Just booked AKL... Honest opinions

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

Posted my opinion on AKL earlier today. Don't mind repeating myself on the subject. Wife and I loved it!!!

We had an Arusha view room, and thought it was worth every penny. Loved waking up, make a cup of coffee and sit and watch the animals. We make the resort part of our vacation. We will come back to it during the afternoon to relax, sit by the pool with a drink, eat and sit in our room enjoying the savanna view.

The biggest complaints I read about is the distance to everything (except AK) and the bus service. We never had any issues with the bus service and we would definitely prefer the SLIGHTLY longer bus ride to a resort than deal with driving and parking. It just does not add that much more drive time to the parks in our opinion. Get to the bus stop 10 minutes earlier.

The restaurant choices are great, we love Boma. We like enough to have made a reservation for Boma while staying at a different WDW resort. There are times set up for the kids to make s'mores, there is a kiosk set up in the evening with night vision binoculars and I loved talking to the Cast Members stationed along the walking paths. Just getting to know them. Where from Africa they are from, how did they wind up in WDW, do they see the same animals where they are from. And hopefully they still have the cards to hand out. Has a simple map with a star showing where they are from and a little description. The lobby is like a mini-museum on Africa!

 

[mickeynut1]

Oh no!! I was afraid there might be a problem with the buses! It is kind of far from everything. Ugh.

We have had 2 stays at AKL and visit every trip to eat at Boma and we have never had an issue with the buses. AKL is out away from everything, but as others have said, it takes maybe 5 extra minutes to get around compared to other resorts. The buses only service AKL and Kidani, so there's no sharing with any other resort(s). I think you'll have a great time as AKL is an amazing resort .

I just looked now for a random date in August, and while it appears that standard view there is no separate bookable categories for bunk beds, the pool view and savanna view bunk bed rooms are a separate category and cost extra: For example, the pool view bunk bed room is $318 but the pool view 2 Queen is $279. Interesting.

This is correct. Standard view does not have bunk beds as a bookable category, but it is an option for pool & savanna views. I think you can request bunk beds when booking standard, but it's not guaranteed as it's not a bookable category. You can also request bunk beds when staying CL (but, like standard, you can't book bunks specifically).

 

[Branflakes]

Must be just my family with bus issues at AKL. Odd. Anywho-
And as far as not understanding what strollers have to do with buses, let me explain. When waiting for a bus with 6-8 families that have strollers, most of them double, they take up a lot of space, therefore less room for passengers. This is an increasing situation over the last many years, as more and more guests choose to use them. You use what you use when visiting the parks. That doesn't mean it doesn't have an impact on other things. Like space avail on buses, foot traffic, certain areas of the parks etc.
Let us not pretend they don't have an affect at WDW.

 

[Branflakes]

i just switched WL to AKL for Aug 27th- Sept 2. (For FD) I know nothing about AKL! It was never even my radar. I'm just read the "all about AKL" post and looked at some pictures.

What are your thoughts? What did you like? What didn't you like? My kids will 15 and 11 when we go.
TIA!

It is an otherwise lovely resort as I stated. You will enjoy your stay I have no doubt at AKL. We on the DIS, all have our faves, that's what we all come on here and ask and opine.

 

[porschegrl]

My son and I usually stay at the Beach Club, but I decided to try something different for our "bonus" trip last year at spring break. It took us a little while to get used to something different, but by the end of the week, we agreed we need to stay there again sometime. I agree with the PP who said AKL is a true "resort," with a variety of unique amenities and activities. As for the buses, we never had any issues. And we took the opportunity to eat at all three AKL TS restaurants that week, all of which we enjoyed.

 

[DJFan88]

This is correct. Standard view does not have bunk beds as a bookable category, but it is an option for pool & savanna views. I think you can request bunk beds when booking standard, but it's not guaranteed as it's not a bookable category. You can also request bunk beds when staying CL (but, like standard, you can't book bunks specifically).

That was with us, it was a CL stay, so requested, but ended up not. Great view.

