AKL bad reviews...

[Gabe1]

I'll Agree, AKL is beautiful, we were in awe when we stayed there originally a few weeks after it opened and the pool is awesome. Mara is hands down my favorite resort QS venue. I've always had nice CMs there minus a few in the store that were a tad crabby, like I was playing in their living room.

After that I am out.

If Boma was anywhere but Disney it would likely be out of business. It isn't that it isn't fine but for the price of the buffet it lacks high end dishes to warrant the price and it is overcrowded and loud. The buffet is small vs the amount of guests up there.

When we first walked into our room the first time we loved the view of the pool and our balcony. Quickly we realized the room wasn't decorated any better than POR Mansions nor was it any bigger really. The bathrooms were nice, double sink but was not as roomy around the sinks as POR. POR was easier to get ready in the morning in the sink area with curtain drawn than AKL without disturbing kids sleeping. 5 year old DD did trip over the bed and skinned her knee badly, so much so she couldn't swim and was in a wheelchair to tour parks.

Night vision glasses are great but often no animals to view. Same with some of the Savannah rooms at night. I don't find the Savannah to be beautiful by any stretch, the animals are the sole draw. The store isn't all that big. The worst is the buses. The bus service stunk before the DVC and once DVCs were added it declined further yet Disney chooses not to address. Likely because guests just keep on coming. Add in the Distance to most parks and DTD, Oy. Even AK, just few miles at best away takes forever especially with the waterpark drop off. Dumb move, chopping up AKL to create Jumbo, butchering those DVCs and messing up the location of the concierge for resort hotel guests.

So yeah, the lobby is wonderful, not Wilderness but close. But other than walking through the lobby after getting off the bus how much of your vacation time is spent in the lobby? There are so many reasons why it is has taken so long to sell of AK's DVCs.

 

[Bairstow]

Just stayed at Jambo house in a DVC single-bedroom villa (rented points) and have few complaints.

I disagree with Gabe on Boma. Sure it's crowded and expensive, and there aren't a lot of "high-dollar" dishes, but what is there is some of the tastiest food in all of Disney World, provided you have a taste for curry and spicy foods.We have almost no African restaurants back home, so getting to eat a lot of stuff I hadn't heard of before is a real treat. I honestly would have been satisfied with the soups and desserts alone.

Saw plenty of animals while we were there, and it was nice to sit on the balcony with my coffee and watch them roam around.
It was especially fun watching a zebra who seemed to enjoy rolling around in the dirt like a dog before shaking off.
Had no kids with us so I can't speak to the bed issue, but I had no trouble sleeping on the pullout sofa. Very firm mattress, but that's what I like.

Desk staff was very helpful.

As far as the buses go, this is probably the biggest drawback to staying at this resort. We had exceptionally good luck on getting to the stop right as the bus we needed was arriving, and seldom had to wait more than 10 minutes for one to show up. That said, it is a bit of a haul to get anywhere, often 25 minutes to the Magic Kingdom with traffic. At least it seems as though Disney is running buses more frequently out to the resort to account for how long the loop is.

 

[disneygirl1]

WOW!!! I have stayed at both Jambo House and Kidani Village in the past and have loved it everytime! The rooms are a bit darker, but thats just b/c the color scheme has darker tones in it. Plus they are trying to mimic the feeling that you are on an african savannah. Its all in the theming! Lighting has never been an issue for us. Beds are a little hard for my liking, but after a long day in the park, I am out like a light until my alarm goes off the next morning! As for the buses, we've have great experienced with them also. Don't get me wrong, the line at the end of the night at MK after Wishes is long, but come on, every resorts bus line is long at park closing. I really love this resort and its ALWAY my first choice when planning a trip! We are heading back in May and I CAN"T Wait!

 

[rt06]

I recently stayed at AKL Jambo House club level. For spirits they had Amarula, Grand Marnier, Courvosier VSOP, and Kahlua. They also have beer and South African wine. Ask the CMs for anything you don't see. They just may have it in the back. I'm lactose intolerant and they got me little cartons of soy milk (chocolate too!).

