One complaint about AKL

[memobrien]

So I recently stayedd at AKL and we loved it. Although I had one big complaint. I have pretty bad asthma. And I am particularily sensative to smoke. ALSO... i really try everything I can to not expose my daughter to second hand smoke.

So.... The only want to get to Mara was to walk straight through the middle of the smoking area. This really ticked me off. I was so surprised that in such a family resort it wouldbe this way. Honestly after the first day I purposely did everything I could to avoid Mara just for this reason. Besides walking through it making me sick. Then I continued to smell the smoke on me for a long time, which continued to bother me.

I understand having a smoking area... but why are you forcing families to walk through it!?!?!

Maura

 

[WDW~Lover]

it is funny you mentioned this, I to have astmsa and was staying at AKL a few weeks ago. I to noticed right off the bat, the minute you open the door to go to the pool or Mara..BAM! Smoke, right in my face!! I could not understand the reasoning behind this, being there is plenty of room and places to put a smoking area! so I totally agree!!!!

 

[jcb]

When we were there in January someone was giving the manager an earful about having the front-door smoking area between the front-door and the buses.

My conspiracy theory side wondered if this is done to "encourage" guests to go through the store but then I thought, even WDW wouldn't be that devious.

I'm not dissing smokers, please, no flames. Just saying AKL could find a better place for the area.

 

[Sysyphus]

yep - agreed - AKL smoking areas are not planned very well: I actually quit smoking for this trip and found it irritating to be forced to walk through smoking areas on main pathways.

 

[memobrien]

When we were there in January someone was giving the manager an earful about having the front-door smoking area between the front-door and the buses.

My conspiracy theory side wondered if this is done to "encourage" guests to go through the store but then I thought, even WDW wouldn't be that devious.

I'm not dissing smokers, please, no flames. Just saying AKL could find a better place for the area.

Yeah I had the same thought about the store. But then with Mara and the pool there was just no way around it. Really bad!

I even feel bad for the smokers because I'll tell you my daughter, at 5 is really obnoxious about it. She will announce at the top of her lungs everyone should hold their breath because the people are making a bad choice with smoking and you don't want to get sick like they will.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I never noticed the problem with Mara (maybe not a lot of smokers when I was there)...but I definately noticed having to walk through a cloud of smoke everytime I went to the buses. Glad I'm not the only one.

 

[pilferk]

Yeah I had the same thought about the store. But then with Mara and the pool there was just no way around it. Really bad!

I even feel bad for the smokers because I'll tell you my daughter, at 5 is really obnoxious about it. She will announce at the top of her lungs everyone should hold their breath because the people are making a bad choice with smoking and you don't want to get sick like they will.

There is a way around it...though it can be a bit inconvenient depending on where your room is.

About 1/2 way down zebra trail, there is an elevator that takes you down to the simba's clubhouse area. RIGHT around the corner from SC is an exit to the pool area that's very close to Mara (and the arcade). If smoke is an issue, you can use that.

Also, about 1/2 way down Giraffe trail, there is an elevator. I think you can also take THAT down to the ground floor and get to the pool area, though I've never used it so can't say for sure. I believe it drops you opposite Mara, close to the fitness center.

You can see them on the map, below:

http://www.allears.net/acc/aklmap.jpg

As others have mentioned: You can avoid the smoking area at the front entrance, if you're heading to the busses, by going through Zawadi Marketplace and out their exterior door. That puts you past the smoking area and close to the bus stop.

Granted, not ideal solutions, but they do offer some viable work arounds if the smoke has a severe effect on you!

 

[lilyv]

I certainly don't want my day to begin/end walking through a smoking area.

So if I want to eliminate this annoyance, all I have to do is walk through the air conditioned store? Sounds like that's an easy answer!

 

[Sysyphus]

The other cruel thing about the bus stops is that it is an uphill walk to the hotel on the way back

 

[my 3 princesses]

Yeah I had the same thought about the store. But then with Mara and the pool there was just no way around it. Really bad!

I even feel bad for the smokers because I'll tell you my daughter, at 5 is really obnoxious about it. She will announce at the top of her lungs everyone should hold their breath because the people are making a bad choice with smoking and you don't want to get sick like they will.

