Just Got Back from Dolphin & AKL

[sherry8253]

We just returned from 5 nights at the Dolphin & 5 nights at AKL. We stayed in room 18091 at the Dolphin. The room was immaculate, housekeeping great & staff very nice. The room has a great view. This was our first stay at the Dolphin and I like it even better than the Swan. We then moved to AKL for another 5 nights and had room 4216 on the Kudu trail. The room was ready at 10:00 when we checked in which was great! The room overlooked the sunset savannah which we did not like nearly as much as our room two years ago on the Zebra trail overlooking the main savannah. Most of the time all you could see were a few birds. Everyone was very friendly. Room was very clean and the room was made up early each day. The fridge was a very nice size. I was surprised because I expected a very small fridge. I would prefer not to split a stay again. We never really unpacked and I hate living out of a suitcase. I will be glad to answer questions anyone has.

 

[ufgator]

glad you enjoyed your stay. we're staying at AKL for the first time in March.

 

[3Mousketeers]

Welcome back from your trip! We're going to AKL for the first time in Feb. I'm having a hard time keeping the Official AKL thread active so maybe you can answer a couple questions for me. Did you go with kids? If so, can you tell me about the activities they had for kids - ie. storytelling etc. Did you use the bus transportation? I've heard varying things and its kind of making me nervous with my 3 kids (6,5, & 1). Thanks!

 

[EEyorelover22]

Welcome back from your trip! We're going to AKL for the first time in Feb. I'm having a hard time keeping the Official AKL thread active so maybe you can answer a couple questions for me. Did you go with kids? If so, can you tell me about the activities they had for kids - ie. storytelling etc. Did you use the bus transportation? I've heard varying things and its kind of making me nervous with my 3 kids (6,5, & 1). Thanks!

We never had trouble with the bus transportation and we are there in June when it's a little bit busier. Two years in a row we had no troubles with bus service. We were at MK early for all of our character breakfasts too.

DD did storytelling (they moved it inside due to the rain). She enjoyed it. I like the CM that have lots of knowledge about the animals.

 

[dreamflight99]

We just returned from 5 nights at the Dolphin & 5 nights at AKL. We stayed in room 18091 at the Dolphin. The room was immaculate, housekeeping great & staff very nice. The room has a great view. This was our first stay at the Dolphin and I like it even better than the Swan. We then moved to AKL for another 5 nights and had room 4216 on the Kudu trail. The room was ready at 10:00 when we checked in which was great! The room overlooked the sunset savannah which we did not like nearly as much as our room two years ago on the Zebra trail overlooking the main savannah. Most of the time all you could see were a few birds. Everyone was very friendly. Room was very clean and the room was made up early each day. The fridge was a very nice size. I was surprised because I expected a very small fridge. I would prefer not to split a stay again. We never really unpacked and I hate living out of a suitcase. I will be glad to answer questions anyone has.

Thanks for the nice post! Which resort did you prefer? Since both are so unique...and offer different conveniences, I am curious as to your opinion. Also, how were the HEAVENLY BEDS?!? It's one of our favorite features of the Dolphin. Sorry your view at the AKL was not as nice as your previous stay. I've heard many things about both of these areas, and everyone seems to enjoy the Zebra trail the most.

You mentioned one of the most frustrating aspects of "splitting" a stay! I despise having to unpack, pack and unpack...over and over within a short period of time. We now only do split stays if we are at a location for at least a week. I SO enjoy staying two weeks in one place, unpacking as soon as we get in the room...and totally RELAXING for the duration of the stay. Otherwise, it gets frustrating trying to remember WHERE *(in which suitcase) everything is located!!! LOL.

 

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

Hey thanks so much for starting this post! This may be a silly question, but what is the "main savannah?" Because don't the trails each overlook 2 different savannahs? One on each side? We haven't sent in room requests or anything yet so are trying to decide on the best part of the AKL to stay in! We are aiming for a GREAT animal view and are probably going to request the 2nd or 3rd floor were thinking, and we don't mind a long walk if we get stuck at the end of a trail. Anyways thanks so much for the tip about only seeing birds where you were at this time and any help would be greatly appreciated it! Thanks so much!

