AKL bad reviews...

Jacquellie

Jacquellie

Member
Original Poster
I've just read a string of bad reviews about AKL and am wondering what the heck is going on. Some were on trip advisor and others on a site called The Dibb. The complaints were more than the usual stuff about dark rooms and buses - I am really surprised and a little concerned. One review after another cited: beds that stick out and bruise you, hard mattresses, unfriendly, less than capable reception staff, no animal shape towels, small rooms no bigger than a Premier Inn and some "terrible rooms" that the couple refused to stay in and ended up not staying at all! Also, that the club level drinks are "cheap spirits" (I'm tee-total but was hoping to impress my husband who likes a baileys). Anyone heard of these "terrible rooms?" Or bashed shins? How to avoid?
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
I am honestly not sure why AKL gets such a bad rap. Here is a blow by blow of your concerns...

Beds: All of the furniture at AKL is hand carved wood. This makes it a bit bulky. I have however never had a problem running into it or becoming injured by it. I slammed my knee into my bed last weekend it had nothing to do with the bed. As far as mattresses go that is really a very personal choice. Hotel mattresses in general tend to be a little on the hard size because they are more durable. If you are sleeping on a soft pillow top with 3" of additional memory foam on the top any other mattress is going to feel like a board.

Staff: In more than 100 trips to WDW I can count the number of less than great CMs on one hand. I would recommend reading the linked article and you will see where a good chunk of those reviews coming from. There was a member of this forum whose wife went into labor at AKL. I'll see if I can find the thread and you will get a good idea of what the service level of AKL really is.

Room Size: This one is largely correct. AKL and WL have the smallest rooms of any of the deluxe Disney resorts. If someone is use to the much larger rooms of the Poly or Contemporary, then the rooms at AKL will feel smaller. That being said, I have never felt cramped in a room at AKL. As to bad rooms, I have no idea where people get this from. Occasionally a room can be marked as cleaned when it has not been (happens everywhere from Motel 6 to the Four Seasons) and if that happens Disney will fix the problem.

Cheap Spirits: I have never known a concierge lounge to have top shelf unless you are at a 5 star. Bailey's will not be hard to come by at any of the bars in all of WDW, but I do not remember seeing anything other than beer and wine available for free in the concierge lounges, but I did not look that hard.
 
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Jacquellie

Jacquellie

Member
Original Poster
Master Yoda said:
I am honestly not sure why AKL gets such a bad rap. Here is a blow by blow of your concerns...

Beds: All of the furniture at AKL is hand carved wood. This makes it a bit bulky. I have however never had a problem running into it or becoming injured by it. I slammed my knee into my bed last weekend it had nothing to do with the bed. As far as mattresses go that is really a very personal choice. Hotel mattresses in general tend to be a little on the hard size because they are more durable. If you are sleeping on a soft pillow top with 3" of additional memory foam on the top any other mattress is going to feel like a board.

Staff: In more than 100 trips to WDW I can count the number of less than great CMs on one hand. I would recommend reading the linked article and you will see where a good chunk of those reviews coming from. There was a member of this forum whose wife went into labor at AKL. I'll see if I can find the thread and you will get a good idea of what the service level of AKL really is.

Room Size: This one is largely correct. AKL and WL have the smallest rooms of any of the deluxe Disney resorts. If someone is use to the much larger rooms of the Poly or Contemporary, then the rooms at AKL will feel smaller. That being said, I have never felt cramped in a room at AKL. As to bad rooms, I have no idea where people get this from. Occasionally a room can be marked as cleaned when it has not been (happens everywhere from Motel 6 to the Four Seasons) and if that happens Disney will fix the problem.

Cheap Spirits: I have never known a concierge lounge to have top shelf unless you are at a 5 star. Bailey's will not be hard to come by at any of the bars in all of WDW, but I do not remember seeing anything other than beer and wine available for free in the concierge lounges.
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Very helpful, cheers x
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
The beds are made out of solid wood, with the mattress recessed a bit. So if you walk into it, it will hurt. However, unless you have had a few too many drinks at the lounge, you shouldn't have serious problems avoiding them. I can't say I've ever had a hard mattress there, and we have stayed in 6+ different rooms. The reception staff has never had a problem resolving the questions/problems I had. The rooms are about 340 sq ft, not sure how that compares to a Premier Inn, but is the same size as Wilderness Lodge rooms, and about 30-40 sq ft larger than moderate resort rooms. I also have never had a terrible room. Remember that overall, the prices at WDW reflect the overall "experience" or the Magic, and are often significantly higher than they would be off property. So it certainly is a deluxe compared to the other on property rooms, but may seem lower than what you might expect from a high end deluxe hotel elsewhere.

