Changed resort reservations

[Loumom23]

Hi! Delurking here. I've been reading a lot the past month and getting some good advice. We're leaving Aug. 4 for our first trip to WDW since 1989. We stayed at the CBR then and enjoyed it. I originally booked last month with the fairy tale package at the POR. It sounds very nice but I was just wanting something a bit more exotic.

Well, I changed our reservations yesterday to the AKL and I hope the extra money will be worth it. We have 3 girls, ages 16, 14, and 16 months. I'm a little concerned that the two older ones will be a bit bored there. Also, I've read some poor reviews of Mara. If anyone has recently been there, can you give me some advice for the older ones and let me know if things have improved at Mara?

By the way, I read this morning that one of the giraffes at the Animal Kingdom was killed Monday by lightning.

Lynn

 

[BRER STITCH]

Hi LOUMOM23!!! :wave:

I just spent the past 5 days at AKL and can safely say the girls will LOVE IT!

RELAX! The MARA food court is wonderful! I especially recommend the Individual Pizzas and the Chicken Fingers!
They also have a large assortment of salads, desserts, sandwiches, fruit, etc. in the takeout cooler.

Give your teens some credit! If they get bored at a Disney Resort, let alone the Animal Kingdom Lodge, there is little hope for them anywhere else! :lol:

The pool is great, there is a nice game room, there are countless viewing areas to watch the animals, and almost continuous educational and/or story presentations by the Afrcian Cast Members about their country and the Lodge,

The AKL also has the largest African art collection outside of Africa!
They'll have fun exploring all over the Resort, both inside AND out!

Truth be told, when you go to WDW with kids, you spend very little time in the resort anyway. While you are there, however, you will find it both beautiful and relaxing!

HAVE FUN!

:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[disneydudette]

ok this will be a good/bad post...

when it comes to teens in the AKL...sometimes it can be a good thing or bad thing...
mainly because there isn't much for them to do...and since its near nothing...they can't take a boat/walk to any entertainment...and to add on to that there is no water activities/ quiet pool/ decent slide...

Now don't get me wrong...AKL is fantastic...but my younger family members hated it...because the pool would be packed, the slide was slow...and there was nothing there for them to do...
at least at POR...if they got bored...whch didn't ever happen...they could take the boat to DTD and hit Disney Quest or the shops...my parents trusted them on the boat...rather then taking a bus? Don't know why on that one...ok I'm drifting..sorry
AKL does offer a bus...but buses to DTD can be on and off...you can wait 10 mins or an hour...with the boat..it was rather consistant

The animals are great...but if you don't have a savanah room...then you have to walk the paths...which is hot and boring once you've already done that....unless you really love the animals...
The pool was ok...but not at all fun for teens...it was rather boring...and lacked theming...and looked just like a waterhole...which I guess is theming...but the slide was slow...and since there was only one pool...everyone was there and it was packed....

I will say MARA has excellent food...and is like no other food court in Disney qualitiy wise...

personally....our family would stay at a WL or even a moderate before booking at the AKL...mainly due to the lack of activities though...and not the over-all resort....

ok...I didn't mean to flame the AKL...but I was just being honest