Just back from a week at the AKL. It was great

[rgf207]

We just got back on Friday but we had a wonderful time. We reserved a standard view room but we were upgraded free of charge upon checkin to a savannah view room. We checked in at about 9:30 am and our room was ready for us. The resort is absolutely beautiful. Words cannot even describe it. I really felt like I was in an african lodge. It was breathtaking when we arrived and when we walked into the lobby it was even better.

We were in room 3326 which was above the "People Pen" but we had so many animals right in fron of our room all the time. We had Giraffe's, Ankotle (sp?) Cattle , warthogs, ostriches and others.

Our room was great and everyone, and I mean everyone, was extremely pleasent to us. All of the CM's outside were very friendly. They said hello to us all the time. They were very knowledgable about the animals and any questions we had. We did not encounter one rude CM at all. Everyone was great. We ate at Boma's 2 times and they were the best meals we had on property. We absolutely loved it. I love the 3 bean gumbo and the CousCous seafood stew. Oh and the zebra domes and Chocolate Mousse Crunches were out of this world.

The crouds were not bad at all. We never waited for more than 20 minutes for a ride. We hardly used fastpasses at all. During the MGM extra magic hours we went on TOT 4 times right in a row with no wait.

We did everything we wanted to do but the only regret is we did not use the photopass service until our last day. I dont know why we waited that long. I recommend using it.

If anyone has any questions, please let me know.

 

[wirki]

I am really glad you had a nice time with extra pixie dust Would love to hear a little more about the resort. Trying to decide whether to go back to WL or try AKL in Nov.

Debbie

 

[buckeye]

Welcome back and thanks for the positive post! We leave for AKL 3/27 and can't wait. We've never been to AKL, so hearing your review was great!! I'm REALLY getting excited!

 

[rgf207]

Here is some of my experience. Our room was pretty close to the end of the hallway. I could see how some people, especially ones with children, could think it was quite a trek to the lobby, pool, mara, etc. It didn't bother us because it was just the 2 of us. The pool area is gorgeous. The pool is very large and heated. The area around the pool is quite large too with plenty of places to lay in the sun or in the shade if that is what you prefer. There are 2 hot tubs. Most of the time there was noone in them so you would be overrun by kids if you dont want to be. The lobby is beautiful and the attention to detail is magnificent. There is a lot to do in the resort too. I suggest picking up the Hidden Mickey clue sheet and doing that one night. Bome is excellent and I heard Jiko was also. We did Boma 2 times for Dinner and we were scheduled for bfast but just could not eat anymore .

If you do not have a savannah view room, there are plenty of places to view the animals and many CM's who are very knowldedgable abou them too so dont be afraid to ask.

are there any other questions you have.

 

[corvair]

this might be a dumb question...but what is the photopass system...is this new... thanks..amy

 

[rgf207]

this might be a dumb question...but what is the photopass system...is this new... thanks..amy

basically the photopass system is a new thing that WDW is doing. go to any WDW photographer and get your photo taken. They will give you a photopass and swipe it. You can use this pass everytime you get a picture from a WDW photographer and they will swipe it. It will group all of your photos and when you are done with your trip you can go to www.disneyphotopass.com and purchase photos from there. You can view all of your photos online for 30 days. It's really neat and I wish i did it more.

 

[sandraB]

We just got back from AKL last night....and I agree....It is an awesome resort!

We were in a bunk bed, savanah room, and the kids woke up every morning to zebras, giraffs, wildebeast, and elands.....it was breathtaking! This hotel is worth every penny! THe hidden mickey hunt we did our last morning, and it is a lot of fun....we also did the folktales around the fire, and the kids games at night. There is cookie decorating in BOma at 1pm everyday, but we were never there at that time!

Our kids loved this resort....and we found it very convenient, and only used our rental car once...to go shopping off property. we never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus, and I found the stress free transportation a big plus for our family.

 

[Leota]

Thanks for the reviews. We are spending part of our April trip at AKL. I picked it to celebrate my 40th Birthday at. I can't wait to check it out. We have eaten there before (Boma) & fell in love with just what we saw from that.
The idea of waking up to animals every morning tho

One strange question - When we visited Boma 1/2004, we noticed the lobby had this wonderful aroma of woodfire & spices. We loved that. Did it still have that scent? I noticed that when WL first opened, it had a woodfire smell in the lobby which doesn't seem to be present anymore & am hoping they didn't do away with it at AKL.....

 

[rgf207]

Yes. Everyday the lobby had that smell. It was such a great smell. I noticed that the second we got there and everyday after.

 

[doodlebug]

We will be there in mid April and wondered what type of view to ask for.. We have a standard savannah so was thinking of asking for Zebra Trail 3rd Floor. Would this be a good view??

 

[Leota]

Yes. Everyday the lobby had that smell. It was such a great smell. I noticed that the second we got there and everyday after.

Thanks much! I'm so glad to hear that - It was such a wonderful exotic aroma. I'd love it if Yankee Candle made a scent like that.

 

[sandraB]

I talked to a CM at the AKL two days before we checked in, and he made a note to our reservation for a "great view", and I have to say, I think we had an awesome view on the Arusha savannah. We had room 3307, it was on lobby level, and a short walk. We had animals every morning, and they were so close you could hear them eat!

I liked where we were, if we had been closer to the lobby I don't think the view would have been as good. (also, it was pretty quiet)

Boma was great, and if you love the zebra domes and chocolate mouse crunch they sell them in packs of five in Mara (the food court) for around 3$.

 

[MouseDogMom]

We just got back Sunday from AKL too, and we loved it! Ate at Boma Thursday nite and tried almost everything, but the zebra domes and chocolate mousse crunches are out of this world. Bought them at Mara to bring back for my co-workers!

The smell was wonderful - loved walking thru the lobby and lounge area. There were so many views it was hard to get anywhere; we kept stopping and looking at the animals. Our room was at the END of Zebra Trail facing the Uzima savanna. The CM at checkin told us the view would be better because we wouldn't be blocked by Arusha Rock, but we ended up feeling a little left out. Nonetheless, we saw LOTS of animals most of the day & night. The walk was wearing, though, especially late at night.

Talk to the savanna guides outside at Arusha Rock - they're full of info about the animals and will talk about their countries if you're interested. We enjoy meeting CMs from other countries when we're at WDW, so we always come away with extra trivia.