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

[scoutsmom99]

.....OR, doing this by the pool.........

hey know there is an idea...all I need is a plane ticket because I still have a few more loads to do!!

Your welcome! I actually am very happy that I knew about this thread and that there were people appreciating pictures of AKL. That made me take many more pictures than I otherwise would have!

Wow that is an awesome picture!! Thanks for sharing it

 

[Tig-girl]

Tig-girl I am so glad to hear that you like AKL better than WL. We've stayed at WL and love it- although I think my favorite might be the Beach Club because of location. In fact I was worried about staying at AKL because of its distance from things but you have comforted me a lot on that front. Can't wait to go!

Now I don't want to offend my fellow WL Lovers....we DO LOVE WL, and both have their good points, but AKL just had more of what my family likes. Especially that pool. I'm ashamed to say that myself and my teenage DS do not swim (I know, I know....he must learn soon), and I am not comfortable in a pool where I know somewhere it's gonna drop off to 10 ft deep! But the AKL pool is so huge, and equal depth everywhere, so we just felt very "safe". And Mara has it over RF hands down as far as elbow room and atmosphere go, and lets not forget those animals! But having said that, we will miss taking the boat from WL to MK, and seeing my DSs and my sister's DS sitting in one of those cozy little nooks on the 4th floor late at night, playing guitar, talking and laughing..... But it's all good, and I'm sure that you are going to be as in love with AKL as we are. Let's face it guys, you can't go wrong with either one....right Kimmar?

 

[Tig-girl]

Tig-girl, I am very glad you said this too. I am soliciting pixie dust from those who care. I finally convinced my DH to switch to AKL from WL and I called Sunday and yesterday and they said they have NO availability After reading your post, I will continue to try. I already tried to see availability on line this morning. I'm hoping they add the rooms after 7:00 est. and that maybe...just maybe I'll get one.

(I need a hug .)

DO NOT.....I REPEAT......DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!
I'm sure that something will come up. I have found in all my trips that persistence pays off!

 

[stepdisney]

Thanks Tig-girl and Kimmar for the hugs and pixie dust. I called today and a somewhat crabby CM said that she doubted if any more rooms would become available. She said that it was so close to the end of the promotion that even if someone did cancel, she was not sure if the room would go back into the FDDP pool of rooms . I DO believe, I DO believe, (I need you all to start clapping now). I will chalk it up to being a bad day for her and continue to hope. I WILL NOT give up.....

 

[amcjeep4life]

Hello all!

We will be at AKL from Sept 16 to the 22. It is our first trip, and we will be bringing our nieces, aged 10 and 12. This resort was a no brainer for me, my life is animals! I look forward to meeting some of you there!

 

[kimmar067]

Your welcome! I actually am very happy that I knew about this thread and that there were people appreciating pictures of AKL. That made me take many more pictures than I otherwise would have!

...well, thank you again, and keep up the good work! We NEVER tire of AKL pix around these here parts.....

 

[Kimberle]

I apologize if this has already been covered...
Do all AKL concierge rooms have Savannah/animal views?
Thanks!

The short answer is: sometimes.

Nothing is guarenteed, and the whole situation is sort of convoluted, and made more complicated by the recent smoking policy change. Here's the skinny:

The Deluxe Concierge rooms are about 50/50 Savannah-pool view. You can request Savannah view but...well...everyone does so it's still luck of the draw.

The Standard concierge rooms are MOSTLY Savannah view. In fact, the only standard concierge rooms that weren't (they were pool view) WERE smoking rooms. So you could guarentee yourself a savannah view standard concierge by requesting non-smoking. Now that ALL the rooms are non-smoking....well, I'm sure you see the problem. It's now luck of the draw again, but the odds are more in your favor at least.

Hi There!

Am staying Conceirge in Aug. Recently spoke w/ IPO planner. He said ALL conceirge rooms now are Savannah views. No more pool views.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Hi There!

Am staying Conceirge in Aug. Recently spoke w/ IPO planner. He said ALL conceirge rooms now are Savannah views. No more pool views.

That makes me feel so much better! We just booked for November (keeping fingers crossed that my parents stay healthy enough to be able to go) and it was very important to have a savannah view as they will spend a lot of time in the room to watch the animals. Last time our IPO request was not honored and we had to politely refuse the pool view CL room.

 

[ransom]

A friend of mine wanted to stay at AKL this coming November, so I told him I'd find out about the construction going on then. Does anyone know how disruptive it is right now, and how much construction is expected to be going on at that point?

 

[Tig-girl]

A friend of mine wanted to stay at AKL this coming November, so I told him I'd find out about the construction going on then. Does anyone know how disruptive it is right now, and how much construction is expected to be going on at that point?

I believe the last updates we had are a few pages back. Things didn't sound too bad!

 

[ransom]

I believe the last updates we had are a few pages back. Things didn't sound too bad!

Ah, thanks ... (p 558, if anyone else is looking!)

I'll let him know. He would prefer AKL to WL, but not if there's going to be a lot of noise or disruption. Looks like he should be OK.

 

[Debbie6221]

Hi Everyone!
I am back! AKL was a wonderful experience. We were there for the nights of June 3rd and 4th. When we initially got our rooms we asked to be moved because our view was of the savannah and some construction. They said it was because we wanted rooms together.

