Just returned from AKL - didn't care for it

[Tiger926]

We just returned from our yearly summer vacation to WDW. We spent 12 days @ Saratoga since we are DVC members (loved it!) and I booked an extra couple of days @ AKL (pool view) as a surprise. DH has always wanted to stay there, and although viewing the animals was cool, we were both disappointed.

Room: The room was great - very spacious and nicely decorated (although hardly worth the $450.00 rate posted in room - yikes!), and the view of the pool was awesome (5th floor). We were glad that we hadn't paid extra for the savannah view as it just didn't seem worth it to us, as we saw animals just fine from the viewing stations.

Check-in: We were also greeted at check-in by a rude and not so friendly cast member. I asked about parking the car since I was used to dealing with parking outside of my room @ Saratoga, and he said, "This isn't a motel, you park your car in the lot, and trek to the elevators & take those to your room." I wasn't sure what to make of this statement, so I just walked away feeling embarassed!

Restaurants: Boma was very good, although very noisy. Would definitely eat here again.

Pool: Not sure what all the hype is about surrounding the pool as they advertise a 67 foot slide - but there is no way that the slide is that long! DH much preferred the slide at SSR - but the pool area at AKL is really pretty nonetheless.

General atmosphere: Although we were only there for 2.5 days, we found people (guests & cast members) to not be very friendly. People in general, seemed rushed and hurried in this resort as compared to all of the other resorts we were in - cast members seemd too busy to say hello, and guests were just plain rude at times - there were very young children running up and down the halls at 1:35 am last Sunday night - we were not happy at all as we were all very tired. By the time I got dressed to go outside and deal with it, they had retreated to their rooms. Not sure what to make of that one either! Also, each time we went into the parking lot, it was full of litter! I'm not sure why anyone would empty their trash out onto the ground in the first place (how rude!) - yet it seemed for the 2.5 days that we were there, that this was a common occurence. This again didn't sit well with us, and just made us feel that some of the guests whom we were sharing the resort with were very rude and selfish.

All in all, we are glad that we tried AKL, but we more than likely won't stay there again. We thought it was perhaps because we had tacked it onto the end of a long vacation, but after talking about it, both DH & I felt the same way about it. Very nice resort (lobby is very cool & the king sized bed was great!), but we felt that the resort is very overrated in our humble opinion.

Happy vacations to all of you going to WDW this week, Tiger

 

[pennyplanner]

What did you like best about Saratoga Springs? Did you use WDW transportation or just your own vehicle?

I visited AKL on my solo trip in April of 2004. While I did enjoy viewing the animals, it was a resort that I probably would not choose to stay in. The grounds just looked dusty to me and not as manicured and green as WL where I was staying. I know, I know, it's meant to be the ideal habitat for the animals!

I did think that the restaurant set-up was wonderful. I did check out Boma but only at Jiko for dinner one night. I'm not even sure where Mara is but it consistently gets better reviews than Roaring Forks at WL!

I am sorry you experienced rude children and people in general. It definitely puts a damper on an otherwise wonderful trip!

Thanks,

penny

 

[Tiger926]

Sorry, forgot to mention that we rented a small SUV for the entire trip, but also used monorails & ferries. Since our DD had to be hospitalized in March (we had our own minivan, but very far from home, so we will fly from now on as it's 2.5 hours from home as opposed to 22 hours by car). We love having our own car as we like to go to the parks for only a few hours at a time, and this means that we can come and go at our own pace. Love taking monorails and ferries though, so usually at night when we felt well rested, we would park our car after dinner and take a monorail or ferry to MK. We drove to all of the other resorts, but spent most of our time at MK as it's my DD's fav (and has now become my fav park as well).

Regarding Saratoga (see my trip report in DVC Community board), we loved the location (that is why we became members), atmosphere, rooms, pools, pretty much everything! It truly is a lovely resort and we are VERY happy with our DVC purchase!

I'd be happy to answer more specific questions if you have them, Tiger

 

[jarw00]

We stayed at AKL last Sept. and enjoyed it very much. We had a savannah view and it was spectacular. Seeing the animals when we looked out our room was most enjoyable. I agree that the rooms were expensive for our budget, but we only booked because they had the off-season/hurricane special. It was less than $150 a night. I believe the grounds were less kept to be part of the "Africa" feel , but also just like all good zoos you can't spray for any pests and you use what plants are best for the area. Lasty we thought the crew at AKL was fine, all were kind and helpful.

