Here now..AKL!

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Checked out of AKL today, and was sad to leave. It really is a gorgeous resort and we loved everything about it! The distance really wasn't bad at all, and we loved the quietness about the resort. The CM's were amazing, mouse keeping spot on, and the entire resort is super clean!!
I know we will definitely return to this resort in the near future

If anyone has any other questions about AKL, I would be more then happy to answer them

We checked into the BC today around 2:30pm, so I am going to give my opinion etc..later tom sometime so it gives me a good day to check everything out.

I can say the pool is AMAZING, and we have already spent about 3 hours playing around. LOVE the pirate ship slide, and the sand bottom pool.

We have a standard view room with a full balcony, but was so happy to see that we actually overlook the pool! We are facing the area where they play pool volleyball and the sand bottom pool area is close as well. We are close to the Yacht club side, but our room is close to the lobby too. It takes about 2 mins to get to the pool. We take a short cut, and go down some stairs.

We went to Garden Grill tonight, and I am sad to say it has been my least favorite character meal. I was really looking forward to this meal, but the entire meal felt sooooo rushed by the waiter that we felt stressed while eating which made it not so fun

We quickly recovered after eating and enjoyed some rides in Epcot and Illuminations

Out of the many character meals we have had so far, I am still sticking with the Crystal Palace as my fav character meal, and Boma as our fav non character meal with Ohana as a very close 2nd. We enjoyed Crystal Palace so much that we are going to try and get another time sometime in the next week!

The meals we have done so far are: Boma-breakfast, Chef Mickey's-dinner, Crystal Palace-lunch, T-rex-dinner, Tusker House-breakfast, Garden Grill-dinner, and Ohana-dinner.

One other thing I just wanted to touch on..We had the dining plan while at AKL and we loved it! Thought it was a great deal, and was so convenient.

Anyhow, off to bed now for another fun filled day tom!!!

Why did your server "rush" you at the Garden Grill. Certainly it wasn't because it was busy? It has a reputation of being one of the least visited TS restaurants on property.

 

[Peaseblossom]

Why did your server "rush" you at the Garden Grill. Certainly it wasn't because it was busy? It has a reputation of being one of the least visited TS restaurants on property.

Really? When I've looked at Epcot in the past, GG seems to come up as 'not available' pretty often. We love Living With the Land and have thought about eating there just for the greenhouse salad.

 

[flinkerfrosch]

Hi all..I'm still here, just had a very busy last few days

I'm going to post my opinion about BC tonight when I have some time to type away!

In a nutshell, AKL is still our fav! SAB is awesome, and we have all enjoyed it! We spent the whole day yesterday swimming in SAB and then spent the evening in Downtown Disney. MY boys LOVED Disney Quest!!

Today we've been at Typhoon Lagoon (still here as I type) but we prefer Blizzard Beach. TL is lots of fun, but we all agreed that BB has more fun slides and a better Tyke area for little ones!

Just wanted to touch on the refillable mugs...we had the dining plan in the first part of our stay and then then 2nd resort was room only. Our mugs have worked the entire time, and say they are good for 2 weeks. The machine gives you the date they're good till.

I will answer everyone's questions later tonight when we get back from the Disney Junior Dance Party at Hollywood Studios!! We are very excited to dance with some characters!!!

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi all..I'm still here, just had a very busy last few days

I'm going to post my opinion about BC tonight when I have some time to type away!

In a nutshell, AKL is still our fav! SAB is awesome, and we have all enjoyed it! We spent the whole day yesterday swimming in SAB and then spent the evening in Downtown Disney. MY boys LOVED Disney Quest!!

Today we've been at Typhoon Lagoon (still here as I type) but we prefer Blizzard Beach. TL is lots of fun, but we all agreed that BB has more fun slides and a better Tyke area for little ones!

Just wanted to touch on the refillable mugs...we had the dining plan in the first part of our stay and then then 2nd resort was room only. Our mugs have worked the entire time, and say they are good for 2 weeks. The machine gives you the date they're good till.

I will answer everyone's questions later tonight when we get back from the Disney Junior Dance Party at Hollywood Studios!! We are very excited to dance with some characters!!!

Glad you're having a good time at the BC. We loved the BC as it's a beautiful resort and the whole Epcot area is nice, but there are other resorts we prefer as well. We also like BB over TL in that we, too, think the slides are bigger and more fun. Can't wait to hear more of your thoughts on the BC .

 

[Pooh2]

Sounds like an awesome trip so far!

 

[flinkerfrosch]

This will be night #3 of the BC, and I will say it really is a fabulous resort! Do I love it more then AKL? No, but it is hard to compare the two.

BC definitely needs a refurb soon. I found AKL more modern, and much newer. BC does look a bit worn in certain areas, but nothing that would cause me to complain or stop me from staying here again.

