Hi Stiches,
It is the extra care and little touches, like stuffed animals arranged in interesting ways, that I love so much about staying at a Disney resort. Thanks for sharing your experience. We also received an upgrade, as I mentioned above, without asking for it. It was just offered to us, if we wanted it. And like you, it is the only resort that offered this to us so far. I can understand sometimes not being able to get the view you want when those rooms are already are booked. I guess that's what Chobie experienced. It's a shame, but they certainly tried, having offered 3 more rooms.
The big plus for me is the hotel restaurants. I too think Jiko is wonderful. And the breakfast we had at Boma was great too. I like being able to walk downstairs to eat a breakfast of that quality before park hopping. AKL is my choice among those I've stayed in so far. My family seems to prefer Wilderness Lodge, though--that was our first WDW experience and nostalgia is an important part of the experience. I love WL too for the same reasons, but the AKL restaurants are much better, IMO.