 

[grinningghost]

So sorry you didn't care for it. I've only visited AKL and I was totally "wowed" by it - someday I'll bite the bullet and stay there.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Sorry you didn't like it, we're the exact opposite we loved AKL and thought SSR was "eh", at best. That's one of the things I love about Disney- the wide variety of resorts.

 

[geoffw35]

We enjoyed AKL very much when we stayed there in August 2004. We had a savannah view and really liked waking up to the animals grazing. However, we didn't pay extra for it. It was the value season and they had extra rooms and gave us an upgrade without the extra charge, which we thought was pretty great of them.

Boma was wonderful for breakfast and dinner, and at Jiko I had one of the nicest lamb shanks I've ever tasted.

The downside for us was the park access, but we always rent a car when we go, so it wasn't all that bad.

What surprises me the most was the response from the cast member you received. Shocking, really. I've never had any CM respond to me that way. Anytime a customer is embarrassed and left at a loss to respond, the CM really messed up badly! I can't say that anyone at AKL was rude to us, we liked the CM's there. No roudy children either. Sometimes you just draw a bad set of cards, I guess.

 

[JulyGirl]

I found AKL to be one of the most relaxing resorts with the friendliest CMS. It's good that Disney has so many choices. There's something perfect for everyone. Glad you enjoyed your Saratoga Springs stay. Thanks for the review!

 

[goin2disneyagain]

I am sorry you didn't enjoy your stay at AKL. That was rather rude of the CM at check-in. We enjoy AKL but to be honest we noticed on our last visit (May 2004) that the CM's were not very friendly. Other than that we loved it. Luckily we really didn't have to deal with the CM's very much. That being said, I would really like to try SSR.

 

[Talking Hands]

I found the AKL to be very pleasant and would return. I found that guests this trip in general were very rude. I can't count the times I was hit, the back of my wheelchair used as a resting place for some strangers body, crawled over and cussed out for just being there in a wheelchair on my own. Had people knock things out of my cup holder as well. No sorry, can I replace the drink I just knocked out of your cupholder. Nothing.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I guess not everyone will like the same thing, which is why Disney offers such diverse properties. But I think it's a little unfair to blame the resort for the behavior of the guests. Nevertheless, the CM's behavior was less than what anyone should expect, so I think you have a valid complaint there. Makes me wonder, if you found loud children and trash left by guests at SSR, would it change your opinion of that place? Or is it just that the theming left you cold, and you wouldn't have preferred it even if the CMs had been wonderful and all the guests well-behaved?

 

[montblanc]

What a shame..

We stayed at the AKL in July (by accident, see my other post) and I have to say I grew to love the place. The decor, savannah, the hottubs at night that seemed to be in the wild, story telling around the fire, superb restaurants (try the apple sorbet at Jiko, out of this world) and the sweet smell in the hotel. We went to the Poly right after and it was a bit of a disappointment comparatively speaking, especially the rooms.

We enjoyed our stay so much that we are coming back in August for 7 nights. The pool could use some improvement but I don't find any of the pools we have tried yet to be spectacular.

 

[bishop1989]

We just returned from a split stay at WDW. We stayed at CR and AKL.
I was so excited about staying at AKL that I wanted to cancel CR. Am I glad that we didn't!! The Cm at check in gave us a 12th floor concierge room when all i requested was a room overlooking the castle. What a great stay for my family, especially 8 yr old daugter who watched the castle at night while she fell asleep and ate brownies from concierge.
AKL was a total waste and we will never return there again. The animals from the savannah view become pretty mundane after one afternoon and the service was terrible. However, the people that run the children's programs are great!
By the way the slide at CR is pretty fun.

 

[Disneyjosh229]

IMO, AKL is a knock-off of WL. I like WL much more because of its location. AKL is in the middle of no where.

 

[Dana_Buckley]

We stayed at AKL for just one night pre-cruise in March, and I did not care for it very much. I just thought it was too dark. The long hallways and the rooms were both dark, in my opinion. But glad I had the chance to try it for 1 night.

I'm looking forward to trying POFQ in October, after returning to Polynesian for 2 nights.

 

[HillPete]

Pool: Not sure what all the hype is about surrounding the pool as they advertise a 67 foot slide - but there is no way that the slide is that long!

