Just back from 6n/7d at the AKL Concierge

Tiffany

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 17, 1999
Messages
4,830
Hi All,

Just got back last night, Jan 29th, 2004, from a 6n/7d stay at the AKL Concierge. This was our second time staying at the AKL Concierge and the fourth time staying at the AKL overall. It was outstanding as usual. The following are some random thoughts on our trip.

1. Sunset Safari - Out of this world. A must do. Best $300 we have ever spent.

2. Sunrise Safari - Still a winner the second time around. We still believe that this safari is $100.00 well spent.

3. National Quick Rent - It seems that the staff has finally figured this service out. Great way to rent a car.

4. Song airlines - We did not have any of the high-tech suff on either end of our round trip flight. Other then that we took off on time and landed early so overall it was okay.

5. AKL Concierge - Had an AP rate of $277 a night inc tax. This place is great. Wow! Did I tell you how much we love this place?:tongue:

6. Resort bus service - good as always for us. Never waited more then 15mins for a bus never had to stand on a bus.

7. Taking the boat from the MK to the GF. I nice change of pace.

8. CB at 1900 Park Fare still a must do on every trip for us.

9. CD at Chef Mickey's still a must do on every trip for us.

10. Dinner at LeCellier still a must do on every trip for us.

11. You do not have to tip housekeeping to get towel animals. We got two small towel animals one day during this trip and we did not tip housekeeping this trip.

12. The average visitor to WDW does not have a clue. Example; on the resort bus from the AKL to MGM Studios; father to child, look there is the Haunted Mansion. The father is pointing to the Tower of Terror. The father is also wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt on a morning were the temps were in the 30's and the projected high was in the 40's. You can get the weather on the tv's in your room at Disney resorts so that you can dress accordingly and not complain to the cast members about how cold it is. As if they can do something about the weather.

13. The Arusha Savanna - I love this savanna as the Zebra and Wildebeast(sp?) can only be seen on this savanna and they have a special place in my heart. There are only two giraffe on this savanna though.

14. People swim in the resort pools when it is 41 degress out.

15. Flights of Wonder- Very cool show at the AK. We always walked past this show. It is now a must do on all future trips.

16. The African Proverbs - These are given to you during turndown service at the AKL. We think these are a nice added touch.

17. Make sure you pick up a "Times Guide and New Information" list when you enter each park.

18. Package delivery back to your Disney Resort is great but when you stay AKL Concierge they deliver directly to your room. Just another nice added touch.

19. Give Wolf Gang Puck Express a try at DTD. Good counter service food at good prices.

20. Make sure that the valet gives you the correct color of the day. I have to ask twice during our stay for them to confirm that the correct color of the day was in my window.

21. Walking the hallways and staircases at the AKL to find cool viewing areas.

22. Watching the animals at the evening browse feeding from your room balcony.

23. Watching "Wishes" from the CR.

Any questions just ask.
 
What a great...and detailed....trip report!

One question....was your Sunset Safari booked completly?
And how was it?
I just reserved mine yesterday, and was told that it only had 4 people so far.
Andrea, from AKL concierge planning assured me that they would still do the safari, even with half the number!

I am looking forward to returning to the AKL concierge also!
We did AKL Concierge THREE times during it's inaugural year, 2001, and enjoyed each and every time immensely !!!!

And another thing.....sure wished we were paying $277.
PEAK rate with AP discount is $377.
That's the most we've paid for this resort, but it IS worth every penny!
;)

PS.....ROTFL:rotfl: on all of your "observations"! LOL!:teeth:
 
Originally posted by BambiTamby
One question....was your Sunset Safari booked completly?
And how was it?
I just reserved mine yesterday, and was told that it only had 4 people so far.
Andrea, from AKL concierge planning assured me that they would still do the safari, even with half the number!

Our Sunset Safari was full. We had four couples on our safari and two guides. Mike and Greg. They were great. We were also told that they will run the safari with a min of 4 people. It was amazing. You receive a memo explaining your trip and a gift the night before your safari. You meet the guides out in front of the AKL at 4pm and then let the fun begin. The van is amazing and when you are on the savannas you are so close to the animals that you could reach out and touch them. You are not allow to of course but you get some great pictures. There is a surprise after you leave the savannas and before you enter Jiko but I do not want to spoil it for you. I will just say make sure you have space left on your media stick. Dinner at Jiko is out of this world. My husband and I are not adventureus eaters and we thought it was great. It is $150 per person and that includes everything. At first I was concerned about the prices but after doing it I can tell you that we felt it was well worth it and will do it on our next stay.
 
Thanks for such a quick reply and information!

DH is looking forward to this Sunset Safari because I told him it was for those in concierge, and no one under 16 yo could do it!

He loved the idea of having some time away from alot of kids!
Let's face it, they are everywhere! LOL! It's WDW!
;)

13yo DS is planning a Disney Quest evening, so he's thrilled to have some of his own time away from Mom and Dad!::yes::


Again, thanks for all the great info, Tiffany, and glad to see you had such a neat time at AKL and WDW!
:wave:
 

OK.....another question, Tiffany!

We've done the Sunrise Safari two times, and are thinking of booking again for this trip!

But, DH was wanting to know, since you've just returned and done both safaris, which one did you prefer?
Or were they very different?
And how were they different, besides the meals, amount of guests, and that "suprise" you mentioned!
And, the Sunset Safari, I take it, is in a different vehicle?

Thanks!:wave:
 
What a wonderful trip report. The AKL is such an incredible resort. We will be on the Sunset Safari during our upcoming WDW vacation and I am so excited about it. We rode in the safari vehicle (click here) at the AK and we are looking forward to riding in it at the AKL. Do you have any photos of the Sunset Safari to share with us?
 
