Just back from AKL...

[Tinkaroo]

We had an absolutely great time. The resort is everything we had hoped for, and more! We will definitely be back.

We had room #3125 on the Ostrich Trail, a very short walk from the lobby. King bed, non-smoking, 3rd floor, just as we had requested. We were keeping our fingers crossed for a savannah-view upgrade at check-in, but Chelsea, our very personable front desk CM, said the resort was 90% full on the weekend we checked in (Saturday, 4/16). She said we might could look to change rooms after the weekend, but we decided it wasn't worth it to move. We did have a continuing reservation (difference in seasons, but both AP rates), and we didn't have to change rooms. Just did the check-out/check-in process one morning before going to the parks.

Even though we didn't have a savannah view, there are still so many public viewing areas for the animals (and it wasn't like we were hanging out in our room that often) that we really didn't miss it. Our room was quiet, comfortable, and clean. We did tip Mousekeeping, but didn't get any towel animals (not that big of a deal to me), but they didn't clean out our coffee pot, which frustrated DH.

It was DH's 30th b-day, and the resort did have in our room a little Mickey-shaped cupcake-type dessert, with "Happy 30th Birthday" and little Mickey heads all done in chocolate on the plate. There was also a signed card and picture from the Mouse himself, along with a small safari Mickey figurine. DH was just blown away, as he didn't even know they would even do something like this. A very nice touch.

We ate at Boma for dinner (YUM!!) and the Mara for dinner and lunch once each. Mara food was okay, but nothing terribly exciting. We did get the refillable mugs, and filled them up about 2 times a day. They more than paid for themselves in our week there.

I would highly recommend the AKL - all CM's we came into contact with were wonderful, the rooms were comfortable and a nice size, and it is just a greatly themed experience.

Any questions? Ask away - I already want to go back!!

 

[Ilovestitch]

Glad you liked it, we are staying there for the 1st time in May.

 

[experiment626mom]

Ohhhhh now I'm soo excited about staying there in June. We requested Ostrich Trail. I'm glad to hear you had a magical time.

 

[susy]

Glad you had fun!!!!

 

[Tinkaroo]

To be honest, AKL was my DH's pick (it being his b-day and all). His 2nd choice was WL. Up to this point, we'd only stayed at the CBR and the Swan.

I didn't know if I would like the theming - didn't seem very "Disney" to me. I want to feel like I'm in WDW - not Africa! But I bit my tongue, and pushed forward with the AKL planning.

But, I ended up loving it! I wish I could bottle that spicy/exotic smell the main lobby has. And, there's still enough Disney touches to remind you that you are in WDW. (Just walking down the hallways, I loved the "hidden Mickeys" in the carpet!) I'm sure those of you going for the 1st time will enjoy it as much as we did!

 

[OBrienofFM]

Tinkaroo,
It will be our first time in May and I am curious about the transportation to and from AKL to the various parks. How was your experience? Overly crowded vans? Wait time for van?

It sounds like you had a wonderful time!
Thanks.
Diane

 

[Tinkaroo]

Tinkaroo,
It will be our first time in May and I am curious about the transportation to and from AKL to the various parks. How was your experience? Overly crowded vans? Wait time for van?

It sounds like you had a wonderful time!
Thanks.
Diane

Hello, fellow Texan!

We actually had a rental car for our entire stay, but did use the bus to the MK from AKL, since we could bypass the TTC. This was the morning of EMH at the MK, and I wasn't sure what time they would open the parking lot and/or what time the monorail and ferry would begin running.

That morning the MK opened at 8 a.m. for EMH, and it looks like one of the first buses showed up around 7:30 a.m. It wasn't terribly crowded (everyone was able to get on, with just a few people standing), and it was a pleasant ride to the MK.

Actually, we also took the bus that day from Downtown Disney back to the AKL. We didn't wait any time for the bus, but it did make a stop at Typhoon Lagoon, which we hadn't anticipated.

All in all, it seems to be efficient from what we experienced. It's also nice that there is just the one stop (no multiple pick up's) and AKL has it's own bus. We're just car people, and like to come/go when we want to. HTH!

 

[OBrienofFM]

Hi!
Thanks so much for your response. I'm on the fence about some things and I like to hear about various experiences so that I can see what our odds are.

I appreciate your time in answering my questions!

Diane

 

[fljelad]

I really enjoyed reading your review! We will be at AKL at the end of May and DS will be celebrating his 7th birthday while we are there. We're looking forward to a great stay!

 

[MouseDogMom]

We stayed there for the first time in March and absolutely fell in love. We did have a savannah view, and it was really great to see the animals from our room, but it definitely slowed down getting ready in the morning! We loved the theming, the service, the food, and will definitely stay there again. I've always been a WL lover, but AKL really won me over.

Hope you all have GREAT stays!

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Glad you had a good time! Thanks for sharing!!!

Ms. Sparrow aka Allison

 

[deefranco]

Glad to hear you had such a nice visit. We will be there in September. 4nights at AKL, then the cruise. We are also celebrating DH's bday and DD's 7 th birthday. I'm sure they will be thrilled to recieve a picture from Mickey.

 

[Tinkaroo]

I really enjoyed reading your review! We will be at AKL at the end of May and DS will be celebrating his 7th birthday while we are there. We're looking forward to a great stay!

I'm sure your family will love it! It seems like a really good place for kids, too. They have so many activities - there is a bulletin board near the front desk that lists all the activities for the day, and some would be really neat for kids. One night coming back from dinner at Boma, all these kids and their parents were being led through the lobby playing drums and other African instruments - they looked (and sounded) like they were having a ball!

Make sure your DS's birthday is listed on your reservation - and not just at the hotel. Every place we went that I put my DH's b-day on the ressie, they did something special for him. Even at Beaches & Cream where he just had on his "today is my b-day" pin, they brought out his root beer float with a candle and a balloon, and had the whole restaurant sing to him. Now, keep in mind this is for a 30-year old - I can't imagine all they might do for a young child! Have fun!!