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

[BraveMom3]

JMHO ~ I would plan on spending AT LEAST 1-1/2 to 2 days at AKL - there is so much to see! You would definitely want to spend some time lounging at the pool. There are just too many activities to cram into just one afternoon/evening, not to mention a meal at Jiko and Boma! And the ANIMALS - I just couldn't get enough of them. I love listening to the CM's [straight outta Africa] talking about them.... [/QUOTE]
I would love to stay a couple of days, but we are already staying 2 weeks before we add-on this extra night to the front. This was at the request of my newbie guest that we go ahead down on Friday. As I said I plan on just enjoying the resort that day and night and then for a little while on Saturday. As far as eating at Jiko or Boma, I'm not sure if my new guest will enjoy this food. They are weird eaters! My family has been to Boma 2 or 3 times and always enjoyed it, but my children would probably enjoy Rainforest Cafe better, so I went ahead and made ADR there for Friday night. I know the newbies will enjoy the atmosphere and there is enough variety on the menu that they will be satisfied. My hope is that the pool area will be very enjoyable for us - our group is my family (me, DS13, DS9, and DD8) and the newbies (Husband and Wife, and their son-14yo). The kids could kind of come and go as they wish (explore, arcade, swim, other available activities) and we adults could "veg" by the pool and enjoy a "cultural" cocktail!! Any suggestions for how to best enjoy the pool? What should be be sure and try from the pool bar? Do they offer any food items, and if so what? Thanks!

 

[John's Mom]

We love the pool bar at the AKL. My two favorite drinks there are the Victoria Falls Mist and Nahtazu--both sweet and delicious.

Kathy

 

[BraveMom3]

We love the pool bar at the AKL. My two favorite drinks there are the Victoria Falls Mist and Nahtazu--both sweet and delicious.

Kathy

I've seen the recipe for the Nahtazu drink, but not for the Victoria Falls Mist. Can anyone tell me what is in this drink? Thanks

 

[mrsbelle]

Before I begin exploring this whole (fabulous) thread, I wanted to say hi and introduce myself!

My DH and I will be staying at AKL from March 11-15. I will be 7 months pregnant and this is our "babymoon"!

I am so, so excited and I hope I can find some great tips here.

Thanks to all who have added to this thread!

-Andrea (aka mrsbelle!)

 

[scoutsmom99]

Before I begin exploring this whole (fabulous) thread, I wanted to say hi and introduce myself!

My DH and I will be staying at AKL from March 11-15. I will be 7 months pregnant and this is our "babymoon"!

I am so, so excited and I hope I can find some great tips here.

Thanks to all who have added to this thread!

-Andrea (aka mrsbelle!)

Andrea Welcome to the thread If you have any questions fire away we would be glad to help! I hope you have a great trip and are able to give us a review when you return.

 

[scoutsmom99]

I've seen the recipe for the Nahtazu drink, but not for the Victoria Falls Mist. Can anyone tell me what is in this drink? Thanks

I love both of those drinks Here is the Victoria Falls Mist:

Victoria Falls Mist

¼oz Van de Hum Tangerine Liqueur
½oz Midori Melon
¼oz Banana Liquor
¼oz Citrus Juice
Splash Sprite

Mix above ingredients together and serve over ice.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Not much to say this morning, except....


41 days, 41 days, 41 days!!!

I will be AKL in 41 days.

Whew. That feels better.

 

[BraveMom3]

Thanks for the recipe Scoutsmom99!

 

[kimmar067]

Thanks for the recipe Scoutsmom99!

...never MIND the recipe - make us some.... Woohoo! It's time to pa-r-r-r-r-ty!

 

[kimmar067]

...been such a lo-o-o-ng week...I need a vaca at AKL.....

 

[padisneylover]

Welcome Andrea this is a great thread for great information on a great resort

 

[kimmar067]

Welcome Andrea this is a great thread for great information on a great resort

....why-y-y-y, shucks! I do aim to please.... Yes, Andrea!!

 

[kimmar067]

....for the AKL lovers in ALL of us!

 

[scoutsmom99]

...been such a lo-o-o-ng week...I need a vaca at AKL.....

Tell me about it! The actual air temp here -12 below outside right now and once you factor in the wind chill it is more like -34 below. By tomorrow am they are expecting it to feel like -51 below!!!!!! I know I wouldn't mind hot tubbing right now at AKL and then warming up with a victoria falls mist

 

[kimmar067]

Tell me about it! The actual air temp here -12 below outside right now and once you factor in the wind chill it is more like -34 below. By tomorrow am they are expecting it to feel like -51 below!!!!!! I know I wouldn't mind hot tubbing right now at AKL and then warming up with a victoria falls mist

...only thing I can say is:

 

[LiteBrite]

This was our Expedition Everest AP Preview 5 Day Weekend trip. Cast of characters was just me and hubby – first time ever to WDW just the two of us! Our 18yo daughter still lives with us, but she had college classes and couldn’t get off work, so this is just how it turned out.

