Is AKL worth it?

[actioncookbook]

Hey all.

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I am thinking of booking a last minute trip with FL resident discount to AKL. 3 days/ 2 nights. Split between the paying parties I am looking at $205 for the whole thing. My question to you all: Is this worth it?

Considering that it is summer and the parks should be crowded, I have never stayed at a Deluxe before, and this will be my last trip with my long time girlfriend before I move to take a new job for the year.

Thanks for all your input! :wave:

 

[Master Yoda]

If you are getting a Savannah view room I would say yes without any hesitation. If you are looking at a standard view I would explore Wilderness Lodge as an option especially if you plan on spending a fair amount of time at Magic Kingdom.

 

[coachwnh]

Just stayed at AKL for 8 days. Loved it. I wouldn't have a problem staying again. I was always afraid it was so far from everything but transportation was never an issue. Had a great time.

 

[dreamfinder]

We love AKL. The theming is great, and my DW enjoys just spending time sitting on the various porches watching the animals. We also really like the food options at AKL. BUT if you don't like the food onsite, and don't like to animal watch (either from your own deck or public deck if you have a standard view) then it's really no different than WL and as Yoda said, WL is much more convenient for MK.

 

[actioncookbook]

I looked into WL and it is a solid $100 more. Unfortunately, there is no Savannah rooms available. We do enjoy seeing the animals though. It's something I get to experience everyday with my full time job at Busch Gardens but definitely something I will miss about that place when I leave in a few weeks.

So I'm leaning toward AKL. Unless anyone can throw out a huge con like rooms come infected with the plague. :ROFLOL:

 

[Master Yoda]

I looked into WL and it is a solid $100 more. Unfortunately, there is no Savannah rooms available. We do enjoy seeing the animals though. It's something I get to experience everyday with my full time job at Busch Gardens but definitely something I will miss about that place when I leave in a few weeks.

So I'm leaning toward AKL. Unless anyone can throw out a huge con like rooms come infected with the plague. :ROFLOL:

Awww. A little black death never hurt anyone. :lol:

I would stick with AKL. The resort itself is beautiful and the dining options are among the most unique on property.

 

[actioncookbook]

Awesome!

One final question: Someone mentioned transportation. How often do the buses make it there?

 

[Master Yoda]

Awesome!

One final question: Someone mentioned transportation. How often do the buses make it there?

Buses run about 20 minutes apart. General rule of thumb is you want to predict for an hour to get anywhere on property. When you factor in wait and travel time the one hour time frame is a pretty conservative estimate. Most of the time it will be less.

 

[SleepingMonk]

Even if they don't have the full "arusha" savanna view rooms available you can ask when you check-in for something in the outer wings that have smaller sections of animals just outside your balcony.

I can't remember what they call these now, but get to check-in early and push for the best view possible.


Something in the "sunset" or "uzima" sections....

 

[actioncookbook]

Buses run about 20 minutes apart. General rule of thumb is you want to predict for an hour to get anywhere on property. When you factor in wait and travel time the one hour time frame is a pretty conservative estimate. Most of the time it will be less.

Great thanks for the help! I'll be booking my trip soon as the website stops having issues. :brick:

 

[KaneMarko]

We stayed at AKL for the first time last December/November (first time in a Deluxe). We LOVED it. We stayed at Jambo House. We did not have a savannah view but the the entire resort was amazing. The savannah view rooms are very nice but there are plenty of places around the resort to view the wildlife. The decor/theme was spectacular. The food was very delcious and offers a good number of options for your budget.

The one con I will say about staying at Jambo House (and it wasn't a super huge deal) was the busing to and from the parks. ALK is the furthest away from MK and EPCOT (but right around the corner from Animal Kingdom). When we were there it did seem to take a little longer for the buses to get to us at the part and at the resort. And they always seemed to pick up/drop off at Kidani Village before Jambo House.

But other than the busing, which again wasn't a huge deal for us, AKL is pretty spectacular and worth the stay.

 

[Stevek]

Totally worth it to stay there at least once, especially if it's your first trip and you have kids. That being said, the second trip we stayed at Pop Century as we spent so little time in the rooms that we couldn't rationalize spending the extra money. Especially with the room rates being quite a bit higher at AKL the second time around.

