Just Left AKL to go to BWV-Slightly dissapointed

[Dizzy4Dizney]

We spent 3 days at the AKL and transferred to BWV (planned). We were slightly dissapointed with the AKL. My DH said that I'm a resorts snob since we usually stay at a DVC property.

Things I was dissapointed with at AKL:

No high speed internet. Just use to it I guess. It's like going from a car to
a bike! But I didn't come on vacation to work all day! (So hubby tells me).

We paid for a Savanah View, but it was not the good Savanah. It was way in
the corner of the Sunset Savanah and we had a great view of 2 fences. We did see some giraffe's and cattle, but would have liked the open savanah more. If you request a Savanah View, try to get the "horseshoe" savanah, the big one.

The resort was very dark, but we read that. It wasn't a horrible stay, but I think I preferr the BW & BC atmosphere better. We are now on the 5th floor of the BWV with a view of Epcot. DH is SO excited. He can watch Illumniations everynight while myself and DD crash!

 

[ADisneygirl]

I know it is too late now, but in the future if you don't like the room they assign you try asking to be moved. Afterall, you paid more for a savannah view and you should have gotten a great view! We were upgraded at the AKL once after returning from the cruise. They gave us a savannah view room and it was in the horseshoe, although at the end. Hey, we were pleased and endured the long walk to the room anyhow for the fabulous upgrade.

Since this hotel does upgrade sometimes, I think that they might have had a better savannah view for you and saved a corner fence view for someone they offered the upgrade to for free.

It was a little dark, but that added to the ambience and mood to us. We liked AKL, but our favorite is the BWI and all the Epcot area resorts. Can't beat walking into a park!

 

[Dizzy4Dizney]

Yeah, we probably should have asked to be moved, we were just too excited to be in Disney.

Another good thing about the AKL was Boma. What a great meal we had! We will probably stay there again at some point, now that we know where we want to stay.

 

[Momof5cubs]

I think we had the same room when we were at AKL- the view sounds exactly like ours!

We are considering the BWV for next year (need something very convenient with 2 yr old twins) Make sure you leave a review for me

Where did you get that adorable Mickey countdown poster? Did you make it?

 

[Dizzy4Dizney]

The BW is a great area. You'll enjoy it.
Yes, I did make the countdown calander for my DD. I works great. If you are crafty, PM your email address and I will send you directions on how to make it.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

When we went in Nov we stayed two nights at AKL and then 5 at YC. We really enjoyed the AKL while we were there but then when we moved over to YC welllllll...... we were in heaven. We thought the AKL was nice and we would stay there again but we just fell in love with everything about YC.
We don't think we will get the Savannah View again. Ours was good, but there were many times that the animals were not out and it was just a bunch of trees we were looking at. We think we would get pool view next time.
I didn't mind the lighting in AKL until we got over to YC and it was so bright and airy.
And of COurse .... location location location!!!!

 

[totalia]

We spent 3 days at the AKL and transferred to BWV (planned). We were slightly dissapointed with the AKL. My DH said that I'm a resorts snob since we usually stay at a DVC property.

Things I was dissapointed with at AKL:

No high speed internet. Just use to it I guess. It's like going from a car to
a bike! But I didn't come on vacation to work all day! (So hubby tells me).

We paid for a Savanah View, but it was not the good Savanah. It was way in
the corner of the Sunset Savanah and we had a great view of 2 fences. We did see some giraffe's and cattle, but would have liked the open savanah more. If you request a Savanah View, try to get the "horseshoe" savanah, the big one.

The resort was very dark, but we read that. It wasn't a horrible stay, but I think I preferr the BW & BC atmosphere better. We are now on the 5th floor of the BWV with a view of Epcot. DH is SO excited. He can watch Illumniations everynight while myself and DD crash!

You won't find any sympathy with me.

I think you expected too much.

There is no report of AKL having high speed internet. If that's a requirement then you need to check on it beforehand instead of complaining after the fact.

There is nothing that said you had to have the "good" savannah view. They gave you the savannah view and that's what you paid for. If you want a specific area or specific room then ask for it.

 

[WDWDennis]

A couple of years ago, we stayed at the BWV's, then moved onto the AKL concierge for a few days. We have stayed at the AKL before, but not concierge. Overall, it was nice, but not worth the money. (IMHO) We wanted to go back to the BWV the minute we got there. For $300 somthing a night, ya sure didnt get much extra. The rooms seemed to be the same as the regular rooms we stayed in before for a third of the cost. You just can't beat the DVC resorts! Heck, it took me 30 minutes just to walk to the laundry room!!

 

[Winnie Pooh Fan]

You won't find any sympathy with me.

I think you expected too much.

There is no report of AKL having high speed internet. If that's a requirement then you need to check on it beforehand instead of complaining after the fact.

There is nothing that said you had to have the "good" savannah view. They gave you the savannah view and that's what you paid for. If you want a specific area or specific room then ask for it.

Good grief, the OP was just remarking on their opinion of this particular resort. I don't think they were looking for anyones sympathy as they did not have a bad stay. As for the view, the OP only posted about the view they had so that others that choose AKL will no better what to ask for.

IMO - I am glad that members take the time to voice their personal opinions about their stays. I always know to take both good and bad reports at face value and then make my own choices. So thank you to the OP for the their post, and I am glad that you are enjoying your new resort.

 

[DebbieB]

Have a great time! I was on the 5th floor at BWV 2 weeks ago and loved it! Wish I was there now. It's 12 degrees and snowing here!

