JAMBO! The UN-official AKL Thread ~ UPDATED(short film/pg 8 & slideshow/pg 12) Part 2

[CJsMom]

It's possible the photos I'm about to ask for reside somewhere in the 500 pages of this thread but having only looked at 50 of them I may have missed it.

I would like to see more photos of AKL - rooms, hallways, grounds, bathrooms, check-in, that sort of thing. I've looked at the pics here, on TGM, what I've found through Googling, and other threads, but what happens is there is an overwhelming number of photos of the savannas and the animals. I'm interested in see the appointments of the hotel, etc. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the animals and all I just want to see more of the other stuff too.

Gdad posted a few really nice pics a few pages back. I found a couple on page 485 and a few more on 488 - keep clicking around those pages and you might find more. There's also a "pictorial" trip report from Ronald Duck here:

Pictorial Report, AKL et al, 12/16-21...lotsa pics, few words
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1305767

Ok, now I gotta go read a couple more trip reports that I found while I was looking for the AKL one! My addiction to trip reports is getting scarier by the day...

 

[CJsMom]

We are splurging and staying at three deluxe hotels - all concierege level.

Boardwalk Inn - September 27 - 29, 2007

Animal Kingdom Lodge - September 29 - October 1, 2007

Polynesian Resort - October 1 - 6, 2007

This is our fifth trip to Disney and we are really excited. We have only stayed at value and moderates before this trip.

WOW - this sounds like a great trip! Have fun!

 

[BensMom]

YES, that does sound like the ultimate trip! Wow, I am sooo jealous!

 

[ms_mckenna]

Wow that is an awesome trip! : Hope you guys have a great time!

 

[disneytraveler]

More Sunrise Safari photos

 

[disneytraveler]

 

[ktink]

Hey guys, quick question. I know this has been asked before and I've been reading over but couldn't find anything, just picking random pages. Anyway do all of the rooms have balconies? We are booked for a standard room, as I'm sure all of the savannah views do have them. TIA

 

[kimmar067]

We are splurging and staying at three deluxe hotels - all concierege level.

Boardwalk Inn - September 27 - 29, 2007

Animal Kingdom Lodge - September 29 - October 1, 2007

Polynesian Resort - October 1 - 6, 2007

This is our fifth trip to Disney and we are really excited. We have only stayed at value and moderates before this trip.

...talk about living out of a suitcase!! You are going to LOVE the deluxes....be warned: you will be spoiled and won't want to go back to a Mod or Value (been there, done that... )

 

[kimmar067]

Hey guys, quick question. I know this has been asked before and I've been reading over but couldn't find anything, just picking random pages. Anyway do all of the rooms have balconies? We are booked for a standard room, as I'm sure all of the savannah views do have them. TIA

...yes, even the std ones (facing the parking lot...)

 

[mdrob214]

OK--I have read the thread as far back as last T-giving. We are looking at a trip 11/25-12/2 and I am having a difficult time making up my mind. We stayed at WL our last trip and I loved it. I just know the Christmas decorations there will be great. I have also given some consideration to the Poly but I don't think it will feel "Christmas-y" enough. So I am now leaning to the AKL because of its grandeur and the animals. I am worried about being so far away from it all, though. My kids are are 10 & 13 so will be using the pool no matter what, I am sure. And since I have 1 boy and 1 girl they don't want to sleep together and neither I nor DH want to sleep with them! So the bunkbeds are really great. (We had them at WL) Please, convince me that this is the place I want to be for our pre-holiday trip!

Thanks!

Denise

 

[Disney8704]

DH and I decided to stay here for the 1st time this december. You are gonna have people tell you both that they felt so far away from everything and that they didnt and that they did feel far away but enjoyed it. You are probably gonna be asked also about doing a split stay between the both. In my honest opinion, split stays are a waste of time, espcially if you like to unpack everything and then just repack when your vacation is over. Overall what Im trying to tell you is no one is gonna really convince you to stay here or anywhere. Thats gonna be totally up to you and your family. I've been conviced to stay at the Poly but just cant afford it right now and the only reason why I've been convinced is because it looks really pretty and romantic. No one conviced me to stay here. It was a joint decision between me and DH. If you love animals and love the AK, I say go for it and stay here. I've seen pics of the resort at christmas time and it looks incredibile. You could also stay at the AKL one time, just to see what its like, that way you'll know in the future weither or not to stay at the AKL again. Another reason, is to just to stay here just so you can experience another resort. Staying at one resort back to back may bore you and might get tiring cuz you're just restaying at one resort all over again when theres so many more resorts to experience. If you like to stay at one resort over and over, thats totally up to you. And theres nothing wrong with that at all. Just to give you a heads up in order to get bunk beds you have to have a pool view or savannah view. And if you are booking through AAA, I've heard that all pool view with bunk beds for December are gone. So that leaves you with savannah unless you book through another TA or through Disney themselves. If I were you, I would go ahead and check to see whats left available at both resorts and go from there. The rooms at the resorts for christmas are going extremely fast. So you need to see if theres even anything avilable during your travel dates. Good luck and let us know what you decided.

OK--I have read the thread as far back as last T-giving. We are looking at a trip 11/25-12/2 and I am having a difficult time making up my mind. We stayed at WL our last trip and I loved it. I just know the Christmas decorations there will be great. I have also given some consideration to the Poly but I don't think it will feel "Christmas-y" enough. So I am now leaning to the AKL because of its grandeur and the animals. I am worried about being so far away from it all, though. My kids are are 10 & 13 so will be using the pool no matter what, I am sure. And since I have 1 boy and 1 girl they don't want to sleep together and neither I nor DH want to sleep with them! So the bunkbeds are really great. (We had them at WL) Please, convince me that this is the place I want to be for our pre-holiday trip!