Where in the world did you read that? I thought I had read everything about AKL, but I've never heard of a claim like that!?!

--H

 

[UrsulasShadow]

IMO, AKL is a knock-off of WL. I like WL much more because of its location. AKL is in the middle of no where.

I guess that's why I love AKL so much. You feel like you're in a different world. I found, however, that although the lodge is further away from everything, the bus service is prompt and reliable.

I never had any problems with any of the CM's at AKL. To be honest, I've never had a problem with ANY CM, anywhere on property. I must be very lucky (knock wood), because it seems many posters have had issues with them at different times.

The dark room complaint is a common one, although for the life of me, I don't know why, after a hectic day in the parks, you'd want to come back to a room with bright, glaring lights. I find them very cool and relaxing, and when I need extra light, I open the shade.

I do have to agree with the pool being not all it's cracked up to be. I dislike shallow pools, anyway; they make me feel like I'm in a kiddie wading pool. The theming is very appropriate and all, and it feels like I'd imagine an African watering hole to feel, but the water, being warm and slightly yellowish, brings to mind other things I wouldn't be pleased to swim in.

And to the poster who says they get tired of looking out the window at animals.....why on earth would you stay here? This is the best thing about the place! By all means, stay somewhere else!

 

[Disney's My Goal]

We LOVE AKL! We also like animals, and never get tired of watching their antics.

I am sorry you had a bad experience. Rude people and CM's are annoying, but can be found anywhere- it's just luck of the draw.

 

[Tiger926]

UrsulasShadow - We didn't blame the resort for the guest's behaviour at all, but seeing as how we found this resort full of unstellar CMs (in all areas of the resort - not just check-in), we wonder if it gave people the license to litter, run up and down hallways, etc. Obviously no hotel can know what type of guest is going to check-in, but, and I almost hesitate to post this, my DH and I really felt that many of the guests who were there were extremely selfish and just plain ignorant of the fact that they were sharing the resort with thousands of others! If it's only a few people, then no problem, but we found this continually from the 1st day to the 3rd day. In regards to finding rude people at other resorts, especially at Saratoga since we were there so long, we have to say, we visited at least 12 other resorts for dinner, shopping, etc. and we found the guests at AKL to be in rare form - nowhere else did we see or encounter a general sense of "the world revolves around me" attitude at any of the other resorts - does it mean that rude guests aren't anywhere else? Of course not, but most of the guests that we witnessed at AKL during our short stay seemed to perpetuate this attitude. On the contrary, the people (CMs & guests) at Saratoga were amazingly friendly and unselfish towards us and others which just goes to help make one's stay more enjoyable.

HillPete - Regarding the 67 foot slide - I am reading it right from the Directory of Services Habari that you are given at check-out:

"Recreation Uzima Pool - ...there is plenty of it (water) to enjoy in our 11,000 sq. ft. pool featuring a 67 foot water slide!"

So, there you have it! We were a bit surprised as there is no way that this slide seems to be 67 feet at all. Like we said, we enjoyed our pools/waterslide at SSR much more than this one.

Like I said, we are glad that we stayed at AKL, but will probably never stay there again - and not just because of rude & selfish people - if that were the case, we never would have returned to WDW as some guests define a new category of rudeness (talking hands- so sorry about your experience, the whole wheelchair/scooter thing really upsets us as it seems that most disabled guests have come to expect this sort of behaviour, this is absolutely a terrible comment on society IMHO - but that will be left for another post altogether!), but because it didn't WOW! us like we thought it would.

Tiger

 

[disgal1]

We also stayed in July, as a split stay with the Swan.

While we were glad we went, we all decided it wasn't for us, and won't go back to stay. Definately will go back to eat! but plan to go a couple hours early, watch the animals, have a drink etc.

We found the service to be fine, but our beds were terrible.
we had a 4th floor savanna view, saw a lot of giraffe legs, and some zebras muching grass. We saw just as much, and closer using the stairwells and viewing areas. Although I did enjoy drinking my coffee in my pj's at sunrise and watching them. Like I said, I really am glad we did it, just won't do it again.

Really didn't care for the pool., but since the water was too warm to swim in, we didn't get to experience it. Just didn't look appealing to me.

We much prefer the Swan, dolphin.
But luckily, Disney has something for everyone, that 's why we love it!!