Trip report

[LisaS]

Actually, they have opened up the sunrise to ALL AKL guests now, and not just concierge. The Sunset (Waynama) has always been open to anyone.

I've read where some non-concierge guests were offered the opportunity (on a day's notice) to do the Sunrise Safari if the tour wasn't full. Is that what you are referring to or are they allowing non-concierge guests to sign up days/weeks in advance? What price do they charge the non-concierge guests?

 

[starbox]

Actually, they have opened up the sunrise to ALL AKL guests now, and not just concierge. The Sunset (Waynama) has always been open to anyone.

Cool! That's great news. The concierge lounge does not hold much appeal for me - but I do want to do the safari!! It sounds wonderful.

 

[Pootle]

I really enjoyed reading your report, even though I've little interest in AKV - apart from Boma and Jiko that is

This would be a good place to tell you about the new Spaceship Earth redo. I have seen lots of reviews of it, but I wanted to form my own opinions. We LOVED it! I missed the ending part a bit, but the scenes and the opening were so much better! The new narator is hard to listen to, but mostly because I would have prefered an American accent instead of an English one.

The voice is that of Dame Judy Dench (which I think is wonderful btw) and when I heard it I was surprised that she had pronounced certain words in the American way ('Renaissance' and 'garage' come to mind - we Brits emphasise different parts of those words) - so they did try to 'tone it down'

 

[dianeschlicht]

I've read where some non-concierge guests were offered the opportunity (on a day's notice) to do the Sunrise Safari if the tour wasn't full. Is that what you are referring to or are they allowing non-concierge guests to sign up days/weeks in advance? What price do they charge the non-concierge guests?

Not sure how far ahead or how much they charge for non-concierge guests, but there were some on our safari.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I really enjoyed reading your report, even though I've little interest in AKV - apart from Boma and Jiko that is

The voice is that of Dame Judy Dench (which I think is wonderful btw) and when I heard it I was surprised that she had pronounced certain words in the American way ('Renaissance' and 'garage' come to mind - we Brits emphasise different parts of those words) - so they did try to 'tone it down'

Oh, I agree it was toned down, and Dame Judith certainly has spent enough time here to be able to Americanize it, but her voice was a bit difficult to hear compared to the male voice who used to narrate. We thought the cartoon endings were cute, and we rode often enough to make all the choices!

 

[sajetto]

I must have missed the part about non-conceirge guests doing the sunrise safari. That is great news!!!

 

[jade1]

Thanks Diane, the Twins are toast for a few years IMO, but we have been down there also and its a fun event. Did you see Soarin?-just kidding. Hey you didn't miss much back here......

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks Diane, the Twins are toast for a few years IMO, but we have been down there also and its a fun event. Did you see Soarin?-just kidding. Hey you didn't miss much back here......

I think the Twins COULD actually surprise us if a few key things happen. The Twins always seem to do best when they are underdogs anyway. I'm not giving up yet!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Oh, and Jade, Soarin' is our absolute favorite! We only did it 3 times this trip, but I could do it everyday!

 

[Chellymouse]

sounds like you had a wonderful trip! We are preparing for our first trip home and our first Christmas home!!

 

[GGOOFY1]

Hi Diane,
I did call MS and request one of the HH GV, but they were already guaranteed. So I requested Miller's Road, my DS wants blg 19 . He wants to look over the pool. I would be happy with 15 or 22. Blg 22 is soooo quiet!!!
Thanks again for your help
Sue

 

[dianeschlicht]

Hi Diane,
I did call MS and request one of the HH GV, but they were already guaranteed. So I requested Miller's Road, my DS wants blg 19 . He wants to look over the pool. I would be happy with 15 or 22. Blg 22 is soooo quiet!!!
Thanks again for your help
Sue

Building 19 used to be a smoking building, so I would never accept that one unless I knew it had been totally refurbed. We have stayed in the GVs in building 15, and we LOVED the location and the view! We have also stayed in 22, and while it has lovely views, it seemed so far from the bus stop. It wasn't really, but we couldn't see the bus stop, so it seemed that way.

 

[GGOOFY1]

Since they switched to a complete non smoking resort, I don't even think about it. In the past, I would NEVER stay in a smoking room, having a daughter with asthma. How long has it been since these rooms have been non smoking? It looks like I will have to call back and put my medical restrictions on the reservation.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Since they switched to a complete non smoking resort, I don't even think about it. In the past, I would NEVER stay in a smoking room, having a daughter with asthma. How long has it been since these rooms have been non smoking? It looks like I will have to call back and put my medical restrictions on the reservation.

Everything was just made non-smoking within the past year. I know some have had some issues with units that used to be in smoking buildings not being rehabbed.