jdads2
Squirrelly as all heck
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2001
- Messages
- 1,361
Well, first off I would like to thank all of the folks on these boards for their help in making our vacations to WDW more fun. Your tips and insights greatly helped us in our quest for a terrific vacation.
Just walking into the AKL can be an inspiring event. Add to that the treatment you receive from the concierge staff and you cant help but have a great experience. This lobby is just amazing. As huge as it seems during the day it is incredible how comfortable and cozy it can be at night. The indoor fire pit is a great place to sit and relax at the end of the day. It is close enough to Victoria Falls and the bar to grab a quick drink and take it with you back to the fire to enjoy.
Arushu Rock has another fire pit with nightly story telling geared toward the kids, at least on our trip. Grab a rocker and some bug spray and enjoy the crackle of the fire OK so the fire is a Disney fire and may not crackle but I swear I heard some crackling.
We only ate at Boma once on this trip. We had dinner there with the whole family and really enjoyed it. My sister and BiL are vegetarians and sometimes find the veggie offerings to be less than satisfactory but here at Boma, they said that the food was very good. The soup lady remembering me from our last trip was very special as was the gift of candies and sweets she sent to our table. My suggestion to anyone thinking of eating at Boma is try a little of everything, the selection is outstanding.
The pool at AKL was great. The water was a little too warm for me but I saw several people chilled by the water (it had to be 85-90). The waterslide is fun for the kids but the new slide at the Poly is much more adventurous. My younger son doesnt like the Poly slide but we couldnt get him off slide at AKL. The spas are wonderful! If the pool water is too warm for you, spend a couple of minutes in the spa and then head back to the pool aaahhhh thats better!
The concierge staff was excellent. We wanted for nothing. I cant compare them to other concierge staffs because this was our first stay at a concierge level room. The food was wonderful. From the continental breakfast to the evening cordials all food was of excellent quality. I cant remember every food that was offered but here goes:
Morning: pastries, muffins, bagels, dry cereal, oatmeal, butter, cream cheese, jellies and preserves, peanut butter, raisons, granola and brown sugar, milk, coffee and specialty coffees, teas and juices and fresh fruits throughout the day.
Afternoon: Peanut butter and jelly shells(small sandwiches in the shape of shells), nuts, chips and snacks
Evening: Meatballs, skewered bbqd shrimp, chicken and beef, beef and veggie rolls, chicken nuggets and wings, pastry topped with ham and pineapple and another with beef and vegetables.
Late evening: Cordials, candies, fruits, nuts and cookies.
Dont forget the snacks in between each meal.
My kids were always invited to enjoy the lounge as well. They had games for them to play and puzzles for them to try. They even had small gifts for them. Small animal shaped containers on lanyards that they could take goodies to the parks in. They also got some wooden animals to put together and keep, very nice! There is also a DVD player with movies available . yes, Disney movies, what a surprise!
We did an awful lot of pin trading on this trip. The kids were out of the room early every morning trading with CMs in the lounge, the lobby and the market. The CMs got to know the kids pretty well and we were told on several occasions how polite our kids were. I would guess by the end of the trip the kids had each received 5 or 6 free pins from the CMs in the concierge lounge and The Zawadi Marketplace for their good behavior and their patronage.
The standard concierge room we had at AKL was slightly smaller than the deluxe room we had at the Poly but by no means cramped and the kids loved the bunk beds this was another problem as they argued over who would sleep where. The view was excellent as we saw many animals every morning and evening. The lounge also offered a spectacular view of the lobby that is unequaled.
The transportation was also very good much better than ASMu and almost as good as the Poly. You cant beat the Poly with its access to the mono and the TTC but it was close. It would be even closer if it werent for the heat (85-90 most days).
As far as weather HOT! We only had rain, that is rain that caused us to take cover, for about 2 minutes while we were at MK. Not bad considering we were warned about the 2 hurricane that would pound FL. while we were there.
Best of the trip (in alphabetical order):
Concierge staff and lounge
Fantasmic
Food at Boma and the lounge
Illuminations
Norway Princess breakfast
Pin trading with the kids
Sunrise Safari
Typhoon Lagoon
Worst of trip (also in alphabetical order);
Lack of soda refill stations at Typhoon Lagoon that were open
The HEAT!!