We were moved to two great rooms after that.

The construction did not bother us at all after that point. I am uploading my pix now and will share them if you guys don't mind. We REALLY had a great three days in WDW for my birthday!!!!!
Day 1 AKL pool and animal viewing

Guess what happened here........

Day 2 MK marathon all day!
Day 3 AKL and Downtown Disney
I'll be back to post more if you don't mind.

 

[Debbie6221]

The bus was great! I was worried but it was smooth sailing!

 

[mika911]

The bus was great! I was worried but it was smooth sailing!

REally how long did it take?

What about the busses to the resorts? Were they pretty quick and came often enough?

Glad you had a great trip! Congrats!

 

[Sweet Pea UK]

Just wanted to ask all you AKL experts where the best place for a standard room would be? We are travelling from the UK and have booked through Virgin so won't be able to ring AKL ahead and make any requests but just wanted to have some knowledge of where is a good room spot when we are offered something on arrival.

We are going November 2nd to 16th and I know construction will still be ongoing inside the hotel but this is our first trip to AKL and MIL and FIL's first trip to WDW so we really won't be bothered by it - just can't wait to be there.

So some inside knowledge on good standard view room locations would really be appreciated.

By the way I'm sure this question has been asked before but I didn't have time to scroll through all the pages so my apologies if I'm asking people to repeat info. Just thought you might all be grateful to reminisce some more about AKL

 

[silverangel879]

Guess what happened here........

What? What happend?????

BTW, Great photos...I don't think people here would mind that you post photos here. Great Memories for the ones who have been there and great expectations for the ones that haven't. LIKE ME!!!!!

 

[prncssmel]

What? What happend?????

BTW, Great photos...I don't think people here would mind that you post photos here. Great Memories for the ones who have been there and great expectations for the ones that haven't. LIKE ME!!!!!

And me! I love seeing everyone's pics.

Only 81 more days until our first trip to AKL!

 

[mika911]

Just wanted to ask all you AKL experts where the best place for a standard room would be? We are travelling from the UK and have booked through Virgin so won't be able to ring AKL ahead and make any requests but just wanted to have some knowledge of where is a good room spot when we are offered something on arrival.

We are going November 2nd to 16th and I know construction will still be ongoing inside the hotel but this is our first trip to AKL and MIL and FIL's first trip to WDW so we really won't be bothered by it - just can't wait to be there.

So some inside knowledge on good standard view room locations would really be appreciated.

By the way I'm sure this question has been asked before but I didn't have time to scroll through all the pages so my apologies if I'm asking people to repeat info. Just thought you might all be grateful to reminisce some more about AKL

Someone might know something, I don't, but I can tell the standard view rooms are a closer walk from the lobby, restaurants, and busses, so that is a good thing.

 

[PolyAddict]

Someone might know something, I don't, but I can tell the standard view rooms are a closer walk from the lobby, restaurants, and busses, so that is a good thing.

Couldn't agree more with this statement.

We were in 3035 Giraffe trail and were right next to bus stop, the pool and very short walk to the Mara.

Loved the location of the room, I will request this in the future. Most people want a good view of the animals, I just want convience. Of all WDW i've stayed at, this location was the most convienent to all of our needs.

 

[garywitt]

Just returned from AKL on 6/12 and I can't even describe how magical and amazing our vacation was. This was our family's first trip to WDW and will be the first of many. We have already decided to stay at AKL again next time, despite our desire to see other resorts as well.

Everything was perfect. We stayed in a savannah view room, on the Kudu trail, second building from the lobby, second floor. Views of the animals were AMAZING!! I don't know if the animal handlers do this on purpose, but every day was a different experience - zebras, then ankole cattle, then kudu, then giraffes, up close, no more than thirty feet from our balcony. We sat in our balcony during our afternoon nap and during a short thunderstorm and watched the kudu chasing the zebra and running from the thunder - it was simply breathtaking.

We ate at Boma three times and would have done more. Their breakfast buffet was fantastic! Our five year old loved the buffet as well, so many choices! We didn't get a chance to try Jiko but will next time.

Mara also exceeded our expectations. We ate there several times and brought back to our room a few times as well. We had in-room breakfast once and it too was right on time, expensive but not for room service at a deluxe hotel.

We did not hear one iota, not even one tiny hint of construction noise at any time. We did see construction through windows on the opposite side of kudu trail (the opposite side from the arusha rock savannah) and the views didn't look like they would be too pleasant from those rooms. We didn't spend any time in the zebra trail, though, and that is where I was told the construction is currently underway.

The rooms were plenty spacious, even with the pack and play crib set up. We got towel animals each morning and a paper outside our room. Our best move was Garden Groceries - we ordered groceries before our trip and the deliveryman called while we were on the magical express, and then arrived to our room five minutes after we did. We kept water, milk, soda, etc. in our fridge and had crackers, snacks, diapers, wipes, all that stuff sent ahead so we didn't have to pack it.

I could say more but won't ramble - AKL is highly recommended!

By the way, this is my first post but we spent a of time on these boards before our trip and thank everyone for the great information - we were well prepared!