Just Back Today from AKL-Thoughts

[jenwimett]

Just got home today from a 9 day stay at AKL....

Positives

Animals, Animals, ANIMALS! We had savannah room 2521 on Zebra Trail overlooking Arusha Rock. I began every morning with the animals and ended every night with them!

Mara was good for quick service meals at the hotel

No long bus lines

Room was always clean

Impecapble Service from Cast Memebers

No interference with current construction!

Nice planned activities for the kids

Ouiet

Negatives

Long wait and drive times to all desinations except AK of course. We felt a bit out of touch with only buses to get us where we needed! Always took us a minimum of a 1/2 hour to get where we needed to go.

Savannah room is nice but pricey. I would recommend a split stay and save a few extra dollars. Maybe savannah room for 3 nights and standard room for 3. I felt 3 nights in savannah view is all I needed and got my monies worth.

Boma was too exotic for us. Infact we all had upset stomachs after dinner there. If you are a meat and potatoes person this is not the place for you. Dessert was good!

Pool was very bland. Not much to it! I guess they were not kidding when they said they were imitating the watering hole.


Tips

If you are looking for a more quiet and relaxed resort this one wins hands down.

Keep in mind bus is your only means of transportation to anywhere.

Zebra trail is a good location for Savannah view rooms, pool, food, and buses. This is the place to be to get is all.

Stay away from Ostrich trail. We were originally placed in a room at the end of the trail and our view was 75% roof & construction and 25% Savannah. Absolutely horrible location. We immediately asked to be placed in another room when we saw the view.

Bring some water toys for the kids to play with at the pool. They are allowed and there is literally nothing to do there except swim and slide down the slide.

I would be happy to answer any questions! Hope this has been helpful. Please keep in mind these are only my opinion of my recent stay.

 

[bytheblood]

Pool was very bland. Not much to it! I guess they were not kidding when they said they were imitating the watering hole.

Thank you for your feedback. That was good information.

 

[JuliasMom]

Jen,

Did you have any trouble getting your request to be moved
fulfillled? What steps did you take?

My family and I will be departing for our week long trip to
WDW in just under two and a half weeks. I booked a room
with a savannah view and was upgraded to a bunk bed room.
I don't think I really want the bunk beds since we only have
one child, but I thought she'd get a better look at the animals
from the top bunk.

As a result of your report, I will reserve a rental car.

Thank you.

 

[GEM]

Bring some water toys for the kids to play with at the pool. They are allowed and there is literally nothing to do there except swim and slide down the slide.

I swear, I'm not trying to be snarky at all, it's just a genuine question. So, I apologize in advance if this sounds obnoxious. I don't mean it that way. Anyway . . . .

What else is there to do at any pool besides swim and slide down the slide? I guess I'm curious what you were expecting.

(For what it's worth, I think the pool area at AKL is one of the best on property. The zero entry area is GREAT for little kids. It's big enough to never feel crowded. It has the best landscaping of any pool area I've seen. There are so many great, secluded little areas and such lush vegetation. And, the flamingos are nearby and so is the great little playground. And, the pool bar! We love it)

 

[DisneygirlTeacher]

I agree....I think AKL has a wonderful pool and everyone always seems to really enjoy it....the slide is a big hit with the kids and it's one of the best pools at Disney!

 

[APK]

We were going to do AKL for our upcoming December trip and I kept feeling uneasy with it because I am not an "animal person" and I dont think I would like the African theme, so your "thoughts" helped us to pick POFQ as we are going for just 5 nights and the money I'm saving will more than pay for our airfare from NY. Thanks for posting!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We were upgraded to bunk beds in February and our DS thought it was lovely! I don't know how much you can see from the top bunk, but it was still kind of fun to have bunk beds.

We LOVE AKL, and I am so excited to go back there in December.

 

[jenwimett]

Jen,

Did you have any trouble getting your request to be moved
fulfillled? What steps did you take?

My family and I will be departing for our week long trip to
WDW in just under two and a half weeks. I booked a room
with a savannah view and was upgraded to a bunk bed room.
I don't think I really want the bunk beds since we only have
one child, but I thought she'd get a better look at the animals
from the top bunk.

As a result of your report, I will reserve a rental car.

Thank you.

We did not have any problem. Service was great and attentive. When we got to Ostrich Trail and saw the view I jumped on the phone and they said they would move us right away. They told me to meet with concierge to get my new room keys. It took all of 5 minutes. The kicker is we originally requested zebra trail. We did not request bunk beds and got them anyways. The top bunk will not help with the view however. They are placed away from the balcony near the wall that divides the room from the bathroom area.