I haven't stayed CL at AKL, but according to aklresort.com,

Desserts and Evening:
In the evenings, you can indulge in Boma's signature desserts like pineapple cheesecake, chocolate covered strawberries, zebra domes, and blueberry tarts. Cordials, such as Baileys, Drambuie, Frangelico, Grand Marnier, are also available.
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We liked AKL so much that we bought DVC there, and I can't say we have had any of the problems at all you mentioned.
 
C

Captainvideo

Member
I agree with dreamfinder. I have nothing but praise for my experience at AKL and the staff, especially the managers. From my experience I see plenty of PIA's that stay there hitting up the staff for anything free. Some people aren't happy unless they have something to complain about!
 
docdebbi

docdebbi

Well-Known Member
disagree with dreamfinder that you can't bump into the beds unless you've had a few too many drinks.
my whole family keeps bumping into those darn things for the whole first part of the week, but i do agree with him that they HURT ! :bawling:
but then we learn our (painful) less and walk more carefully
now while i admit to total klutz-dom, my entire family can't be stereotactically challenged !
by virtue of the design and quality of the bed, they do stick out. not a problem in my opinon, just be careful

i have stayed concierge several places WDW, not top shelf liquor, just not part of the deal. nice wines and beers though

i think trip advisor and similar sites can be outlets for unhappy folks. some places deserve a bad review, but there are many places i like that according to the boards, will kill you! if i see a really bad review about a place that i am considering, i check the posters other reviews and in general they are all bad. just can't please some people

we LOVE AKL and go there on many of our trips
 
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S

shinymonkey

Member
Overall the AKL Jambo house is nice yes the furniture is bulky and I've knocked into it several times but I do that at home too... Over at Kidani I find the layout to be rather pointless in the rooms there is so much wasted space there its rather ridiculous.. I've never stayed on concierge level just in the DVC rooms
 
jkl2000

jkl2000

Well-Known Member
Pumbas Nakasak said:
Trip advisor is populated with moaning areholes
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Just what I was going to say (though slightly more colorful). TripAdvisor is great for the photos posted by the reviewers, but you have to take most of the negative reviews with a grain of salt. There are a lot of people obsessed with the condition of the carpeting, or upset because they weren't treated like royalty.
 
jkl2000

jkl2000

Well-Known Member
I actually just decided to take a look at the reviews of POFQ on TripAdvisor, and the first one made me chuckle: a couple without kids, who chose POFQ because they wanted a resort with fewer kids around. Then they complain that they close down the slide at the pool early! LOL - I guess they wanted less competition for the slide.
 
coachwnh

coachwnh

Well-Known Member
we have stayed at AK five times and loved it. We have stayed club level four times and always had the savanna view. Other then the occasional slow busing, the resort is fantastic!!!! As far as cheap adult drinks in club? The drinks are pretty much standard at all clubs with a few extras as each. Im a big fan of the Tusker Lager! If you love beautiful resorts and seeing amazing views of animals while you enjoy a good beverage, then AKL is your resort!
 
s&k'smom

s&k'smom

Well-Known Member
As someone who works in a hotel you really do need to take reviews with a grain of salt so too speak. A lot of the negative reviews my hotel has received have been "enhanced" by the reviewer (we are not the fanciest place but clean and nice) however the majority are just people with an axe to grind, you can't believe the number of unbelievable requests we get and we are a small 2 start hotel. And no you can't get a 4 star hotel at a 2 star price like they say on tv!
 
The Mom

The Mom

Moderator
Premium Member
Every hotel has a few "bad" rooms - all of the rooms can't have the best view while being the most convenient to the lobby and elevators, and also being HC. My mother and I stayed in a "bad" room once because of the previously mentioned reasons.
 
HouCuseChickie

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
You also have to consider that a review is a very subjective thing. What impacted another person might not be an issue for you. Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinions, but it doesn't mean you'll share that opinion when you visit. Ex. I didn't really care for WL, but DH really enjoyed it = personal preferences.

I'm sure plenty of people stay at AKL and have no issue with the beds. As for the staff, much of the staff shifts around between the various resorts...so, the staff I get at AKL next week might be totally different than the staff assisting you when you travel. Then there's the room size issue...all you have to do is look at the square footage and compare it to rooms at other resorts. A 415 sq ft room at the Poly is obviously going to feel more spacious than a 344 sq ft room at AKL. Sure...they're both deluxe resorts, but they're also at different price points, so it's kind of expected.

One other thing to consider...people are far more likely to write a review if they feel they had a negative experience. You factor in the warped sense of entitlement a lot of people possess and it's a recipe for a slew of ugly critiques.
 

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