LIVE from AKL - FINAL THOUGHTS -

[bj21]

Thanks for this thread! You've answered many questions I had about my upcoming trip. And now I'm sooo excited to go!

 

[DVC Daisy]

flyer in the room when we arrived:

Save 35% on Deluxe Villas and Deluxe resorts.

not sure what the details are on mods or values.

dates:

8/5-10/6
10/21-11/3
11/11-11/17
11/25-12/1
12/9-12/15

Did the flyer have a code or anything to say how to get these rates?

Thank you for sharing while you are on vacation

 

[CanadianPaco]

That's a bounceback flyer, isn't it? Your only able to book bouceback while your are actually there. Call the phone extention on the flyer and put down a deposit! Solid!

 

[Sue M]

Thanks for the reply Glad to hear the movies aren't heard inside the room.
The new products sound nice. Hope you enjoyed your DHS day!

80 more days for me!!

 

[Pat329]

We stayed there about 8 yrs ago and it was absolutely fabulous. We stayed in a Savannah view room and had giraffes eating from the trees in front of our balcony every morning. What a site to pull open the blinds and see these beautiful animals practically looking in at you. We saw more animals at the lodge than we did in the park. Also one of the best lobbies in WDW. And the fire pit outside at night is magical. We were going to take the behind the scenes tour of the animal grounds but ran out of time. We loved Boma so much that we still go there for dinner when we're in Disney. They even emailed me recipes of my favorite foods. I have the zebra dome recipe!!! We try a different resort each time we're there but this will be one we definetely repeat.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Still getting caught up on laundry after a hectic week of work. Just submitted my *review* to allears and thought I would share my thoughts here:


Just back from a beautiful stay at AKL - 5/26-6/3.
We booked a pool view room and absolutely LOVED it. We were on the second floor near the hot tub and slide - Wonderful location! It was a 2 minute walk to the pool and a 3 minute walk to the Mara for our morning coffee. Despite being super close to the action, we never heard a thing! Super quiet stay!
The room was immaculate when we checked in and Mousekeeping kept it that way throughout our entire stay. The beds are super comfy. The double sink area had plenty of space for all our *stuff*. I will say that the bathroom is very dark and the sink area doesn't have fabulous light. We received the new H2O products every day of our stay - Facial and bath soap (sea salt), body wash, shampoo, conditioner and lotion (a new grapfruit floral smell). I really liked all the products.
Previous to arriving we promised ourselves that we would slow down this trip and spend some quality time enjoying this resort...and we did!
The pool...heavenly *sigh* - We spent a LOT of time at the beautiful pool. They have fabulous activites for this kiddos every day..games, bingo, crafts, dance parties...the fabulous CM's kept kids of all ages busy for hours. My husband and I got to actually sit and relax in lounge chairs many afternoons while our kids had a blast in the pool.
They also have fun activites throughout the day that your kids can participate in and they earn *beads* - Our kids LOVED these - they learned about flamingo feeding, did animal tracking and BONGO (animal fact bingo) etc.
They also have nightly movies by the pool and night vision animal viewing. There are also several acitivities and tours that would appeal to adults as well.
And of course there is the *animals*! We spent a lot of time at the various viewing areas watching the animals. Breathtaking!
We had a car so I can't speak to the bus system...but we found it super easy getting around. The one night I timed it...from the time we pulled out of the MK parking lot, to the time we pulled into our parking space at Jambo - it was 12 minutes.
The lobby is spectacular - every day when we returned from the Parks and were were welcomed home by the smiling CM's, I was in awe. The cool air, the rich theming..the beautiful smell...I miss it already!
The only 2 small things that weren't absolutely perfect:
1. The Mara - it does have some interesting options but the menu is small - We only ate a few meals there - but I would imagine if you were planning at eating there often during your stay, it would get old fast. I had the veggie flatbread one night and it was good..but super, super salty! DH had the dinner *special* - ribs with rice and veggies- he very much enjoyed it - but could have used another plate to fill him...not the biggest portion ..which may not be a bad thing .
2. The arcade is the pits. Now I know....who in the World needs a decent Arcade when you come to Disney World? I agree - silly. But when you have 2 kids (8 & 10) and have a rainy night...there is nothing more they look forward to than hitting that arcade (go figure). This one is sad..no good games..no tickets..boring and a huge, fast waste of $20. Skip it if you can.

Aside from those 2 small points (and they are very small) - I would highly recommend AKL - with the understanding that this is not the resort for families who spend all night and day in the Parks - this is a resort that you need to take the time to slow down and absorb everything it has to offer. It truly is a vacation within a vacation. LOVE LOVED LOVE it. =)

My husband fell head over heels with AKL - and without me knowing - booked the bounceback for Halloween week! Who is this man? I am not 100% sure I am ready for another trip so soon (or my budget) - but we shall see. Right now we are booked again for the Pool View at AKL - but if we go, it will be during the Food and Wine - so I may want to switch it up and try an Epcot Resort ssst - but it will be a super hard sell to convince my family to stay anywhere else.

Hope I helpED some of you future AKL guests - and I hope you LOVE it as much as we did!

 

[hill6]

We stayed at AKL Villas Jambo House last year for a long weekend. We were upgraded from a Studio Villa to a 1 BR villa both with Savannah view. We loved it there. When we left I said the next time we stay here......

 

[hpfan100]

thanks for all your answers and advice...sounds like you had a wonderful time. Can't wait to get there in one month

 

[LovinPooh]

I LOVE all the kids activities!! My dd13 is excited for these. Esp the flamingos. I cant wait for the night vision. Is there an age limit for these things? Or can you just flop around the resort and do whatever it is they are offering?
I know you said you didnt use the buses. But how was the pool view room in regards to the buses?

Glad you had a wonderful time. I hope my DH falls in love with AKL just as easily as yours

 

[chocovrdmicears]

I LOVE all the kids activities!! My dd13 is excited for these. Esp the flamingos. I cant wait for the night vision. Is there an age limit for these things? Or can you just flop around the resort and do whatever it is they are offering?
I know you said you didnt use the buses. But how was the pool view room in regards to the buses?

Glad you had a wonderful time. I hope my DH falls in love with AKL just as easily as yours

There is no age limit for the activites - our kids are 8 & 10 and they loved them - we saw kids younger and older participating as well. You get an activity schedule when you check in and you can just show up and do the activities.

We had a 3 minute walk to the main lobby from our room - one flight up and a short walk and we were by the gift shop. The bus stop is outside the main lobby to the left. Very close. If you are on the other side of the pool it would be a bit longer of a walk.