 

[jenwimett]

I swear, I'm not trying to be snarky at all, it's just a genuine question. So, I apologize in advance if this sounds obnoxious. I don't mean it that way. Anyway . . . .

What else is there to do at any pool besides swim and slide down the slide? I guess I'm curious what you were expecting.

(For what it's worth, I think the pool area at AKL is one of the best on property. The zero entry area is GREAT for little kids. It's big enough to never feel crowded. It has the best landscaping of any pool area I've seen. There are so many great, secluded little areas and such lush vegetation. And, the flamingos are nearby and so is the great little playground. And, the pool bar! We love it)

Ok, I will not take your comment/question as snarky. I do not want this to turn into a debate as these are my own opinions and not everyone is going to agree. However here is detailed report of why I thought the pool was nothing special....

We have a 7 year old thrill seeker. The slide at this pool (ideally would be great for most children) did not entertain him in the least bit. Zero entry is great, if you have real little ones or unable to take steps into the pool, but for our trip it was neither here nor there. Landscaping was nice and I agree about the nooks and cranies, but also easy to lose sight of a real little one. The playground is nice as well but our son is older beyond his years and he showed no interest in going near it. If my son picked one thing about the pool area he liked it was the hot tubs. He loved them both and so did I. They were located in very private areas.

This is why we are staying at BC next year. We scoped out the pool and felt we would enjoy the amenities this resort has to offer much more. I guess what it boils down to is our son is a 7 year old with the maturity level of an 11 year old. He would have had much more fun in this pool if we had just brought some goggles and pool balls. Normally DH and him horse around and play games in the pool. We felt this was not the right situation for them to do this not to disturb others. I don't know about you, but if I see my child is not enjoying himself I am not enjoying myself. This doesn't mean that the pool is horrible. It means it didn't suite the expectations of our family. That's all. So my opinions should not offend anyone as with thousands of us on this board we are not all going to agree on the same thing.

 

[Daydreamer64]

Thanks for you tips- I can't read enough about AKL right now as we are planning to visit.

Long wait and drive times to all desinations except AK of course. We felt a bit out of touch with only buses to get us where we needed! Always took us a minimum of a 1/2 hour to get where we needed to go.

This is why we are staying at CR for Dec. 30th and 31st- to have the monorail or be able to walk from and to MK- from the CR resort during the New Year's weekend- some times, I kind of enjoy the longer bus rides- it sets the tone for settling down on the way back to the resort - sometimes- the baby makes the long bus rides very bad!

We have never been to AKL and as you may see in my ticker- we are going to stay there this holiday season- we have planned 3 off days to enjoy the Kilimanjaro Club-concierge, we are looking forward to doing the Safari Camp, the morning safari and we are looking forward to trying out the bead activities, nightly camp fire stories, being lazy around the pool area and the hidden mickey hunts and the big one of course - watching the animals from our room balconey! We are big animal junkies and one of the boys is already determined that he is going to be a vet when he grows up, the little one is Zebra ( well, horse, crazy ), and the oldest one is big on animal conservation and endangered species. We hope that the ALK is just the right fit for us.

This is why we are staying at BC next year. We scoped out the pool and felt we would enjoy the amenities this resort has to offer much more.

Wow, I'd love the pool at BC- it's like a mini water park! We have all ages for our kids from a 13yo, 11yo, and a 2yo -so the AKL pool works for us this time-

We will make sure to take some water toys- what kind of toys were allowed?
We are flying so we will only be able to take a few with us.

I was an only child until I was 9yo- I never had much fun in the pools or playgrounds- ( I haven't checked out the BC playgrounds but the POR playground is wonderful- towers to climb, poles to slide- swings even! The boys really enjoy that playground ) anyway, pools and playgrounds were not much fun for me unless I could find some new friends-

I see such a difference with my oldest boys as they have built in play mates- after I turned nine years old, Mom and Dad took in foster kids and adopted another ( I was adopted ) I was always the oldest of 18 kids over the years and swimming became a great big party- there was always 4 or 5 of us out playing.

