JAMBO! The UN-official AKL Thread ~ UPDATED(short film/pg 8 & slideshow/pg 12) Part 3

[John's Mom]

At the old watering hole!

 

[RachelTori]

From a thread on the DVC forum, here is the latest information received from the IPO at AKL. Current as of 1/13/2008. I'm posting this with permission from TiggerMan2007.

"I just emailed DON and he answered my questions about our stay in July and about the Safari. Below I am posting what DON emailed me in answer to my questions about room size and the Safari's offered. This should answer most Safari questions and the room size for the 1 BR Concierge:

The 1 BR villas are about 750 sq ft I believe. They were made from two rooms of about 381 sq feet but some was lost in the redesign.

Look forward to assisting you with your plans.

We offer the Sunrise Safari on Sunday and Thursday mornings. Complete
details of all safaris will follow. We will be glad to book all of your
dining for the AKV club level portion of your visit.

Sunrise Safari Breakfast Adventure is exclusive to concierge guests
staying at our resort. It is offered on Thursdays and Sundays. The
safari starts at 6:30 A.M. if the park opens at 8 A.M. & it starts at
7:30 A.M. if the park opens at 9 A.M..

You would meet in the concierge lounge at 6:15 A.M. or 6:45 A.M.,
depending on park hours & will check-in at the concierge desk. The
concierge will scan your park admission into the park which is required
to participate in this experience.

An animal programs cast member will be meeting our guests in the Sunset
Overlook to give a run down of the morning's activities. You will then
take a private bus, which will go through some of the backstage areas at
Disney's Animal Kingdom.

You will then walk over to the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction and board
the first jeep onto the savanna. You will be able to ask the animal
programs cast member questions and there will be frequent stops for you
to take pictures. The safari will last from 45 minutes to 1 hour long.
Afterwards you will have a delicious breakfast buffet that awaits you.
While you are enjoying your breakfast, there will be cultural
representatives from Africa to answer any questions you have about their
country or about Disney's Animal Kingdom.

You are free to go about your day, at this point. If you would like to
go back to the resort, you will take the regular bus back.

The cost is $55.00 for adults and $27.50 for children 3 to 9. There is a
48 hour cancellation policy. The unpaved roads of Harambe Wildlife
Reserve pass through rough and rugged terrain. For your safety you
should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back
or neck problems, motion sickness or other conditions that could be
aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not ride. If you
have special needs (wheelchair or scooter) or dietary needs, please let
us know so that we may accommodate you.

Safaris are may be subject to minimum booking requirements. Other days
may be available for booking if regular days have heavy wait lists. Ask
your itinerary planner for details. All charges are posted as a room
charge. No meal packages can be used to pay for this event.


Wanyama Safari is an approximately 1 and a half hour safari experience
at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge where a guest will experience a
re-creation of a true African afternoon game drive. An opportunity to
spend time with members from the Lodge animal programs team in a very
personal environment. Learning about the natural history and management
of the animal collection at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Incredible
photo opportunities of the animals and architecture of Disney's Animal
Kingdom Lodge that can only be experienced from our savannas . Your
safari will conclude with a true African dining experience at JIKO, just
like the lodges in Africa where a multi-course meal will await you which
may include a wine pairing.

You will be meet at the Jiko Podium at 3:45 p.m. where you will be met
by our animal Programs team. Safaris are offered on Monday,Wednesday,
Friday and Saturday. Guests must be 8 years of age or older. The price
for the experience is $160 per Concierge club guests 10 and up, $210 for
non-Concierge guests 10 and up and Half price for guest 8 and 9. Tax and
gratuity included as well as a small contribution to the Disney
Conservation Fund. 48 hour cancellation policy does apply so a credit
card is required at time of booking. Admission is limited to 12 Guests
and can be reserved 180 days in advance of arrival.

Buy out safaris are offered with sufficient notice subject to there
being no prior bookings for that date for a $2000 minimum price. There
is no age restriction on buy out safaris as it is your exclusive event.

Safaris are may be subject to minimum booking requirements. Other days
may be available for booking. Ask your itinerary planner for details.
All charges are posted as a room charge. No meal packages can be used to
pay for this event.

