Talk with me about AKL

[1sttimedisneymama]

Good resort with 2 year old? Is it usually included in free dining? Would it be included in 30% off rooms if not since it is a deluxe? If we could get a standard room there for about $3500 we are thinking it would be good since we can't get beach clib

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The resort is lovely.

Pros:

• Immersive theme
• Giraffes!
• Access to two pools and a children's splash area
• Really great dining

Cons:

• Bus transport to all parks; MK is longest bus ride
• Food can be too "ethnic" for some tastes
• Less expensive views in Jambo House can be really variable in quality

If inventory is sufficient, it usually gets included in discounts and free dining, but inventory is often very limited.

 

[DisBuckMan]

We loved it enough to buy into it. The theme is fantastic for all ages, and the lobby at Jambo House is our favorite on all of Disney property. There can be some long halls to walk to get to buses and common areas if you're "stuck" at the ends of the hallways, but what's a little more walking when you're at Disney? It's even better when you have kids. Our 10 year old considers our DVC ownership interest at AKV "his", while our other resort interest is my wife and mine.

 

[tcherjen]

Stayed there over Spring break. I thought the resort was okay. I am glad I stayed there once, but it was enough for us. It really seemed far and the buses were always crowded. We have been going for the past 4 years during Spring break and never felt that way at AOA or POR.

 

[jvattes]

We absolutely love it there. We stayed there once when we had a small windfall that made it possible. Worst mistake ever as now it's hard to stay elsewhere

Seriously, it is such a beautiful resort with so much to do. People talk about he bus ride being long but you don't share with other resorts (there is a second stop at Kidani, but it takes literally moments) and your ride time is 20 minutes. Except for monorail resorts your ride from other resorts will be pretty similar as most others share buses, making more stops and adding up to a 20 minute ride. We have never had any trouble with buses at AKL. Also some great restaurants to enjoy there and a really cool pool. Plus, animals!

Try it, you'll love it!

 

[DisBuckMan]

I really think the whole "it's so far out to AKL" thing is really overblown.

AKL is less than a mile from AK, about 3.25 miles from the bus stops of HS, about 5.5 miles from the but stops of Epcot, about 8 miles to the bus stops at MK. It's also about 8 miles to DS.

So, when I hear these horrors of 30 and 45 minute bus rides from X park to Y resort, I take most with a grain of salt. It's probably just extreme fatigue making it seem much longer than it really is.

 

[jvattes]

I really think the whole "it's so far out to AKL" thing is really overblown.

AKL is less than a mile from AK, about 3.25 miles from the bus stops of HS, about 5.5 miles from the but stops of Epcot, about 8 miles to the bus stops at MK. It's also about 8 miles to DS.

So, when I hear these horrors of 30 and 45 minute bus rides from X park to Y resort, I take most with a grain of salt. It's probably just extreme fatigue making it seem much longer than it really is.

I totally agree.

 

[Family B]

It's a truly lovely resort. However, If you are planning to come back to the resort mid-day for naps, it might be further out than you would like. We found that having our own car helped avoid some of the transportation issues. (We always bus to MK, but drive to the other parks.)

You also may want to do the math ahead of the potential free-dining - look at the potential discount options for room only and then compare how much you would spend on food based on your dining choices. Depending on the room only discount, if you aren't maxing out the number of people in a room for Free Dinning it might not be the best value.

Lastly, I would pay to upgrade to a wood or pool view room. Some of the standard view rooms have obstructed balconies and/or less than ideal locations. Our standard view was in a great location resort just off the lobby and near the elevators. But we had a blocked balcony that was over the resort entrance and it was so warm on that balcony that we couldn't enjoy it.

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

Price wise Old key west and Saratoga springs would be comparable. With either be better

 

[Canadian Girl]

By far our favourite resort. You can have a holiday there without even going to the parks. We also bought a DVC membership with AKL as our home resort a couple of years ago.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Price wise Old key west and Saratoga springs would be comparable. With either be better

Depends on what you mean by "better".

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

I guess good atmosphere with a toddler, decent pool and good transportation

 

[Lvsdisney]

We were there in January and DD was 2 1/2. She loved it. We had a pool view room so we made a point of going to the many viewing areas and even shuttled to Kidani. We went to all the parks and, yes, MK was longest, but it never felt THAT long. The bus area by Jambo usually has a CM there with fun animal information so that helped pass time whenever we waited. My favorite part was how relaxed/quiet the resort is. It made a great atmosphere for mid day naps (for everyone!).

 

[DisBuckMan]

The pools at AKL are fantastic, and the frequency of the buses is some of the best on property. If your child likes animals, he/she will love it.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

OP's other threads have suggested she plans on daytime breaks and was concerned about transport times from other resorts.

While I agree that AKL's remoteness is overstated, given prior threads I don't know that she'll be pleased with AKL transport.

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

OP's other threads have suggested she plans on daytime breaks and was concerned about transport times from other resorts.

While I agree that AKL's remoteness is overstated, given prior threads I don't know that she'll be pleased with AKL transport.

Thank you! I am concerned about transportation. We can book at basically any mod, AKL, SSR, or OKW in our price range. Which would you suggest?

 

[DisBuckMan]

OP's other threads have suggested she plans on daytime breaks and was concerned about transport times from other resorts.

That would have been really helpful information to start with.

But...you're still not talking about more than about 5 minutes max bus time compared to most other resorts that are in the OP's budget.

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

Sorry I should've mentioned that from the beginning but wanted to see what people thought of AKL in general first

 

[jvattes]

Thank you! I am concerned about transportation. We can book at basically any mod, AKL, SSR, or OKW in our price range. Which would you suggest?

Are the travel time to Mods going to be any better than to AKL? Again I reiterate the shared vs not shared buses. If transport is really an issue, perhaps consider monorail, or at "worst" WL??

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

Are the travel time to Mods going to be any better than to AKL? Again I reiterate the shared vs not shared buses. If transport is really an issue, perhaps consider monorail, or at "worst" WL??

That's what I'm asking I guess. Is it any "worse" transportation wise than the mods