For our family now, anyways, some trips that we take are great and other times the amenities just don't strike us the same way- sorry that you had a non-eventful swimming time. I'm sure that you will have a great time at BC- we live near White Water here in Atlanta ( 40 mins away ) and with season passes we get to go alot- I think that's why the quiter pools hold more appeal for us on vacation- no lines and more quite- the best part is that the bigger boys are tall enough to be in the deep end and still keep their heads above water so much less worry for us about drowning- the littlest one just won't stay on the steps to play and the zero entry will work great for us on this trip-

I don't think I've ever known GEM make an unkind comment and I think that's why she tried to make sure that she came accross in a non-confrontational way- with the boards, we can't hear intonation or intent of the person asking the question- what came to my mind when she she asked -"what was there to do in any pool except....?" I had the same thought in, as far as I know, the only pools on property that had anything other then a slide was the YC/BC pool -


Anyway, thanks for taking the time to give us hints and the mini trip report!

Oh, yes, Boma has to be experienced- we've had meals there for many trips and have never been ill - some of the spices are different then our tummies are used to so I have the boys stick to mostly "american" type food- DH and I go all out and try everything- when my MIL and father joined us on our last trip- they too had a little tummy upset? I guess it's like indigestion- people can eat the same things and only one of them gets sick and the other goes back for more-

 

[jenwimett]

The pool toys I saw were foot balls, those squishy wet balls, fun noodles (which I don't like because the kids always seem to use them as a weapon) One child actually whipped the water right next to me making this huge cracking sound. Scared the whits right out of me! Who needs MNSHP when you have fun noodles I also saw kids with those small inter tube rings.

There is no ill will about comments or questions. I just want to keep this thread non threatening and remind everyone they are only opinions. It is still a wonderful resort. Just one we will visit with only DH and I.

 

[MedCruise07]

Thanks for your thoughts. We are staying at AKL in December so I am a little concerned about your room experience (we have reserved bunk bed savannah view) . . . Did you request Zebra Trail when you made your reservation or did you fax a request? I have read conflicting reports about faxes--apparently the resorts don't like them and say they are not necessary, but I have also read a lot of reports about people making requests through CRO (or whatever the Disney reservation office is called) and then the resort not knowing about them.

 

[Daydreamer64]

The pool toys I saw were foot balls, those squishy wet balls, fun noodles One child actually whipped the water right next to me making this huge cracking sound. Scared the whits right out of me!

Well, the noodles won't fit into the suitcases so they will be left home- we'll probably bring the nerf footballs and such!- Thanks for the info-

The first time that I was in a canoe - I was in the deep south - you know with the gators and such , and apparently I got too close to a beaver den - they slap their tails hard on the water surface and it kind of sounds like the noodle slap- I literally wet my pants ( I don't know how much was water and how much was me! )- I almost tipped the canoe over and my Dh was fit to be tied- he couldn't stop laughing - I had a fit and almost got out of the canoe right there- the only thing that stopped me from getting out of the water was the fear of the big old water moccasins- and other snakes that we saw many times along the water's bank by the house!


[/QUOTE]

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Thank you for the imformative review. We have considered AKL and really have enjoyed the resort when we have visited to dine at Boma. I've read several reviews that mentioned not seeing very many animals when staying in a savannah view room. I am glad that you report you had a good experience in that respect.

 

[alicenwonder99]

How deep is the pool where the slide drops off? We're staying at AKL on our next trip and neither of my kids are strong swimmers. If the water isn't over their heads, they should have no problem, but if it's over their heads, then I'll start preparing them now that they'll be wearing the vests.

TIA

Mary

 

[jenwimett]

How deep is the pool where the slide drops off? We're staying at AKL on our next trip and neither of my kids are strong swimmers. If the water isn't over their heads, they should have no problem, but if it's over their heads, then I'll start preparing them now that they'll be wearing the vests.

TIA

Mary

I think no more than 3 1/2 or 4 feet. Yes, the slide does drop off. I am a pretty tall gal and the water level was just above my belly button. This was the depth for the entire pool except where the zero entry area is.

 

[Tinkerbell_Girl]

Thanks for the honest review!

 

[PlutosFriend]

I enjoyed reading your report. We will be staying at the AKL for the first time this October. We always rent a car, so we should be good to go

 

[PlutosFriend]

Jen,

Did you have any trouble getting your request to be moved
fulfillled? What steps did you take?

My family and I will be departing for our week long trip to
WDW in just under two and a half weeks. I booked a room
with a savannah view and was upgraded to a bunk bed room.
I don't think I really want the bunk beds since we only have
one child, but I thought she'd get a better look at the animals
from the top bunk.

As a result of your report, I will reserve a rental car.

Thank you.

How did you get the upgrade already? We have a SV booked and I would love an upgrade to bunk bed SV.