AKL Savannah view rooms

[ChuckElias]

Does anybody have negative feedback about these Savannah view rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge? We were considering one as a splurge on our next visit to WDW, but I had a friend tell me that she heard that there is noise and strong animal smells in those rooms.

I've never heard that before, but now I'm really wondering. Has anybody heard anything like this? Or experienced it?

 

[lostpro9het]

Does anybody have negative feedback about these Savannah view rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge?

Nope, other than the Sunset and Arusha are our favorites, Pembe was pretty "meh" compared to these other two.

Has anybody heard anything like this? Or experienced it?

Nope, no smells or noises for us, just awesome views and happy family.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Been there many times, never smelled anything from the Savanah. The crews clean it multiple times per day, including draining, cleaning, and refilling the watering holes.

I've never had noise issues either.

 

[ChuckElias]

Thanks for the quick feedback, guys. I actually expected exactly what you said. I've stood out behind the resort many times to watch the giraffes (after having dinner at Jiko! mmmmmmmmmm!!) and never really been overly aware of smell. So again, thanks!

 

[Tuvalu]

Ditto here, no noise or smell. Actually, we remarked at how quiet sitting on the balcony was in comparison to other resorts. It was very peaceful.

The only noise was in the morning when the different signals for each species signaled it was time for them to go to the feeding pen (we were on Sunset near the pen.) And that in itself was fascinating to watch.

The only way we'd stay at AKL again is in a savanna view room. Worth every penny.

 

[shipley731]

I've stayed in Savannah view rooms numerous times & never noticed any sort of strong animal smell. The only time I noticed any extra noise was when we got a room that looked onto the main Savannah that was on the lobby level floor. It was right next to the overlook that can be accessed from the lobby. However, the only time I really noticed any additional noise was when I was on the balcony. When the doors were closed; we didn't notice anything. (It was also a free upgrade, so I wouldn't have complained anyway.)

 

[disney4life2008]

Do you actually see any animals? I read a few reports that the views were a rip off because you may see 1 or 2 animals but nothing spectacular.

 

[lostpro9het]

Do you actually see any animals? I read a few reports that the views were a rip off because you may see 1 or 2 animals but nothing spectacular.

And then some:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/akl-arusha-savanna-views.882804/#post-6041934

 

[disney4life2008]

And then some:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/akl-arusha-savanna-views.882804/#post-6041934

Nice photos. I would definitely splurge to stay at AKL for one night in a view room. That is likely as close as I can get to the real deal

 

[Tuvalu]

Do you actually see any animals? I read a few reports that the views were a rip off because you may see 1 or 2 animals but nothing spectacular.

One morning as I sat on our balcony I counted over 20 animals of various species: giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, ostrich, gazelles and even a rabbit!

 

[draybook]

@ChuckElias when are you planning on going? I know it's a bit out, but we're considering staying at the AKL in the Arusha section in 2015. I'm glad you posted this, because the photos that @lostpro9het posted has me sold on it!

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

Just got back from staying in the sunset section. There were no smells or sounds, other than frogs croaking at night, which I loved! The balcony was a highlight of our trip. We saw lots of animals all day and night. There looked to be a young giraffe that would come out at night. It was precious!

 

[lostpro9het]

... and even a rabbit!

Ha! Yes, we noticed many "local" rabbits taking advantage of the range too!

 

[ChuckElias]

Thanks so much for the replies, guys!! Puts my mind at ease.

We're thinking about a visit on/around Thanksgiving.

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

Thanks so much for the replies, guys!! Puts my mind at ease.

We're thinking about a visit on/around Thanksgiving.

It will be decorated for Christmas then. It is so pretty! BTW you could not hear the frogs croak when the balcony door was shut. I have found this resort to be the most quiet of all the Disney Resorts we have stayed at thus far (out of the 7 we have stayed at) and we have stayed here twice. I just love the laid back atmosphere, and it's nice to listen to the cultural representatives' stories of Africa. The bead activities, cookie decorating, and face painting were fun activities for my DD too.

Hope you have a marvelous trip!

 

[Tiggerish]

I've stayed at AKL 3 times, each time in a savannah view. Admittedly, all of those times were at Kidani Village, which gets only one of the savannahs, I think. Each visit was amazing; smells, no way! The best experience was when I took my mom, who was in her 70s at the time (she turns 80 this weekend!) and I asked for a room close to the elevator. We lucked out and got a first-floor room as well as close to the elevator (just off the lobby, really). I'm telling you, it was tough tom leave the room each morning to head to the parks because of the animals! And one day we were park hopping and came back to the room midday, when they were feeding the giraffes, and it was so fantastic to watch, well we definitely spent more time in the room than we had planned. It was such fun to watch them, the giraffes were clever enough to realize that the truck was full of the good stuff they were putting in the feeding stations, and they went straight to the truck to get their food! Mom was happy just to hang out on the balcony and watch the action, and there was plenty of it!

I will say, though, that the first 2x we stayed there, we were further down the corridor towards the end of the "necklace" and we only saw a couple different kinds of animals. Still cool, but not as great as staying near the center of the building.

 

[Disdar]

Does anybody have negative feedback about these Savannah view rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge? We were considering one as a splurge on our next visit to WDW, but I had a friend tell me that she heard that there is noise and strong animal smells in those rooms.

I've never heard that before, but now I'm really wondering. Has anybody heard anything like this? Or experienced it?

whoever told you that is an idiot

 

[tigger1968]

Spend the money.

Out last stay at AKL was over the July 4th holiday last year. We got a surprise upgrade to Savannah View from a Pool View and got Zebra Trail in the 3500 rooms I think. We were out late in the parks a lot, and came in one night to discover that every giraffe in the savannah would gather around an outcropping just outside our room area and bed down for a short sleep. It turns out that giraffes have the shortest sleep cycle in the animal world, and rarely lay down to sleep, so we had stumbled onto an apparently very rare sight. They would typically gather around 2 or 3 AM and nap for maybe 30 minutes or so. We were mesmerized by this beautiful sight, and watched them every night of our stay. It made for some late evenings, and caused us to miss a few things by sleeping late, but it was totally worth the lost sleep to see something like that.