 

[BigRedDad]

I love AKL. However, Savannah room views are drastically different depending on where they put you. The reason I say this is we spent 4 days looking out a window to dust and mud. There was one Ankole that appeared to be tied to a tree because nothing else came over there except around 5PM when it was giraffe feeding time.

I think AKL needs to declare differences in Savannah views before booking it. I don't complain often unless it hits my bank account significantly. The $400 extra for the 4 days brought me no value and our parking lot view was 100x better for the last night there.

I simply recommend caution with the Savannah views.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

AKL is my home resort for DVC and I really do enjoy it there. Even without a Savannah view room the resort is great. As I tell everyone though, the "worth" question is completely in the eye of the beholder. As with any deluxe resort, you need to decide if the extra money you will be spending for amenities will make sense. If you think that you are going to use what the resort offers in terms of pool, relaxing near the savannah, dining, etc then go for it. If you think you are going to be in the park from sunup to sundown, then you might want to consider downgrading and saving the money for something else.

One thing I want to touch on is the transportation, which you questioned. I find that more often that not, AKL gets a bad rep when it comes to the buses. Having stayed there and experienced first hand I found the bus service to be the best of all the deluxe resorts. The buses come frequently (usually much faster than Disney's promised 20 min) and since there are only 2 resorts close together at the resort you don't spend a lot of time. From getting on the bus at Kidani to the MK took me a total of 15 minutes usually...which is probably shorter than the loop that you have to make at the Epcot resorts to get to the same place.

 

[Poofiesdream]

Stayed there in May. We had a Savannah view room club level. We saw lots of animals!! There are also other viewing areas to see the animals from if you do not have the Savannah view. No problem with buses. They came every 15 to 20 minutes. I would not do club level again not worth the extra dollars but would stay there again for sure. The food court has a limited menu too.

 

[durangojim]

We took our kids there for the first time in May and stayed in an Arusha savannah view for two nights and had a great time. We were able to get the AP rate on the room. I would go back and stay 3 nights next time before transferring to another hotel, but I wouldn't stay there in a standard or pool view room and I wouldn't stay in a savannah room if I didn't have a good discount. Great hotel, wonderful theming, but too far away from evertything else for me to want to stay there for more than 3 nights.

 

[CaptainShortty]

I looked into WL and it is a solid $100 more. Unfortunately, there is no Savannah rooms available. We do enjoy seeing the animals though. It's something I get to experience everyday with my full time job at Busch Gardens but definitely something I will miss about that place when I leave in a few weeks.

So I'm leaning toward AKL. Unless anyone can throw out a huge con like rooms come infected with the plague. :ROFLOL:

I love AKL (Although I admit I'm a bit biased) but I don't think the Arusha room is worth the money. If you MUST have Savannah room, ask for sunset...In my opinion it's much nicer than the Arusha and the animals always seem to be more lively there (Sunset is the one that backs up on Kidani Village, so you know). Truly though, I'd save the money and book a pool view room and request an upper floor (aka anything but the first floor) the pool is pretty and you have a fun view from your window. You're also close to the lobby, pool (obviously), food and just about everything you'd need. The resort is very big so you could wind up very far away with a standard/savannah room. Pool rooms you won't most of the time. Just my two cents. If you've got any questions about the resort, let me know. Happy Planning!! =)

 

[worldofsounds]

I always stay at the AKL on my vacations for 2 reasons: 1 - I love their restaurant options. Jiko, Boma, and Sanaa are the most unique restaurants in WDW. 2 - The pool at Jambo house is the biggest of all the theme parks and it's opened 24 hours. If the Savannah views are all booked, you can always book a room overlooking the pool for not much more than what you would pay for a parking lot view.

 

[moonchild925]

This is my home resort as well and i think it is amazing! The food is the best on property and you still see plenty of animals whether or no you have a savanna view bc the public overlooks tend to draw you in as you're coming and going. Also the somewhat darker lighting and theme makes it one of the more romantic places for couples. Have an awesome trip!

 

[Frau Farbissina]

I think that AKL has the best theming on property and this is one of my favorite resorts. The buses however, are about on the level of the All Stars.