Some AKL Questions and Concerns.

[SqueakyMouse]

On a whim, dh and I spent 5 days at AKL this past fall. We booked a standardview king room (only 70 in lodge), and were upgraded to a savannah view room upon check-in because "no kings were available." We had a bit of a walk down air-conditioned hallways to our room, but it was well worth it for the fantastic view. (Honestly, we've had longer and hotter walks at the moderates!!) During our visit, we experienced nothing but very friendly and helpful CM's. My outgoing dh struck-up conversations with several around the resort. We learned so much from these chats! The Mara did not impress me, but I've not really been impressed by any of the fast service food courts. It's just not my thing. Boma, on the other hand, has become our favorite restaurant at WDW. Prior to our visit, I was concerned by the distance of AKL from the parks. Well, we never waited for a bus; and it did not take us long to get to any of our destinations. (In fact, the boat from MK to WL for lunch one day took considerably longer!) I have not one thing negative to say about our visit. In fact, we are returning with our children in May. After visiting this resort, neither one of us will consider staying elsewhere on site now.

 

[Peter Pirate]

We have stayed at AKL 12 times (#13 coming 3/11). The CM's, while sometimes less enthusiastic than other 'Mickey Mouse' Resorts are no more rude than anywhere else (i.e. occasionally something that shouldn't happen, does). It is the decision of management to underplay things at AKL because of the nature of the Resort, thus often times folks misinterrprut this as unfriendly. Plus, as another poster mentioned, the unique variety of nationalities of CM's at this resort lends itself to a different experience...Not to mention the unique atmosphere of being located in the middle of a WORKING WILDLIFE PRESERVE!

The walks to the furtherst rooms can seem long but take time to look at the views along the way, look at the artifact cases and enjoy the ambiance of this truly African lodge.

The busses are the best at Disney, if you want the worst go t WL, at AKL they are dedicated (shared with no one) and while it'd be nice if Disney would upgrade the trip to AK by boat or safari vehicle, this Resort doesn't suffer from long line problems that others do.

Lastly, don't overlook the animals. They are special and uniquely presented by a fantastic group of CM's.

You need to take time and smell the roes at this resort, much like AK itself, but if you do you will be rewarded.

Oh, regarding the standard rooms. The view may not be great but with a little 'exploring' the animal experience can still be FANTASTIC!

 

[experiment626mom]

We upgraded from AS Movies to AKL for our trip June 19-25. We have a standard view I am very excited about it. I am glad to read these up beat reviews of the resort. I too have read the negative reports on this board was getting a little nervous about our choice. Thanks everyone for helping out the "newbies" to AKL

 

[pixiefaery]

We upgraded from AS Movies to AKL for our trip June 19-25. We have a standard view I am very excited about it. I am glad to read these up beat reviews of the resort. I too have read the negative reports on this board was getting a little nervous about our choice. Thanks everyone for helping out the "newbies" to AKL

here, here!! i second that motion!! thanks everyone!!

 

[Goin4forty]

I have to also agree. The tips and reviews are great! We are staying at AKL from 3/17 to 3/20. My family is very excited to stay there. Everyone will have their own experience, good or bad, and I am not going to worry about the walk. My girls are 8 and 11. They can handle the walk, if necessary. Maybe I can lose a few pounds before we get on the Wonder!!

 

[rgf207]

Thanks everyone for your tips. I feel much better now. I just dont want those rooms with the view of the wall right in front.

 

[racheltyler]

One more piece of advice for whoever is interested - you absolutely have to try Boma for dinner! Like others here have said, it is some of the best food I've ever tried and we are as typical as any American food lover. The roasted meats, grilled seafood, salads, soups, everything. The spicy taste of the food comes alot from the sauces they offer on the side that you can opt not to add. I am in love with the zebra domes for dessert. After trying them at Boma, I actually found they have them at Mara and got a bunch and put them in our fridge in room! My DD-then 4 is very picky and we had to keep going there night after night because she would keep begging to go back, even just for their spaghetti & meatballs! Anyhow, if you look at the menu and think there's no way you would like it, just as we did, think again!!!!!

 

[mwerner2]

The Boma also has good prime rib. As much as you want. My kids are a little picky, but they can chow down on prime rib! There is a also a tour that ends in Boma before dinner and you are invited to taste the offerings for free. Great way to find out some of the best stuff.

We LOVE AKL and have even stayed in a room with a view of the wall. We find we don't stay in the rooms much, but are wandering around the resort instead, so it didn't matter much about the view. We've staying in the savannah rooms too, but after experiencing both I would have a hard time justifiying the extra cost.

Don't forget the hidden mickey hunt at AKL. You can pick up a sheet with hints at the front desk and if you find all the mickey's they have a small prize. My kids have been all over that resort looking for the mickeys. (Who needs to go to a theme park for entertainment!)

 

[rgf207]

how many rooms are there with "the wall?" I really dont want to be there. Maybe I will upgrade to a savannah just so I dont get that.

