mousemaniac
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2002
- Messages
- 86
We were recently at the AKL for my son's birthday and we had a mixed reaction for the AKL. We had high expectations from the reviews that we read. As we drove up and began to see the Lodge, we were impressed. Our next impressions (of the staff) were not so great.
As we drove up to the entrance we saw two cast members talking. We saw a car pulled to the left, so I parked behind it. As I exited my car, a cast member named Alan came over and said "Didn't you see me flagging you to park over there?" I told him I didn't and asked where to park. He said "over there."
I saw another car parked next to the curb, so I backed up and pulled up next to the curb (as the other car was parked).
He then came over again and said, "Buddy, am I not getting through to you. You can't park there. No one can park next to the curb."
I found this to be strange since another car WAS parked next to the curb.
I then asked again, where to park. He said "You see that guy standing there (pointing to a cast member). Park right where he is. Run him over."
I did not run him over (he moved out of the way), but I did park where he was standing.
Alan then came over again and rolled his eyes at me. I said "is this still not right?" He said "No, but probably the best YOU can do."
I then told him that we had already sent our bags over and we were just checking in. He then said, "well, you will need to put your car in the parking lot" and pointed to the parking lot.
I was going to use the valet service, but decided not to after being treated so rudely.
We then parked (in the rain) and walked in to check in. I reported the incident to the clerk at the front desk. He said he normally worked for another resort and couldn't wait to get back.
This person then gave me grief over how I spelled my name. My birth name is Christopher and I go by Cris. I know it is not always spelled that way but it is how many people spell their name. (There are two hosts on Inside the NFL on HBO who spell their names Cris). My reservation was in Christopher and my credit card read Cris. The clerk told me that I needed to have an H in Cris for him to check me in. (I feel sorry for all of the Thomas's who go by Tom). After showing my driver's license he agreed to let us check in.
The Lodge itself is beautiful. There are lots of activities and great places to eat. It is neat to see the animals outside, but not enough (for us) for the $100 extra a night for the room. (We moved over from the All-Star Sports which we all loved). We were trying to do something special for our son's birthday. Turns out he would have rather stayed at the All Stars.
We moved from our first savanna (the sunset savanna) because we hated the view. The holding pens and the huge black tarp that went across the back made it very unappealing. When we asked to move, we were told that we could not until the next day.
When we called down the next day the lady at the front desk said, "You STILL want to move?" Obviously they were hoping that we would unpack and then not want to move. The room they moved us to was fine, but still a lot of grief from the staff that I don't expect at Disney.
We had paid for the savanna view and met several people who were on the same floor as us (after the move) who said they did not book a savanna but were given one anyway.
We did our one and only stint at the AKL. This was definitely a learning experience for us.
As we drove up to the entrance we saw two cast members talking. We saw a car pulled to the left, so I parked behind it. As I exited my car, a cast member named Alan came over and said "Didn't you see me flagging you to park over there?" I told him I didn't and asked where to park. He said "over there."
I saw another car parked next to the curb, so I backed up and pulled up next to the curb (as the other car was parked).
He then came over again and said, "Buddy, am I not getting through to you. You can't park there. No one can park next to the curb."
I found this to be strange since another car WAS parked next to the curb.
I then asked again, where to park. He said "You see that guy standing there (pointing to a cast member). Park right where he is. Run him over."
I did not run him over (he moved out of the way), but I did park where he was standing.
Alan then came over again and rolled his eyes at me. I said "is this still not right?" He said "No, but probably the best YOU can do."
I then told him that we had already sent our bags over and we were just checking in. He then said, "well, you will need to put your car in the parking lot" and pointed to the parking lot.
I was going to use the valet service, but decided not to after being treated so rudely.
We then parked (in the rain) and walked in to check in. I reported the incident to the clerk at the front desk. He said he normally worked for another resort and couldn't wait to get back.
This person then gave me grief over how I spelled my name. My birth name is Christopher and I go by Cris. I know it is not always spelled that way but it is how many people spell their name. (There are two hosts on Inside the NFL on HBO who spell their names Cris). My reservation was in Christopher and my credit card read Cris. The clerk told me that I needed to have an H in Cris for him to check me in. (I feel sorry for all of the Thomas's who go by Tom). After showing my driver's license he agreed to let us check in.
The Lodge itself is beautiful. There are lots of activities and great places to eat. It is neat to see the animals outside, but not enough (for us) for the $100 extra a night for the room. (We moved over from the All-Star Sports which we all loved). We were trying to do something special for our son's birthday. Turns out he would have rather stayed at the All Stars.
We moved from our first savanna (the sunset savanna) because we hated the view. The holding pens and the huge black tarp that went across the back made it very unappealing. When we asked to move, we were told that we could not until the next day.
When we called down the next day the lady at the front desk said, "You STILL want to move?" Obviously they were hoping that we would unpack and then not want to move. The room they moved us to was fine, but still a lot of grief from the staff that I don't expect at Disney.
We had paid for the savanna view and met several people who were on the same floor as us (after the move) who said they did not book a savanna but were given one anyway.
We did our one and only stint at the AKL. This was definitely a learning experience for us.
We had exactly the OPPOSITE experience at AKL with the staff, they could not have been NICER. The valet who greeted us was almost TOO cheerful! 
We also were not thrilled with our savannah view (I got none of my requests) and I inquired about the cost to upgrade to concierge. In the course of the conversation the front desk person ascertained that we were not happy with the view and instantly found us another room, that was EXCELLENT. She was absolutely as sweet and professional as could be.
