Akl

[dis sjw]

in august i will be staying at animal kingdom lodge for the first time.i was wondering if anybody can give my some reviews.thanks!

 

[padisneylover]

AKL is our favorite resort now. The beauty of it can not be surpased and watching the animals is awsome. The resort is quiet due to the animals and the CMS's are great. BOMA is a nice buffett restruant. We perfer the breakfast but the dinner is good as well. Have never tried JIKO but plan on doing it this next trip. The Myra left something to be desired as far as we were concerned but we are two adults and maybe that is why. Others have said the food was good here. The pool is nice we espically liked the whirlpools and the CMS's are very good about keeping kids out of them when adults are trying to use them so that you can truly relax in them after a long day at the park. The bus transportation is great and we never had to wait more than 10 minutes at either end for a bus and that is the only transportation we used while there last April. Be sure to save time to explore the resort there is a lot to see and do and last time we didn't save enough time so are going back this time with 11 days so hopefully we will be able to do a lot more exploring. If you have kids there is daily activities if I remember right that are outlined on checking in and there is tours of the resort and its art that sounded nice that we missed. Also, there is story telling nightly around the fire outside and night vision goggles to watch the animals with avaliable. Be sure to spend some time talking with the CM's out by the animals they love to tell you about their county and the animals. Have fun and enjoy your stay.

 

[kdibattista]

yeah..... what padisneylover said

Really though, you will LOVE it!!! It is also our new favorite resort. I don't think we will be staying anywhere else!!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by dis sjw
in august i will be staying at animal kingdom lodge for the first time.i was wondering if anybody can give my some reviews.thanks!

Hi,

What view do you have booked? We have stayed at the AKL and just love this resort. If you can tell me what view you have booked I can give you some pointers. We have stayed in pool view rooms twice and a concierge deluxe savanna view room once.

 

[dis sjw]

we booked the savana view.i can't wait to watch the animals outside my balcony!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by dis sjw
we booked the savana view.i can't wait to watch the animals outside my balcony!

If you booked a savanna view I would reconmend requesting a view of the Arusha Savanna. The zebra and wildebeast(sp?) can only be found on this savanna. This resort is amazing. We always get a feeling of relaxation and we have to tear ourselves away to go to the parks. The fastfood at Mara is pretty good. The pool area is great and you can view animals there also. Walk the different "trails" and find the hidden animal viewing areas. They also have different activites. Make sure when you check in that you get a map of the resort because it will give you a sense of direction and on the back it lists all of the different activities at the resort. I hope you have a great trip and if you have any specific questions feel free to ask away.

 

[Pigsty333]

Read my trip report on the trip report board. I stayed there the week of 2/13 and loved it. It is my all time favorite and wouldn't stay anyone else.

My kids enjoyed it so much and the cast members were so nice to them that they didn't even want to go to the parks. They couldn't wait to come back to the hotel.

We stayed in Savannah View room 5485 our first couple of nights and then switched to Concierge (Room 5421).

If you private email me, I'll email you my photo album of our trip.

 

[heffalump9]

Just returned (3/1-3/8) from second stay at AKL. What a wonderful property! Make sure you explore the hotel (beautiful displays and accents) and don't miss story telling at Arusha Rock firepit. Be ready to see Animals, Animals, Animals, there are plenty of viewing opportunities morning, noon, dusk (animals are very active) and late night (guides provide night vision glasses). The Boma and Jiko are not to be missed (especially breakfast at Boma - great pressed pots of Kenya AA coffee). CM's are very attentative and really care about your comfort. Even with the distant location from DTD and MK, the buses were always available (never waited more than 5 minutes). You will love the huge pool which is more like an oasis, (great frozen drinks from the bar for adults). Overall a lush paradise and a great place to recoup after a magical day at the parks.

 

[Hollymom1229]

This resort is simpy magical. We fell in love from the moment we stepped into the lobby. The theming, the music, the smell, the CMs, basically every detail is perfect and it doesn't hurt that all over the resort are wonderful little hideaways.

 

[dgaston]

I'd love more opinions on standard vs savannah view. I hope to stay for two nights 10/24 and 10/25 and could use more input.

 

[dis sjw]

Thank you all for the info!i can't wait to stay at AKL

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by dgaston
I'd love more opinions on standard vs savannah view. I hope to stay for two nights 10/24 and 10/25 and could use more input.

Hi dgaston,

There are three views at the AKL. Standard (read as parking lot), Water (read as view of the pool area) or Savanna.

We have stayed in water view rooms twice and a savanna view room once. If you can swing the price for a savanna view then go for it. Being able to sit on your balcony and watch the animals is amazing. If money is an issue then go with the standard view room and walk the trails and find all of the hidden animal viewing areas throughout the trails. There are also three great outdoor viewing areas. It comes down to how you want to spend your vacation dollar. Do matter which view you book as long as you go with the right expections I am sure that you will have a great trip.

