Day 8: Monday, May 3: Rest Day
Weather: Its raining in the morning, but gradually clears by early afternoon. Temperatures ranged from the mid 70s to the low 80s.
We slept in kind of late. We had PS at Boma for 9:40. The buffet was excellent, almost as good as the buffet in Islands Dinning Room (Grade: "A-"). After breakfast, DW got a massage at the Zahanati Fitness Center. It was here first and she loved it. When she returned, I went there and worked out.
Around noon, we took the kids to the pool. It was definitely smaller than the RPRs pool, especially the zero-entry part. But there was a slide, which DS loved. We hit the game room for a bit, then went back to shower up for dinner. We had 5:10 PS for Whispering Canyon over at the Wilderness Lodge. We got there a little early and explored the Lodge a bit. The lobby is impressive, as is the courtyard. The geyser was either not working or unimpressive. I expected it to shoot 20 or 30 feet in the air. This one kind of just fizzled a few feet. We are uncertain whether to try this resort in the future. Whispering Canyon was good, but I think it would be more fun with a larger group. The food, however, was excellent and our server was great (Grade: "B+"). We got back to the AKL around 7:30 and went to look for animals around the resort. Arusha Rock provided great viewing, as did the pool area. We called it a night. Tomorrow we go to our favorite resort, the Polynesian.
Since its our last night, I will give you our review of the AKL:
Location: AKL is isolated, unless you are going to the AK. This was not a problem for us, since the only park we were hitting while we were there was AK. However, I think the location would keep me from staying at the AKL for the length of our vacation. Grade: "C+"
Transportation: It bus or drive. Its hard to grade the resort high when it offers only one form of transportation. Grade: "B".
Lobby: The lobby is impressive. From the artwork, to the fire pit to the glass wall facing the savannah, we loved it. Grade: "A".
Check in: Painless, but I was kind of upset that the CM didnt at least check if there was another room available on the savannah we wanted. It was very early and I suspect there was. Grade: "C-".
Grounds: The interior of this resort was well maintained. I cant imagine how many little kid handprints the staff must wipe away on all of the windows every day. The smell in the some of the hallways (including the one outside our door) was disappointing. The grounds are not very expansive if you do not count the savannahs. But they exterior grounds were well landscaped and immaculate. Arusha rock is cool, but could use a little more landscaping (of course, it is a rock). The pool area is nicely done. Grade: "A-".
Room: Loved the theme. The room was a good size and the full balcony made it seem bigger. The bathroom was a little small. But there was an exterior double-sink vanity. The bunk beds were great. The beds were so-so comfortable. The AC worked well and cooled the room quickly. Overall, the room had a warm, cozy feel. Grade: "A-".
Housekeeping/Staff: The staff was not quite as friendly as at the RPR, but close. Not everyone made eye contact and smiled as you passed them, but the majority did. Housekeeping did a good job. We didnt get much in the way of towel animals (just one time, and it was hard to figure out what exactly it was supposed to be), which was kind of surprising because we tipped $8 to $10 a day. Grade: "B".
Room Service: Just OK. The price was right, but the burgers were by far the worst on the trip. As I said, it kind of made me wonder what they did with the older animals on the savannahs. We only used it once, so I wont penalize it too much for one not-so-friendly CM. Grade: "B-".
Concierge: N/A. We didnt stay concierge here.
Pool: Seemed a little small and the slide was mediocre. The zero-entry area was small also. It also didnt appear to as clean as we would have liked. DW commented several time about the color of the water. My kids loved it. Grade: "B".
Fitness Center: Very nice and the equipment was in perfect shape. Plenty of televisions to watch while you do cardio. Grade: "A".
Dining quality/options: We only hit the Mara and Boma. Both were great. Having a food court was a big plus. The options were, of course, limited since there is nothing else close. Grade: "A" for quality and "B" for options.
Intangibles: Where else can you go out on your balcony and see Giraffe 20 yards away? The resort did a great job of setting the mood from the second you get in the lobby until you hit your room. Grade: "A+".
Overall: Would we stay here again? Abosolutely. But, because of the isolation, not for more than a few days. I think we will try the concierge next time. Grade: "B+".