Mouse keeping was definitely better at AKL. We got towel animals everyday at AKL, but so far none here at the BC Our mousekeeper is doing a great job at cleaning the room etc..but I have to be honest, we really look forward to coming back to our room in hopes to see a towel animal...lol

The cast members are great here as well, and we have been lucky to say we have not encountered a unpleasant one as of yet!

The rooms at the BC are a bit bigger then the regular rooms at Jambo house, but I would say the DVC rooms at AKL are a tad bigger then the BC rooms. I do like the brightness of the BC rooms, but AKL rooms are more up to date, and less worn, so I have to give AKL the winner on this one!

One thing I do not like about BC is that the hallways seem very claustrophobic to me, and lack windows. The windows they do have are glazed over and dirty, so you can't even see out them.

We love SAB, and have had a great time swimming in the pool. The slide is awesome, and we did not find the walk from the exit of the slide back to the entry of the slide bad at all. The pool is very large, but we have had no issues with keeping our 2 children in our eye site at all times. LOVE how you are waited on sitting pool side and I am happy to say I even had a Sunken Treasure and it was DELICIOUS!!

Love the nightlife around the resort, and the boat to DHS is great! We have only used our car to go to Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney. The walk to Epcot is SO close. I think it took us 5 mins to walk there.

We find the QS restaurant great, and Beaches & Cream is great as well. Have yet to try the kitchen sink, but do plan on it

All in all, AKL is still our fav, but I am very happy we have stayed here at the BC and would return in the future for sure! If anyone has questions, fire away

Oh, we ate at Cape May Café this am for breakfast and it was very very good! The character interaction was great as well! We also ate dinner at Sci-fi, and thought the experience was so cool!

We attended the Disney Junior Dance party tonight as well, and what fun it was!! Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Handy Manny, and a few others were there, and were very interactive with the kids.

We had another wonderful day in Disney, and look forward to more!

PS..I am already planning next years vacation...LOL

Cheers

 

[Wood Nymph]

Thank you for keeping us up to date on your trip. It has been great to see how much fun you are having. If I remember correctly, this is your first ever trip to WDW. You have done a great job planning and researching the resorts, parks and other activities.

We love the BC and have stayed there for most of our trips the last twenty years or so. We never got towel animals when we stayed there, either. We stayed at the WL last February and I think it was the first time we got towel animals. The mousekeepers at BC need to take a few lessons on how to make those fun creations.

The BC is planning a refurb in 2014. The Wilderness Lodge just had a refurb last Sept 2012, so you will find the rooms to be in pretty good shape when you get there.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Thank you for keeping us up to date on your trip. It has been great to see how much fun you are having. If I remember correctly, this is your first ever trip to WDW. You have done a great job planning and researching the resorts, parks and other activities.

We love the BC and have stayed there for most of our trips the last twenty years or so. We never got towel animals when we stayed there, either. We stayed at the WL last February and I think it was the first time we got towel animals. The mousekeepers at BC need to take a few lessons on how to make those fun creations.

The BC is planning a refurb in 2014. The Wilderness Lodge just had a refurb last Sept 2012, so you will find the rooms to be in pretty good shape when you get there.

Probably BC and YC need those lessons.

I'm not one of those to say that towel animals make or break my trip, but we had sooooooo many towel animals during our WL trip....no joke, over 11 days, we accumulated close to 20 of those things. We were laughing because we were running out of places to put them in the room.

At YC, we got the towel Mickey on day 1, and nothing over the next 10 days...my kids didn't say a word though, so obviously they didn't notice, or it didn't bother them. OH! One day, our YC Mousekeeper DID arrange the girls' stuffed animals in a funny scene on the bed.

I just remember how fun it was to watch the kids faces light up when they got back to the room and saw them at WL. It's a nice touch, that's all.

OP, Glad you are still having such a wonderful trip. Thank you for updating all of us so we can live vicariously through you!

 

[I Run Long]

What a wonderful trip report. I have to wait what seems like forever for our next trip - you're what's keeping me going.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

@flinkerfrosch

Yeah...isn't that Crescent Lake Resort area wonderful...and the walk into Epcot can't be beat. We've never stayed at BC(on the wish list) but have stayed at Boardwalk CL. Probably our favorite ever...it barely edged out the Poly for us, tbh.

Is the BC more/less crowded than AKL? How about the Sci-Fi Drive In...was it busy?

 

[TJA]

Thanks for keeping us updated! Hopefully the BC will get a really nice refurb -- they are due very soon.

As you're pondering booking your next trip, keep in mind there are Club Levels at the deluxes that really add a little extra to the trips! Maybe as you're hopping from resort to resort, you can book CL in one of the resorts?!

Oh, and by the way, in an earlier post you mentioned loving Crystal Palace -- just have to say it's probably our favorite character meal too. Breakfast is our favorite there.