 

[sherry8253]

Welcome back from your trip! We're going to AKL for the first time in Feb. I'm having a hard time keeping the Official AKL thread active so maybe you can answer a couple questions for me. Did you go with kids? If so, can you tell me about the activities they had for kids - ie. storytelling etc. Did you use the bus transportation? I've heard varying things and its kind of making me nervous with my 3 kids (6,5, & 1). Thanks!

We did not use the bus system this time but we did 2 years ago. We had no problem at all with the bus transportation but we just prefer using our own car. We did not go with kids. However, I think think the kids will enjoy the cookie decorating at Boma at 1:00 (it is free) and storytelling (6:30). They alos have night goggle watching which I think is from 7:00 to 10:00. I think they can provide you with a sheet to look for hidden Mickeys too. The kids will love it if they like animals. I hope you have as great of time as we did. It is a beautiful, relaxing resort.

 

[sherry8253]

Thanks for the nice post! Which resort did you prefer? Since both are so unique...and offer different conveniences, I am curious as to your opinion. Also, how were the HEAVENLY BEDS?!? It's one of our favorite features of the Dolphin. Sorry your view at the AKL was not as nice as your previous stay. I've heard many things about both of these areas, and everyone seems to enjoy the Zebra trail the most.

You mentioned one of the most frustrating aspects of "splitting" a stay! I despise having to unpack, pack and unpack...over and over within a short period of time. We now only do split stays if we are at a location for at least a week. I SO enjoy staying two weeks in one place, unpacking as soon as we get in the room...and totally RELAXING for the duration of the stay. Otherwise, it gets frustrating trying to remember WHERE *(in which suitcase) everything is located!!! LOL.

I expected to like the Swan better than the Dolphin but I think I would select the Dolphin again if I had an option between the two. We didn't use Tubbi's last year when we stayed at the Swan. Call me lazy but the last thing I wanted to do last year after I walked all day in the Parks was to leave the Swan and walk next door to the Dolphin for a soda. Since we were right there we bought the refillable mug and used it because it was very convenient. Maybe it was because of our room location that everything seemed more convenient at the Dolphin because it is much larger than the Swan but I didn't mind the largeness. I did like the layout of the room better at the Swan than the Dolphin. It seemed like it was bigger but I don't think it was. And you are right about the beds. We have a waterbed and the only kind of regular bed I would trade our waterbed in on would be a heavenly bed. About the AKL - I think the other side of the Kudu trail (rooms ending in odd numbers) overlook the Arusha savanna and that trail would have been equally as nice as the Zebra trail. Our room was only a few rooms down the hall and we did could not see much of even the Sunset savannah because of a large tree. We could see just the small pond where a few birds hung out. We only saw one giraffe for about 10 minutes one evening & I saw an ostrich following the food truck one eve. We paid for a savannah view so it was not an upgrade. Please don't flame me everyone but I wish they would give the nicer savannah view rooms to those of us who pay for them and use rooms such as the one we were in for upgrades. But, it is still a wonderful, relaxing, beautiful resort and I would stay there again anytime.

 

[sherry8253]

Hey thanks so much for starting this post! This may be a silly question, but what is the "main savannah?" Because don't the trails each overlook 2 different savannahs? One on each side? We haven't sent in room requests or anything yet so are trying to decide on the best part of the AKL to stay in! We are aiming for a GREAT animal view and are probably going to request the 2nd or 3rd floor were thinking, and we don't mind a long walk if we get stuck at the end of a trail. Anyways thanks so much for the tip about only seeing birds where you were at this time and any help would be greatly appreciated it! Thanks so much!

I would ask for a room overlooking the Arusha savannah. Our room on the Zebra trail two ears ago was great. It was about 2/3 of the way down. We saw a wide variety of animals. I believe there are 3 savannahs - the sunset one which we were on, the Arusha which is the large one in the middle and I cannot remember the third one. Hopefully some of the AKL lovers here on the board will be able to help you too. We were on the 4th floor this year. You might want to be careful about 2nd or 3rd floor if you get a room with a tree directly in front of you. When we were on the 5th floor 2 years ago we could look out over the trees. While the 2nd & 3rd floors are closer I think I have read some complaints about people not being able to see through the trees. Let us know where you stay when we get back and how you enjoy your trip. Have a great time.