I'm not a fan of smoke, but I think your daughter's choice of words are a little insensitive. I understand that she's 5 but I would be mortified if my kids spoke to people like that. Maybe instead of feeling bad for the smokers you should speak to your daughter about how to speak to other people.

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

I'm not a fan of smoke, but I think your daughter's choice of words are a little insensitive. I understand that she's 5 but I would be mortified if my kids spoke to people like that. Maybe instead of feeling bad for the smokers you should speak to our daughter about how to speak to other people.

I have to agree with you. I would never let my children speak that way. I hope the parents don't encourage that behavior.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Being an ex smoker I can smell it from miles away. I did find that if I cut through the store I could miss it going to the buses, also as another poster mentioned there is the elevator that comes out by Simba clubhouse that gets you around it. We just used those routes instead.

 

[pilferk]

I'm not a fan of smoke, but I think your daughter's choice of words are a little insensitive. I understand that she's 5 but I would be mortified if my kids spoke to people like that. Maybe instead of feeling bad for the smokers you should speak to your daughter about how to speak to other people.

NOT to derail the conversation to parenting techniques, which, really, are best left to the individual parent, but:

From the dad of a precocious 5 yo daughter....that can be easier said than done.

We teach her that smoking is bad for her body...which it is. And while she's not rude about it, she'll talk to US about it if we're walking by someone who is smoking. At 5, there's not a whole lot of "internal filter" going on there. She's not TRYING to be rude, and she's not TRYING to hurt people's feelings: She's simply doing what all young kids do and re-enforcing and re-confirming her knowledge.

If that offends people, I will politely smile and apologize to them, on her behalf. It hasnt', so far. But I won't take her to task for doing what comes naturally to a 5 year old who's learning about the world. Just like I wouldn't take her to task when she observes someone walking across the road without looking both ways and comments that the person might get hit by a car and get hurt.

 

[my 3 princesses]

NOT to derail the conversation to parenting techniques, which, really, are best left to the individual parent, but:

From the dad of a precocious 5 yo daughter....that can be easier said than done.

We teach her that smoking is bad for her body...which it is. And while she's not rude about it, she'll talk to US about it if we're walking by someone who is smoking. At 5, there's not a whole lot of "internal filter" going on there. She's not TRYING to be rude, and she's not TRYING to hurt people's feelings: She's simply doing what all young kids do and re-enforcing and re-confirming her knowledge.

If that offends people, I will politely smile and apologize to them, on her behalf. It hasnt', so far. But I won't take her to task for doing what comes naturally to a 5 year old who's learning about the world. Just like I wouldn't take her to task when she observes someone walking across the road without looking both ways and comments that the person might get hit by a car and get hurt.

Oh, come on now. The PP admitted that her daughter says it in an obnoxious manner and feels sorry for the smokers because of this behavior. Sounds like a completely different situation than what you're describing with your DD. I'm all for letting kids be kids but not at the expense of other people's feelings. That has nothing to do with parenting techniques; it has to do with having respect for other people. I have three children of my own and I'll be damned if I'm going to allow them to treat others like that. So is it ok to walk around overweight people and let those around them know not to pack on the pounds like they did becuase it's dangerous and they could get sick? Sorry. We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

[pilferk]

Oh, come on now. The PP admitted that her daughter says it in an obnoxious manner and feels sorry for the smokers because of this behavior. Sounds like a completely different situation than what you're describing with your DD. I'm all for letting kids be kids but not at the expense of other people's feelings. That has nothing to do with parenting techniques; it has to do with having respect for other people. I have three children of my own and I'll be damned if I'm going to allow them to treat others like that. So is it ok to walk around overweight people and let those around them know not to pack on the pounds like they did becuase it's dangerous and they could get sick? Sorry. We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

Which is why you should parent YOUR children, and allow others to parent theirs.

Or would you like to open up every parental decision you make for scrutiny?

I'm just saying....sometimes people's "critique" of others parenting decisions are not quite as easy to implement as they think...nor is the critique appreciated, especially when it's pretty far off topic for a Disney-centric forum. Nobody wants to be made to feel like a "bad parent". Just like somone who might be innocently criticizing someone's smoking habits might, by the smoker, be percieved to be obnoxious.

But I'll let it go, rather than argue, and allow the mods to do what they do best.