Sell me on AKL

[Quacktatty]

I'm planning a September trip, 6 nights sometime between 9/13 and 9/27. I have been eyeing AKL, specifically for the Savannah view. The 6 nights at AKL will cost me more than my TOTAL (resort, tickets, food and souvenirs)trip to POFQ cost last year. I want to make sure that I will enjoy myself and think that staying in a Deluxe is worth it.

A little about me, I'm 26 and single and this will be a solo trip. My favorite park is AK and I love the safari - the giraffes are my favorite. On my past trips as an adult I have stayed at ASMo and POFQ.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Candice30]

i love it there. the resort is so relaxing to me. i could definitely go there solo. if you love animals, then you'll love the savannah view rooms. i enjoyed coffee there in the mornings and i love all the secret little sitting places at AKL to just sit and catch up on my reading. the pool is huge and i love it. definitely try the buffet at boma. i took my mom there when we were there at xmas. the food was soooooooooooooo good!

i'm so jealous of you right now! have fun!

 

[warriorboy648]

How is the transportation? Does this resort share any buses and how long does it usually take to get to the resorts?

 

[Onceler]

How is the transportation? Does this resort share any buses and how long does it usually take to get to the resorts?

The transportation at AKL is actually among the best. While the resort is a bit farther from MK, Epcot and the Studios than other resorts, it is only about a 15 minute ride to MK and 10 minutes to Epcot.. The big advantage is that there is only one bus stop at AKL and it does not share busses with any other resorts. While other resorts may be a shorter ride to MK and the other parks, the extra stops along the way often make for a longer trip than from AKL.

The one drawback that seems to bother some people is that the only available modes of transportation at AKL are busses or driving. Most of the other resorts have bus transportation and other options such as the monorail and boats. But since the AKL busses are usually prompt and efficient, that isn't necessarily a problem.

 

[wvdislover]

LOVED AKL when we were there back in Sept '07! Would stay there again in a heartbeat. DH, who is not nearly as big of a Disney fan as I am, told me while we were there, "We may never stay anywhere else again." It was so relaxing! It's beautiful! Lobby smells wonderful, as the smells are floating up from Boma (although, I am one of the few who was not really impressed with Boma). The pool was great and we had a lot of fun on the slide (yes, all 4 of us!). Definitely try AKL out. I've done POR several times, and AKL was SO much nicer! Definitely worth the extra money, especially if you can get free dining, like we did (with 4 of us, it saved us around $1000).

 

[vscohen]

My husband and I stayed there on our honeymoon...we were still on a total high from our wedding, we walked in the doors to the lobby, and were just FLOORED.
The service there is amazing - they bent over backwards to help us when we had some problems because we were thought we were buying all of our souveniers on our trip with one of our wedding-gift checks, and it turned out we couldn't cash the check in the state of florida (long story - but regardless...they were HUGELY helpful). And many of them are from Africa, so it was not unheard of for random African drum sessions or songs to break out - just for the fun of it.
We walked into our room, walked onto the balcony, and there were giraffes RIGHT in front of us. Didn't even need a zoom lens. There were CONSTANTLY animals (even at night - if you have a camera with a night vision feature, you can enjoy them a lot while relaxing after a long day - or even if you don't, they have night-vision goggles at one of the main "meeting" points at the hotel)

The counter service restaurant (Mara) had great "regular" food for breakfast (never had lunch or dinner there, but I assume it was good as well); Boma is a PHENOMENAL African buffet for dinner (which we go out of our way to go to every time we go to Disney now, because after a while you get tired of all of the food tasting the same, and at Boma, it's COMPLETELY different); and if you want something upscale, you can go to Jiko's and have some of the best dining on Disney property (if you enjoy wine, definitely get a wine flight or at least a glass of African wine)

The pool is GIGANTIC so you never feel overcrowded. There are kids at the hotel, but it never felt noisy or overcrowded. You can walk through the halls of the hotel and see different things about African culture, or there's CONSTANTLY events going on that teach you about Africa and the animals on the savannahs (I particularly enjoyed the story-telling at night by the fire pit). There are viewing opportunities EVERYWHERE so while I think the savannah-view rooms are worth every penny, even if you don't get them, you can still relax and see the animals.

The gift shop is one of the biggest hotel giftshops on property, and it has all kinds of Disney merchandise, but also a lot of African items as well - so you can get some really unique purchases without having to carry anything back from the parks (not that you would anyways if you take advantage of hotel shipping, but whatever - I spent WAY too much time in the gift shop)

The walk to the bus was not far (though the halls can be long, so if you're concerned about walking, definitely request a room that's closer to the lobby) and as others have mentioned, the AKL is the only hotel on the bus route, so I found transportation was VERY fast.

I loved the AKL - the only reason we're not staying there this time around is because we want to be able to walk to the food and wine festival. My only con about the hotel was that it was a little dark in the rooms, so you may want to bring some sort of extra lighting. (Also that was in 2003 - it's possible the lighting has changed since then)

 

[ppony]

I'm not sure what I can add to these great comments but in all the years and resorts we have stayed at at WDW, this is the VERY FIRST time we have felt like we have a "home resort". I'm even trying to work on hubby to consider one of the DVC opportunities there. One we dream about going back to exclusively and nowhere else. We LOVED the atmosphere, the CMs, the rooms, the everything. Well wait, honestly I'm not very adventerous on the food so we prefer food elsewhere but that's no biggie at all. When we travel we like to stay in places that you just simply can't find anywhere else and WDW has some of the best of those I think. And we like to stay in places that remind us NOTHING of home. Nothing reflective on Minnesota in the AKL. LOVE IT! And mind you, we have to scrimp and save to stay at a place like this but it's so DEFINITELY worth it to us!!!! HUGE thumbs up from us!