Oh, Janet2k!
I always LOVE seeing all of your pics!
So, this is the vehicle for the Sunset Safari?
Cooool!

You know, you are one of the reasons I decided to even try AKL concierge back in it's inaugural year!
You were there for the Grand Opening, I believe!

I just love that place!
And, one of these days, I will splurge on one of those suites like you stay in!:hyper: ::yes::
 
BambiTamby, you are too cute! (And you have a great memory -- I was at the AKL for Opening Day.) I just posted in the other thread about the new Sunset Safari. I cannot wait to attend it during my upcoming vacation (we'll be on it with Nutz4dzny & her family). Yes, that safari vehicle is awesome and I can't wait to ride in it at the Lodge. Tiffany and the others who have already taken the new Sunset Safari have posted such wonderful things about it, ~sigh.~ Boy, I sure do miss the AKL...
 
Originally posted by BambiTamby
OK.....another question, Tiffany!

We've done the Sunrise Safari two times, and are thinking of booking again for this trip!

But, DH was wanting to know, since you've just returned and done both safaris, which one did you prefer?
Or were they very different?
And how were they different, besides the meals, amount of guests, and that "suprise" you mentioned!
And, the Sunset Safari, I take it, is in a different vehicle?

Thanks!:wave:

If I had to choose one and money was not an object then I would go with the Sunset Safari.

They are very different. The Sunrise Safari is at the AK park on the savannas that the ride goes through.

The Sunset Safari is on the three savanna of the AKL. You are on the savannas of the lodge. You are in a van that the top raises on so there are spaces for eight people to stand up and view out of the top of the van. It was very cool. You get amazing views. According to our guides this van was originally built to give VIPs the safari ride at the AK park it is now shared with the AKL. Accoridng to Greg and Mike they are working on getting their own vehicle.
 
Originally posted by johnsonet
I'm curious about why you chose not to tip housekeeping this trip.

You know we forgot about it until the day we came back to our room and saw the towel animals. I look at my husband and said, "we forgot to tip housekeeping this trip"at this point it was a few days to the end of the trip so we just did not do it. Housekeeping is one of those positions that are not officially considered a "tipped" position so I just forgot about it.
 
Originally posted by Janet2k
What a wonderful trip report. The AKL is such an incredible resort. We will be on the Sunset Safari during our upcoming WDW vacation and I am so excited about it. We rode in the safari vehicle (click here) at the AK and we are looking forward to riding in it at the AKL. Do you have any photos of the Sunset Safari to share with us?

I have digital picutres that I have uploaded to my computer but I do not know how to upload to a site on the internet where people can view them. I was going to try and look into how to do that today.
 
THANK YOU for the fabulous info about the safari's and the AKL.

I leave on Tuesday for 2 weeks (split between BI and AKL concierge) and I booked the sunrise safari because I didn't know about the sunset one.

My question is do you know if the sunset safari is only on certain days - I guess I'm thinking about changing the sunrise to sunset. The money isn't an issue and as I am taking my niece I intended to surprise her with the safari - I just want to make sure she has the BEST time ever!

Any advice?

Thanks again and it's poster's like you that make our Disney trips ever SO MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE! Thank you!:jumping1:
 
Originally posted by Tiffany

14. People swim in the resort pools when it is 41 degress out.
.

You talking about me?? lol. :D
It was nice to have the AKL pool to myself one night, steam coming off the warm water, but it sure was cold when I got out!

btw, Tiffany, it was nice to meet you and your husband on the sunset safari.
I posted a report of it here.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=504256

ths sunset safari is Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays .
Although, we heard they were thinking of changing sundays as they were'nt getting too many people to do sunday.
 
Originally posted by BambiTamby
bumping up for Tiffany's pics?:Pinkbounc

Sorry. I have been very sick since I got back from the "world". I have not figured out how to post the pictures yet. I can email you some if you want. Let me know.
 
Originally posted by mmausse
THANK YOU for the fabulous info about the safari's and the AKL.

My question is do you know if the sunset safari is only on certain days - I guess I'm thinking about changing the sunrise to sunset. The money isn't an issue and as I am taking my niece I intended to surprise her with the safari - I just want to make sure she has the BEST time ever!

Any advice?

Thanks again and it's poster's like you that make our Disney trips ever SO MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE! Thank you!:jumping1:

Hi,

Assuming your niece is 16yrs of age or older then I would go with the sunset safari. It is $150 per person and is only offered on certain days. I would contact the staff at the AKL Concierge ASAP and inquire about the days avaiable during your stay. Here is the email address for the AKL Concierge wdw.aklodge.concierge@disney.com

It was truely an amazing experiance. We meet a fellow DISer and his wife and had a great time at the dinner at Jiko talking with and getting to know people that we have never meet before.

I hope you have a great trip.
 
Originally posted by ckj
You talking about me?? lol. :D
It was nice to have the AKL pool to myself one night, steam coming off the warm water, but it sure was cold when I got out!

btw, Tiffany, it was nice to meet you and your husband on the sunset safari.
I posted a report of it here.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=504256

ths sunset safari is Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays .
Although, we heard they were thinking of changing sundays as they were'nt getting too many people to do sunday.

Hi,

It was very nice to meet you and your wife also. You are a brave man to be in the pool in those temps :)

I am going to checkout the link to your review.

Greg was the guide on the Sunrise Safari that we took the next morning. It was a good time also.
 
Sorry, but what's wrong with swimming in the pool when it's 41 degrees outside? Those of use from the North and Mid-Atlantic states are in SUCH a deep freeze right now, that I, too, will be breaking out the bathing suit if the weather in WDW is above 36degrees.

Did I mention that I have my Polar Bear certificate from Chicago? Does that make a difference?

Sorry to butt in - but it was such a cute statement.
 


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