Three cheers for AKL

[cvemom]

Been there - done that - can't wait to go back!
Just returned from trip # 24 and my first visit to AKL. What a great resort. I was worried at first that it might not be as nice as the other Disney Resorts I've stayed at...What a fool I was to even think that for even a fleeting moment. It was everything and more. I have found my new favorite resort. Thanks to everyone on the boards for their info on it before my trip. It helped me choose it and I am so glad I did. The staff was great,the rooms were great, the views and atmosphere cannot be put into words. You have to expeience it yourself. The Mara was a good place to eat but don't miss Boma. It was fantastic. I could go on forever but try it for yourself and see. You won't be disappointed.

 

[SleepyRob]

cvevmom - Glad to hear you had a wonderful time.

How was the transportation ?
Are taxi's available in front of the resort ?

Where was your room located ?
Did you get a free upgrade ?

Was the bathroom dark or brightly lit ?

Was the pool crowded ?
Could you get a chiar by the pool to sit , around 3 pm ?

Sorry for so many questions. Our DD & DS have their
hearts set on AKL with the bunkbeds.

 

[AdventurerKat]

So glad you enjoyed AKL! I stayed at AKL in May and had some fears of my own before going. Well, I absolutely fell in love with it. My only complaint is it is far from DTD. Well, it is far from alot of things and I wish it was closer to all of them, but especially DTD. That aside, I find AKL to be just wonderful and I cant wait to go back.

 

[G&J's Mom]

LOVED AKL!!! Dh was not so thrilled and preferred BWI (it was ok). Said you could find that kind of hotel anywhere. HUH?? What a ding dong! Can't wait to go back!!

Denise

 

[liznboys]

We're staying there for the first time next winter, we are soooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm glad you liked it so much.

 

[Nickunited]

OH MAN! I am staying there in AUG (See countdown). I am glad to hear others love it. You have no idea how much I am looking forward to it. Those questions posted above are very good - do you have any answers to them? I have a savanna view. I heard it is far away but that is supposed to be part of the ambiance. Hey - I do not mind riding the WDW transportation. Compared to what we have up here in NY - it is a dream!

Thanks so much - you just made me more eager!

How was Boma?

 

[G&J's Mom]

I can try to answer a couple questions from what I experienced on my trip.

How was the transportation ?
Are taxi's available in front of the resort ?

Answer: Dunno. Had my own car. Parking was a bear!

Where was your room located ?
Did you get a free upgrade ?

Answer: No upgrade. I went in June and paid for what I wanted, savannah view. I was in room 3514 (lobby level) overlooking the Uzima Savannah. It was close to the elevators down to Mara and the pool area. It was fantastic!!!!!

Was the bathroom dark or brightly lit ?

Answer: It was brightly lit.

Was the pool crowded ?

Answer: It was crowded, but it is soooo huge that it was not overwhelming. I thought it was fine.

Could you get a chiar by the pool to sit , around 3 pm ?

Answer: Heck no, not close to the big pool anyhow. The white towel brigade was in full force "holding" spots. We could find a lounge chair away from the area if we hunted long enough. We always found a table and chairs at the kiddie pool. Have a 2 and 4 year old so that was fine with us.

Hope this helps.

Denise

 

[cvemom]

SleeyRob...Buses from AKL are great. We were told the trips were longer because you're farther away but all trips were about 15 min except for DTD 20min and AK 5 min. Never waited long for bus. They ran every 15 min. The nice thing is that they all go direct to the park with no other stops.Don't know about taxi info. I would guess they are "on call" from AK. There was usually one there when we walked past the front but no taxi holding area. Our room was a fifth floor room and we overlooked the entrance instead of the savanah. Not bad though...we had a huge floor to ceiling window 20 ft long right across the hall from our door. My 8 yr old loved it. There was one of those about every ten rooms. We found animals of one type or another every time we checked those windows. The bathrooms are darker than most because of the wall colrs in the shower. The vanity and dressing area however is outside the shower and separate. This area is very well lit with alot of counter space and two sinks. It made getting ready alot easier. We skipped an up grade because we arrived early before check out and wanted to get into a room and get settled. Most crowded time at pool was morning. The 2 hot tubs are wonderful. Pool is 24 hours..nice after long park day.Enjoy.

