Savana View Worth It???

[RIGrandpa]

My wife and I are going to WDW second week in Dec. Our 40th wedding anniversary!!!!! We are booked at AKL in a standard view room but wonder if it is worth it to pay the extra price for the Savanna view rooms. And if it is worth it, which Savanna is the best to be overlloking? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[disnut8]

I thought the savanna view was worth it. You won't see every single animal out there 24/7 but you will have your moments. One evening, we had to drag ourselves away from the view because a thunderstorm was coming up and the animals out were reacting to that. And when the storm hit and there was lightening, we saw a giraffe run so fast we couldn't believe it. We had to meet a friend and when we told her what we had just left, she said we should have stayed and watched that instead!

Any of the savannah views are worth it. But since you are on your anniversary, you might request a room not on the third floor and towards the lobby. That's where our room was and there was a lot of morning noise with families using the elevator to the lobby level and then walking by to get to the buses and to breakfast at the Mara or Boma.

 

[Destination Disney]

To me if you stay at AKL you must get a savana view.
Take in the entire experience. It is so peaceful to sit on the balcony with a cup of coffee and watch the animlas in the am. It really puts you in another place. I mean you wake up and see a giraffe outside your window!

 

[Flossbolna]

In my opinion AKL is a great hotel whether you are in a savannah room or not. There are many public viewing areas to enjoy the animals. You will also have cast members there to tell you something about the animals, so this is a great thing to do.

But if you think that you would love sitting on your balcony, enjoying a cup of coffee or another drink, I would strongly recommend getting another room than a standard view. At AKL nearly all standard view rooms are really parking lot view rooms! A good compromise might be a pool view if those are still available. They are just a little bit more expensive and the pool is great!

If you decide to get the savannah view, I would suggest Arusha savannah. Also if it is important to you to be close to the lobby, you should request that as well, those walkways along the savannahs are really quite long!

 

[ExtinctDino]

We stayed there once, with a savannah view room. This was on a buy 4 nights get 3 free promo back in 2003, so it was reasonably priced. I don't think we'd go to AKL without a savannah view room. It was a big part of the experience for us.

 

[shyjade]

We had a disappointing view from our Savannah balcony last year and I wouldn't pay for it again - next time we go it will be Standard. I didn't mind the People Pen as much as I cared about how few animals we saw, and only in the far distance.

This is one of the only times we saw animals...when the food truck came out. This was the view from our balcony. Nice, eh?

 

[ConstableMickey]

We stayed in a Savannah view room for our daughter's 10th birthday trip in August 06. We were on the second or third level and I believe we looked out on the Arusha savannah. We had a great time and had a great view.

There is something about waking up to the crunch, crunch, crunch of a some African Critter munching down on some breakfast (we kept the balcony door open when we were in the room).

We enjoyed our view, but this was before all the new construction so I don't know what will be effected.
CJ

 

[MedCruise07]

Shyjade: do you remember what room you had, or which savannah you overlooked?

 

[shyjade]

I can't remember the room number, but if you look at the AKL map, we were on the savannah above the Impala's horns on the map, where the room numbers are 3341-3366. Our room was straight above the Impala's right horn...does that make sense?? I think that was the Sunset Savannah.

We never saw (or heard) another guest in that "wing", only in the main hallways. It was actually sort of spooky, like we were stuck in the middle of nowhere. And what a long hike at the end of the day!

 

[Mousecat]

You must book a room overlooking the Arusha savannah. I would suggest, if you don't mind a long walk to the lobby, that you book a room at the end of the Zebra Trail. In my experience, I always had these 4 African cattle, which we nicknamed "the Boys", who lived back there. "The Girls" were 3 giraffes that had a thing for a fourth giraffe that was over the fence. Toss in some Zebras and other critters and it was magical.

 

[RIGrandpa]

Thank you all for the replies. I think I will try to get a Savannah view room and take our chances on getting one with a good view and hopefully near the lobby.

 

[shyjade]

You must book a room overlooking the Arusha savannah. I would suggest, if you don't mind a long walk to the lobby, that you book a room at the end of the Zebra Trail. In my experience, I always had these 4 African cattle, which we nicknamed "the Boys", who lived back there. "The Girls" were 3 giraffes that had a thing for a fourth giraffe that was over the fence. Toss in some Zebras and other critters and it was magical.

You can't "book a room overlooking the Arusha savannah"; all you can do is make a request (like everyone else does) but unfortunately there is absolutely no guarantee you will get the trail you requested.

 

[G&GMom]

We were there last week and requested zebra trail arusha savanna. We got kudu trail sunset savanna. This was our view. I wouldn't pay again to get that view.

 

[shyjade]

Yep! A good savannah view can be INCREDIBLE; a lousy view can really "ruin" the AKL for others. Yes, animals can be viewed elsewhere, but when paying for the "view" and you don't get it, one can really feel ripped off.

 

[Mousecat]

Well shyjade is technically correct about a request vs. booking a particular view. Certainly wouldn't want to get your hopes up. Look to this website, under the Resort info, for a very specific set of rooms that have the best view. I used that info and got exactly what I was looking for. It could also be helpful when you pull up to the front desk.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

I liked the pool view the best and DH liked the Savannah view the best.
He loved to sit out each morning and watch the animals and liked the quiet.

I did not like the long walk back to the room at the end of a busy park day and I was happy seeing the animals from other look outs.

I liked being close to the lobby, gift shop, Mara etc.... And I like the sounds coming from everyone having fun in the pool.

So yes the price was very worth it to my DH but not so much for me.

 

[CoolPool]

Last January we were up at the very end of the Zebra Trail; the tip that joins where the Uzima and "regular" savannah meets. Not sure what to call it. Anyway, we saw lots of animals. Giraffes and ankole cattle being the most common. Here was the view:

The entrance to the giraffe barn at AKP was just over a hill.

 

[RLRDA]

We stayed at AKV in August and had a SV. We were on the Zebra Trail and overlooked the Arusha Savanna. The view of the animals was incredible and IMO well worth the extra $$. It seems like those who enjoyed the view the most all had a view of Arusha. I would suggest you request a certain Trail/Savanna now and then call several days before you check in and reinforce your request. It couldn't hurt to mention that it is a special occasion, being your 40th anniversary (CONGRATULATIONS!). I think the CM's like to help people when it's a celebration for their guests. Good luck and enjoy your trip....Animal Kingdom Lodge & Villas is a fantastic resort, whatever view you have!

I just noticed, RIGrandpa, that we're both from little Rhode Island...small world!

 

[Cool-Beans]

"Worth it" is a question only you can answer. It depends on your personal finances and how much you want to see the animals.

I have never stayed in a non-savannah room at AKL. To me, it is "worth it." But I'd stay there even if there were no animals and that's the truth.

I didn't love the AKL at first, but it has grown on me (or I've grown as a person) and I now adore it. With animals or without 'em!