The Wildlife Discover Excursion takes the Kilimanjaro safari experience
to the next level. Disney's Animal Kingdom invites you to venture off
the beaten path of the Harambe Wildlife Reserve for a unique animal
observation and photo excursion. Led by a seasoned Safari Guide and an
Animal expert, this adventure takes you off the Safari trail, stopping
at special observation and photo areas throughout the 110-acre savannah
of the reserve. The tour takes place Tuesday through Saturday at 10:00
a.m. and 1:00 p.m.. Guest meet in front of Mombassa Marketplace 15
minutes prior to the tour. It can accommodate up to 14 guests who must
be age 3 and older. Payment is taken at time of booking. There is a 48
hour cancellation policy. Cost is $45.00 per person inclusive. You spend
about an hour our on the trail slipping between ride vehicles of the
Kilimanjaro Safari and stopping to view and photograph the animals. The
vehicle is climate controlled. Guest may stand up in the vehicle (there
are hand holds all over the vehicle). It is a great chance to get a
different perspective on the Kilimanjaro Safari. You may take non
concierge guests with you on this experience. Not included with any
package.


Let me just take a moment to touch base with you about our check in
procedure. If you arrive by car at the hotel you will stop at the
security kiosk. Let them know you are a Kilimanjaro Club concierge level
guest. Once you have parked your car or had valet park it go to bell
services just inside the lobby to your left. If you arrive by Disney's
Magical Express you will need to enter the lobby and turn left to the
Bell Services desk and they will assist you. Should your room be
prepared at this time, the bellman will take you directly up to your
room and you can come by the concierge lounge at your leisure to check
in. However if the room has not been prepared yet, the bellman will put
your luggage in storage and a cast member will take you directly up to
our concierge lounge. Either way, there will be no need for you to wait
in line at the front desk. If you are arriving after 10:00 p.m. please
be sure to stop by the Kilimanjaro Club desk in the morning before you
head out so we can make sure we have your reservation in order regarding
charging privileges and tickets.

At your service,

Don (as in Donald Duck)
__________________
TiggerMan2007"

 

[jeni16]

We finally booked our room last night using our AAA discount but, they were all out of the Savannah View rooms for AAA members so we opted for the Pool View Room instead.

DH called me this afternoon & we've decided to for-go the AAA discount & get the Savannah View room anyway. Everytime I look at these pictures I just didn't want to part with that view. It's only money, right! I'm sure the two of us will really enjoy the Savannah View much better than the Pool View anyway.

I have one other question right now, how are the laundry facilities? We will be staying 8 days & I really don't want to pack enough clothing to cover that entire time. Do they sell laundry soap there or will we need to bring our own? I can easily pack dryer sheets but soap is another story.

 

[CJsMom]

We finally booked our room last night using our AAA discount but, they were all out of the Savannah View rooms for AAA members so we opted for the Pool View Room instead.

DH called me this afternoon & we've decided to for-go the AAA discount & get the Savannah View room anyway. Everytime I look at these pictures I just didn't want to part with that view. It's only money, right! I'm sure the two of us will really enjoy the Savannah View much better than the Pool View anyway.

I have one other question right now, how are the laundry facilities? We will be staying 8 days & I really don't want to pack enough clothing to cover that entire time. Do they sell laundry soap there or will we need to bring our own? I can easily pack dryer sheets but soap is another story.

I used the laundry room on Zebra Trail and it was very clean. There is a laundry room way out on the end of Kudu trail as well. There were four washing machines and (I think) eight dryers in the room. I would imagine it could get busy. I went down early in the morning and there was only one other person there. I felt comfortable leaving the clothes there and returning frequently to check on them. I would suggest you bring your own soap because it was expensive to buy there. I found sample sizes of All detergent at Target for $1 apiece and they did 2 loads each.

 

[debbiedoo]

Hello

I have an upcoming trip, and a lot of catching up to do with this place

what is the do not miss activites --

I have heard about the bracelet thing for the kids

going to try to do the sunrise safari, may be too late to book since at 5 month window

tour to learn about resort?

 

[llmurphy17]

love AKL

 

[pilferk]

Hey!

I haven't forgotten about you all. FINALLY back and in some semblance of order.

We're organizing the pics, and I'm going to start uploading them within the next day or so...I'll share them once they're all uploaded.

We (well, mostly my wife) took about 900+ pictures. Plus we have about 200+ photopass pics. It's a LOT to go through.

I'll post the AKL ones here.

 

[RachelTori]

Hey!

I haven't forgotten about you all. FINALLY back and in some semblance of order.

We're organizing the pics, and I'm going to start uploading them within the next day or so...I'll share them once they're all uploaded.

We (well, mostly my wife) took about 900+ pictures. Plus we have about 200+ photopass pics. It's a LOT to go through.

I'll post the AKL ones here.

Are you doing a TR? (if you do, please post the link here.) We want to hear all about the surprise, Nick hotel, and of course your entire WDW experience!

 

[pilferk]

Are you doing a TR? (if you do, please post the link here.) We want to hear all about the surprise, Nick hotel, and of course your entire WDW experience!

That's the plan...but I want to get all the pics organized, etc so I can do it "with pics".

And I'll post a link.