Weather: Its raining in the morning, but gradually clears by early afternoon. Temperatures ranged from the mid 70s to the low 80s.
We slept in kind of late. We had PS at Boma for 9:40. The buffet was excellent, almost as good as the buffet in Islands Dinning Room (Grade: "A-"). After breakfast, DW got a massage at the Zahanati Fitness Center. It was here first and she loved it. When she returned, I went there and worked out.
Around noon, we took the kids to the pool. It was definitely smaller than the RPRs pool, especially the zero-entry part. But there was a slide, which DS loved. We hit the game room for a bit, then went back to shower up for dinner. We had 5:10 PS for Whispering Canyon over at the Wilderness Lodge. We got there a little early and explored the Lodge a bit. The lobby is impressive, as is the courtyard. The geyser was either not working or unimpressive. I expected it to shoot 20 or 30 feet in the air. This one kind of just fizzled a few feet. We are uncertain whether to try this resort in the future. Whispering Canyon was good, but I think it would be more fun with a larger group. The food, however, was excellent and our server was great (Grade: "B+"). We got back to the AKL around 7:30 and went to look for animals around the resort. Arusha Rock provided great viewing, as did the pool area. We called it a night. Tomorrow we go to our favorite resort, the Polynesian.
Since its our last night, I will give you our review of the AKL:
Location: AKL is isolated, unless you are going to the AK. This was not a problem for us, since the only park we were hitting while we were there was AK. However, I think the location would keep me from staying at the AKL for the length of our vacation. Grade: "C+"
Transportation: It bus or drive. Its hard to grade the resort high when it offers only one form of transportation. Grade: "B".
Lobby: The lobby is impressive. From the artwork, to the fire pit to the glass wall facing the savannah, we loved it. Grade: "A".
Check in: Painless, but I was kind of upset that the CM didnt at least check if there was another room available on the savannah we wanted. It was very early and I suspect there was. Grade: "C-".
Grounds: The interior of this resort was well maintained. I cant imagine how many little kid handprints the staff must wipe away on all of the windows every day. The smell in the some of the hallways (including the one outside our door) was disappointing. The grounds are not very expansive if you do not count the savannahs. But they exterior grounds were well landscaped and immaculate. Arusha rock is cool, but could use a little more landscaping (of course, it is a rock). The pool area is nicely done. Grade: "A-".
Room: Loved the theme. The room was a good size and the full balcony made it seem bigger. The bathroom was a little small. But there was an exterior double-sink vanity. The bunk beds were great. The beds were so-so comfortable. The AC worked well and cooled the room quickly. Overall, the room had a warm, cozy feel. Grade: "A-".
Housekeeping/Staff: The staff was not quite as friendly as at the RPR, but close. Not everyone made eye contact and smiled as you passed them, but the majority did. Housekeeping did a good job. We didnt get much in the way of towel animals (just one time, and it was hard to figure out what exactly it was supposed to be), which was kind of surprising because we tipped $8 to $10 a day. Grade: "B".
Room Service: Just OK. The price was right, but the burgers were by far the worst on the trip. As I said, it kind of made me wonder what they did with the older animals on the savannahs. We only used it once, so I wont penalize it too much for one not-so-friendly CM. Grade: "B-".
Concierge: N/A. We didnt stay concierge here.
Pool: Seemed a little small and the slide was mediocre. The zero-entry area was small also. It also didnt appear to as clean as we would have liked. DW commented several time about the color of the water. My kids loved it. Grade: "B".
Fitness Center: Very nice and the equipment was in perfect shape. Plenty of televisions to watch while you do cardio. Grade: "A".
Dining quality/options: We only hit the Mara and Boma. Both were great. Having a food court was a big plus. The options were, of course, limited since there is nothing else close. Grade: "A" for quality and "B" for options.
Intangibles: Where else can you go out on your balcony and see Giraffe 20 yards away? The resort did a great job of setting the mood from the second you get in the lobby until you hit your room. Grade: "A+".
Overall: Would we stay here again? Abosolutely. But, because of the isolation, not for more than a few days. I think we will try the concierge next time. Grade: "B+".
