Need input re AKL suites, please!!

[catnik]

We (my 14 yr old daughter and I) are taking my mother to WDW in May to celebrate her 75th birthday. She is not a hard core Disney fan and has not been in many years. She is looking forward to the Flower and Garden show and wants to stay (for at least part of the trip) at AKL as she has heard positive things from friends. We are die hard Poly fans so we are having to do alot of research re AKL lay-out, etc. We have reserved a 1 bedroom suite, but in my reading it sounds as if the suites are at the end of each trail? If so, how much walking will that entail to get to the concierge lounge/lobby/etc. (she is in decent health but not ready to run a marathon each time she wants a snack/cup of coffee!). I am leery of reserving a concierge deluxe room as I understand you might get a pool view despite requesting savannah view? We don't plan to do many park activities during this part of our vacation, just plan to hang out watching animals, lounge by the pool, do the Sunrise safari and take the culinary/lodge tours if available, so room view and location are important to us. All you AKL fans, please give me some input! If it helps, we are switching to BC concierge for the latter part of our stay to be closer to Epcot/Flower show. Many thanks in advance!!

 

[budwmn]

bump

 

[Tiggerrox]

hi Catnik,
The DW and I stayed at the AKL this past november and had a great time. I will try to give you some information as helpful as i can make it .The suites are located at the end of the animal trails. From the outside of the Lodge, they are the ones located within the rounded parts of the building, with the curved balconies, topped with thatch. They are located on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors. Even the ones below 5th floor still have concierge access.
We are returning to WDW and AKL the later part of april ,i can't wait!
The AKL is like a vacation within a vacation.We opted not to do the concierge rooms as my DW likes to make the ps's and reservations,also for the cost of the concierge service we felt it was more practical and enjoyeable to get room service( you dont have to leave the room,they bring it to YOU! ) If you're not doing the parks opening to close, it's great to have an awesome resort to spend the day relaxing. Depending where your room is located ... it can be a bit of a walk to the lobby/resturants,etc but along the way there are many chances to stop and view the wildlife,giving you a chance to catch your breath.The elevators take you quickly from one floor to next and waiting for one doesnt take long at all.
The pool area offers great spots to "unwind and watch the clouds go by".
we had a 4th floor savannah view and there was'nt a time when looking out from the balcony that there wasnt zebras or giraffes or wildebeasts walking around grazing.One morning I thought a giraffe was so close he could have stuck his head thru the balcony door and said hello. ( we have some awesome photos and shots with camcorder)I do suggest taking the culinary tour and also the sunrise safari.
This time we are staying in a water /pool view room as my DW is not as much a wildlife person as I and so we are compromising on our room location.
But like I said earlier ,there are soooo many places to view the "residents".
If you need any further help just let me know. I may not have alot of experience with WDW and the resorts But I learn quickly and am always happy to help when I can. p.s. you'll like the BC too.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I have never heard of anyone requesting CL savannah and getting pool. The 6th floor pool view CL rooms are all smoking.

Lori

 

[Tikiman]

We loved the layout of the one bedroom suite and it was at the end of a trail with a great view of the animals. I don't believe there are any of those suites that look toward the pool. It was a very long walk to the room from the lobby or the concierge lounge. Since you are use to the Polynesian it would be like walking from a room in Hawaii to the GCH but all indoors. We enjoyed our stay at the AKL but I would not have wanted to be there the whole trip. It was too isolated for us (being use to the Polynesian) but many like it because of that. We stayed there 4 days and than went over to the Polynesian for 7 and it was a great mix of locations.

Here are some photos of the room. If the link does not work it is because it went over the bandwidth.

http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Bay/2553/akl.html

Aloha

Steve