Thats about it .any questions?
Just walking into the AKL can be an inspiring event. Add to that the treatment you receive from the concierge staff and you cant help but have a great experience. This lobby is just amazing. As huge as it seems during the day it is incredible how comfortable and cozy it can be at night. The indoor fire pit is a great place to sit and relax at the end of the day. It is close enough to Victoria Falls and the bar to grab a quick drink and take it with you back to the fire to enjoy.
Arushu Rock has another fire pit with nightly story telling geared toward the kids, at least on our trip. Grab a rocker and some bug spray and enjoy the crackle of the fire OK so the fire is a Disney fire and may not crackle but I swear I heard some crackling.
We only ate at Boma once on this trip. We had dinner there with the whole family and really enjoyed it. My sister and BiL are vegetarians and sometimes find the veggie offerings to be less than satisfactory but here at Boma, they said that the food was very good. The soup lady remembering me from our last trip was very special as was the gift of candies and sweets she sent to our table. My suggestion to anyone thinking of eating at Boma is try a little of everything, the selection is outstanding.
The pool at AKL was great. The water was a little too warm for me but I saw several people chilled by the water (it had to be 85-90). The waterslide is fun for the kids but the new slide at the Poly is much more adventurous. My younger son doesnt like the Poly slide but we couldnt get him off slide at AKL. The spas are wonderful! If the pool water is too warm for you, spend a couple of minutes in the spa and then head back to the pool aaahhhh thats better!
The concierge staff was excellent. We wanted for nothing. I cant compare them to other concierge staffs because this was our first stay at a concierge level room. The food was wonderful. From the continental breakfast to the evening cordials all food was of excellent quality. I cant remember every food that was offered but here goes:
Morning: pastries, muffins, bagels, dry cereal, oatmeal, butter, cream cheese, jellies and preserves, peanut butter, raisons, granola and brown sugar, milk, coffee and specialty coffees, teas and juices and fresh fruits throughout the day.
Afternoon: Peanut butter and jelly shells(small sandwiches in the shape of shells), nuts, chips and snacks
Evening: Meatballs, skewered bbqd shrimp, chicken and beef, beef and veggie rolls, chicken nuggets and wings, pastry topped with ham and pineapple and another with beef and vegetables.
Late evening: Cordials, candies, fruits, nuts and cookies.
Dont forget the snacks in between each meal.
My kids were always invited to enjoy the lounge as well. They had games for them to play and puzzles for them to try. They even had small gifts for them. Small animal shaped containers on lanyards that they could take goodies to the parks in. They also got some wooden animals to put together and keep, very nice! There is also a DVD player with movies available . yes, Disney movies, what a surprise!
We did an awful lot of pin trading on this trip. The kids were out of the room early every morning trading with CMs in the lounge, the lobby and the market. The CMs got to know the kids pretty well and we were told on several occasions how polite our kids were. I would guess by the end of the trip the kids had each received 5 or 6 free pins from the CMs in the concierge lounge and The Zawadi Marketplace for their good behavior and their patronage.
The standard concierge room we had at AKL was slightly smaller than the deluxe room we had at the Poly but by no means cramped and the kids loved the bunk beds this was another problem as they argued over who would sleep where. The view was excellent as we saw many animals every morning and evening. The lounge also offered a spectacular view of the lobby that is unequaled.
The transportation was also very good much better than ASMu and almost as good as the Poly. You cant beat the Poly with its access to the mono and the TTC but it was close. It would be even closer if it werent for the heat (85-90 most days).
As far as weather HOT! We only had rain, that is rain that caused us to take cover, for about 2 minutes while we were at MK. Not bad considering we were warned about the 2 hurricane that would pound FL. while we were there.
Best of the trip (in alphabetical order):
Concierge staff and lounge
Fantasmic
Food at Boma and the lounge
Illuminations
Norway Princess breakfast
Pin trading with the kids
Sunrise Safari
Typhoon Lagoon
Worst of trip (also in alphabetical order);
Lack of soda refill stations at Typhoon Lagoon that were open
The HEAT!!
Thats about it .any questions?