Also, good to note that there is this round circle like porch outside where theres these stairs to the right of the check in desks through a door. The stairs are spiral. Anyway, I get up earlier than the others so I would sit out there with coffee in the morning and soak up the atmosphere, the music, etc. in the rocking chair. There was usually no one out there, or people would just come and go quickly looking. I loved our balcony too, but I just really liked it there.

The gift shop is real good too, with unusual stuff different from other resort gift shops.

 

[LAE7]

Another fan here. Can't say enough good things about AKL - fantastic theming, best restaurants on property, terrific pools, fun activities for the kids (including group drumming in the lobby!) amazing and interesting CMs, and the animal watching is great. We don't always reserve a savanna view room since the views from the public areas are so good. We have stayed here many times (it is our DVC home resort) and we have never waited more than 5 or 10 minutes for a bus. We just booked an upcoming (end of May) trip at the poly and BR villas at WL and I am already second guessing whether we should have booked at AKL. You (and the kids!) will love it!

 

[Shanti]

i just switched WL to AKL for Aug 27th- Sept 2. (For FD) I know nothing about AKL! It was never even my radar. I'm just read the "all about AKL" post and looked at some pictures.

What are your thoughts? What did you like? What didn't you like? My kids will 15 and 11 when we go.
TIA!

We stayed there less than two weeks ago. Here was our experience:

Building: Gorgeous lobby, good views of animals from around the resort, & even from some standard view rooms (like ours, which was on the Kudu trail). Our stateroom was beautifully decorated. I liked the mosquito-netting effect over the bed's headboard and the old-style safari wallpaper in the sink area. Dark wood furniture & muted wall paint lent a tasteful & subdued atmosphere to the room- it was really relaxing to return to after a long day.

Grounds: No odor from animals at all despite their proximity. Lots of trees & vegetation contributed to the resort's tranquil feel. Towering bamboo over the huge hot tub made it extra relaxing to soak there for a while.

Transportation: The buses were efficient. Always arrived in a timely manner & it was great that we didn't have to share them with another resort. AKL is often described as being "out of the way", but none of the bus rides seemed excessively long. No problem arriving at MK 30 minutes before 7am EMH on Easter weekend.

Food: At the quick-service Mara, the food was tasty & both the indoor and outdoor seating had good ambiance. I like that they also have a table service buffet (Boma), & we enjoyed a good dinner with view of the animals at Sanaa (on the Kidani side).

Recreation: My son liked that he was allowed to use two feature pools at this resort: the one at Jambo & the one at Kidani. Both have nice waterslides.

Overall: Loved it. Surprised at how much we loved it, actually. Now one of our favorite deluxe resorts.

 

[robndani]

We love it! Some great things for the kids to do! Nice pools. Good food options! Enjoy!

 

[JessyP]

We have stayed at AKL twice at club level and we loved it! The rooms are tight but was fine for 2 adults and 1 child. Amazing to see all the animals outside our room every day. We could even see the Epcot fireworks from our balcony at night. The club level area was great for breakfast and a glass of wine in the evening before dinner. I thought the QS had a lot of different options. We ate at Boma..It was just OK but I'm not a huge buffet fan. We never waited long for buses. I think you will enjoy it there. Hope you have a great stay!

 

[Kelly014]

We are staying here for the first time in October with our 7yo and 2yo. This thread has me all sorts of excited

 

[Irish_Mike]

Although I've yet to stay there (yet), I've spent a lot of time at AKL and would say it's one of my favorite WDW resorts. As has been said, the lobby is beautiful in how large and grand it is, all of the food locations are great, and the ability to wake up and see the safari wildlife (Either in your room or in a public viewing area) really sets the resort apart.

I've never really had an issue with the busses, but again, I've yet to actually stay there and rely on them solely. From my experience, I've yet to have any issues of lengthy waits or overcrowding.

