Sell the AKL to me, please

[Disfreek]

Could you give me some information on the AKL
we are considering switching from the POLY to AKL for our December trip.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

 

[johnvree]

We stayed at both the AKL and the Poly last May. The Poly has always been our favorite resort, and still is. But AKL is very close.

Lets start with the bad about AKL. It is a bit isolated. It's a great place to stay if you will be spending a lot of time at DAK. Not a good choice if you have todlers and will spend a lot of time at MK. I know the transportation system is good. But nothing beats the Poly in the transportation department. The monorail runs right through the resort and the TTC is a quick walk away. Going everywhere by bus is the only thing that would keep me from staying at the AKL for an entire stay.

Everything else about the AKL is awesome. The rooms are a decent size and nicely decorated. I didn't think they were too dark at all. The resort also has great dinning options, including one of the best breakfast buffets on property (Boma). The pool is also very fun. And, of course, there are the views. Where else can you view African wildlife from your balcony. Plus, there are literally dozens of viewing locations throughout the resort. We loved the AKL and would not hestitate staying there again.

Have you considered splitting your stay between the AKL and Poly. The switch is very painless; Disney will take care of your luggage so you just need to move your car. We made the switch day our down day.

Have fun.

 

[wdwgirls2]

I really love AKL and Poly but since you are going in December the atmosphere at AKL would be better. They have a huge tree and a warm fireplace to sit by and enjoy a cup of coffee. The poly doesnt really decorate all that much - at least when I went. I love the rooms at the AKL - the furniture is beautiful - all dark hand carved woods. And of coarse the animals. It is a little further out of the way though. Poly has a better location. Either way you will have a great time.

Michelle

 

[MrsJ Henry]

We really enjoyed AKL ( even though we feel in love with YC)
We will be going back in April.
The lobby is breathtaking. We loved the feel when we first walked in.
There was so much to explore. The gift shop is more unique than the other resorts and we seemed to spend a lot of time in there looking around and buying
There are places to walk around outside and see the animals with tour guides positioned in places to answer questions and to just chat. They were all very friendly.
We really liked the way the lobby and restaurants were set up. You walk into the third floor (lobby) when you first come in. You can go over and look down into Boma and the little bar area. as you walk down the stairs you come to the bar area and then if you walk down more you are down at Boma. Also down there is Jiko.
We did not get to go into Jiko. We will be doing that this time but i can say that we loved Boma. Everything was very good and the service was also very good.
Mara's food court was good we thought. My husband had the African stew which he loved. That goes right out to the pool area. Very nice out there. We enjoyed the zero entry pool. Also so nice to sit near. Just loved this area. Also the pool side bar was great.
They have a hidden little area where the hot tob was... there may have been more than one I can't remember. There is a game room for kids there and also a playground.
The grounds were so nice and peaceful. We really saw this as a vacation within itself.
So nice to come back here after a day at the parks.
We also thought that the rooms were very nice and mousekeeping did an excellent job.
We liked the larger rooms at YC but these were NOT small rooms.
We would strongly suggest staying here

 

[leighe]

I love, love, love AKL. Having always stayed at the Poly I was a little wary about AKL - but I made reservations there because DH and I were travelling with my MIL and FIL and my MIL is a real animal lover. I wasn't excited at all. Until I walked into the lobby! I was blown away. Soooo beautiful! We loved the animals, the decor, the atmosphere, the pool, and especially the dining options. We enjoyed feeling "away from it all" after a busy day in the parks. Granted - we weren't travelling with children and we found the bus service to be the best we had ever experienced at Disney.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Yes I forgot about how great the bus service is!!!

 

[Peter Pirate]

The AKL is not isolated...It is just a fairly long way from the MK. It's very close to AK, Epcot & the Studios.

The busses at AKL are (generally) considered the best of all resorts but there are no other choices. The Poly has GREAT transportation to MK and the ability to hit Epcot via Monorail but it is a pain the butt to get to The Studios and AK as they share busses with WL & GF.