 

[lucysdad]

Well, I talked hubby into three extra nights at AKL ( after paying for this year we'll be traveling to the local park next year!!) and I've read that the savannah deluxe rooms are only on floor 5. The concierge rooms are on 5 and 6, but you cannot request concierge savannah and might get stuck with a view of the pool. We really want to feel close to the animals and floors 5&6 seem too high up, but we'd like to have the larger room and would love to go on the sunrise savannah. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[>>^..^<<]

Hi there... You will love AKL!

I have some photos and a mini trip report on my website link below if you want to stop by.

Have fun planning your trip..

>>^..^<<

 

[bridgettesmom]

We absolutely loved AKL!!
It is so unique.From the moment you walk into the lobby you feel so welcome,it has that warm feeling to it.We are just starting to plan our next trip and I try to look at other resorts ,but, AKL pulls me back.I just asked DH and he said to stick to AKL.This is one of the best kept secrets(except on this board).On the last day of our last trip,we almost extended our stay one more day,we did not want to leave.If you like spending time in your room like us savannah view is definately worth it!.You will love it!!

 

[TDC Nala]

I don't think there's anything wrong with standard view if cost is a concern. The one I was in was nice and there were trees blocking the parking lot. There are others that seem to be awfully close to the bus stops, though.

There are a lot of overlooks and places to view the critters. You would only see the two-legged kind (without wings) from your balcony in standard view, but there's plenty of places to check out the four-legged ones.

 

[milmore104]

We absolutely LOVE AKL! Weused to stay at OKW and now we only want to stay at AKL! we just loved it our 2yo DD did as well!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by lucysdad
Well, I talked hubby into three extra nights at AKL ( after paying for this year we'll be traveling to the local park next year!!) and I've read that the savannah deluxe rooms are only on floor 5. The concierge rooms are on 5 and 6, but you cannot request concierge savannah and might get stuck with a view of the pool. We really want to feel close to the animals and floors 5&6 seem too high up, but we'd like to have the larger room and would love to go on the sunrise savannah. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Hi lucysdad,

We also had all of your concerns prior to our trip this past Feb. We found out the following.

That the rooms on the sixth floor do allow smoking in them so if you request a non-smoking room odds are very good that you will end up on the 5th floor. We also thought that the 5th floor would feel far away. I can tell you that we did not feel far away at all. The Sunrise Savanna is out of this world. Best $100 we have every spent.

I have also read that you can request to be put on a lower floor if you want but then you loose the extra space in the room.

I would go for it. We were spoiled by the AKL Concierge in Feb and cannot wait to go back.

 

[A1A1]

Hi. This is absolutely the best kept secret in Florida! Well, now now, maybe. I loved this resort from the time I stepped foot in the lobby. It is breathtaking.

I stayed in a Deluxe savannah room. Yes it was on the fifth floor. We had about three feet more in length of the room. I could tell that the increase was the size of a balcony depth as I stood on my balcony and looked at the difference between the fourth floor rooms and fifth floor rooms. Our balconies stuck out further.

The view was amazing in the morning especially. When the animals would be called back and forth for feeding, etc, we could see them walking by. We had a lot of giraffs. They were amazing.

There are lots of places to view the animals if you don't have a savannah view, but I would recommend a savannah view if you can do it. I guess you can, as you are talking about concierge. Though we didn't stay concierge, a CM took us to see the concierge lounge. It is nice. It overlooks the whole lobby and view is across the lobby through the glass wall to the savannah.

Sorry I can't help more with concierge view rooms.

 

[stiej]

I am actually sitting here in my deluxe savanna view room right now. We checked in yesterday as my anniversary surprise. We are doing concierge which is WONDERFUL! We did the sunrise safari this morning and it is so worth it. They took so much time showing us all of the animals and letting us take pictures. Our 2 yr old son even enjoyed it. The breakfast buffet at Tusker House after it was over was great! What a spread. The concierge staff is very nice and helpful. There has been a nice assortment of foods every time we have gone up to the concierge lounge. They happily bring out Dasani water bottles to anyone who asks. They also gave my son a tiger sippy cup for his juice. We have the view that has the giraffes and gazelles and some type of cow-like animal with large horns. My son loves it. We are a very far walk from the elevators to the lounge, but after all of this eating - we need the exercise! This by far has been the best vacation. The concierge staff had a gift box with ladies perfume and mens cologne and a happy anniversary note in our room yesterday after we returned from dinner. Ask away, and I will try to answer any questions while we are here