Thanks!

Denise

 

[John's Mom]

Bumping!!!

 

[kimmar067]

Some news tidbits:



NEWS BITES

Certain restaurants will extend their operating hours for the upcoming Easter holiday week:

Chef Mickey's: Sunday, April 1 through Saturday, April 7: Breakfast: 7 a.m. - 12 noon and Dinner: 4 p.m. - 9:20 p.m.
Sunday, April 8 - Breakfast: 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. and Dinner: 4 p.m. - 9:20 p.m.

Ohana: Sunday, April 1 through Saturday, April 7: Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. and Dinner: 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday, April 8 - Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. - 12 noon and Dinner: 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Whispering Canyon Cafe: Sunday, April 1 through Sunday, April 8: Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.; Lunch: 12 noon - 3 p.m.; and Dinner: 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Mickey's Backyard BBQ will add an additional weekday show: Tuesday, April 3 -- 6:30 p.m. show

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from September 4 through October 24, 2007. The show will be performed Thursday through Monday during this period. http://allearsnet.com/din/hddcom.htm


-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On February 28, 2007, the Orlando Business Journal reported that the Disney Vacation Club, a resort subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co., will open a first-of-its-kind preview center in a retail storefront within the Woodfield Mall in Chicago this summer. For the full story: http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2007/02/26/daily25.html

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Walt Disney World Resort has announced two new projects as part of an expansion plan for the resort in Central Florida: a new 900-acre luxury resort anchored by the prestigious Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and a 450-acre retail, dining and lodging district on the western edge of the Disney resort. "These projects are first-of-a-kind for Walt Disney World and we are thrilled to be able to bring Four Seasons to our resort," said Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort. "Families around the globe know they can trust Disney to deliver magical experiences and Four Seasons to offer exceptional service and amenities. Combined, this is a huge win for devotees of both brands and for Central Florida," said Crofton.


Full press release and artist renderings: http://allearsnet.com/news/hnews.htm#030107



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Restaurant and Dining News:

L'Originale Alfredo di Roma in Epcot's Italy pavilion will end its contract with Disney on August 31, 2007. Disney is currently working on plans to develop a new Italian restaurant for World Showcase. No further details are yet available.

Gulliver's Grill Character Dinner (Walt Disney World Swan Resort) will be closed for refurbishment from April 16 - June 7, 2007. During this time, Fresh (in the Dolphin Resort) will host the Character Buffet dinner.

Electric Umbrella in Epcot's Future World will be closed for refurbishment from March 5-21, 2007

Dinosaur Gertie's Ice Cream of Distinction at Disney-MGM Studios is closed for refurbishment from March 12-13, 2007.

Min and Bill's Dockside Diner at Disney-MGM Studios will open at NOON each day from March 19-23, 2007.

http://allearsnet.com/din/restnews.htm

 

[BensMom]

Thank you, Kimmar! Just thinking where I'd like to eat Saturday night...

 

[PolyAddict]

When looking at the resort map of AKL, where are the standard view rooms located? Just trying to get an idea of where we will be.

Thanks

 

[Disney8704]

From AllEars:
The following are the room types and numbers of rooms in each category: Standard View (facing the parking lot) 135 rooms; Pool View 136 rooms; savanna View 724 rooms; Deluxe Pool View 33 rooms; Deluxe savanna View 191 rooms and 55 Concierge rooms. The deluxe rooms are bigger than the standard rooms. There are also Presidential and Vice Presidential suites, as well as five one-bedroom suites and 12 two-bedroom parlor suites.

The standard rooms are on floors 1-4 and are 344 square feet. Deluxe rooms are on floors 5 and 6 and are 381 square feet. All rooms have balconies.

When looking at the resort map of AKL, where are the standard view rooms located? Just trying to get an idea of where we will be.

Thanks

 

[kimmar067]

Thank you, Kimmar! Just thinking where I'd like to eat Saturday night...

....

 

[latexscooter]

From AllEars:
The following are the room types and numbers of rooms in each category: Standard View (facing the parking lot) 135 rooms; Pool View 136 rooms; savanna View 724 rooms; Deluxe Pool View 33 rooms; Deluxe savanna View 191 rooms and 55 Concierge rooms. The deluxe rooms are bigger than the standard rooms. There are also Presidential and Vice Presidential suites, as well as five one-bedroom suites and 12 two-bedroom parlor suites.

The standard rooms are on floors 1-4 and are 344 square feet. Deluxe rooms are on floors 5 and 6 and are 381 square feet. All rooms have balconies.

Just out of curiosity how much of this is affected as part of the renovation for the DVC? This is what was the case before the renovation but I'd be curious to know what and/or where the renovations were being made currently.

 

[Disney8704]

From what I have gathered on this thread, I believe the 6th floor and some of the 5th floor is being used for DVC, plus I think I saw a pic one time where it shows where they will be adding onto the AKL for DVC

Just out of curiosity how much of this is affected as part of the renovation for the DVC? This is what was the case before the renovation but I'd be curious to know what and/or where the renovations were being made currently.

 

[PolyAddict]

From AllEars:
The following are the room types and numbers of rooms in each category: Standard View (facing the parking lot) 135 rooms; Pool View 136 rooms; savanna View 724 rooms; Deluxe Pool View 33 rooms; Deluxe savanna View 191 rooms and 55 Concierge rooms. The deluxe rooms are bigger than the standard rooms. There are also Presidential and Vice Presidential suites, as well as five one-bedroom suites and 12 two-bedroom parlor suites.

The standard rooms are on floors 1-4 and are 344 square feet. Deluxe rooms are on floors 5 and 6 and are 381 square feet. All rooms have balconies.

Thanks!!!