Enjoy!

 

[mickeynut1]

This will be night #3 of the BC, and I will say it really is a fabulous resort! Do I love it more then AKL? No, but it is hard to compare the two.

BC definitely needs a refurb soon. I found AKL more modern, and much newer. BC does look a bit worn in certain areas, but nothing that would cause me to complain or stop me from staying here again.

Mouse keeping was definitely better at AKL. We got towel animals everyday at AKL, but so far none here at the BC Our mousekeeper is doing a great job at cleaning the room etc..but I have to be honest, we really look forward to coming back to our room in hopes to see a towel animal...lol

The cast members are great here as well, and we have been lucky to say we have not encountered a unpleasant one as of yet!

The rooms at the BC are a bit bigger then the regular rooms at Jambo house, but I would say the DVC rooms at AKL are a tad bigger then the BC rooms. I do like the brightness of the BC rooms, but AKL rooms are more up to date, and less worn, so I have to give AKL the winner on this one!

One thing I do not like about BC is that the hallways seem very claustrophobic to me, and lack windows. The windows they do have are glazed over and dirty, so you can't even see out them.

We love SAB, and have had a great time swimming in the pool. The slide is awesome, and we did not find the walk from the exit of the slide back to the entry of the slide bad at all. The pool is very large, but we have had no issues with keeping our 2 children in our eye site at all times. LOVE how you are waited on sitting pool side and I am happy to say I even had a Sunken Treasure and it was DELICIOUS!!

Love the nightlife around the resort, and the boat to DHS is great! We have only used our car to go to Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney. The walk to Epcot is SO close. I think it took us 5 mins to walk there.

We find the QS restaurant great, and Beaches & Cream is great as well. Have yet to try the kitchen sink, but do plan on it

All in all, AKL is still our fav, but I am very happy we have stayed here at the BC and would return in the future for sure! If anyone has questions, fire away

Oh, we ate at Cape May Café this am for breakfast and it was very very good! The character interaction was great as well! We also ate dinner at Sci-fi, and thought the experience was so cool!

We attended the Disney Junior Dance party tonight as well, and what fun it was!! Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Handy Manny, and a few others were there, and were very interactive with the kids.

We had another wonderful day in Disney, and look forward to more!

PS..I am already planning next years vacation...LOL

Cheers

Glad you are enjoying the BC . You can't beat being so close to Epcot and DHS, and the resort/grounds are beautiful. The BC is supposed to be starting room refurbs sometime next year, starting with the CL lounge (expanding it as well as a refurb). Cape May is one of our favorites and is a must do for us every trip (for both breakfast and dinner ).

Thanks for all of your updates. I have enjoyed reading along. Enjoy the rest of your stay at the BC. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the WL .

 

[GGGhosts]

Looking forward to staying at AKL for a few days in December. Tell me about seeing the animals from the viewing areas! What time of day is the most active on the savanna? Did you have a favorite savanna. Does Kidani have nice viewing areas too? Finally, did you use the night vision goggles while you were there? I am looking forward to spending leisurely time at AKL and enjoying some nice restaurants too!

Thanks...love your live report!

 

[flinkerfrosch]

Thank you for keeping us up to date on your trip. It has been great to see how much fun you are having. If I remember correctly, this is your first ever trip to WDW. You have done a great job planning and researching the resorts, parks and other activities.

We love the BC and have stayed there for most of our trips the last twenty years or so. We never got towel animals when we stayed there, either. We stayed at the WL last February and I think it was the first time we got towel animals. The mousekeepers at BC need to take a few lessons on how to make those fun creations.

The BC is planning a refurb in 2014. The Wilderness Lodge just had a refurb last Sept 2012, so you will find the rooms to be in pretty good shape when you get there.

Thank-you and your welcome!

Yes, this is our 1st family vacation to WDW. I have been before, but many years ago, so it was like my 1st trip again! My DH and boys have never been.

We have had a wonderful stay at the BC and would return again! I am sad about the towel animals, but not a deal breaker. We just enjoyed returning to our room to see what the mouse keeper left us, but sadly she never left us anything. Yes, they DO need a lesson on these creations...LOL I am very happy to hear that WL has a great reputation for towel animals, so fingers crossed we get some!

I am happy to hear that the BC is doing a refurb next year because it really does need one! And I am happy to hear that WL recently had one

Thanks for all your help, and assistance! We move onto WL tom, so I will continue with my trip report via WL

 

[flinkerfrosch]

Probably BC and YC need those lessons.

I'm not one of those to say that towel animals make or break my trip, but we had sooooooo many towel animals during our WL trip....no joke, over 11 days, we accumulated close to 20 of those things. We were laughing because we were running out of places to put them in the room.

