abminer
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2005
- Messages
- 462
So DW and I were at AKL (standard room) from 8/21-8/26. When we first booked our trip so many months back we were so excited to try this resort, but in the time right before we departed I had read some negative reviews on these boards and I was really worried. What if we had made the wrong choice? Should we have gone with WL? Would this pricey place not be worth it?
Well overall we loved the place so heres my review, to reassure all you folks who have AKL booked and answer questions for others. It wasnt all perfect mind you, but would we go back? Yes, and we both enjoyed it more than any other WDW resort weve stayed at (not that we disliked any of the others, all WDW resorts are good). Ive included some pics to help the review along.
A little background on us: Im 28 and DW is 27, we have no kids and between us weve been to WDW 8 times and stayed at 6 resorts (CR, POR, CBR, YC-CL, ASMu and now AKL). We dont usually spend a ton of time in our room, preferring to tour the parks as much as possible, but on this trip we liked the hotel so much we spent more time there than expected (we skipped evening EMHs we had planned to try because we wanted to be at AKL!).
So lets break this down into the good and the not so good. Ill also tackle this by addressing some of the comments I had read and responding with our experience in those areas. So I had heard:
1. Check-in was slow and CMs at check-in (and in general) were rude: Well maybe it was the time of year but our check-in was super fast. We arrived around 10:15 am and there was only one family ahead of us. The CM we worked with was not overly friendly but she was certainly nice, professional and very efficient. We found other CMs throughout our stay to be wonderful. I remember reading that some thought maybe cultural differences were at play in terms of less then enthusiastic AKL CMs but we found the opposite. The CMs from Africa were so nice (esp. at Jiko) and the one time we did have a CM who was rude (at the Mara-the CS place at AKL) she happened to be as American as apple pie and looked a lot like your average Grandma! CMs at AKL not only read stories to guests at the fire-pit but they also give lectures on their native countries in a room off the lobby and one night several female CMs started an impromptu drumming and dancing circle outside Boma.
2. Rooms at AKL are dark and small: It was just the two of us so Im sure that affects it, but we found our room to be of a good size and it was not at all dark. The bedspreads are bright and colorful and the room (we were in 5013) and the whole resort is bathed in light from huge windows and a soaring atrium lobby with a glass wall. Every room has a balcony and if you left the drapes open it would have been blinding.
3. AKLs remote location is inconvenient and the buses are slow: We had a rental car but we ended up using the buses half the time. We took the bus to MGM, AK and MK. We never waited a long time for a bus- by far the longest was for the AK in the morning and it was 12 minutes. Once on the bus the trips werent super long either. MK was by far the longest at 20-25 minutes. If you were at GF the trip to the AK would be just as long. The times we drove we made great time. It took 10 minutes to drive back to AKL from the MK one night. In general, the removed location turned out to be a plus for us. Many of the deluxes are so close together, when youre at AKL it really is like being on an African Savannah. You look out and theres nothing but trees and animals as far as the eye can see. It was relaxing, beautiful and quiet! In fact it was so quiet in our room (no voices in the hall at all) I was wondering if the hotel was almost empty for the first two days.
4. The Mara (the hotels CS restaurant) is horrid: We had very good experiences there. The restaurants are a major plus with this hotel (for pics and reviews of the Mara and AKLs other 2 restaurants read my dining reviews at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=898127).
5. The animals are nowhere to be found: We saw tons of animals-at all different times of day and at each of the 3 savannahs. We were really struck (at Arusha rock) by how close the animals get to you. If you are going to AKL take the time to explore. We visited the rock, and second floor overlook and night vision glasses area but also saw great animals by wandering down to the end of each of the two outer trail buildings at night- look out the windows and go out on the outdoor stairwells.
6. AKL is dirty and theres trash near the pool and parking lot: Reading a thread about this very issue really freaked me out in the days before we left. One of the great things about the World is how spotless everything is. Well we found all the areas to be impeccably kept. The look of the resort is its greatest feature. The theming is so thorough and convincing, really like stepping into another world. The lobby esp. is amazing. Every little touch had African flair and looked shiny, new and well maintained.
