First Time @ AKL- will i like it?

[>Ash<]

As a kid it was always my dream to go to the AKL resort .. well im going on my honeymoon October 2012 and were staying in the AKL: Savannah View room booked through our Tour operator Virgin. cant wait to go.

my only question really is...

will i like it? ive read mixed reviews and read countless things about the resort but im concerned when people said...

the transport to and from parks is slow

the food is just ... okay

can somone cheer me up and tell me good things and tips about the resort?
thanks in advance guys...

OH aswell i love the sound of the killimunjaro concierge class to take the breakfast safari, anyone around here tried that?

 

[BYC]

I love it and would rather stay at AKL than any other resort. Transportation was great! Food was mostly great! (I was not a huge fan of the Mara, but it was not hard to find something I liked) Savannah view would be a must for me. Sitting on the balcony with wine in the evening, or coffee in the morning was just so enjoyable.

 

[Marthasor]

As a kid it was always my dream to go to the AKL resort .. well im going on my honeymoon October 2012 and were staying in the AKL: Savannah View room booked through our Tour operator Virgin. cant wait to go.

my only question really is...

will i like it? ive read mixed reviews and read countless things about the resort but im concerned when people said...

the transport to and from parks is slow

the food is just ... okay

can somone cheer me up and tell me good things and tips about the resort?
thanks in advance guys...

OH aswell i love the sound of the killimunjaro concierge class to take the breakfast safari, anyone around here tried that?

You will always get mixed reviews about all of the resorts!!! Not every resort is for everyone. That being said, I really think it depends on what you are looking for in your honeymoon. (CONGRATULATIONS by the way!)

If you are looking for a relaxing resort, off the beaten Disney path, this is the place for you! AKL is very relaxing. Almost a world unto itself. I think it is beautiful and I LOVED the food, the pools, the atmosphere. The food could be considered a bit exotic for Disney - African and Indian inspired. But if you like that type of food, you will be fine! I also think their quick service food options are fantastic.

I loved AKL and would return in a heartbeat. However, I must admit, we stayed at AKL pre-cruise in May and deliberately chose it because we were not going to any parks. I felt like this would be my chance to finally stay at the resort (I had wanted to stay there forever, too!) and not have to worry about proximity to the parks. We ended up going to AK for one day and the bus service there was great. If I were going to do heavy park touring, I would personally would not pick AKL. I would go there simply to relax and have a different Disney experience.

A thought - if you are concerned about buses to the other parks, would you consider a split stay? Perhaps three or four nights at AKL and the rest at a resort closer to the parks such as BWI, BC or YC near EP and DHS or Poly, GF or CR near MK? BWI has some very romantic garden suites!

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Ducky0615]

I absolutely loved AKL!!!! And wish I would be going back for our next trip but we are rotating resorts.

Now I am an animal lover and my dream vacation is to go to Africa so maybe that is why, but I just love the atmosphere, the vastness of the lobby, how peaceful it seems for being in the hustle and bustle. I also enjoyed going out at night sitting on the balcony and watching the animals after a long day at the park.

I just can't find one bad thing to say about it!

 

[Mrsjvb]

I wouldn't call transportation slow.. it's just that apart from AK, the resort itself is further away from all the other parks so it just seems like it take FOR.EV.ER to get there.

as for the food: second best meal we have ever had was at Jiko( V&A of course being top of the heap) cannot comment on Mara, Boma or Sanaa just yet as we will not be staying there until September but I have heard more good than bad overall( as long as you take the whole Buffet vs non buffet preferences into consideration). you get about half preferring Boma for Brekkie and half would rather have Lunch/dinner

I personally am excited as all get out to finally get to stay there myself in the Fall. we'll be there for ten days and I fully intend on doing every safari I can including the CL one. I also plan on doing the Jiko wine tasting and spending at least one day just at the resort hanging out with the animals

 

[bowbat]

I haven't stayed there yet myself, but we just booked a quick family weekend there in April. We've been peer-pressured by my sister & her husband -- they LOVE the AKL. Love, love, love it. They're world travelers, have stayed at some of the best hotels & eaten at the finest restaurants, and AKL is one of their favorites. They've also eaten at Jiko several times & said it's great.

Now, the transportation. I will confess that we had originally booked AKL for our stay last month, but I panicked & changed it at the last minute to BWI. The transportation stories scared me. That said, since then I've seen just as many reports from people who said they had NO issues with transportation there, everything was quick & efficient. Frankly, I think transportation is a crap-shoot no matter which resort you choose.

I think AKL is a wonderful choice for a honeymoon. It'll be like two vacations in one -- you get to enjoy the parks and then feel like you're a world away at AKL.

 

[let'sgo]

I stayed at AKL in Nov but with a pool-view room and loved it. I had breakfast twice at Boma and would go again in a heartbeat. Then I had lunch at Sanaa. It was very difficult to decide what to get--there were so many good choices. It was so good that I made a trip back there for dinner and tried some of the other choices. I have reservations for Sanaa for my next trip. I think that some of the best eating is here.

One night a person gave a talk about South Africa that was interesting. There was a tour of Boma and Jiko (offered at 4 p.m. when I was there, and they gave you some samples as well). Be sure to check out the night vision goggles. There is also a sunset tour of the savanna--if you are interested sign up ahead of time as it fills up. It is pricey but it includes dinner at Jikos.

The buses were excellent. However, that may depend on your timing and luck. But this is one trip that I guess everything just seemed to work out well for me.

You'll love it as well. Have a great trip!

 

[Big Kid]

We absolutely love AKL and it's by far our favorite resort because it feels to us like another world.

I honestly don't get the complaints about transportation. Yes, it is a couple of miles farther away from the parks (other than AK, of course), but how long does it take to drive a couple of miles? The buses are frequent and do not stop at any other resorts.

All of the restaurants at AKL are great, and The Mara is the best resort counter service that we have found. We like to eat more than once at Boma on our trips because there is too much interesting, tasty food to appreciate in a single meal. That said, if you truly want a variety of restaurants in walking distance, the Epcot area resorts cannot be beat.

Savanna view is the way to go, especially for your first stay.

You'll have a great trip!

 

[anjalee6]

It's our favorite resort overall. We love the theming , the animals, the quiet away from the parks. We pick the resort because we love that we are at Disney but far enough away that we really feel like we have been transported when we step into the resort. We love the savanna views, the pool is very nice. We love the food. Boma is one of our favorite places to eat. The transportation has always been fine for us. The only time it seems to take forever is when we go to DTD. The bus from AKL to MK is no longer than if you stay at the Contemporary or another resort in MK and have to go to AK. It's all relative. AKL is wonderful and we can't wait to go back in September.