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

It also sounds like we stayed in the same room when we were at AKL back in 2002....DH and I were disappointed there as well. Our recent stay at BWI forced us to conclude the Epcot resort area is just more "us". It's all about location, and at the BW, YC or BC you're right in the middle of it. At AKL, it is lovely, but you're so out in the middle of nowhere and unless you have a car, you're going to be on that bus an awful lot. DH and I hate both waiting for and riding the bus and we like to minimize that time as much as possible.

The BWI was my dream resort. I fell absolutely in the love with the whole area. However, we continue to make one trip to AKL to eat at Jiko and look around because it IS a fantastic resort. A visit suits us just fine.

 

[BigOnDis]

We split our stay last year between the the AKL and the BWI and enjoyed both. They are very different from each other and you really can not compare them to each other. We loved the location of the BWI, being a boat ride to MGM or Epcot (The bus to Magic Kingdon was not so hot) and that there seemed to be a lot going on. The AKL is all about the theme. It also seemed to be more relaxing to us. As far as the Savanna view goes, it is nice, but I don't think I would pay for it. We got a free upgrade one year and loved it, but we didn't pay for it either. Last year we did a pool view and other than the fact that we liked were the room was located, the view didn't do much for us. We were close to the pool and the kids loved that.

We are in the process of planning our vacation for this summer and I asked the family where they wanted to stay and they all said AKL. I asked them if they wanted to try somethig different, but they all said the loved the AKL.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I guess everyone is different and is looking for different things in a hotel, but that's the beauty of Disney. A hotel for every taste.

 

[Carrieberry]

We agree with your opinion about AKL- We had that view too. It stunk! Not worth paying more for- that's for sure. We also asked to be moved as well as faxed a request beforehand with no luck. So as far as totalia's unwarranted nasty suggestion of "If you want a specific area or specific room then ask for it." I am here to tell you that doesn't always work. I for one am always looking at other people's review of hotels just for this reason. When you pay for view then it makes sense to expect to actually be able to see animals or the pool or whatever you had paid for, esp with the prices of the deluxe hotels so i appreciate it when someone tells me which areas have poor views for the price. No one is asking for sympathy in this thread, but these boards are all about voicing opinions on Disney World and I love to read them so keep them coming. Also, all the resorts will eventually have high speed internet, they are converting them resort by resort starting with the DVC resorts. Maybe the OP did not "require" high speed but also did not expect the dial up to be so slow. Sheesh!

 

[Ladyhawke10]

Wow, I think AKL is so much better than the Epcot resorts! Interesting to see opinions otherwise...and good thing, or else we'd ALL want to be at the same resort and that'd be awful!

While I usually do like to spend some time in the Boardwalk area (and the BWI is my favorite Epcot resort) we split our stays because we don't like to take the buses back from Illuminations, and like to see that show at least once. However, other than that, I LOVE the remote feeling of AKL. I think it is an exotic adventure to stay there in itself, and love the romantic, balmy feeling of the decor rather than the spritely, simple feeling of the Yacht or Beach club. I much prefer AKL's high ceiling, user friendly Mara complex (much more convenient than refilling at Beach and Cream or Hanna's), the interesting stairways and nooks around AKL to explore or happen upon. There are many places to view the animals so whatever savannah view we've had has worked out for us...but I definitely agree some views are better than others. The deluxe views are divine. When I'm really interested in hanging out in the room, I go for the deluxe view of the animals .

I love the soft music piped in around the common areas, and the informative CMs around the viewing areas. There's nothing like relaxing in a jacuzzi with flamingoes or giraffes a few feet from you. The pool area looks like an oasis. I enjoy the proximity to Animal Kingdom because that is our favorite theme park. I would recommend AKL over the Yacht/ Beach or Swan/ Dolphin anyday...but I'm sure glad some like the Epcot resorts better and think that that is a better location or else you'd never get into AKL!

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Wow, I think AKL is so much better than the Epcot resorts! Interesting to see opinions otherwise...and good thing, or else we'd ALL want to be at the same resort and that'd be awful!

While I usually do like to spend some time in the Boardwalk area (and the BWI is my favorite Epcot resort) we split our stays because we don't like to take the buses back from Illuminations, and like to see that show at least once. However, other than that, I LOVE the remote feeling of AKL. I think it is an exotic adventure to stay there in itself, and love the romantic, balmy feeling of the decor rather than the spritely, simple feeling of the Yacht or Beach club. I much prefer AKL's high ceiling, user friendly Mara complex (much more convenient than refilling at Beach and Cream or Hanna's), the interesting stairways and nooks around AKL to explore or happen upon. There are many places to view the animals so whatever savannah view we've had has worked out for us...but I definitely agree some views are better than others. The deluxe views are divine. When I'm really interested in hanging out in the room, I go for the deluxe view of the animals .

I love the soft music piped in around the common areas, and the informative CMs around the viewing areas. There's nothing like relaxing in a jacuzzi with flamingoes or giraffes a few feet from you. The pool area looks like an oasis. I enjoy the proximity to Animal Kingdom because that is our favorite theme park. I would recommend AKL over the Yacht/ Beach or Swan/ Dolphin anyday...but I'm sure glad some like the Epcot resorts better and think that that is a better location or else you'd never get into AKL!

It's so cool to read all the different opinions on this...your description of the AKL is exactly what Disney had in mind when they built the resort....an exotic getaway. And they accomplished just that! Unfortunately, it just isn't for everyone...but that's why DH and I love to visit the different resorts...each is a new adventure that offers different things.