Staying at AKL...good idea?

[ritabug]

I've been reading such great things about AKL...but I want to know what's some bad things I need to know...

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Gee... I can't think of any!!!

 

[twinmomplus2new]

Theres one bad thing I can think of about AKL, You will have to leave.

 

[Shells9]

Personally, I love AKL, and so does my family. There is nothing like looking out there and seeing all of those animals, and of course walking into the lobby is an experience all in itself. We do not find the rooms small or dark by any means.

There is one small thing I do not like about it, and that is the food court -- The Mara.

I suppose I am just picky, but I burn out on it after the first visit. I know Boma and Jinko are there, but we have a 7 year old who is a picky eater. It's not bad , I mean I have obviously eaten there and it's been okay , but I personally just do not care for it. I know most people say there is such a variety there, but I must be wearing blinders when I go in there, because I just do not see enough to appreciate it. DD likes it also because of the cartoons showing in the dining room. The dining room by the way, reminds me of an elementary school cafeteria, which I think does not help my view of it. I know, we could go outside, though, and sometimes we do, which helps.

Anyway, like I said, I understand this is likely unique to me and my own "issues", lol.

 

[webray]

Can't think of any bad things. The people are wonderful, the resort is beautiful, great meal options, great bar options, excellent pool and childrens play area.

AKL is our favorite deluxe resort!

 

[Schmeck]

AKL is our new favorite resort, but I think it has a couple of downsides to it. They have to do with the location of the resort - it's on the edge of Disney property, so the rest of the world kind of bumps up to it.

You can hear the traffic whizzing by if you have an Uzima Savannah room (the eastern side of the resort, not sure if it's Uzima or...) It also takes a bit of time to travel to the parks (except AK, of course!) because of it's location. And someone posted that you could see gas station signs off the enclosed balconies of the standard rooms.

Hopefully, Disney has planted some tall-growing vegetation to deal with some of these downsides, but there's not much to be done about the longer bus rides to Mk, etc.

Besides that, we think it is an amazing resort. Many guests love the isolated feel of the resort, and I can live with the longer bus rides (well, at least if I have a seat!)

 

[madalex]

Originally posted by Schmeck
AKL is our new favorite resort, but I think it has a couple of downsides to it. They have to do with the location of the resort - it's on the edge of Disney property, so the rest of the world kind of bumps up to it.

In my opinion, the location really is the only "bad" thing about AKL (and it is not even really that bad). We have stayed there twice and intend to do so again in the future because in all other respects it is an awesome resort.

Re: the location: the main issue this created for us is the somewhat longer bus/car rides to the parks (except AK). However, "somewhat longer" is only 5 or so minutes each way (which many people think is evened out by the fact that AKL has its own dedicated bus service and does not stop at any other resorts). This was bothersome to me the first time we stayed there, but once I was used to it, much less so on the second stay. Thus, if you get your head around that (relatively minor) issue it is otherwise a wonderful place.

 

[las3888]

I think they are quite similar, so it does depend on personal preference. To me, the big difference is the animals. If you have a premium view at AKL, it will be like having a zoo out of your balcony door 24 hours a day - very interesting and unique!!! WL, while beautiful, just doesn't have anything like that to compare that to. I feel the premium view at WL is not worth the extra $...

It will be interesting to see which one you like better - have fun!

 

[goin2disneyagain]

I agree with twinmomplus2new, the only bad thing is you have to leave...

 

[CarrieAP]

Can't think of a thing.

Well, to be completely honest, my girls don't think the pool slide is as much fun as CSR's. Bunk beds and the cutest stuffed animal displays by housekeeping though almost make up for it.

 

[sherry8253]

I love the AKL. It is a beautiful resort and I loved waking up and walking out on my balcony to see a giraffe eating and drinking right outside of my room. But... here are what we felt were downsides - it poured for several days of our vacation so we cancelled PS at Epcot and decided to eat at the resort. We aren't into food courts so only ate at Mara once and it was just okay. We quickly grew tired of Boma for dinner. One night we begged room service to make an omlette for us which they very nicely did. If you do not have a car and want to eat at one of the other resorts, it is a pain. (but that is true with many of the other resorts too). You are far away from all of the parks. If you want to come back to your room and rest between parks in the afternoon, it is not convenient. That being said... we are considering the AKL for our Dec trip because it really is a great resort and I LOVE breakfast as Boma. I could eat there every morning and and never get tired of it. It is really hard to decide if we want to give up the convenience of Epcot for the beauty of AKL.

 

[las3888]

OOPS! I read this thread again and realize my previous post makes no sense...I guess I clicked on the wrong posting - somebody was comparing WL to AKL. Sorry!

AKL is great because of the uniqueness of the animals. I think the negatives are the smaller rooms and the location...it is also a little dark especially in the lobby areas. The only thing I would say is if you have your heart set on being in the 'prime' locations - i.e. monorail resort or boardwalk resort, you will feel AKL doesn't quite match up. If that isn't important to you, there's not too much not to like.

Good luck!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by ritabug
I've been reading such great things about AKL...but I want to know what's some bad things I need to know...

We have stayed at the AKL a total of four times since it has opened in April of 2001 and are expecting to return for our fifth stay in Jan of 2005 and I honestly cannot think of one negative thing to say about the resort.