Just Back from Split Stay - CR Tower and AKL. My comparisons and opinions (long):

[angelaj]

This was my first time splitting my stay between 2 resorts. Stayed at CR first 5 nights (5/11 - 5/15, then at AKL for last 3 (16th - 18th). Wasn't sure how I'd like moving, but it was great! It's exciting to have a new resort to look forward to later in the week. Plus, we had a car, so the move was easy. Now for my comparisons:

CR Rooms:
Very large, and I really like the new, vibrant colors in the rooms (except for the bedspreads). We were on the 10th floord and had a Bay Lake view, which was awesome! Watched the water pageant from our balcony. Could also see the Epcot and Fantasmic fireworks. Big closet and lots of drawer space. And a big safe.

AKL Rooms:
Much smaller than CR rooms, but I liked it better because of the bathroom layout. Sinks are outside the bathroom at AKL, which makes it easier for everyone to get ready in the morning. Rooms are a bit on the dark side, but it fits the theme. Regular sized closet. Could use more drawers. Funny thing is, we noticed some of the other rooms on our floor (3rd floor) had an extra dresser. Don't know why we didn't have one. We could've used it!

CR Bathrooms:
Kind of a pain to get ready every morning. There's a sink in the shower/tub room, and another sink in a room with the toilet. Not the best setup. And there was no exhaust fan to help with the steam.

AKL Bathrooms:
Much better layout than CR. More room for all of our toiletries, and easier to get ready. And there was an exhaust fan.

CR Pools:
Great water slide, but the pools are just okay. Same for the hot tubs.

AKL Pool:
I really loved this pool. It's very large and very relaxed. Fewer children stay at this resort, so it's a bit quieter than the CR pool. Water slide is disappointing.

CR Dining Options:
Had breakfast at Chef Mickey's one morning. Good food, characters were fun, but of course it's pretty noisy. Go to Spoodle's if you want the same food without the craziness. Didn't eat at Concourse Steakhouse, but the menu looked good. Would've like to have tried it if there'd been an opportunity. One drawback - it's next to Chef Mickey's and the noise travels through. Ate at Food 'n Fun Center a few times. Very noisy, very crowded, not a nice atmosphere. Food was so-so.

AKL Dining Options:
Didn't eat at Jiko. I'm not an adventurous eater, so it would've been a waste. Same for Boma dinner buffet - I didn't see a whole lot I would like. Did have the breakfast buffet at Boma. DELICIOUS! Best scrambled eggs I've ever tasted! And I loved the Frunch juice. Excellent! Atmosphere was very nice. Really enjoyed my meal there. Ate several times at the Mara food court. Best food court of all Disney resorts! Their pizza was very good. Also had a waffle one morning that was excellent! Atmosphere is very nice, very quiet.

CR Cast Members:
Courteous and friendly. No complaints.

AKL Cast Members:
Awesome! I've never met so many friendly people! They all go out of their way to talk to you and make sure you're having a pleasant stay. They take great pride in the resort, and it really shows.

CR Transportation:
It was great being able to walk or monorail over to MK. We didn't like monorailing to Epcot because of having to change trains at the TTC. Lots of walking up and down ramps! Only waited about 10 minutes for the bus to MGM. We did get to ride in the front of the monorail once with the driver. Fun!

AKL Transportation:
It is a pain having to take a bus to all the parks, but they were prompt and efficient. Never had to wait more than 10 minutes.

Overall Impressions of CR:
Great place to stay if you want to be in the middle of all the action and be close to the MK. There is a definite energy to this place, and it's a lot of fun. The views from the tower rooms can't be beat. And it's nice having such big rooms.

Overall Impressions of AKL:
If you're looking for a quiet, intimate resort, this is the place. The resort is beautiful, the CM's are super friendly, and if you like trying different foods, you'll love eating here. Disney World seems miles away when you're at this resort. The rooms are small, but we spent so much time on our balcony and on Arusha Rock looking at the animals, it didn't matter. Keep in mind that we paid the special $179 introductory rate for our room. I don't know if I would stay here if I had to pay rack rate. But if you can get a discount, you've got to try this resort.

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask!

 

[laf]

Thanks for the great info. We're planning a couple nights at AKL in Sept (split with the Swan/Dolphin, of course! ). Any suggestions for a room request for best giraffe viewing? We're in a savanannah view room.

