We just returned yesterday afternoon from our Spring Break trip to AKL. This was our first trip to AKL- we had a few surprises, but generally were well prepared with what to expect by the fine folks on the DIS boards.
Our trip was 6 nights ( Sat 4/2 - Friday 4/8). Our room was at the far, far end of Kudo trail, our room on the 3rd floor ( room 3380, if anyone cares) faced the Sunset savanna - the odd numbered rooms faced Arusha savanna.
My initial reaction upon entering the lobby was "this is very dark - I don't like it". As the week wore on I got used to it and started to enjoy.
The room sleeping area did not seem much larger than a moderate room. That was partly due to the queen beds - vs doubles in the moderates. The bath area was large and entry hall was several sq feet that you do not have in a moderate or value room which opens directly outside.
It was a good walk - 5 minutes at a brisk pace from our room to Mara (the food court) or the pool. This is no longer than most walks at moderate or value resorts, but it did seem longer - I think because you were inside. Speaking of inside corridors - I certainly did appreciate them Thursday night - it was pouring down rain. What would have been a miserable walk to the food court at a resort with outside walkways, was perfectly dry at AKL.
Our particular location was not very good - although we did see giraffe close up each morning. There were consistantly more animals mid-savanna (especially near a water hole). We overlooked one of the infamous "people-pens". It was not that bad - it didn't dominate or ruin the view, you could easily see over and around it.
A few general thoughts -
Our third floor room was convenient - did not have to take an elevator when returning from the parks, and offered nice close ups of the animals.
There were tons of animals - many more than I expected.
Our last 7 or 8 trips we have stayed at value and moderate resorts - they have much nicer food courts (in terms of variety of selection). Mara simply does not have much selection.
They have just begun working on the pool deck - replacing sections of cracked concrete. At times it was very noisy if your were too close when a jackhammer started up. Also it was difficult too walk around the pool because of the various sections they had boarded off. I thought the pool in general was okay. Late afternoon you could not find a seat in the sun or in the first row around the pool - this was a real pet-peeve of my wife who wanted to watch the kids closely, but not want to have to go into the water. You could easily find seats in shady areas which bordered the pool, but did not have a direct view.
Will we return? I don't know. We happened to get a great deal - we paid for a deeply discounted (read cast member discount) standard room and were upgraded to savanna view. Even though it was not the best savanna room, we certainly had no right to complain. Our situation this trip kind of skews my thoughts on whether this resort is "worth it" or not, since on future trips we can not be sure of the discount or the room upgrade. We will just have too see what options we have available when the time for our next trip comes around. Overall this trip and the resort were a lot of fun.
Our trip was 6 nights ( Sat 4/2 - Friday 4/8). Our room was at the far, far end of Kudo trail, our room on the 3rd floor ( room 3380, if anyone cares) faced the Sunset savanna - the odd numbered rooms faced Arusha savanna.
My initial reaction upon entering the lobby was "this is very dark - I don't like it". As the week wore on I got used to it and started to enjoy.
The room sleeping area did not seem much larger than a moderate room. That was partly due to the queen beds - vs doubles in the moderates. The bath area was large and entry hall was several sq feet that you do not have in a moderate or value room which opens directly outside.
It was a good walk - 5 minutes at a brisk pace from our room to Mara (the food court) or the pool. This is no longer than most walks at moderate or value resorts, but it did seem longer - I think because you were inside. Speaking of inside corridors - I certainly did appreciate them Thursday night - it was pouring down rain. What would have been a miserable walk to the food court at a resort with outside walkways, was perfectly dry at AKL.
Our particular location was not very good - although we did see giraffe close up each morning. There were consistantly more animals mid-savanna (especially near a water hole). We overlooked one of the infamous "people-pens". It was not that bad - it didn't dominate or ruin the view, you could easily see over and around it.
A few general thoughts -
Our third floor room was convenient - did not have to take an elevator when returning from the parks, and offered nice close ups of the animals.
There were tons of animals - many more than I expected.
Our last 7 or 8 trips we have stayed at value and moderate resorts - they have much nicer food courts (in terms of variety of selection). Mara simply does not have much selection.
They have just begun working on the pool deck - replacing sections of cracked concrete. At times it was very noisy if your were too close when a jackhammer started up. Also it was difficult too walk around the pool because of the various sections they had boarded off. I thought the pool in general was okay. Late afternoon you could not find a seat in the sun or in the first row around the pool - this was a real pet-peeve of my wife who wanted to watch the kids closely, but not want to have to go into the water. You could easily find seats in shady areas which bordered the pool, but did not have a direct view.
Will we return? I don't know. We happened to get a great deal - we paid for a deeply discounted (read cast member discount) standard room and were upgraded to savanna view. Even though it was not the best savanna room, we certainly had no right to complain. Our situation this trip kind of skews my thoughts on whether this resort is "worth it" or not, since on future trips we can not be sure of the discount or the room upgrade. We will just have too see what options we have available when the time for our next trip comes around. Overall this trip and the resort were a lot of fun.
