Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Frequently Asked Questions (slight update 5/14)

[Dana49]

Thanks Tiffany. Happy Holidays!

 

[disney_girl27]

My mom, sister and I are planning on staying at the AKL on Jan. 2005. Is it possible to obtain a standar room with a standard view in the sunset savanah? Either in the Kudu or Zebra trail? I'm a little confused as to what type of rooms are in each area...could someone please clear it up for me?

 

[#1hockeymom]

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/aklmap3.jpg

If you mean standard as in standard non savannah, your room locations are much more limited as they will not be overlooking a savannah or the pool area if I understand the room arrangements correctly.

We were at the end of Zebra trail in November, fourth floor right hand side and I absolutely loved our location even though it was a long walk to the lobby. It was like we had the entire savannah to ourselves. We were upgraded from Florida resident rate pool view to savannah view. My mother is a Florida resident.

 

[Dana49]

Okay, I've made a decision on the view. This trip is a surprise for my wife's 50th birthday, so I want it to be nice. We're going with the Savannah view (Arusha Savannah / Zebra Trail). Oh I hope this works, because I really thought that she would also enjoy the animals on the Uzima Savannah. Oh man, here I go again.

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by Dana49
Okay, I've made a decision on the view. This trip is a surprise for my wife's 50th birthday, so I want it to be nice. We're going with the Savannah view (Arusha Savannah / Zebra Trail). Oh I hope this works, because I really thought that she would also enjoy the animals on the Uzima Savannah. Oh man, here I go again.

That is great Dana49. Just keep in mind that you booked a savanna view and requested the savanna and trail. There is the chance that you will not get either request but still have a savanna view room. I am sure no matter which savanna or trail you end up on you will have a great trip. We do love the AKL so.

 

[Condorman]

We will be staying AKL concierge in April, and all the room/view info on this thread has been fantastic. However, we will be there for many days, and I know (having called and asked) that we can, if we want, also be put on a floor other than the fifth or sixth if we want a more up-close view of the animals.

My question to everyone is what are the best rooms and views from the second and third floors, on which savannah or trail, and why?

Thanks for your help.

 

[lisareniff]

Condorman, thanks for the info. I'm looking into the Concierge at AKL and wondered what you found out about the concierge roomn placement? Do you know if specific rooms are concierge or do they place you in a room (deluxe) and give you the concierge services?? I would love a 1 bedroom suite!!! But then there is reality.... The main reason we would choose concierge is the sunrise safari and drinks for our girls.

 

[Condorman]

The concierge rooms are all on the fifth and sixth floors. The lounge is located on the sixth floor along with a handful of the concierge rooms. Most of the sixth floor rooms have slightly obstructed views because of the roof, so I would suggest getting one on the fifth. Not quite sure about the placement of the one or two bedroom suites.

In case you didn't know, the Sunrise Safari is only on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Most people seem to know this, but some don't. Make sure you schedule yourself at the AKL around this.

 

[lisareniff]

Thanks condorman,

I did read the map correctly then. Only about 8 concierge rooms on the 6th floor; some on either side of the lobby (pool & sunset sav.). I realized about the tues. and Sat. dates on the Sunrise Sarfari. I'm trying to work that one out. It may extend our vacation an extra day. Oh, dear!!

I'm betting they don't have specific concierge rooms on the 5th. They are all deluxe on that floor. So the only difference is that a concierge guest would have concierge service and the lounge access. This would allow then greatest flexability in bedding options.

Good luck figuring out what view you would like. I don't know which would be better!?! I have never stayed at the resort but dined there this fall and loved it.

 

[lisareniff]

I found this about suite location on Deb Wills web site..

"There is also a Presidential and Vice Presidential suite as well as 5 one-bedroom suites and 12 two-bedroom parlor suites."