At YC, we got the towel Mickey on day 1, and nothing over the next 10 days...my kids didn't say a word though, so obviously they didn't notice, or it didn't bother them. OH! One day, our YC Mousekeeper DID arrange the girls' stuffed animals in a funny scene on the bed.

I just remember how fun it was to watch the kids faces light up when they got back to the room and saw them at WL. It's a nice touch, that's all.

OP, Glad you are still having such a wonderful trip. Thank you for updating all of us so we can live vicariously through you!

Thank-you! I am so happy to hear you are enjoying it

 

[flinkerfrosch]

What a wonderful trip report. I have to wait what seems like forever for our next trip - you're what's keeping me going.

Haha, happy to help!

Have a wonderful and magical WDW vacation!!

 

[flinkerfrosch]

@flinkerfrosch

Yeah...isn't that Crescent Lake Resort area wonderful...and the walk into Epcot can't be beat. We've never stayed at BC(on the wish list) but have stayed at Boardwalk CL. Probably our favorite ever...it barely edged out the Poly for us, tbh.

Is the BC more/less crowded than AKL? How about the Sci-Fi Drive In...was it busy?

YES! Crescent Lake is gorgeous, especially at night. I have LOTS of pics!

BC is definitely more busy then AKL, but I am going to assume its because it is a bigger resort, and shares the pool with Yacht Club. It never felt crowded by any means, and we always found chairs by the pool.

LOVED Sci-fi, what a cool restaurant!!! It was full when we were seated, but you sit in cars, and the space between each car is quite decent, so the restaurant did not feel busy or crowded at all. Watching a movie was great and I have never seen my boys sit so still before during dinner....LOL

 

[flinkerfrosch]

Thanks for keeping us updated! Hopefully the BC will get a really nice refurb -- they are due very soon.

As you're pondering booking your next trip, keep in mind there are Club Levels at the deluxes that really add a little extra to the trips! Maybe as you're hopping from resort to resort, you can book CL in one of the resorts?!

Oh, and by the way, in an earlier post you mentioned loving Crystal Palace -- just have to say it's probably our favorite character meal too. Breakfast is our favorite there.

Enjoy!

I hope the BC gets a decent refurb! It does need one.

Great tip on CL, will keep that in mind when booking for next year. CL does sound awesome

Yes, Crystal Palace is our fav, and so is Boma. We are even thinking of doing Boma and Crystal Palace one more time cause we loved it that much
They are sooo yummy!!!!!!

 

[flinkerfrosch]

Glad you are enjoying the BC . You can't beat being so close to Epcot and DHS, and the resort/grounds are beautiful. The BC is supposed to be starting room refurbs sometime next year, starting with the CL lounge (expanding it as well as a refurb). Cape May is one of our favorites and is a must do for us every trip (for both breakfast and dinner ).

Thanks for all of your updates. I have enjoyed reading along. Enjoy the rest of your stay at the BC. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the WL .

We have really enjoyed our stay at the BC. The pool is AWESOME and my boys have really enjoyed the slide. Even my 3 yr old went down it which I couldn't believe!!!
Love the boat to DHS, we have used it twice!
We loved Cape May as well, great breakfast and the character interaction was great as well!
I would love to try dinner, but my DH is allergic to a lot of seafood, so we had to avoid it (for now...hehe) I LOVE seafood, so I will admit I was sad not to do it, but maybe next year!
We move onto WL tom, so I will update soon! We plan on spending the day tom (today now since it is 1:30 in the morning now) at SAB, and then move over to WL around 3 or 4pm.
I am glad you have enjoyed the updates, and I also thank-you for all your help, and wonderful advice

 

[flinkerfrosch]

Looking forward to staying at AKL for a few days in December. Tell me about seeing the animals from the viewing areas! What time of day is the most active on the savanna? Did you have a favorite savanna. Does Kidani have nice viewing areas too? Finally, did you use the night vision goggles while you were there? I am looking forward to spending leisurely time at AKL and enjoying some nice restaurants too!

Thanks...love your live report!

I am sure you will love AKL! I honestly can't think of a single negative thing about it! I don't really have a fav Savanna, they are all nice! I did prefer Arusha view, but that was because we love the Giraffe's.
I would say the am is the most active time. We spent more time in the am viewing the animals before heading out to a park or whatever we were doing that day. At night we actually saw quite a few animals, but it was dark, so you could really only see them from your balcony if they were close.
I do know certain Savannas bring the animals in at night to feed, check them out etc..at different times. A CM will be able to tell you when they bring them in so you know when to not to watch for them.
We had Arusha view, but I was surprised that I didn't see as many animals as I had anticipated, but I was not disappointed. We love the Giraffe's, so we were happy to see some every day!
You can view animals from all over the resort! They have a huge area in the back of the resort where CM's hang out, and answer any and all your questions.
I hope you have a fabulous vacation, and yes, try Boma and the Mara is a fab QS restaurant as well!