 

[TBLaube]

We are going in August, too and are starting to go crazy with anticipation!

We are trying to figure out the difference in the trails. Zebra vs. Uzima??? Did you see a lot of animals on the uzima? Were they the same as the other trails?

 

[G&J's Mom]

Originally posted by TBLaube
We are going in August, too and are starting to go crazy with anticipation!

We are trying to figure out the difference in the trails. Zebra vs. Uzima??? Did you see a lot of animals on the uzima? Were they the same as the other trails?

We saw alot of animals on Uzima. This savannah does not have zebras or wildebeast though, if you were hoping to see them. But the resort has lots of public viewing areas, so we were fine with that. The animals were most active in the morning and especially in the evening. The Kudus often played under our balcony. My kids favorites were the Thompson Gazelles. When they say those puppies can move 50 miles per hour, they weren't kidding

Enjoy, you are going to love it.

Denise

 

[Nickimouse]

Glad to hear you had a great stay! We will be staying at the AKL for the first time in about 2 weeks! We are getting very excited and great reviews make it an even harder wait!
Thanks for all of the info from everyone!

 

[TBLaube]

Thanks for the info!

There is only one bad thing about AKL. It is the waiting!!!!!
We are staying at POFQ for ten days and finishing up our trip at AKL for four nights. We aren't going to do AK until we check-in at AKL so it is going to be difficult.
We LOVE AK and it pains me to see that people don't and recommend that it can be skipped.
We figured that it would be the perfect way to wind down our trip.

 

[Nickimouse]

That was strange, double post. Sorry!

 

[currycook]

Great short review. The AKL is certainly one of the most unique resorts I have ever stayed at anywhere. We love it too.

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Glad you had a wonderful time!!! Can't wait to go back for our 2nd trip either!!! 2006!!!

Allison

 

[cvemom]

Boma is not to be missed. It was wonderful. I am not normally a fan of buffets but we tried it first for breakfast and I was hooked. We had several breakfasts there and dinners. There is definitely something for everyone on Boma's buffets. When we were there for dinner my daughter and I were looking at the desserts and I asked one of the chefs which desserts were nut free because of my daughter's allergies. He suggested since many of them have nuts or were prepared by nuts the he get her some ice cream (even though it wasn't offered on the buffet) He came back with a huge bowl of icecream for her with "Mickey Sprinkles" and gummies on it. The service there is as good as the food.

 

[lucysdad]

We just got back from a wonderful trip at the end of June. We took both safaris. The Wyajamma (spelling?) Safari took us onto all savannahs. After seeing them all, I was so glad we were on the Arusha Savannah, Zebra Trail (Rm.5221). There were no visible barns, fences, or people pens from our balcony. We were overlooking Arusha Rock and the stream. One afternoon we watched the ankole cattle (and bird partners) lumber over to the rock to drink from the stream! It was thrilling! The animals weren't plentiful until mid afternoon on our savannah, then they were all there. It was funny how the zebras, wildebeasts, and cattle took turns rotating around our savannah.
Lucy's Mom

 

[mmiller711]

We spent our last night of our vacation at AKL! It was a surprise from my DD and my DH. We went to check out the resort as it is the only one I had never visisted and when I came out of the gift shop a cast member came up and handed me a key to a room! I was so shocked!
We had a room on the Arusha Savannah also and it was wonderful. My DH will NOT stay at deluxe resorts, says a bed is a bed but even he is hooked. Said he would have stayed for the whole trip if we had spent the first night there.
The animals are amazing. Our room overlooked a watering hole and all the animals came for a drink at one time or another. I also noticed the rotating of the animals.

 

[Horizons16]

Ill agree to that!