool view) vs standard room at AKL. We will spend 1-2 afternoons (3hrs to relax or swim) at the resort during the week and 1 evening. Did I make a bad decision?? Would you pay the extra to stay at AKL in a standard room?

We did a split stay in Sept between the same 2 resorts, IMO I prefer AKL, but we always pay for a savanna view since we spend so much time at the resort. There is not much of a view from the POR rm since it's covered with mini blinds & curtains (Mansion rm not sure about AB rm's).

I enjoyed the main pool at POR as much as Jambo house, though after several days of listening to the pool party (both locations) it got old.

Restaurants are much better at AKL.

As a whole I feel AKL is quiter then POR.

Enjoy your vacation. You can't go wrong with whatever you choose and that $350.00 saving can be handy for extra costs. Tough decision.

 

[JEAhrtWDW]

30 Days until our first stay at AKL

We book the Arusha View and I am still confused on how this is different from the Savanna View . I did the online check-in and selected Near Lobby. With online check-in, I am able to select 2 Room Requests. The other options are:
Ground Floor
Highest Floor
Upper Floor
Lower Floor
Kudu Trail View
Near Elevator
Near Transportation
Sunset Savanna View

Any recommendations on what I should select? The most important thing to us is having a really great view of the animals. Does selecting a certain floor offer better views?

Thanks!

 

[bluetenshi55]

7 Days!

 

[sndral]

30 Days until our first stay at AKL

We book the Arusha View and I am still confused on how this is different from the Savanna View . I did the online check-in and selected Near Lobby. With online check-in, I am able to select 2 Room Requests. The other options are:
Ground Floor Pick this if you prefer to be more eye level with the animals
Highest Floor Pick this if you want a more panoramic view looking down on the animals, but @ Jambo, assuming you have a room and not a villa, the highest floor you could be on is the 4th, I believe.
Upper Floor see above
Lower Floor see above
Kudu Trail View Kudu trail is one of the two 'arms' that wrap around Arusha savanna. Kudu is the one that is furthest from the elevators that go to Mara (the quick service restaurant) and Boma and Jiko and out to the pool - these are all closer if you are on Zebra trail which is the other savanna view hallway.
Near Elevator see above
Near Transportation the buses pick up and drop off down a slope from the lobby - most people cut through the gift shop, Zebra trail would be a tad closer than Kudu trail, IMO. Note the closest rooms to the bus stop are not Arusha view.
Sunset Savanna View Sunset savanna view is not applicable to you as you've paid more for the Arusha savanna view

Any recommendations on what I should select? The most important thing to us is having a really great view of the animals. Does selecting a certain floor offer better views?

Thanks!

My remarks are in blue. Midway down either Kudu or Zebra trail, maybe 3rd floor would be my choice to maximize animal viewing. Being too close to the lobby you see more Arusha rock. Looking out towards a waterhole or a feeding station is great.

 

[tarak]

I just pulled the trigger and booked two Savannah view rooms at AKL for the week following thanksgiving. Got an amazing rate for the two rooms. My husband's absolute favorite resort is AKL.

 

[JEAhrtWDW]

My remarks are in blue. Midway down either Kudu or Zebra trail, maybe 3rd floor would be my choice to maximize animal viewing. Being too close to the lobby you see more Arusha rock. Looking out towards a waterhole or a feeding station is great.

Awesome summary - thank you so much! Looks like I want to pick Kudu Trail and lower level. Going to make my changes now.