 

[angelaj]

Just about any savanna view room is good for seeing giraffes. We overlooked the Uzima savannah
and saw lots of them. But I noticed that the giraffes wander a lot - they were everywhere! So don't
worry - you will probably see the giraffes no matter which savanna you overlook. Have fun!

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Glad you had a great trip! I can't wait to get to try the Contemporary! It has always been a special place for me, and I've always wanted to try it!

 

[RugratsMom]

Angelaj, We were arriving as you were leaving. We arrived the evening of the 17th. DH and I went for a long weekend for our anniversary. This was our first trip to stay on site and now I am questioning if we should have done a deluxe our first time. We have twins turning 6 next month and we had planned to go back and stay at PO RS (we are AP holders). We have already converted our ressies for the next trip over to AKL. We loved everything about this place. We stayed on the 2nd floor at the very farthest room on Zebra trail. We saw so many animals right outside of our balcony. We got to see I believe every type of animal that is there.

We ate at Boma's for dinner the first night there and it was wonderful. We are pretty much steak and potato eaters and we still enjoyed all they had to offer. We then did Boma's for breakfast 2 mornings. The Kenya AA coffee is wonderful. I just wish they would sell the beans instead of only selling the coffee already ground.

The CMs were very helpful and very friendly.

We got home yesterday and I already miss this place greatly. I am more excited about going back than I was before this last trip.

 

[friskylady]

Did the smoke from the fires bother you? Did it it spoil the blue sunny sky?

Also, my daughter wants to know, do they have donuts at the food court?

 

[GailT]

Thanks for the report, I enjoyed reading it, I'm getting all geared up for AKL.

 

[angelaj]

California Dreaming - You're going to really like staying at the CR. Like I said, you feel like you're in the middle of all the action. It's fun being so close to the MK. I hope you enjoy your trip!

RugratsMom - Wasn't AKL great? I bet it made your anniversary extra special. We were on the 3rd floor on Zebra trail. We saw lots of animals (just about everything but zebra), and we had a watering hole close by, so it was fun to watch the giraffes drinking out of it. I'm dying to go back, just like you. Hopefully it won't be too long!

Friskylady - the smoke didn't become a problem until our last two days. It was pretty smokey Friday morning, but there was a brisk breeze that cleared the smoke out within a couple of hours. Saturday (the day we left) was pretty bad. The smoke was pretty heavy and made for poor visibility. We saw several CMs with handkerchiefs over their faces to make breathing easier (maybe they had asthma). The smoke had a really strong smell. We were glad we were leaving that day.

I think someone asked about doughnuts. I can't seem to find your post. I don't remember if you specified which resort. The CR food court didn't have doughnuts, but they did have danish and pastries. Mara food court had doughnuts and cinnamon rolls one morning when we were there around 8:00. However, we were there another morning around 10:00 and they didn't have any. Maybe they had run out earlier in the morning.

 

[nutz4dzny]

Thanks so much for the informative report! I really enjoyed reading it! You did a wonderful job with the comparisons! I too have stayed at the CR and found it great but now I love the BC when we splurge and the CSR for a moderate! We are leaving in 25 more days! I can't wait!

 

[RugratsMom]

Friskylady, The smoke was not pleasant but it didn't stop our fun. With the winds changing directions all the time it would be bad for a couple of hours and then it would disappear. I suffer from allergies and the smoke did aggravate them but the Allegra helped. I didn't see any donuts but then again I was really impressed with the omelets and banana stuffed french toast so I didn't have room for any thing else. LOL

Angelaj, It really was a great trip and I will have many fond memories. The kids are really enjoying the photos and can't wait till they can experience it first hand. We leave to go back in 16 days - the hours are really dragging by. My inlaws will be going with us and they are really excited and they don't really even care for Disney usually. I think they will have a new opinion after this trip.

 

[jamsmom]

I am taking my son Dec 30-Jan 6 as part of his Christmas (of course, he doesn't know yet) I booked the AKL because he LOVES animals. You mentioned there are fewer children, but is it still "kid friendly"? DS will be 11 this summer. Not real mature acting, but again....LOVES animals.

 

[Janet2k]

Angelaj, I am so glad that you found the AKL as magical as I did. What a wonderful resort. And the CM's are truly topnotch. Every single one of them.

I really enjoyed your comparisons of the two resorts. And I'm glad you enjoyed resort-hopping. We have done that for the past few vacations. It is a pain in the butt sometimes (one year we stayed in five different resorts during one vacation, ouch!), but once the switch is made, it's always fun enjoying everything that the new resort has to offer. I have been thinking about tacking on a couple day stay at the CR. My family has never stayed there but has always wanted to try it. After reading what you had to say about it, I am giving it serious consideration (as in, we will probably try it).

