Possibly AKL?

[trbrophy]

I'm heading to the WDW in July and was considering trying AKL. My 5 yr old DS would love to see the animals and all the theming, but I've read quite a few posts saying that you don't see the animals that much during the summer.

Opinions/thoughts?

 

[Wef]

We just came back from the AKL--we spent only one night--and fell madly in love with the place. I highly recommend it. There are so many activities for children, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

[trbrophy]

Anybody else? I saw a post from someone noting that the rooms affected their allergies/asthma.

 

[karylrocks]

I also read that post about asthma. We stayed there a few years ago and my DD who has fairly severe asthma had no problems. This is her favorite resort and we will be staying there again next month. We were there in December so I don't know about seeing the animals in the summer but I have never seen any posts to that effect.

 

[johnsonet]

The whole family would be blown away by this resort - especially if you reserved a savanna view.
My father has asthma and he had absolutely NO problems.
The resort is FABULOUS! Do not hesitate to stay there except for financial reasons

 

[CindyBella]

It is a beautiful Resort! It will be featured on Great Hotels today on the Travel Channel at 10:30 am (Central)

 

[trbrophy]

I'm used to resorts that are close to parks (i.e. boat transport to the MK/MGM/Epcot). Did anyone dislike having to take a bus everywhere and being farther away from everything?

 

[Bstanley]

It's true that you have to take a bus to everywhere from the AKL. But even from the Polynesian (the most transportation 'friendly' resort IMHO) you have to take a bus to The Studios and AK, and while the walk over to the TTC and the monorail to Epcot is more enjoyable than a bus it still takes 15 minutes or more.

The bus ride from AKL to The Studios and Epcot takes about the same length of time as traveling from a monorail resort to those parks, and the ride to AK is very quick. The only park that takes awhile to get to is the MK.

So the question is - are you going to miss the extra 15 minutes it takes you to get to the MK more than you value the special attractions that AKL has?

We've stayed at AKL our last two trips and do not regret it one bit. We'll probably go back to the Polynesian next time (we've stayed there a half dozen times) but not because of any problem with the AKL - including it's transportation.

 

[trbrophy]

I'm torn. I really want to do AKL and Poly, but I loved WL when I stayed there last year. My son had a blast.

 

[wwithers]

Loved the AKL!! If you go, it is well worth it to stay in a savannah view (if you look at a map of the hotel, try to request a room inside the U shaped building-- kudu trail I believe. There are more animals here throughout the day).

We did not mind the buses (my 3 yo loves them) but usually drove our rental car to the parks as it tended to be more expedient. Also, I'm not sure that the buses really take much longer than any other Disney transportation since they go straight between the AKL and the parks.

If you do stay, don't miss viewing the animals at night w/night vision binoculars. Your son (and you!) will think this is very cool.

 

[twinmomplus2new]

This is our kids hands down fave resort, And we have very varied ages,DD17, dS9, ds3, and ds3. We just finished watching the Travel channel episode on AKL, and when the part of Jiko and Boma came on, They informed me that they were having thier Birthday party there this year! At Boma Actually we are doing Universal only, But based on this reaction we may now go to AKL as well for a few days. I just can not stay away and neither can my kids! There is so much to do there that we won't even venture to a park we will just relax at the resort. Thier are so many activities and the playground and pool area are fabulous the best on property( For us a family) It was just voted the number one family resort in North America. ( Last week on Travel channels top ten) Good luck with your choices I know it can be hard.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

It's hard to decide between resorts you love and resorts you want to try, isn't it?! We love AKL and the Poly, but also want to try WL, and last Dec. tried BC. For our Spring Break trip in April, we decided to split our stay between Poly and AKL, and we'll try WL next trip. We think.

We don't find the transportation at AKL to be a problem. With the buses dedicated to AKL, you don't have to stop to allow other resorts to board, which is great!! Even at GF, the flagship resort, you have to share a bus with another resort!!

Good luck with your decision - don't forget, it's WDW, you really can't make a bad choice!!

 

[trbrophy]

We don't spend that much time at the resort aside from nap time in the middle of the day and some night time romps in the pool. Mostly we are in the parks seeing the sights . I'm torn because I want to try AKL, but my family loves the boat access from WL to MK.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

I think your 5 year old would love AKL!

As for visiting during the Summer...we have been there 3 times, all for 7-10 days during July and saw animals all of the time. In fact, it was uncanny how many we saw on a continuous basis.

 

[bobcat]

We were there last July and saw animals every day. We actually didn't want to leave the resort to go to the parks! Thankfully this was the last few days of our trip when we stayed here. The bus rides weren't bad at all and it was nice to only have one stop and the lines getting back on the bus after park closing were short.

 

[johnsonet]

I have been a total commando-type for years! Stayed at GF - at rack rates - and rarely took the time to enjoy the resort
My trip to AKL changed all that. This amazing resort FORCES/BEGS you to take a deep breath and explore and enjoy it! It is wonderful!