Animal Kingdom Lodge-Is it too far or worth it?

[jessnic95]

We are going to WDW in late September and planning on staying at the AKL. I have heard some great things, but I have also heard that it is very far from everything and the bus rides can get crazy?! We reserved a savannah view room, is there any one area in the hotel with better views (upstairs, downstairs), but not too far a hike from everywhere else in the hotel? Help!

Also - Last time we visited we got the DDP and Loved it!! Any suggestions for some great restaurants as we will be getting it again this year!

Thanks for the help!!

 

[amykissangel]

I'm so jealous! Always wanted to stay at the Animal Kingdom - we've stayed at the All Stars the last few times we went, and AKL is pretty close. Granted, coming from, say, the Magic Kingdom, it does seem to take forever to get there...I'm sure everyone who's stayed there will have lot of opinions for you!

For restaurants, I recommend the following:

Epcot

Italy (Alfredo's)
England (Rose n' Crown Pub)
Canada (Le Cellier Steakhouse)

MK

Liberty Tree Tavern (more for the fun, relaxing atmosphere)
The Plaza (just a quaint little restaurant but great sandwiches and soup)

MGM

Sci Fi
Prime Time 50's
(I would say Brown Derby, but besides the fact that the prices have gotten ridiculous, the food is not good. In my opinion.)

AK

Tusker House (counter service breakfast, surprisingly good)

Grand Floridian

Grand Floridian Cafe

Polynesian

O'Hanas

That's all I know - have a great time!!

 

[pacochran]

We stayed there last November it was really great. We had a Savannah veiw room which was great, being able to go out on the balcony and sit and watch the animals was great. We had I believe it's called the Arusha Savannah which is the central one, and there were a lot of animals. I didn't get to see the other savannahs so can't give you something to compare to. We were on the third floor which is the same floor as the lobby and the veiw from there was good. The only suggestion was they thought they were doing us a favor by putting us down the end (for the life of me I can't remember the trail), it was a long walk from the lobby especially after a day at the park. Have fun!

 

[SarahBella82]

Worth. It.

AKL is worth every penny. To be fair, I've not stayed there, just visited. But the atmosphere is priceless.

 

[pacochran]

Forgot to add, that we didn't have any problems with the buses and feeling that it was to far from anything. It really wasn't an issue with us.

 

[Dukeblue1016]

If you get a Savannah view room then it is absolutely worth every penny!

Have fun!

 

[Pixiedust1393]

Animal Kingdom Lodge is definitely worth it! It's nice to have a higher room so you can look out at the Savannah. We were kind of far away from the lobby but the whole resort is beautiful so while you walk you'll notice some interesting things. It didn't even seem that far of a walk though. As for the bus, I don't know. We took our car and drove, but I didn't think it was too far from anything. Be sure to check out the night vision goggles available to watch the animals at night, if you have kids they will love it. The food is great at ALK, the pool is awesome, however I don't know about the hot tubs because I stayed there over the summer and it was too hot for a hot tub.

I'll tell you some of my favorite restaurants that may be available for the DDP:

At Magic Kingdom:
-Crystal Palace-sit down restaurant, character dining (if you're going for breakfast, the breakfast lasagna is great!)
-The Main St. Bakery-on Main Street U.S.A. quick but yummy breakfast bites. (you HAVE to try the French Toast!)
-Pecos Bill-Counter service (Frontier Land)
-Cosmic Rays Starlight Café-Counter service (Tomorrowland)

At Epcot:
-Electric Umbrella-counter service
-Anything from Japan. I prefer the Teppanyki dining
-Mexico's little counter service restaurant has great chicken quesadillas

At MGM:
-50's prime time café-Sit-down restaurant
-ABC Commissary-counter service (good breakfast)

Animal Kingdom:
-Never ate at their restaurants, just had a pretzel from a cart. But I've heard Tusker House is good.

The Contemporary has a great character dinner--Chef Mickeys!
--Make some reservations at the character dinners a little while before you go on your trip. You can always cancel if you change your mind.

Have a magical trip!

 

[jessnic95]

Thanks so much for the great info! I think we're going to stick with it. We have three little ones (7,4,and 5) and I think they will love it! Does anyone have any info to share about the restaurants at AKL? Thank you so much and keep the great stuff coming!!

 

[palmage]

I guess I'm kinda like the Tikiman of the Lodge.
I just can't say enough about this place.
The atmosphere is incredible, the theming is fantastic, the best food.
All Disney Deluxes are great though.

 

[Master Yoda]

Thanks so much for the great info! I think we're going to stick with it. We have three little ones (7,4,and 5) and I think they will love it! Does anyone have any info to share about the restaurants at AKL? Thank you so much and keep the great stuff coming!!

There are 3 restaurants at AKL all of which are some of the best on property. There is a QSL near the pool (whose name escapes me at the moment) Boma and Jiko. I have never eaten at the QSL before so I won't be much help there but I have been to Jiko and Boma's several times.

Boma is a breakfast and dinner buffet and IMHO it is the best buffet in all of WDW. There are many African inspired dishes for both breakfast and dinner as well as your traditional fare plus many kid friendly items. They also have a desert called a Zebra Dome that is slap your grand-mama down good.

Jiko is very high end dinning with dishes you wont find anywhere else on property. As with all Disney restaurants there is stuff that the kids will like as well and if the menu seems a little far out they will modify things to your taste. If you get a chance dine at the appetizer cooking station. You will get to talk to the chefs that are making the appetizers and they can really help you with your dinner choices.

 

[slappy magoo]

The food court is called Mara, BTW.

I agree that Boma is one of the best places to eat on property. Certainly one of the best buffets. The food isn't that exotic. It's more like familiar ingredients spiced a little differently than what you might be familiar with. A carving station with beef and fish, maybe poultry. Really tasty roasted chicken (not carved, but already quartered). And the kids' buffet table has the familiar chicken fingers and generic pizza and (usually) ridiculously creamy mac and cheese. The brownies are great. The soups usually have one thing that's kinda familiar.

Never ate at Jiko, but last time I read Ehrlinger's Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, it had a 90+% approval rating. And if you're unfamiliar with that guide, the ratings come from readers who ate there and took the time to send in a rating to the guide. I remember it being amongst the highest, if not THE highest, rating in the guide.

 

[isitingood]

We are going to WDW in late September and planning on staying at the AKL. I have heard some great things, but I have also heard that it is very far from everything and the bus rides can get crazy?! We reserved a savannah view room, is there any one area in the hotel with better views (upstairs, downstairs), but not too far a hike from everywhere else in the hotel? Help!

Also - Last time we visited we got the DDP and Loved it!! Any suggestions for some great restaurants as we will be getting it again this year!

Thanks for the help!!

Don't worry about it you will have a blast:wave:

 

[davewasbaloo]

You will love AKL, espcially with little ones. We stayed for 11 days in November/December and fell in love. For more in depth info, please see our trip reports (still a work in progress)

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=129910

With AKL, there are some sacrifices. Either great Animal views with a long walk or being close to the pools, lobby and restaurants. It seems like you can't have both.

We were in room 5555 deluxe Savannah view (though 4555 would be similar). The room was awesome as it was the same side as the pools and restaurants, and near the feeding gates, so one day we had as many as 23 animals outside. And at night, we could see Wishes at the MK and some of Illuminations at Epcot. But it was a walk to everything.

But we found the public viewing areas near the front of the hotel did not seem to have anywhere near as many animals.

As for the restaurants, they are great. We are seasoned Disney travellers around the globe, and Mara is one of the best counter service restaurants Disney has. Boma is a fantastic buffet, our favorite - better than any at DL, WDW or DLP in our opinion. We would have liked to try Jiko, but with the kids, it didn't work out. But I hear rave reviews. And the pool is awesome.

We hated the buses however. I don't want to sound snooty, we use buses in London and park and rides all the time in the UK, we used them at Port Orleans Riverside in 2000, and we use them all the time at DLP. AKL had the worst bus service I have ever encountered anywhere (see my trip report for more info). That may be an issue. Certainly, we started using cabs in the end, and when we stay here again, we will rent a car.

 

[davewasbaloo]

As for restaurant choices, dining is a big part of Disney experience. We recommend:

MK:

Table Service - Crystal Palace, Liberty Tree Tavern

Counter Service - Dole Whip Bar, Casey's Corner

Epcot:

Table Service: Le Cellier, Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki, Alfredo's, Biergarten, Nine Dragons, San Angel - Restaurant Marrekech is fun, but the food is our least fav.

Counter Service: Sunshine Seasons in the Land, Yakatori House, Cantina de San Angel

MGM:

Table Service - Brown Derby, 50's Prime Time, Sci Fi Dine In

Counter - Backlot Cafe

DAK

Table Service- Rain Forest Cafe
Counter - Flame Tree BBQ or Tusker House (two of the best counter services in WDW)

DTD - House of Blues, Wolfgang Pucks

Hotels in order of favorites: California Grill, Victoria and Albert's, Artist Point, Boma, Whispering Canyon, Yacht Club Steakhouse, Citrico's, O'Hana, Beaches and Cream, Concourse Steakhouse, Chef Mickey's

Best CS at hotels - The Mara - AKL, Capt Cooks - Polynesian.

Have a great time.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

AKL is my favorite resort also. I've stayed there 5 times and in various room views. I have had savannah, pool view, deluxe savannah and concierge rooms. My most recent trip was in early Dec. We stayed on the concierge level.

Jiko is one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. We love Boma for breakfast. The smell of the fire pit that wafts through the lodge is a warm welcome to us when we stay there.

The resort is the furthest away from everything, but that doesn't bother us. We just plan accordingly and add 10-15 extra minutes to leave earlier and everything works our fine.

Definately get your dining set up at the 180 day mark. You don't want to run into having your favorite restaurants booked up by waiting too long to make them.

Good luck and have a wonderful trip!

Pam

 

[barnum42]

AKL (as with all top of the range resorts) is out of my price range - but I made several visits to dine there and take in the atmosphere on my last trip. I did not find it far out of the way.

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

My Sister stayed at the AKL twice and swears by it and never complained about the bus rides taking too long and trust me, my Sister would complain if there were a problem

As for Restaurants..my brief list off the top of my head would be:

MK - Tony's, Cosmic Ray's
MGM- 50's Prime Time, Sci Fi Drive In, Mama Melrose's, ABC Commissary
Epcot - Coral Reef, San Angel Inn (Mexico) and the sit-down restaurant in Italy (the name escapes me..sorry)
AK- Flame Tree Barbecue (follow the path behind the restaurant and you can eat by the water)
DTD - Planet Hollywood and Rainforest Cafe are the only two I've eaten at in the DTD
Polynesian- 'Ohana (one of my favorites!!!)

 

[jessnic95]

I can't thank everyone enough for all the helpful advice!! You all have given me lots to think about and I can't wait to eat at all the fantastic restaurants! I can't say enough for the DDP - it enables visitors to have GREAT meals affordably. Thanks again for all the help!!

 

[hokielutz]

We made our first stay at the AKL this past December. The theming and decorations really took our breath away. When we save up enough money.... we'd do it again.

We also had the Arusha Savannah view room. Let me say that we saw plenty of giraffes, zebras, and other amusing animals out there. It was relaxing to sit on the balcony and watch them in the early mornings and afternoons.

I would not say that it is too far out. It doesn't have the proximity of the PO, Poly, and CB resorts... but its part of the experience. Now personally... I'll take the bus to the MK from AKL. Just because I don't want to drive to the TTC.... then walk and wait in line to get on another mode of transportation to the MK. Bus drops you off right at the front with no fuss. I would drive to the Studios, Downtown, and Epcot because you can park so close to the gates if you get there early enough.

 

[Stellajack]

re: Animal Kingdom Lodge

We are going to WDW in late September and planning on staying at the AKL. I have heard some great things, but I have also heard that it is very far from everything and the bus rides can get crazy?! We reserved a savannah view room, is there any one area in the hotel with better views (upstairs, downstairs), but not too far a hike from everywhere?

jessnic95, this is a great resort. Have stayed twice, with Arusha savanna views on the 2nd floor (one floor below lobby). With so many observation areas in this resort, you can't go wrong, no matter where you stay. Boma's is great! On both our visits, bus service was outstanding, never any standing on the bus, no long waits and usually we went straight to our park. Go ahead and have a wonderful time!