Thanks for a wonderful post.

 

[RugratsMom]

Jamsmom, We just got back from AKL this past Sunday. We didn't have our kids with us (this was an anniversary trip for DH and I) but we changed our ressies for June from PO-RS to AKL. We will be taking our 6 year old twins (this is their birthday present) and a 13 year old daughter. While we didn't notice as many kids at AKL those that were there were having a ball. All the CM's that I saw near a child where going out of their way to at least speak to the child and see if they needed anything. Also in the lobby is several places that had a sitting area with a tv playing either a Disney movie or the Disney channel. I know my kids will really enjoy this place.

 

[jamsmom]

Thanks, RugratsMom. Jordan just absolutely loves animals and I think this will be a real surprise. We usually stay at ASMo, but are staying at CBR this summer.

 

[princess angel]

thanks for the great report!!!
we just stayed at the AKL too! just for one night of our 2 week vacation! we just wanted to try it out! we had an excellent view, and the cm's were all great, but we didn't feel like we were in wdw! and it was a little to dark in the rooms and hallways for us! glad we tried it, though, it was beautiful, and we had a great dinner at Jiko!!!

we have never stayed at the CR, the theming doesn't strike us to much! however the views from the tower have me intrigued! are they really that awesome?
ya think better than the GF or the Poly views???

thanks!

Laura

 

[Trekker]

I'm going to copy this over to the trip reports board so more folks can get a look at what you have to say.

 

[CernyJ]

We had a CR upper floor room facing the MK at Christmas in '94. The view was spectacular from our balcony. Thanks for the AKL review we leave in a little over a week and are anxious to experience the new resort. What food items did you eat at Jiko and what would you recommend?

 

[swankybeth]

Thanks for the great report! I will be there in just 12 days!!! I am sooo excited!!

Beth

10 days to go!!

 

[LydNad]

Hi everyone,
I just got back from AKL this evening. It was just awesome!! I stayed on the 2nd floor at the zebra section(#2511) and the view of animals was incredible!!
I almost couldn't get this room location but luckily got it at last.

I was with my dd(1&3)and they loved it. And also CMs were so kind and friendly. I saw lots of kids there. This is my first WDW visit, so there is nothing to compare to though.

I ate at Jiko and I picked 'Duck in two ways' from the menu and loved it so much!! Of course, every person has different taste, but I truly enjoyed this particular dish.

I saw donuts at Mara every morning.

AKL rooms may be bit smaller than the other resorts as someone mentioned, but it did not bother me at all, since especially animal view is so gorgeous and I saw so many CMs working at the savannahs all the time to maintain this beautiful savannahs.

 

[angelaj]

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond to some of your replies, but I caught a nasty bug that's had me out of commission. Princessangel - you asked about the view from the CR. Here's an interesting story: When I checked in, they gave me the choice of 9th floor MK view or 10th floor Bay Lake view. I know how coveted the MK view is, so I took that. I got to the room and was waiting for my luggage to be delivered. I stepped out on the balcony to check out the view, but I wasn't impressed. I had MK view at the Poly once and absolutely loved it. But the view from the CR just didn't compare. You see more parking lot than anything else, and it seemed like it would be noisy with all the busses coming and going. So when the bellman arrived, I asked if I could switch to the other side. He told me to call the front desk to see if that room was still available, and it was! So we switched to the Bay Lake view, which we liked so much better! There was a nice breeze coming off the lake. We could see the swimming pools, the top of the Wilderness Lodge, the Epcot ball, and the Dolphin and Swan. We could watch the Epcot and MGM fireworks. We sat out on our balcony a LOT and enjoyed listening to the water lapping up on the beach and the music wafting up from the pools. I know a lot of people prefer the MK side, but I definitely thought the view of the park was better from the Poly. I'm really glad we took the other side. And if you want to see the MK fireworks, just walk to the end of your hallway and step out the door onto the platform. Every floor has one, and we had it all to ourselves to view the fireworks!

CernyJ - We didn't eat at Jiko, so I can't answer your question. I'm a really picky eater and don't like to branch out, so I stuck with the "safer" options. But the breakfast buffet at Boma was top-notch!

Swankybeth - I'm jealous that you're going in such a short time. I'm already trying to figure out when I can go back. Have a great time. You're going to love the AKL!!!