Need help with AKL Honeymoon

[BellyDaisy]

I'm trying to plan my July 2005 honeymoon at AKL. My fiance and I talked about getting a Savannah view room, but looking at the Disney website shows that we'd be spending about $3400 for one week, room only. I don't want to kill almost our entire budget just on the room! So, I've come with questions for you experts:

--If this were your honeymoon, would you go ahead and spend the money? Is the romance of the room and view worth it?

--Would you recommend a standard view room instead? Does it still have the ambiance that you'd hope for on a honeymoon?

--Is there another (romantic) resort you would recommend which would be comparable or less in price?

We absolutely adore animals, which is why AKL would be so good for us. However, I don't want to make such a costly decision based on my love of animals! I know I may come across as being cheap about my honeymoon, but I tend to argue with myself that the money could be put to better use on a house. See my dilemma? Thanks so much for any help you guys can give me!

Amanda
7/2/05

 

[jennymouse]

Hello, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding. AKL would be a wonderful place to spend a honeymoon. There's a good possibility that you could get a discount rate on your room. Go to www.mousesavers.com and read that sight all the way through. It will explain the "codes" and lots of other money saving tips.

If you have any more questions after you read that sight, by all means come and ask here or send me a PM. It's just hard for me to explain it all.

 

[lmk]

Hi there! I haven't stayed at AKL yet - staying there on our next trip - but I have toured the property. In my opinion, I would say don't spend all your money on your room. You can see the animals from a number of other areas in the resort and you probably won't be spending that much time in your room anyhow - although I forgot you'll be on your honeymoon Anyhow, if I were you, I would spend the money I save on the room and have some great romantic dinners etc. Try to think of what your memories will be based on - your room vs what you see and do. Having said that, as the previous poster said, keep an eye out on Mousesavers - you may be able to get a Savannah room for a comparable rate to a regular room if you hang in and wait for codes to come out. I would suggest booking a room you can afford and then see what you can upgrade to closer to the date. Hope that helps!

 

[becky1960]

I would wait for codes and you probably get Akl for less than $ 200.00 a night, more like 137-179. Reserve a Savannah View and tell them you are coming for your honeymoon, they will most likely upgrade to one of the larger suites on the wing ends or possibly the honeymoon suite. If they don't it will still be a nice stay.

 

[stinkerbelle]

I'm probably not the person to talk...but DH and I really splurged on our Honeymoon last year.
We stayed 3 nights in the honeymoon suite at WL (concierge level). The 8 nights over at the AKL concierge. We completely spoiled ourselves with that trip. We were lucky to save some money by doing the fairy tale package laster (7 nights for the cost of 5).

there are pros and cons both ways of spending money on the best-view room, or just being in the resort itself. Like someone else said - if you two want to enjoy all that disney has to offer (dinners/tours/etc...) then don't splurge on the savannah view room (but DO mention you are on your HM - you might be upgraded!).

I was shocked when I saw the final numbers for our honeymoon...but like my DH said...we're only going to do this once - so let's do it right and enjoy ourselves. It was the best 12 days ever!

Best of luck and congratulations!

 

[Mortlives]

I suppose the question you have to ask yourself is whether or not a view of the parking lot will make your honeymoon less magical. If you need to be able to watch the animals from your private balcony -- and privacy is relative, there are supposed to be cameras everywhere on the Savannah sides -- instead of walking down the hall to the public viewing areas, do it. Otherwise, book standard, and think that, while it would be nice to get an upgrade, it's not necessary. That's what we're doing in February.

In answer to your other question about less expensive romantic resorts, both CBR and POR can be very romantic. POR especially, with its free-form quiet pools, and lush overgrown gardens on the AB side, but, who am I kidding? It's your honeymoon, so you'll probably choose the deluxe.

Best wishes and kungaloosh!
Morticia.

 

[robinb]

$3400 for 7 nights? Hmmm. Are you sure that's room only and doesn't include tickets? Rack rates in Regular season are $320 for a savanah view or about $2500 for 7 days. Concierge is about $3400 pre-tax. Did you book that?

Discounts that cover July should be out in mid-March. Here is a link to the historic trends chart over at Mousesavers: http://www.mousesavers.com/faq.html#codetrends Rates for a Savanah View have been between $130 and $190 per night. I stayed at AKL in July, 2002 and was upgraded from a Standard View to a Savanah View. Since then, I won't chance getting a Standard View, aka Parking Lot View, room again. We'll book Savanah from now on.

I think you'll need to examine your budget pretty closely and know exactly how much you have to spend. You might also want to look at Deb Will's site to plan your meals: http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm. FWIW, we spend about $100 per day on food for 2 adults and a child.

If you're looking for a less expensive, yet still romantic, alternative I would suggest Port Orleans French Quarter. Rack rates are around $160 and are usually discounted under $100. We stayed there last month and it was really nice! You can always visit ALK for dinner at Jiko or Boma's.

 

[njdc5]

My fiance and I are actually staying there in our honeymoon in June. We stayed down there last August and really liked the atmosphere and restaurants. I am waiting to book it though, becuase I want to see if we can get a special code or dicsount rate. I think that we are going to try and book a standard view room, and hope for an upgrade. We got one the last time that we were there, so we'll see...

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

If you're torn between spending more for a room for a honeymoon that lasts 7 days or using more money towards your house purchase/savings, I agree with the posters who are looking for ways to save the money. You're going to be in the house a lot longer than 7 days and it will also be an investment towards your future. I doubt they'll put a honeymooning couple over the parking lot - at worst you'll have a pool view. And hopefully the time you spend in your room won't be spent staring at the view anyway but gazing into each other's eyes. The rest of the time you'll be strolling around the resort and the park and the beach.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[Davids-Coco]

This is the exact reason why we put off our honeymoon for a year. We bought a house and that was a huge expense... but I still wanted my *once in a lifetime* honeymoon. So we waited until we had enough money to do the honeymoon we always wanted... and then we had a wonderful and magical time.

 

[dopeys biggest fan]

I stayed at the AKL and had a pool view room. The view was very romantic Palm trees ect. My sister and her family stayed in a savannah view and said the novelty wore off after about 2 days. She said you just see the same animals over and over again.

The pool view can be noisy with the balcony doors open, but it's amazing how sound proof the doors are!! If you close them you really have to listen to hear anything! Don't forget, there are special balconies with rocking chairs that you can go to and view the savannah and the animals!

I would save the money, and buy yourself a nice weeding present to remember your trip. Go to Main Street and look at the crystal shop. they have a beautiful engravable piece specially made with a bride and groom Mickey and Minnie on it, you can get your names and wedding date put on it! It's pretty cool!!

Enjoy your honey moon, and best wishes for a long and happy life together!!!