Question about AKL........

[dream trip]

We are planning our first family trip to WDW, we are staying at AKL, is it convenient to Magic Kingdom, it seems far away on the map, what about if we are planning to do character dinners at MAgic Kingdom, is it difficult to get around from park to park? Is it as nice as it seems (AKL)and does it really give the Disney "Magic" feel?
I read most of the messages about the lighting...but I want more info from people who have stayed at AKL. We are staying in a standard, but I assume because it is a Delux it will be nice???
Need one of you DIsney Experts to help me out!! This trip will be a suprise for my children who have wanted to go to WDW for a long time. Also we do not plan to arrive in Orlando till about 11:00pm, does the shuttle still run from the airport this late?
ThankS!!

 

[gepetto]

I think the AKL transportation to the parks is great. We actually changed our November reservations from WL to AKL this morning after the AP rates came out partly because we like their bus system better. They have tons of hidden Mickeys around the resort too.

The rooms are a little dark but I think it adds to the atmosphere.

www.wdwig.com has a lot of AKL pics

 

[joyful1nh]

AKL is a lovely resort and is definately magical. If it is in your budget, I recommend springing for a savannah view.

They have great bus service, but according to my Passporter it does take 20 minutes to get to the MK. When we stayed there we moved to the WL for our MK days.

If transportation is your most important consideration -- the Poly is a little less magical, but has the best transportation options for MK and Epcot on Disney property.

 

[Janet2k]

The AKL is my favorite resort. I have stayed there three times (so far!).

You can find out all sorts of info on it by visiting Dreams Unlimited Travel's webpage regarding that particular resort: click here to view AKL information. Their photo tour is found here: click here.

Some other photos can be found on the OurLaughingPlace.com website: click here to view their AKL photos.

 

[Janet2k]

Here is the thread on the Dis regarding the resort: AKL FAQ thread.

 

[Mom of 5]

AKL is beautiful! We found the transportation to be excellent, and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

Your standard room will be exactly the same as a savannah view room, just in a different location. We stayed in savannah view rooms, and while it was a treat to look out and see the animals, I would be happy to book a standard view room. We didn't spend very much time at all in our rooms, and there are tons of nice places around the resort to watch the animals.

Oh, about the character dinners in the MK area. We did 1900 Park Fare on our first night. We made an early PS, so MK was still open. We just took the direct bus to the MK, then got on the resort monorail to the GF. We got back to AKL by doing the reverse. It was painless (and we had 5 children with us -- the buses and monorail were two of our 3 yr. old's favorite rides ).

Have a great vacation at AKL!!

 

[disboo]

We stayed in the AKL in January, and boy was it it heavenly! The room is very nice. It is a little dark, but that just emphasizes the outdoors and draws you to the balconies for the views. I liked the room a lot. The resort itself is spectacular, however. The design, the decorations, and the well-labeled artifacts (real!) make me feel as if I were on a safari. I liked spending time wandering around, discovering new vantage points and new displays.

The two sit down restaurants are now my tow favorite restaurants at WDW. I lov eht emildly spice, exotic tastes of the perfectly prepared food at Boma, and dinner at Jiko comapres extremely well with the best meals I have had anywhere.

We are staying at the Contemporary in November, and we will probably eat at least once at AKL, but I can't wait until the next time I can stay at AKL.

 

[cinjam]

We stayed at AKL in April & I was worried about the room lighting too. I was actually considering bringing light bulbs with me! I didn't though and in the end I didn't need them. Although I could never say the room was bright - it wasn't dark either. It was fine!

It took about 15 minutes to get to MK & longer to get to Downtown Disney, but the transportation system worked fine during our trip (and we had our DS, 14 months old, with us).

I don't know about the shuttle, we rented a town car. Try asking that ? on the transportation board -- they are always a big help to me.

We had an EXCELLENT time!!! I still get that "feel good" feeling when I talk about our stay - truly magical.

ENJOY!

 

[Tikiman]

I agree with joyful1nh that the Polynesian has better transportation but I disagree with the Polynesian being less magical. I feel the Polynesian has much more Disney magic as well as you save so much time getting around from the Polynesian to other destinations but you did not ask about the Polynesian.

We just returned from the AKL at the beginning of July and I think it is a great resort. The lighting thing was not an issue for me after all I am not doing surgery in the room. The transportation was not the best but at least we did not have to stop at any other resorts. It makes me wonder how it took so long to get from the resort to the AK park but it was not that big of a deal. It does take quite a while to get from AKL to the Magic Kingdom so leave a while before you need to get to dinner. I think the resort is enjoyable for kids and adults. There is much to see and do. I spent most of the time around the resort while we were there. Once we switched over to the Polynesian is when we started to go into more of the parks and other areas because it was easier. I also wanted to make sure I spend most of my time at the AKL to really see what it had to offer. I did not feel like I was in Disney or that it had Disney Magic but I am very glad I stayed there. I would go back.

Steve