"The suites are located at the end of the animal trails. From the outside of the Lodge, they are the ones located within the rounded parts of the building, with the curved balconies, topped with thatch. They are located on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors. Even the ones below 5th floor still have concierge access."

http://allearsnet.com/acc/faq_akl.htm

 

[MOM POPPINS]

Hi We booked 1 night Savannah view for March 9th, Can someone tell me a good location to request ? I saw this already and was thinking this sounded nice Arusha Savannah / Zebra Trail, but what floor is high enough to see the animals? I also would like to know about what children's activities are available and what times they usually are... Thanks for any help or suggestions you may have...

 

[cruisnfamily]

I posted this on it's own thread but thought I might get a better response on here so I'm posting here as well.

Thinking about trying AKL this time-Tell me all about it
Hi All,

We're thinking about a 4 day trip in Feb or March and want to try AKL as we've never stayed there(or even visited it). I'm hoping for some details. Here are my questions/concerns:

1)We have no need(or budget) for concierge but the sunrise safari sounds cool. Is the only way to do that by staying concierge? We wouldn't use any of the services.

2)We are FL Residents so we will probably be able to get a decent rate but would really like to do it as cheaply as possible. Any suggestions?

3)I like the idea of the queen bed and 2 bunks...what type of room is that? We'll be traveling with the kids ages 8 & 11. We really like larger rooms but it's not mandatory.

4)Is it worth paying extra for the view? Do all rooms have balconies? Tell me about the room "categories" or whatever they're called.

5)What are the food options? I believe there is a "fancy" sit down place, and a "not so fancy" sit down place. Is that it? Or is there some sort of food court or quick snack type of place? What kind of hours can you get food and drinks?

6)Do all of the restaurants here have "unusual" food or can we find your run of the mill food here as well?

What else do I need to know?

You're help is very much appreciated as we know absolutely nothing about this resort!

 

[jcemom]

I'll help with what I can. Here goes:

1) Yes, sunrise safari is only available to concierge guests.

2) Not sure

3) Have them put the queen and bunks room on your reservation as a request (it isn't guaranteed but they will do everything possible to accomodate your request), I believe that room configuration is available in standard, pool view, savannah view, deluxe, and concierge categories (deluxe rooms are larger, that is what concierge would receive)

4) Yes, all rooms have balconies: There are three views at AKL. Savannah Views overlook Arusha, Uzima, and Sunset Savannahs. Pool views overlook the pool area. Standard views overlook the parking lot. Concierge/Deluxe rooms overlook either the pool or one of the three Savannahs. There are varied opinions on whether or not Savannah view is worth the extra money, most people think yes. http://allearsnet.com/acc/aklmap3.jpg here's a map.

5) AKL has 2 restaurants and 1 food court, as well as a pool side bar and another one inside the lobby. Jiko- The Cooking Place- a sit-down restaurant, serves dinner; Boma-Flavors of Africa- a buffet, serves breakfast (7:30-11:00) and dinner (5:00-10:00); Mara- The food court at AKL, has breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also 24hour room service. You can view menus and prices here: http://allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm#res

6) See above menus.

Try this: http://allearsnet.com/acc/faq_akl.htm for more info.

Hope that helps.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Thank you sooo much! Those replies are really helpful.

I didn't know the queen/bunk thing was available in different categories. We'll probably try to get a "standard" view/room with the queen/bunk set up.

I'll have to go look at the menus now because if there isn't any "regular" food available the rest of the family wil be upset with me.

It seems like we probably won't go for the concierge this time as I'm assuming it would be cost prohibitive. We'd like to try the sunrise safari but I think we'll wait for a different trip.