Just to let you know....the surprise went over like gangbusters. My oldest daughter, once she figured out what was going on (it took her a couple minutes) was so excited she was basically crying. My son was VERY excited too. I thought they were both going to burst!

Which, ultimately, might not have been as good a thing as we hoped...because they slept for a grand total of about 3 hours on the 22 hour drive down.

 

[kimmar067]

I used the laundry room on Zebra Trail and it was very clean. There is a laundry room way out on the end of Kudu trail as well. There were four washing machines and (I think) eight dryers in the room. I would imagine it could get busy. I went down early in the morning and there was only one other person there. I felt comfortable leaving the clothes there and returning frequently to check on them. I would suggest you bring your own soap because it was expensive to buy there. I found sample sizes of All detergent at Target for $1 apiece and they did 2 loads each.

...I've used BOTH laundry rooms and both had machines that worked quite well....the one that is on Kudu Trail is a bit less crowded because it is further out on the 'arm' of the resort, whereas the other one is [literally] only a few step from the arcade...

 

[kimmar067]

That's the plan...but I want to get all the pics organized, etc so I can do it "with pics".....

...and you're waiting for......??!?!?

...Just to let you know....the surprise went over like gangbusters. My oldest daughter, once she figured out what was going on (it took her a couple minutes) was so excited she was basically crying. My son was VERY excited too. I thought they were both going to burst!.....

....awwwww......

 

[CJsMom]

Which, ultimately, might not have been as good a thing as we hoped...because they slept for a grand total of about 3 hours on the 22 hour drive down.

Yikes! That must have been a LOOOONG drive!
Can't wait to see the pics!

 

[pilferk]

...and you're waiting for......??!?!?

It just takes awhile. We're a little more than half done (maybe more, my wife is working on them while the kids nap, as we speak). I'm hoping we're done by the weekend so I can start uploading and posting.

 

[pilferk]

Yikes! That must have been a LOOOONG drive!
Can't wait to see the pics!

It started to be...and then my wife and I just gave up the goat and realized they weren't going to sleep. Once we did that, and popped more DVD's into the DVD player (which saved our sanity) it was fine. We decided not to let it get to us and "ruin" the trip.

What REALLY got us was the fact they didn't ACTUALLY fall asleep until about 6:30 PM on Friday. My oldest daughter was awake, more or less, for 35 hours or so. And in surprisingly good spirits the entire time. Then, all 3 kids slept like the dead for about 14+ hours (and so did my wife and I!!). Actually, that was one pleasant surprise (and offshoot from running them ragged at the parks): The kids slept, at night, better than they do at home. My son still gets up 2 or 3 times a night, at home, for "potty time". Not during the trip. We didn't hear a peep out of him, and he only got up once the entire trip.....when he climbed into bed with us about 4:00 AM or so. Which we didn't notice for awhile, until my wife suddenly realized her arm was pinned and she couldn't move. The oddest thing about that is: He's never "co-slept" in his life.

 

[kimmar067]

It just takes awhile. We're a little more than half done (maybe more, my wife is working on them while the kids nap, as we speak). I'm hoping we're done by the weekend so I can start uploading and posting.

....yippee skippy....

..... you're a BETTER man'n I am [relatively speaking... ]

 

[wendypooh]

Hey!

I haven't forgotten about you all. FINALLY back and in some semblance of order.

We're organizing the pics, and I'm going to start uploading them within the next day or so...I'll share them once they're all uploaded.

We (well, mostly my wife) took about 900+ pictures. Plus we have about 200+ photopass pics. It's a LOT to go through.

I'll post the AKL ones here.

YAY ~ Cannot wait to see all your pics!!! Welcome back!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Hi all! Long time no post for me!

DH, DS and I won't be headed to Disney in 2008 (unless we get a sudden windfall of lotsssss o money!), but maybe in 2009 when DS is over a year old....until then I will continue to drool over all the pics and trip reports!

 

[kimmar067]

Hi all! Long time no post for me!

DH, DS and I won't be headed to Disney in 2008 (unless we get a sudden windfall of lotsssss o money!), but maybe in 2009 when DS is over a year old....until then I will continue to drool over all the pics and trip reports!

....well, ah declare! It HAS been a spell....hows that young'un o' yers?? (...any recent pix?? )

 

[mom2aredhead]

A moment of silence for my ticker. I removed the one from last month's trip.

Sniff

I can't believe I don't have a trip planned. So sad.

 

[RachelTori]

A moment of silence for my ticker. I removed the one from last month's trip.

Sniff

I can't believe I don't have a trip planned. So sad.

I dunno -- I have the feeling you'll have a new ticker before too long. I sense those "trip planning juices" are a-flowin'! And once started, they CAN'T be stopped!!