Is a standard view worth it at AKL?

[milmore104]

I need some help deciding if we should stay at the AKL in a standard room or not? For all of you who have stayed there in a standard room was it worth the money? We have stayed at the AKL but we had a sav. room. We are taking an unexpected trip in Oct. we really want to stay at AKL but I don't know we can save enough money by then to stay in a sav. room? I need all the help I can get PLEASE!!!!! Thank You
Nicki

 

[boston-yachter]

I find that this is a down side to the resort...
everyone raves how great the AKL is...and being able to see animals from your balcony...but if you can't afford it...I truly believe you lose a lot of the resort feeling...

when you weigh the benefits of the AKL standard room...to say the WL standard room...I believe WL truly surpasses...
1) thouh both have views of parking lots...I prefer the wooded parking lot rather than the steamin concrete you stare at at the AKL...
2) To see the animals you have to walk the trails...which is fine...no big deal...but you can also walk the trails if your stayin at the WL...just make an afternoon stop at the AKL
3) location...I don't consider AKL to have a great location..and would rather have direct access to MK than a 20min bus ride there...

AKL is a great resort if you have a SV room...if not...I really can't justify the cost...
the resort does offer more uprades than many of the other resorts...a lot of people who booked standard view rooms have been upraded to pool view, and sometimes even SV...
A pool view room is fantastic...and is beter than a standard...so if you could swin the money for that...I believe you'll be a lot happier...

but this is all MHO

if I was left with standard at WL or AKL...I'd go with WL

 

[Demosthenes]

When you book at AKL, you are accepting some trade-offs from the other deluxe resorts. AKL has bus service only, it is remote (making eating at other resorts a real hassle after parks close), it has no tennis courts, no jogging trail, no quiet pool, little evening entertainment, small rooms, and is the only Disney resort that allows even a glimpse into the real world (the interstate is alive and well right outside your standard view room). While all of this can seem pretty bad, as you are aware, the experience and interaction you have with the animals makes up for these deficiencies. But, consider that the reason you are giving these amenities up isn’t so that you can look ou your balcony at a parking lot. The whole purpose in being at the AKL is to have a view of the savannah. If you are relegated to looking out at Arusha Rock for the animals, then what advantage do you have over a day guest who has made a trip over for a meal at Boma? What would inspire you to give up all the listed benefits of other Disney deluxes if you are going to have no better experience than a day guest (in fact, a worse experience since the day guest can return to their resort with convenient access to other resorts, tennis courts, jogging trails, quiet pools, etc.) I would recommend a stay in a standard view room at the WL. Wl standard views have better views than the parking lot, but the lodge also is convenient to the Magic Kingdom Area resorts. You can enjoy the nighttime activities at FW, take a boat to the CR and be part of the monorail community, and you have boat access to the MK. I don’t think an AKL standard room compares well to a WL standard room.

 

[gepetto]

I would stick with AKL. Their transportation is great. We have never waited over 5 minutes for a bus. The bus rides aren't as long as you would expect, either. You will probably get to the parks faster from AKL than WL. WL currently shares busses with GF and I found the launches from there to be a little unreliable.

 

[bunnyfoo]

We had booked a standard view at AKL in May and were lucky enough to be upgraded to a savanah view. I thought it was nice but I'm not sure I would pay for a savanah view. I guess the room view would have made a bigger difference if I had spent more time there ... but we were usually at the parks There are tons of places to look at the animals around the resort ... which are never really crowded. I took some of the best animals pictures outside of my room.

Another thing you should know about the savanah view, the resort has cameras watching the animals so they suggest that you keep the blinds closed, otherwise the cameras could look into your room.

Whatever you decide, AKL is a great resort

 

[DisneyFreaks]

We had a standard view room this past May. We had been moved to AKL when PO/FQ closed. They didn't offer us anything but standard view and I have to admit we were a bit apprehensive of what we would get. But fortunately we loved our rooms. We were on the Ostrich Trail 3rd floor. Our rooms faced the handicap parking but with so many trees and bushes we actually didn't see any cars. We had three rooms booked and they put us all right next to each other. This location was very quiet and as you already know there are plenty of viewing areas for animals at the lodge so there was no problem at all. I would ask for these same rooms again if we were staying in a standard room.

 

[A1A1]

I am deciding between the AKL standard and Poly for two nights. The difference in money is about fifty dollars per night. The CM that I book through was saying that Poly is a much older resort, and that AKL would be much better.

I am not sure if I would want to stay at Poly, because it is not my style. It always seems to be over crowded at the pool and the grounds.