 

[twinmomplus2]

I just saw your post regarding feeding the rest of the family. I havew a middle child who only eats about 4 differant foods. (all junk) AKL is our fave property hands down!!!! He loves the Mara. Chicken tenders and fries, grilled cheese and fries. Room service has a great veggie omlette my fave! Cheeseburgers at the Mara are great. The corn chowder in the Mara is great! Lets see ....Kids pancakes from room service with Gummy worms and bugs is a big hit.
as for if the view matters? I know for some it doesn't for me it does very much! I always sit out on the balcony first thing in the morning last at night. This is the only property I do this at. ( by the way.) We have stayed savannah view 3 times Had a great view by the way, 2 rooms were pretty far out there. One was in a perfect location. It was either 3052 or 3502. I can never remember which. Club level is great we have stayed club level the last two trips. And I think Will from now on provided there is an AP rate. The differance between the savannah view and club level was less than 50 dollars in December. I have 4 kids so it was worth it just for breakfast for the kids alone. We do utilize the lounge quite a bit as we are at the resort to hang up. Theres no nicer place to sit than the Kilamanjaro club and look out over the lobby. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Lauren

 

[DisneyFreaks]

I just saw in your post that you think you will probably book a standard view room for your stay at AKL. I just wanted to give you a heads up that all of the standard view rooms do NOT have balconies. We had 3 standard view rooms there this past May and they put us on the fifth floor, Giraffe Trail. None of our rooms had a balcony. There is a glass door {not sliding like other rooms} that leads out to a very narrow area that is cut out of the roof line. You cannot see anything. Even when standing unless you literally lean over the thatched roof. {not safe I am sure} There isn't even a chair out there because I don't think it would fit. My DH went down to the front desk and asked if we could be moved. Even the CM at check in didn't know that there were rooms without a balcony anywhere in the lodge so she called the room assigner to come out. He was very nice and changed all 3 of our rooms for us. We loved the second set of rooms on the Ostrich Trail.

 

[audflash]

We stayed at AKL for a week in October. I booked a standard view and hoped for an upgrade - which we did get. We ended up on the fifth floor with a pool view which I absolutely loved.

I would go ahead and book either a pool or savannah view next time because I would be so disappointed if I booked standard and didn't get an upgrade. I didn't think that it would really matter - but it did.

The food was a bit of an issue. I loved Boma - the kids did also. The kids ate at Mara and they liked being able to just go on their own (they are 12 and 14). I didn't really care for what they had to offer. I had really been looking forward to trying the sugar cane chicken that I had heard about on the DIS but the said they don't make it there anymore. Bummer. We did eat at Jiko one night and it was very good. The kids tried some new kinds of food and everything was great. It was expensive - not something we could do every night. For the most part we ate at Epcot or Downtown Disney. The bus service is so great that we never had to worry about getting to dinner.

Hope that you have a great time!

 

[cruisnfamily]

Thanks!

All of your responses have been sooo helpful!

I was especially interested to read that not all the rooms have balconies....after posting this I did a little research and everything I found says that 100% of the rooms have balconies...interesting to know that this is not the case.

I'll let you know what we decide.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

Everything we researched before our trip said that too. We even asked CRO when we booked if every room came with a balcony. Apparently Disney does consider these to be balconies but believe me you cannot sit out there or see a thing. If you look at a close up picture of the front of the AKL you will see these cut out areas at the top by the roof. There are three or four of them on the side by the bus stops. These are the rooms I am talking about. Of all the standard view rooms {I think there are about 100 of them} these are the three my family ended up with. Go figure. I wish I remembered the room numbers but we only spent one night there before we were able to change. If by chance you do get one of these rooms just call the front desk or go back down. They were very cordial and helpful about moving us. They do give out alot of free upgrades at this resort too so maybe you will get one. At any rate your family will love AKL. Mine don't want to stay anywhere else. Have a wonderful time.

 

[disnemimi]

Hi everyone,
We are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in February for our first time. Thank you for all the information. We have booked a standard savanna room, but didn't specify a floor or savanna. My question is just how important is it to request a certain floor and savanna? I'm not sure which one to request, but sure would love a room looking at the animals like in Disney's video. Any advice sure would be appreciated.
Disnemimi