There are things that were disappointing however, and I want to include them:
1. The pool - I had read the pool water was hot. I agree. It was very annoying to come back at night and want to take a refreshing, cool dip to find the pool warmer than bath water. One time I stuck my foot in during midday and the water felt cool (not cold) but when we returned after dinner it was back to feeling heated. The pool is also really hyped in all the literature-zero entry, largest pool on property Well zero entry is no big deal, and while it is bigger than any other it isnt huge. I will say that we had time on our trip to visit Poly, GF, YL, NC and BW and after seeing those pools I didnt think it was so bad in terms of size. But the slide is also rather small and also disappointing was the lack of theming with the pool. Dont expect fun features like the keister coaster or a sand bottomed area. Its a very pretty pool but not very Disney-fied or African.
2. No towel animals- Ok, I know, I know, these are not a standard feature and it was probably obvious to mousekeeping that we were not traveling with children but it would have been a fun touch.
3. No free room upgrade-So before I discovered the DIS we had no idea people got free upgrades to savannah rooms. All we knew was that we couldnt afford more than a standard room during value season and we were just excited to be in a deluxe (neither us had stayed in one since our childhood). Well then I read so many accounts of free upgrades that even though I knew it only happens like 40% of the time I almost expected it. I did ask twice if there were any upgrades and they were not offering anything free or any great discounts either. After the initial disappointment we did have a change of heart. We were on the 5th floor, giraffe trail, in the second bank of rooms in from the lobby area. When we realized just how far it took to walk from the rooms at the ends of the outer trails to the entrance, elevators, buses we considered ourselves lucky to have our room. And as I mentioned you do really have lots of animal viewing opportunities in public areas.
So how would I rate AKL overall: A-, there were some flaws but they didnt interfere with a great time and whereas in the past I always thought people who went to the same hotel multiple times were crazy (the new hotel experience is half the fun of Disney!), I can see myself returning to AKL at some point. (But our next dream is WL CL combined with a Disney cruise J )
Well overall we loved the place so heres my review, to reassure all you folks who have AKL booked and answer questions for others. It wasnt all perfect mind you, but would we go back? Yes, and we both enjoyed it more than any other WDW resort weve stayed at (not that we disliked any of the others, all WDW resorts are good). Ive included some pics to help the review along.
A little background on us: Im 28 and DW is 27, we have no kids and between us weve been to WDW 8 times and stayed at 6 resorts (CR, POR, CBR, YC-CL, ASMu and now AKL). We dont usually spend a ton of time in our room, preferring to tour the parks as much as possible, but on this trip we liked the hotel so much we spent more time there than expected (we skipped evening EMHs we had planned to try because we wanted to be at AKL!).
So lets break this down into the good and the not so good. Ill also tackle this by addressing some of the comments I had read and responding with our experience in those areas. So I had heard:
1. Check-in was slow and CMs at check-in (and in general) were rude: Well maybe it was the time of year but our check-in was super fast. We arrived around 10:15 am and there was only one family ahead of us. The CM we worked with was not overly friendly but she was certainly nice, professional and very efficient. We found other CMs throughout our stay to be wonderful. I remember reading that some thought maybe cultural differences were at play in terms of less then enthusiastic AKL CMs but we found the opposite. The CMs from Africa were so nice (esp. at Jiko) and the one time we did have a CM who was rude (at the Mara-the CS place at AKL) she happened to be as American as apple pie and looked a lot like your average Grandma! CMs at AKL not only read stories to guests at the fire-pit but they also give lectures on their native countries in a room off the lobby and one night several female CMs started an impromptu drumming and dancing circle outside Boma.