Originally we were booked at POFQ, but when we found out it was just going to be the two of us on the trip, we decided to amp up the romance factor a little bit and got an
AP discount on a standard view room at AKL. We had stayed there once before, the first spring the Lodge was open, in a savannah view room, just a couple of nights tacked onto a Fort Wilderness camping trip as a splurge. We absolutely loved it, and decided at that time that we’d never want to stay there without a savannah view.

However, the savannah view just wasn’t in the budget this time, and we figured we’d get a deluxe level room at a great price by going with the parking lot view. We hoped for a possible free upgrade, but didn’t count on it. In other words, we had a great attitude going in. We knew we could see the animals from the public viewing areas, and we were fine with that.

We checked in at about 8:00 on Thursday evening. We didn’t ask for an upgrade, and none were offered. We were given a 2 queen bed room not too far off the lobby, just above the Zawadi Marketplace.

Our room was very pretty. Here’s a picture –

Another angle –

The bathroom area –

In spite of how nice our room was, we were surprised at how instantly depressing it was to be at the Lodge and have that parking lot view. It’s not like we didn’t know what we were getting into, but still we felt let down. To compensate us for that view, I decided to call the front desk and ask if there were any king bed rooms available. There weren’t that evening, but I was told to call and ask again first thing in the morning.

In the morning, I called back, and found out that while there weren’t any king rooms available in the standard view category, we could upgrade to a king room with a pool view for $11 additional per night. This seemed way worth it, so we went for it.

We were very pleased with the new room, which we checked into later that afternoon (bell services stored our luggage for us in the meantime). Here are some pics –

The bed

The bed and loveseat (which converted into a single sleeper)

Ceiling fan above the bed

Armoire (held tv and ample drawer space)

Fridge

more to come…

 

[LiteBrite]

One thing that we didn't like as much in the king bed room as we had the 2 queens room was the bathroom arrangement. I don't know if all the king bed rooms at AKL are handicapped accessible, but this one was. While the first room had the sink and counter area outside the toilet and tub room, this was all one big room with a sliding pocket door that didn't lock. Since it was just hubby and me this wasn't much of an issue. The bathroom was quite large, with a single sink set in a large vanity, and a tub with a shower.

It was still nice, I just liked having the sink and mirror outside the toilet/tub room better.

Having just recently read here on the DIS that all rooms at all Deluxes are entitled to turndown service, I called and requested it that afternoon as soon as we were in our new room. We were at Epcot till midnight that night for EMH, and were looking forward to coming home to a nicely turned down bed with chocolates on our pillows and an African proverb, along with fresh towels and empty trash cans, but we were disappointed to find that no one had been there at all that evening.

The next day we came back to our room in the afternoon to find that housekeeping had made our bed in a "turndown" fashion. We thought that was kind of odd, and wondered if they were coming back later to leave the chocolates and do the towel and trash thing, but they never did. This was what happened the rest of our stay - the bed was "turned down" when it was made, and that was it for the turndown service.

"Turned down" bed

Another angle

Despite the fact that turndown service turned out to be a bit of a letdown, mousekeeping was otherwise very good. We even got our first ever towel animal, along with some other fancy towel "stuff"

Towel dog

Toothbrush holder

Bathmat nicely arranged

more to come...

 

[LiteBrite]

And now about the view part of the poolview rooom - we loved it! We had a beautiful vista off our balcony, and enjoyed hanging out out there very much. That view, in combination with having a king bed, completely transformed our stay. It totally made it feel like a deluxe resort. I might choose it over a savannah view sometime even if cost weren't the deciding factor. Naturally you give up seeing the animals from your room, but we felt that our view was much prettier than the savannah.

These were all taken from our balcony -

One more post coming...

 

[LiteBrite]

And now, just to show you how you really can see animals at the Lodge without a savannah view room, here are some pics, all taken from various public viewing areas -

So, to sum up: AKL is a breathtaking resort. The rooms are beautifully furnished. Seeing animals from your private balcony is very special, but if that's not in the budget, a pool view room is an excellent alternative. The parking lot view is only good for those who are extremely stout of heart - it's just too depressing (if I knew for sure I wouldn't be able to upgrade to anything else, I would book a moderate instead next time).

The Mara, while it doesn't boast as extensive a menu as the value and moderate food courts, does have good food with some choices that are a little out of the ordinary. Boma is fantastic. I haven't eaten at Jiko, so I have no insight there. The staff that we came in contact with at AKL were all friendly and efficient. "Turndown" service may or may not be what you're expecting it to be (perhaps only concierge level gets the full deal?). We found the buses to be efficient and mostly not too crowded (one night coming back from the MK about an hour before EMH was over we were on a bus where a few people did have to stand).

My final answer: AKL is wonderful! I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again sometime, or to recommend it to anyone else.

 

[padisneylover]

Thanks for sharing your review and the wonderful pictures it helps my time go quicker.