PLEASE HELP!!! Agonising over Animal Kingdom Lodge

[loconnor]

We are just about to spend a small fortune on a first time trip to Disney US and would like to stay in the Animal Kingdom Lodge but believe there is building work going on.


We plan to book a Savannah view room but cannot get ANY information other than we will see building work and there will be noise between 9-5.

We don't mind a bit of building work on view and plan to be out most of the day...but will the animals still come near the rooms, will it be unbearably noisy or dusty - does anyone know, has anyone stayed there between 1 April 2007 and now??

Any info will be MUCH appreciated

 

[maelstrom]

They say that it won't really affect people and that the animals will get used to the noise and come near it. But that's only what I've heard.

We have five nights booked at AKL next month before we move over to the Polynesian. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Master Yoda]

I would not worry. Disney has taken hiding construction to an art form. Unlike may places that will just let the dust fly Disney is very careful to keep construction behind the scenes and away from guest areas. Chances are you will barley notice it.

 

[Sloan]

there's a good chance it won't affect you at all

The Animal Kingdom Lodge is so vast that I think there is a very good chance that you will be so far away from the construction work that it will not have any impact on you at all. I have not been there since the work actually started, but I understand that the addition of the Vacation Club villas is limited to one 'end' or part of the Lodge - so I would not be TOO worried - even if there is a bit of work going on in your area, the Lodge is so spectacular, I think it will be worth it

 

[DisneyMusician2]

Definately go for it. If you are concerned, split your stay between another deluxe hotel. That is always a fun experience, and Disney will move your stuff for you on the change.

 

[maelstrom]

I would not worry. Disney has taken hiding construction to an art form. Unlike may places that will just let the dust fly Disney is very careful to keep construction behind the scenes and away from guest areas. Chances are you will barley notice it.

:ROFLOL:

When we stayed at the Polynesian in 2003, we had a great corner room on the third floor in Fiji, facing the Wedding Pavilion and it had a very partial lagoon view; overall great room & view. We could also see & hear the construction on Tuvalu daily; construction equipment and power tools, and not to mention the extremely loud yelling of the workers themselves at the crack of dawn every morning (we don't get up that early on vacation, hence the vacation) that woke me up everyday. So they are not always so awesome at hiding construction. If they are renovating rooms in the main AKL building, and you happen to be staying below one of those rooms they're renovating, you WILL hear something. I just have no idea whether or not the construction will be going on while the OP is there; I think it is scheduled to be completed rather soon.

 

[mraw]

I'm concerned about the construction as well. I'll be there the week leading up to Mother's Day and I am wondering if it will be a nuisance. That's proabbly how I ended up with a decent rate ($174 a night). Has construction begun?

 

[MPitzen]

The construction on the current part of the AKL is set to be worked on from May of 2008. This will be done in the following phases:

1. Completed July 2007 - Small section of Zebra Trail located closest to the lobby and dining. The will only be the section that has pool views on one side and then savannah on the other side.

2. Completed September 2007 - The remainder of the Zebra Trail.

3. Completed December 2007 - The Kudu Trail.

4. Completed May 2008 - The rest of the lodge including the Ostrich and Giraffe Trails as well as the areas by the lobby and dining.

If you have a visit during one of these projects the best thing is to just request a room at the other end of the lodge. The projects will consume the entirety of the 5th and 6th floors once completed.

Have fun, don't let a little construction scare you away. As you can see I have my honeymoon planned for September at the AKL, the construction will not be that bad. When working on the interiors of a building Disney tries to accomodate others as efficiently as possible.

 

[pacochran]

I wouldn't worry about it, as others have said I'm sure the animals will get use to the noise. Though they won't guarentee see if you can get a room overlooking Arusha Savanna or the Uzima Savanna as those two are away from where most of the heavy construction (the new building) will be taking place. We overlooked the Arusha Savanna which the lodge surrounds and we could here some construction going on somewhere (last November) and we still saw tons of animals.

Go and have fun.

 

[Goontoe]

I was at the AKL last week for dinner and it was very nice. From the balcony we saw at least 3 giraffes and several zebra near the lodge. I didn't hear or see any work going on (but it was around 5:00pm when we arrived).

Hope that helps.

 

[Philo]

I was a bit worried about this too. We are going to WDW 14-25 April 2008 for our honeymoon. We knew there was going to be some work going on but we figured that it wouldn't be that bad. After all, disney will hide the construction and they are bound to be considerate to guest comfort.

We have booked half our stay at WL too (but not specifically because of construction) so we know half the stay will be dust free!