2. Rooms at AKL are dark and small: It was just the two of us so Im sure that affects it, but we found our room to be of a good size and it was not at all dark. The bedspreads are bright and colorful and the room (we were in 5013) and the whole resort is bathed in light from huge windows and a soaring atrium lobby with a glass wall. Every room has a balcony and if you left the drapes open it would have been blinding.
3. AKLs remote location is inconvenient and the buses are slow: We had a rental car but we ended up using the buses half the time. We took the bus to MGM, AK and MK. We never waited a long time for a bus- by far the longest was for the AK in the morning and it was 12 minutes. Once on the bus the trips werent super long either. MK was by far the longest at 20-25 minutes. If you were at GF the trip to the AK would be just as long. The times we drove we made great time. It took 10 minutes to drive back to AKL from the MK one night. In general, the removed location turned out to be a plus for us. Many of the deluxes are so close together, when youre at AKL it really is like being on an African Savannah. You look out and theres nothing but trees and animals as far as the eye can see. It was relaxing, beautiful and quiet! In fact it was so quiet in our room (no voices in the hall at all) I was wondering if the hotel was almost empty for the first two days.
4. The Mara (the hotels CS restaurant) is horrid: We had very good experiences there. The restaurants are a major plus with this hotel (for pics and reviews of the Mara and AKLs other 2 restaurants read my dining reviews at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=898127).
5. The animals are nowhere to be found: We saw tons of animals-at all different times of day and at each of the 3 savannahs. We were really struck (at Arusha rock) by how close the animals get to you. If you are going to AKL take the time to explore. We visited the rock, and second floor overlook and night vision glasses area but also saw great animals by wandering down to the end of each of the two outer trail buildings at night- look out the windows and go out on the outdoor stairwells.
6. AKL is dirty and theres trash near the pool and parking lot: Reading a thread about this very issue really freaked me out in the days before we left. One of the great things about the World is how spotless everything is. Well we found all the areas to be impeccably kept. The look of the resort is its greatest feature. The theming is so thorough and convincing, really like stepping into another world. The lobby esp. is amazing. Every little touch had African flair and looked shiny, new and well maintained.
There are things that were disappointing however, and I want to include them:
1. The pool - I had read the pool water was hot. I agree. It was very annoying to come back at night and want to take a refreshing, cool dip to find the pool warmer than bath water. One time I stuck my foot in during midday and the water felt cool (not cold) but when we returned after dinner it was back to feeling heated. The pool is also really hyped in all the literature-zero entry, largest pool on property Well zero entry is no big deal, and while it is bigger than any other it isnt huge. I will say that we had time on our trip to visit Poly, GF, YL, NC and BW and after seeing those pools I didnt think it was so bad in terms of size. But the slide is also rather small and also disappointing was the lack of theming with the pool. Dont expect fun features like the keister coaster or a sand bottomed area. Its a very pretty pool but not very Disney-fied or African.
2. No towel animals- Ok, I know, I know, these are not a standard feature and it was probably obvious to mousekeeping that we were not traveling with children but it would have been a fun touch.
3. No free room upgrade-So before I discovered the DIS we had no idea people got free upgrades to savannah rooms. All we knew was that we couldnt afford more than a standard room during value season and we were just excited to be in a deluxe (neither us had stayed in one since our childhood). Well then I read so many accounts of free upgrades that even though I knew it only happens like 40% of the time I almost expected it. I did ask twice if there were any upgrades and they were not offering anything free or any great discounts either. After the initial disappointment we did have a change of heart. We were on the 5th floor, giraffe trail, in the second bank of rooms in from the lobby area. When we realized just how far it took to walk from the rooms at the ends of the outer trails to the entrance, elevators, buses we considered ourselves lucky to have our room. And as I mentioned you do really have lots of animal viewing opportunities in public areas.
So how would I rate AKL overall: A-, there were some flaws but they didnt interfere with a great time and whereas in the past I always thought people who went to the same hotel multiple times were crazy (the new hotel experience is half the fun of Disney!), I can see myself returning to AKL at some point. (But our next dream is WL CL combined with a Disney cruise J )
