Just returned from AKL ; thoughts

[Puffy2]

We just returned from Animal Kingdom Lodge. The hotel is nice. It did seem rather dark at first (like being in a cave - I had a hard time seeing until about the middle of the second day - then I adjusted to it I guess) . The themeing is good.

The room was a second floor, pool view. We couldn't really see the pool, just tops of trees but it was ok - we didn't look out the balcony much anyway. The location was good - not too far down the hall - boy, I'd hate to have a room all the way at the end!
The room itself was nice. The beds were comfortable (probably the bed "Disney bed" I've had - The Universal Hotels outdo Disney hands down on bed comfort, but these were pretty good. The Swan still has a better bed. ) The bathroom was nicely decorated and spacious with the double sinks. There was a mini coffee maker and refrigeration in the room. Over all, the room was very nice.

Bomas is excellent. They had some of the best (and most unusual ) food I've had at Disney. Still, ex*****ve at about $25 per person for dinner.

The biggest draw back was the bus system. This hotel is only close to the Animal Kingdom. Bus service to the other parks takes quite awhile - it's just a long way. For location, the Epcot resorts can't be beat and next time I'll probably go back there.
Animals were neat, but most we only saw from a distance .

 

[johnvree]

The theming is very dark. I kind of liked it, but it really is the antithesis to the Beach Club theming.

Have to agree about the buses. They were terrible when we stayed there. We ended up driving most places. I think the AKL is a great place to spend a few days of your trip before switching to another resort. You can hit DAK while you are there and then hit the other parks from the second resort. Of course, you have to be ok with switching resorts.

 

[HLAuburn]

Bomas is excellent. They had some of the best (and most unusual ) food I've had at Disney. Still, ex*****ve at about $25 per person for dinner.

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Thanks for the review.
I had to laugh at the *'s above....amazing how a little typo can get you sensored.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

Thanks for the review.
I had to laugh at the *'s above....amazing how a little typo can get you sensored.

I know, I had to think for a minute what the typo couldn't have been, but I figured it out. Too funny. Now I'll have to remember to be careful when typing expensive.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

The theming is very dark. I kind of liked it, but it really is the antithesis to the Beach Club theming.

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I've had this same thought about the Beach Club's theming vs the AKLs. Too funny--I think I even used the same term when talking about it once

I like to split stays between Epcot resorts and AKL because I love being close to AK for a few days, but if I stay at AKL a whole trip, I feel too removed from the rest of the "world." I love the dark theming, though. I had to get used to all the light theming at BC (though I now love BC, too). I love that darker, moody, cooler feel at AKL any day.

 

[WDWBetsy]

I love that darker, moody, cooler feel at AKL any day.

I'm thinking that I will like the dark room. Feeling kinda plump right now, so that might make me feel better!

 

[engagedatWDW]

We stayed at AKL 10/29 - 11/05 and loved it. The overall look is really well done. We thought that maybe they kept the indoors darker to help keep guests more subdued for the animal population around. We stayed in a room overlooking one of the savannahs with giraffes (among others). I don't know if it would be worth spending the money for a deluxe resort without getting a savannah view room, I could see how that might be disappointing. Being able to wake up in the middle of the night and seeing wildlife is a different experience. We found the staff to be really knowledgable and the pool is great! I can understand being upset about being far away from the other parks, but we didn't experience any problems with the buses. We never had to wait more than 5 minutes and were told at the longest, they ran in 15 minute intervals. What I really appreciated is that this resort had transportation to all parks, unlike some of the others. That made it really easy to get around, even when we had to go to another resort.

 

[Got Quattro?]

We have stayed at AKL. It was very nice, but we will not staybthere again.

As stated it just too far away. Afternoon naps destroy most of the day. Boma and JIKO are nice, but you would not want to eat there multiple times in a trip. The food is just to heavy.

We had a savanah view. It was cool the first day to see the animals. But by the 3rd day, it was more of a jooke "hey look, there's that Giraff again"... Just too repetative.

For low cost deluxe resorts. We like wilderness lodge. no questions.