Upgrading to the AKL, worth it?

madenon

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
415
OK, you guys are getting to me, every minute I spend on this board makes me more addicted. I'm starting to wonder about upgrading for the 3 last nights. I've booked the ASMo for 9 nights at the moment. I would just looooooove to sta at an AKL savanna view room, but that would be overdoing it on the finances unfortunately. Booking a room with standard view is an option I'm considering. But than again; no view from the room at any of the animals. That's one of the big reasons of dreaming of staying at AKL. If booking the standard view, how easy is it to just relax and observe the animals from another part of the resort? How ar others experiences with this. Is it worth the money (other than off course the bigger rooms and normall hotel options)?

Edit; OK, I'm definately being a want-it-all now! The CBR also looks very attractive for the last 3 days. What's your experience; AKL or CBR?

(also if anyone has any experiences with the handicapped excessible rooms at AKL or CBR with standard room, your info would be appreciated soo much)
 
I recently stayed at the CBR and liked it very much. Its a very relaxed resort. I'm about to do a thread with pics of CBR and a few of the AKL animals.

AKL is one of the most stunning resorts for sure, if you can get a room overlooking a savanah it's amazing.
 
I've only stayed at AKL so I can't comment on CBR, but AKL is wonderful. There are a lot of things to do there, not just view the animals. Even if you don't have Savannah view rooms, there are plenty of places for animal watching and they're usually not too far away (maybe a 5 minute walk, if that?) As far as accessibility, there are elevators that go to every floor. Or if you stay on the 2nd floor, this is the same level as the lobby so no steps involved. The gift shop does have stairs, but there is a ramp as well. I haven't been in one of the handicap accessible rooms, though.
 
We were at AKL in NOv for a 8 night stay. We booked only a standard view and were upgraded to a pool view room on floor 2 which is actually the lobby floor. We were close to restaurants, gift shops, door to buses. We did not feel we were left out of viewing the animals because they can be seen from many different views. Night vision goggles were cool. Our theory was that we would spend more time in the parks and decided to $$ upgrade was to much for a savannah room. Our kids didn't think they were left out of seeing animals, becasue each morning before we left and after we arrived back at the resort, we would walk and see animals. We never felt it was out of our way.
Now, it would be cool to see animals out of you room, but thats up to you.
Have fun

seajoker
AKL Nov 2006
POR June 2007 - business trip
 

Just got back from an 8 night stay at AKL. I would stay there in a heartbeat in any room available. The resort has much to offer outside of the animal viewing. There are viewing areas everywhere to take advantage of. Even if you do have a savanna view not all the same animals are on every savanna. The only common animal on all three savannas is giraffe. This resort is fabulous.

Oh, and to clarify, the lobby is on the 3rd floor, not the second as the previous posters had mentioned.
 
Even for a night or two in a standard room, Animal Kingdom Lodge is well worth the experience. There are many viewing areas to watch the animals (some have comfortable rocking chairs so you can sit as long as you wish). There are also a number of wardens who give talks about the animals and other aspects of African culture.
 
TOTALLY go for AKL. If you do a split stay, end with AKL :thumbsup2 You will love it. Book a standard view room. The entire resort is amazing, with lots of great viewing areas. Take time out from the parks to enjoy the resort and all it has to offer: Lots of great activities for kids, different animals and a great pool!
 
There are those that love the AKL and those that won't come back. So, I won't even try to answer if it would be "worth it" for you. All I can say is I'm in the group that loves it. Even with a standard view room, I'd easily pick AKL over CBR. Consider your dates and the ongoing construction there too though. Scan through this forum and you'll find plenty of threads talking about that. I haven't experienced that yet, so can't advise. I can say I'm a little concerned about it from what I've read, but not enough that it would ruin my stay or anything. Just don't want you to be unaware of the possibility.
 
We got back from our first AKL stay 2 weeks ago. For the most part we enjoyed it very much and would stay there again. We were in a standard room and I did request Ostrich Trail as close to the end as possible. We were over the handicapped parking lot so we mostly had a view of trees and some action by the front of the resort which was fine with us. The only bad thing that happened which was a fluke was that one night someone's car alarm kept going off (right below our room) in the handicapped lot. This went on for many hours even after 2 calls and 1 visit to the front desk. We were comped for the night without question but it still wasn't a pleasant experience for that night, but I'm sure this doesn't "usually" happen.:idea:

We did view the animals from the hallway windows and there are some nice places to sit outside off the stairways at the back of the resort. I personally would not spend the extra to pay for a savannah room because we spent most of the time in our room after dark and you can't see much anyway. We were there for about 4 days so we didn't have a lot of time to spend in the room. The resort itself is very "cozy". Has that WL "cozy" feel to it.