 

[PBX1]

I'm planning a September trip, 6 nights sometime between 9/13 and 9/27. I have been eyeing AKL, specifically for the Savannah view. The 6 nights at AKL will cost me more than my TOTAL (resort, tickets, food and souvenirs)trip to POFQ cost last year. I want to make sure that I will enjoy myself and think that staying in a Deluxe is worth it.

A little about me, I'm 26 and single and this will be a solo trip. My favorite park is AK and I love the safari - the giraffes are my favorite. On my past trips as an adult I have stayed at ASMo and POFQ.

Thanks in advance!

It is expensive but I found it was worth it. If you can afford it, get the Concierge package also as the safari option that is available is outstanding and worth every penny. It blows away the standard Safari ride offered in AK.
Here are some pictures from my Savannah view balcony at AKL. The last shot is from the CL safari.

 

[Allensfan]

We were also there in Sept of 07.

When you arrive, you really feel that you are somewhere special. It smells like a wood burning fireplace and the lobby is beautiful.

We had great service...while holding our bags, my son's Shamu stuffed animal that we had gotten the day before at Sea World, was no where to be found. Well about 2 hours later a GIANT shamu stuffed animal was delivered to our room. He was delighted!

We had towel animals in our room everyday and they moved my son's stuffed animals all over the place. We had a nice view and enjoyed seeing the animals.

The pool was huge and never crowded. Plenty of chairs and clean towels. The buses ran all the time and we never had to wait. We were worried about transportation but it was never even an issue.

The only thing that I struggled with was my husband, who has cancer, had a bit of an issue and I needed to get him some injections that the hospital had called in for us. So I needed to get to a pharmacy fast...no one seemed to know how to help me and I ended up calling a taxi and a very nice driver figured out where to take me and waited for me...thank god...while I waited inside for the medication. Then he drove me back. I thought that Disney could have called a car for me or helped me with directions...maybe they just had never delt with an emergency before.

Overall, it was a wonderful place. We are planning another trip and are thinking about trying the Poly (just because AKL is the only place I have ever tried) and I hope the other hotels can live up to my now high expectations.

Hope this helps.

 

[conmama]

I've stayed at AKL and POFQ(going back there during springbreak). I really think it depends on your circumstances. Would you like to spend more time at the hotel? If yes, then it's definitely worth the splurge. It really is has beautiful ambiance. The pool is gorgeous and more *adult* in my opinion...great bar right next to the pool. The theming, the music, the pit outside are terrific.

If, on the other hand, you are planning on spending considerable amount of time at the parks, to me it's not worth it. That's why we decided to do POFQ while we have still go with our kids. But, that's just us trying to save some dough.

 

[kmurawski]

AKL is worth every penny! Went down for Christmas 2006 and just purchased DVC at AKLV a few months ago. Very relaxing, wonderfully decorated, very relaxing--sorry did I say that already--, great food. The subdued ambiance makes the hustle and bustle of coming back from the parks a spa-like experience. Can't wait to go back "home" in June.

 

[beachgrl001]

LOVED AKL when we were there back in Sept '07! Would stay there again in a heartbeat. DH, who is not nearly as big of a Disney fan as I am, told me while we were there, "We may never stay anywhere else again." It was so relaxing! It's beautiful! Lobby smells wonderful, as the smells are floating up from Boma (although, I am one of the few who was not really impressed with Boma). The pool was great and we had a lot of fun on the slide (yes, all 4 of us!). Definitely try AKL out. I've done POR several times, and AKL was SO much nicer! Definitely worth the extra money, especially if you can get free dining, like we did (with 4 of us, it saved us around $1000).

I don't know about the OP but you talked me into it! Im calling right now to switch my bounceback ressie, wish me luck with availability

 

[UGAFan0829]

The DH and I visited the AKL after our day at AK last year. I wasn't really sure how I would like it in person, but I have to say that it is a beautiful resort. We just wandered around the grounds and looked out at the savannahs. I think the DH was actually wanting to stay there, and I wouldn't have objected if he had asked!! Pictures really don't do this resort any justice...it really is better in person!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

If you go to AKL expecting something like the real Africa, then you may be disappointed. I think my SIL kind of felt that way, having been to Africa for real, and not being able to get past AKL being fake. That may sound obvious, but in a sense it isn't. I can see how someone could find it distrubing in the same sense that the WS is fake. Still, when I stop to think that AKL is in the middle of an amusement park..you really don't feel like you are in an amusement park....If you want to see and hear MK, then stay at a monorail resort - or an Epcot deluxe to see Epcot from your room. If you really only like AMERICAN food, and hate to try new things, then you might not care for the food at AKL.

I'm not sure anyone can 'sell' you on a resort if you really don't think you'll like the theming, but there is a difference in quality over the mods.

Another big difference over the mods is that the resort is more compact, and your walk from place to place around the resort is more sheltered. Maybe not indoors the whole way, but under a covered walkway.

 

[Steamboat Girlie]

Boy! I am sold on this resort!

 

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

I love AKL but if you are worrying about money I would do a split stay. If you stay at Pop for 3 nights and then switch over to AKL savannah view room for 3 nights it will save you a ton of $$ and feel like 2 different vacations. Bell Services will move everything while you enjoy the parks. Price it out and compare it with a stay at a moderate and see what you think!

 

[Quacktatty]

I'm officially convinced - as soon as my bonus check hits the bank in 2 weeks I'll be booking!

 

[wvdislover]

I don't know about the OP but you talked me into it! Im calling right now to switch my bounceback ressie, wish me luck with availability

Glad I could help out! Good luck! Have a great trip!