Animals vs. the MK is the key issue. If, as one poster said, the MK will be the mainstay, then the Poly would be the better choice. If animals really float your boat (as they do for most AKL lovers) then this may be enough of a reason to give it a try.

 

[joliesmom]

We stayed at the Poly last Jan and AKL this Jan and we will be returning to AKL next trip. My party of 3 rooms were all let down with the Poly. Sorry, but IMHO Poly is worn and had a musty odor. The monorail was great but only for two of the 4 parks. Buses at AKL were direct, fast and we always had a seat. The lobby at AKL is absolutely beautiful and going out on the balcony to see animals was great. Poly does have Ohana which is great and the ceremonial house is pretty, but reminiscient of a Brady Bunch episode. With your MIL and FIL I think that they would really appreciate AKL. I personally think they should totally rebuild the Poly and stop rehabbing to get rid of the musty odor. At either resort you'll enjoy yourself.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Hands down, its the Poly. Seems you're really right in the magic with everything around you. Monorail, lakes, boats and the other resorts and of course the MK and its fireworks and water parade. Stayed at AKL for three days and transferred to Poly and to me the vacation didn't begin until I was at the Poly. To each his own, I guess!!

 

[Peter Pirate]

To each his own I guess

Exactly...Which is why it's kind of good to try to be objective about these things, IMO. For some "being in the middle of things" means being near the MK the GF and the CR, I guess and if that's what you'll love it'll be great. Or if the Monorail is a big deal (which it is to many) then certainly the Poly is your Resort. Or, if you need the boat rentals, bike rentals and beach (the real touristy stuff) then thePoly is for you. But how many giraffes, zebras or wildabeast will you see at the Poly?

For others a stay at the AKL is looked at as more peaceful rather than out of the loop. IT is absolutely the only resort that I NEVER mind going back to from a Park or just hanging around at. But if passive entertainment like animal viewing, appreciating the African art on display or chatting with African CM's will be boring then AKL is not going to fit the bill.

I have stayed three times at the Poly, and we really like it it. But whenever a decision is being made lately (for us) it usually comes down to the AKL (our 13th trip is upcoming) or a moderate (to save a couple of bucks and for a different experience). Plus the AKL is usually less expensive than the Poly.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

Pictures from our room, at feeding time, that's why the truck is out there.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ladytrampscampandangel/detail?.dir=/b1a9&.dnm=b01b.jpg&.src=ph

We loved the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our kids were 4 and 9 mos when we stayed there. We had a car so it didn't feel isolated for us.

I don't remember the room number but we were on Zebra Trail, Arusha Savannah, 2nd floor.

 

[Disfreek]

well, I went ahead and told our TA to change us to the AKL....I can't wait...

(I am sure that I will have thousands of questions before I leave)

 

[henrylovespooh]

I would also suggest you split the trip between Poly and AKL. I'm going to do that for our next visit. I love the Poly being on the monorail and quick access to my favorite park - MK, but my son is an animal fanatic and loved AKL when we went to Boma last week and walked around the hotel. DH and I loved it too. But I don't think I would want to stay there for the entire trip. Last week I also ate at Kona Cafe and loved it but missed our PS for O'Hana because the kids just weren't up to it. I'd like to stay at Poly to visit those restaurants again and check out the beach.

Rest assured, if you stay at AKL it is beautiful and has lots of stuff for kids and families to do if you're not going to the park. That was one reason I wanted to stay there. On a down day, they have kids activities and storytelling, and of course the animal viewing. Boma was delicious.

 

[racheltyler]

To repeat mostl the other reviews - we love AKL!!! We went for a 6 night stay last August and only went to one park!!! The AKL was a vacation in itself for us with our two little ones - 18mos & 4. I do agree with others that say if you are going to MK alot, Poly would be the better choice. We are going to try Poly next so we can park hop most of the trip. Overall, the value you get at AKL is unbeatable!! Enjoy! (And don't forget to try the zebra domes at Boma - they are that good!!)

 

[sters]

The AKL is cheaper. More money to spend on meals, like Jinkos.