We loved being a few steps away from our favorite restaurant, JIKO. We did try Boma for breakfast and dinner as well. Very interesting experience for dinner but wouldn't go out of my way for it. JIKO yes, BOMA nah. (I know most people love it but I'm not a big buffet person).

Overall it was a nice experience and I would stay here again in a heartbeat (standard)--definitely over a moderate!:thumbsup2
 
We've stayed at AKL twice and booked a standard room both times. The first time we were given an upgrade to a savannah view room, and the 2nd time we were upgraded to a pool view. We actually liked the pool view better! It was SO convenient. We're going again July 1-7, and thought about trying other resorts (I'd really like to stay on the Monorail sometime...) but we decided AKL again. I have a standard room booked again. AKL is so relaxing--we feel completely away from the fast pace we usually do during a day at the parks. They have viewing areas with big rocking chairs to view the savannahs. AKL is a wonderful resort that my family loves.

Have a great time!
kim:wizard:
 
We had a standard at AKL a few years ago. Was booked at POFQ but they were undergoing renovations so I was switched to AKL. I wasn't looking forward to the whol african thing. I was pleasantly surprised. We saw the Giraffes getting fed daily and a few other animals I dont remember. There are also little viewing stations. The place has cool african tribal music going all the time. Sound's horrible but it was sooooo relaxing. I liked it better than Poly. Planning on WL. Next year. BC or YC are after that. Only down side was tht the rooms are dark. But you didnt too much after a hot Florida day.
 
OK, you guys are getting to me, every minute I spend on this board makes me more addicted. I'm starting to wonder about upgrading for the 3 last nights. I've booked the ASMo for 9 nights at the moment. I would just looooooove to sta at an AKL savanna view room, but that would be overdoing it on the finances unfortunately. Booking a room with standard view is an option I'm considering. But than again; no view from the room at any of the animals. That's one of the big reasons of dreaming of staying at AKL. If booking the standard view, how easy is it to just relax and observe the animals from another part of the resort? How ar others experiences with this. Is it worth the money (other than off course the bigger rooms and normall hotel options)?

Edit; OK, I'm definately being a want-it-all now! The CBR also looks very attractive for the last 3 days. What's your experience; AKL or CBR?

(also if anyone has any experiences with the handicapped excessible rooms at AKL or CBR with standard room, your info would be appreciated soo much)

Hi There - We have stayed at both resorts, and found both to offer their individual attractions. My personal opinion, having stayed at the Animal Kingdom many times, yes it is well worth it to upgrade to the Animal Kingdom Lodge:cool1: . This is one of our favorite hotels at Disney. If you do choose to stay at the Lodge, the ultimate experience would be to get a room with a Savannah view. It 's just amazing to wake up in the mornings, go out on your balcony and watch the animals gathering for their morning meal, as they come to the areas where the attendants place their food. The Lodge is designed so animals can be viewed from many places inside (from hallway windows), and the outside viewing area. If you get a standard room, the outside viewing area is just a short walk through the lobby. I think there is still a standard room option of 1 queen bed with a bunk bed. I'm sure some on this forum would say that it's not worth the money, but we feel it is worth every penny, and all family and friends we have steered toward this resort felt the same way.

The Caribbean Beach is a nice hotel, with a large food court and fun pool. It also has a nice lake where you can sit in the evening and enjoy the tropical breezes. The rooms are reasonably sized and themed of course with a Caribbean flair. The difference between the two resorts, is the AKL is a deluxe hotel, offering all the amenities, and the Caribbean Beach is a moderate hotel, which is an upgrade from the ASMo Value resort. You may hear from this forum that the AKL is building the new Disney Vacation Club Villas and that there may be noise. I had family staying there last month, and we found the noise to be nominal. You knew something was going on, but it did'nt interfer with their vacation stay. Don't know anything about the handicapped facilities at either resort, someone else will have to fill you in on that.

This forum is a good place to get information from many guests, and will certainly help you with your decision making:confused3 .

Have a great vacation!!!
 



New Posts



Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE









DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom