I don't even know how many times I stayed there. A lot. But never once did I have the experience of a giraffe or whatever coming up to my window, like they show in the films and like other people talk about. I'm not saying you won't, but it can easily happen that nothing comes close to you. So, there's that. You might also be put in a room that is higher up, which is a nice view of everything, but feels a little removed.
Different rooms are on different parts of the animal viewing areas, so the animals you see in one area may not necessarily be the ones you see elsewhere. If you walk the halls of the hotel, there are big windows through which you can see animals. There is also interesting artwork all over the place.
The gift shop has interesting items.
The Mara (fast food place) is pretty decent. I don't know why - maybe it is the decor - but it's my favorite of the hotel quickie places. You have to go outside and back in to get there. Not for long! But you must exit the hotel to get there.
I'm not a Boma fan because I don't like too much adventure when I eat. Even the potatoes had some kind of green, spice-like stuff on them. Also didn't like the ten-million-dollars-a-glass breakfast juice, but most people I ate breakfast with liked it a lot. Many people LOVE Boma. It was THE place to go before Le Cellier was THE place to go.
No hotel feels as inviting and relaxing at the end of a long day in the parks. The wood is nice and dark. It's big. It's solid. It just swallows up all of your stress and welcomes you back to a calm, lovely place.
The rooms are small, but other than that, the AKL is the best hotel in WDW. IMO. Hope you like it!!!