I don't know if you're on the DDP, but you can really fill up on snacks for a day and save a sit down point for Signature Dining. Not that I would recommend rice krispies treats and gummy bears for lunch, but I'm the guy that considers coffee one of the four food groups.

Yes, the rooms are rather small, but you don't need to be Tinkerbell to navigate around the furniture. If I stub my toe at home, I don't get angry at the room layout. I can see how some larger people may take issue with the bathroom.

The distance can be a nuisance. You'll need to leave the resort a good hour before to make your ADR in MK or EP or another resort, say Whispering Canyon Cafe, that requires a transfer. Just you and DH will make things easier to just get up and get out.

I was with kids that found Boma too exotic. I enjoy ethnic foods and I will admit I found the experience underwhelming.

When you accept the fact that the premium you paid is for the Disney experience and not square footage, you will have a great time. I've had larger rooms. But they didn't come with giraffes.

 

[Spikerdink]

Having only stayed at AKL once, I don't have a wealth of experience, but I have to say, I loved my visit....

I am DVC, so maybe what I have to say isn't totally relevent.... I did stay in a studio, so it was going to be a smaller room....

I am forever kicking my oversized feet into things at home, but at AKL (Jambo House to be exact), not once did I kick my toes into the bed or any other furniture. Maybe because I usually steer wide, it wasn't a problem!

The bed was comfortable - I do miss my usual sleeping partner when I am on vacation so didn't have my dog sleeping against my legs to keep me warm, but slept fine no matter!

Loved sitting on my balcony looking at the savannah and the animals - no matter day or night, it was pretty nice. Now, at home, I have a pretty good view also - I live across the street from a pond and my front windows allow me to look at the ducks, swans and even a goose at any given time, but AKL was phenomenal....

While I had no complaints, my friend and his son DID have a few issues, but these can be attributed to DVC and not AKL. We were supposed to have rooms close to one another (I help out with his autistic son on vacation) and the rooms were so far apart it was not feasible. Also, he was promised a room of one type and receive a room of another and that led to issues. Finally, there was supposed to be something for his son one day left in the room as a surprise....only it never showed up. Their last night they stayed with me, and that's when the gift finally showed!

One thing I have learned from online reviews is to look at the postings. Some that are 'clustered'....within a few days, or even hours, of each other are often written by the same person under different aliases. The great thing about the internet is you can be anonymous very easily. I know someone who owns a B&B in a summer locale...and on one of these sights a woman posted a VERY negative review. I visited almost right after her, and found the place to be exactly as promised - and even better in some ways. After her negative review, I felt compelled to write a reply because she was obviously just impossible to please. (Uneven floorboards in a house that is 100 years old? What did you expect? The description SAID it was rustic and had many original features of the homestead!!) So take that with a grain of proverbial salt.

The part about Disney towel animals not being available? If that was the worst thing I could say about a hotel, then really I should be ashamed of myself.

 

[Tuvalu]

I've had larger rooms. But they didn't come with giraffes.

Love this!!!!!

 

[Jacquellie]

Love this!!!!!

Me too - perfectly put!

 

[TAMarie]

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?

AKV is one of my DVC home resorts, so we've stayed there many times. It's possible to smack your knee in the beautiful carved wood beds, just like I do in my own bedroom at home. The villa rooms are actually some of the largest of all DVC resorts. The king size beds at Kidani Village are the most comfy beds I've slept on in my 41 yrs of visitng DW, and I have a bad back.

 

[steviej]

I stayed at AKL 5 years ago. Uncomfortable beds and everything else I've seen is news to me. I had a ball.

The only drawback for me is the rooms are such a far walk after a day in the parks.

Uncaring staff? Couldn't have been further from my experience. When I stayed at AKL it was with my uncle and now ex wife who were celebrating their anniversary. They were having their anniversary meal at Jiko. I wanted to have a bottle of wine sent to them during their meal and the front desk manager personally saw to it that it was delivered. I loved it, would definitely stay there again