Ultimately, I'd place AKL in a tier with WL, and arguably the Epcot resorts - they're resorts that I love to relax and simply explore the grounds, in a way that deluxe resorts like the Grand and Contemporary don't offer. You really feel somewhere new and exotic.

 

[mickeynut1]

The gift shop is real good too, with unusual stuff different from other resort gift shops.

I agree, lots of unique things to look at/buy .

 

[Poohsmommi]

i just switched WL to AKL for Aug 27th- Sept 2. (For FD) I know nothing about AKL! It was never even my radar. I'm just read the "all about AKL" post and looked at some pictures.

What are your thoughts? What did you like? What didn't you like? My kids will 15 and 11 when we go.
TIA!

It's just too far away from everything for us. Beautiful resort, though.

 

[Princess Minnie321]

We loved AKL when we went last fall. The bus service was great, our room was very nice and always clean, the lobby is beautiful, love seeing the animals, nice pool with water slide, the food at the Mara was great. We loved it so much, we just booked for next year. This time I am hoping to try Boma! I hope you have a great trip!

 

[rg35]

DVC member and this is our home resort. We love it.

Very nice theming. The lobbies at both Kidani and Jambo are both very nice. The Savannah is neat.

One criticism generally levied is that people feel the rooms can be a bit dark. However, the rooms in Jambo house had a soft goods refurbishment last year, and I believe some changes were made to lighten up the palette. I'm not sure if Kidani has been done yet, but we'll be there in two months so will find out soon enough.

We always have a car (rental or drive down), but did use the buses once to get to the MK and it was fine. Obviously any kind of mass transit network can be hit/miss depending on many factors. If you do feel like going offsite to dine (or whatever else), it's not too far from 192/Irlo Bronson Highway where there are a bunch of chain restaurants and the like, so an Uber probably wouldn't be too expensive.

The resort dining is very good. We have had both breakfast and dinner at Boma and dinner several times at Sanaa. We haven't had the opportunity to try Jiko yet (waiting for the kids to be a bit older), but it's generally highly regarded.

 

[nkereina]

For us:

Pros: the animals, beautiful resort, the pool, good dining options. We actually thought it had one of the better QS locations for being a deluxe resort.

Cons: Transportation. The bus service was not bad but for us, the deluxe resort pricing is justified by having alternate transportation options. AKL does not have that, yet it's still deluxe pricing. Also, we visit MK and Disney Springs more than once per trip and the commutes to and from both of those places was noticeably longer than resorts we've previously stayed at. Just a minor negative for us.

 

[Minnesota!]

We have stayed twice, just switched to here for #3. We love it. It is a vacation within a vacation. We have never had an issue with busses, but we always allow plenty of time AND we are never in a hurry. We love Boma and Mara. The pool is small, but you have the use of Kidani's, too, which is a quick walk away. Same with Sanaa...great food, 10 minute walk away.

 

[Tonyz]

Theme: Perfection. No detail left un-Imagined. Best lobby you will ever walk into (WL is a very close second).

Cast members: Some of the best you will ever meet. Super friendly and knowledgeable about African culture. I spent close to an hour chatting with one of them about Africa. He even gave me his facebook info to keep in contact! The CMs provide tons of fun to the guests through dances and music.

Food: Best on property. Signature dining, amazing buffet, best table service, and great quick service. Unbeatable.

I could go on and on. It's one of the best things Disney has ever created. It's relaxing, exciting, exotic, and comforting all at once. And the price is unbeatable. If the worst thing you can say about it is that you might have to be on a bus for 10 extra minutes... I think that says a lot.

You will fall in love with it. Guaranteed.

 

[robinb]

We stayed at AKL for the first time years ago. We were "bumped" from a moderate resort (POR Maybe?) and they allowed us to book a standard view room at AKL for just a few $$ more than the moderate. We were upgraded to a savannah view at check in. It turned out to be a VERY EXPENSIVE trip. When DVC sold ownership at AKV a couple years later we were one of the first to ask them to take our money! We have stayed there many times since (all Jambo, the original DVC villas) and we love it!