 

[jarestel]

We like staying at AKL. Rude CMs are kind of like bad meals, you're going to encounter them once in awhile for who knows what reason. I don't think you can expect to find rude CMs at the AKL any more than at any other WDW resort. Have a great trip!

 

[kellypooh]

DH and I are going to be at the AKL in mid-May for his 43rd birthday -- his first trip to DW! I've stayed at AKL once before (Feb. 2003) with DS on his graduation trip. Both of us absolutely fell in love with the place. We didn't have any problems with rude CMs at all.
We had a savannah view room and I've booked that again this trip -- there's just something about sitting (in my pjs!) on the balcony with that first cup of coffee. Our room was about halfway down the Zebra trail and I didn't think the walk was that awful -- but of course, I wasn't lugging babies or small children! I don't think it took even 5 minutes to get to our room and that includes the flight of stairs we had to go up.
The buses to the parks were no problem at all -- we never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus....and like I've seen mentioned, they are dedicated so you don't have to worry about them stopping anywhere else en route.
I'm going to add my voice to the praise of Boma....we only ate there once but it was hands down the best meal of our trip. DS is a vegetarian and our server (don't remember his name, sorry!) was amazing -- sat right down with him and discussed the options he had on the buffet.

how many rooms are there with "the wall?" I really dont want to be there. Maybe I will upgrade to a savannah just so I dont get that.

Don't worry too much about the wall -- if you get a room you really can't stand, talk to someone at the front desk and they will move you.

 

[ufgator]

We are booked in a Savanah room for March 17th. I was worried about the location of these rooms. How long of a walk are we talking? We are only staying there 3 nights, but after a long day at the parks, I don't want a long hike!

Thanks for your help!

kris

We'll also be checking in March 17th!

Like others, we changed from POFQ water view to AKL savannah view.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Why all the changes from POFQ?

 

[littleprincessmom]

We stayed at AKL for the 1st time in Nov. and LOVED it! Not a rude CM in the bunch. In fact, everyone we encountered always smiled and spoke (Mind you, we always smile and say "Hi" too, hmmmm...maybe that's the key?)

The server we had at Jiko was the best we've ever had anywhere in WDW . And speaking of Jiko, the food is TO DIE FOR! Go if you can. We took our 2 young DDs to an early dinner one night and the whole family loved it. They have the best kids menu at WDW and the filet on mac & cheese is just yummy!

We had a SAV view room and had giraffes outside our window every morning. I must say, that was pretty awesome. However, I would not hesitate a moment to stay in a standard or pool view room. There are SO many places in AKL to see the animals (even walking up and down the halls - numerous viewing animals). You truly do not need a SAV room to enjoy the Lodge.

We did not swim because our stay was so short but I am pretty sure that the pool is heated so you should be fine to swim in March.

As far as transportation, we had a car and drove everywhere - I don't like the buses from ANY resort (I must admit, patience is not one of my virtues). Driving was a breeze and the valet staff was wonderful.

AKL is a beautiful and one of a kind resort - by all means go and enjoy! (And don't forget to post a trip report!)

 

[720L]

I would guess the walk would be about 5 minutes from the furthest rooms. But that's 5 minutes for people with no kids. A little longer with kids, unless you bring your own strollers. We also thought about the walk from our room to the food court, as we use the food court a lot. You have to go down in the elevator to get to the food court, so that was more time added to the walk. With young kids, every minute counts!! If it was just the two of us, it wouldn't matter to us where our room was. Even if you do have a long walk from your room, the buses make up for it. We loved being able to always have a seat on the bus. We loved waiting in the shade instead of the blazing sun like the All-Stars. We loved that the buses don't stop anywhere else. You go straight to your destination. I agree with one of the other posters about the view from your room. We had a view of the buses but didn't mind because we weren't in the room that much and the kids loved walking around to all the windows in the resort to view animals.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

Why all the changes from POFQ?

I was wondering that, too. My best guess is that POFQ might be the most popular moderate (at least it seems that FQ gets many great reviews on the boards) and that AKL would be the least expensive of the deluxes (and may be a bit more popular, or at least larger, than WL--the other less expensive deluxe). That was most logical connection that I could come up with--I could see people spending just a bit more to bump up to AKL from what might be the most popular moderate...but I really don't know.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

We have our first stay at AKL scheduled for Sep 2005, and I cannot wait. I booked an AKL savannah room based on lots of research. It may not be for everyone, but I am sure DDs (6 and 3) will love it! And anything they love, I adore because watching the expresssions on their faces is priceless! As I said, I cannot wait!

 

[tekmom]

We are going to disney for the first time and might not be back for a while. We were originally booked for POFQ because it seemed like a great moderate.
Still does, but we switched because husband likes interior corridors, I like sit down restaurant, 13 year old son likes AKL pool look better and 8 year old daughter LOVES giraffes. With our AAA discount it was $320.00? more for the week to upgrade to AKL. I agonized over my choice but am happy to make the switch. We will definately try to check out POFQ while we are down there, though.

 

[akghutton]

We love this resort and are returning this August!! All of the CMs were wonderful during our October 2004 stay