Hi there,
Well, we just got back fro mthe world, and there is tons to share. This may be a different kind of report than people are used to. I am only going to give the High's and low's of each area that we visited, no day to day details, you guys don't need to know when we slept, went to the Bathroom etc...
OK
First Section
Animal Kingdom Lodge
First word out of my mouth was...........WOW!! What a beautiful place. Disney did a verygood job with the look of this resort. My family and I had only previously stayed at all star resorts, so this was a HUGE jump in atmosphere.
The Lobby makes this hotel, HUGE and cavernous with a real feel of being somewhere special. The lobby is big enough as well that it doesn't feel crowded even when it is.
The staff here is wonderful, very nice and courteous, really trying to bend over backwards to make you happy.
Had a pool view room which was not bad at all, we are not room dwellers really, and it would have been a waste of money to stay in a savannah view room. The room itslef was GORGEOUS, all handcarved wood and all. Could have had more light, but during the day was bright enough. Bathroom was a bit small for a deluxe resort I thought, but otherwise ok. The balcony was great, it felt very private. The room itself was soundproofed very well, I heard NOTHING from anyone else. Very Nice. The decor is excellent, and I liked the hidden mickeys in the wallpaper in the bathroom. Room service was wonderful, but pricey, you can get the same food by walking downstairs to the food court. Maid service was good, there was only one day that we came home around 3:00 and it wasn't cleaned yet. I called down to the front desk and some one was there within 5 minutes.
Pool was great, but not heated, it was a bit chilly on some of the nights, it got down to like 55 one night, and it would have been nice to have had a heated pool.
Mara, which is the food court, was excellent. I loved the fact that you ordered your food then sat down and they brought it to you. Very quick fast service. Good variety of foods as well. Price was ok, we ate here about four times I believe.
Boma the mid scale restauraunt was great. Loved thier meats and desserts, I passed on the vegetables and more African tasting foods, just not to my taste. A bit pricey here as well, so if you don't like a wide variety of food, don't eat here. My father is one of these people and he did not enjpy the restaurant as much as we did. So be advised that this is an ecclectic sort of restaurant.
Did not try Jiko, the upscale restaurant, but it looked lovely in decor, I am not one for fancy food, and the price was steep in my opinion.
The savannahs were cool, but animals pick when they are out, so it was spotty, and we just did not want to sit and wait for them. It is a great touch though and you could be walking by and all of a sudden see a giraffe or zebra, and that is very cool. It is not something that I would want to pay for however, so you need to decide if this improtant to you. We are park people, so we don't spend a lot of time in the room.
Transportation here was good for the most part, it really isn't related to the hotel, but we only had to wait once in the hwole 11 days for a bus, and we may hvae had like three crowded busses. There was only one sticky point which I will get into when I do my epcot report.
The gift shop was nice, but again pricey. I wonder if the rates here are higher because of the level of people they believe they get. We got milk and essentials here when we needed them. Big variety of safari and animal kingdom related stuff.
Other guests were simply awesome here for some reason. I have a little thoery I want to share about this. This was the first time I was in Disney where people got up out of thier seats on the bus, where they let other people go in front of them in line, where if the elevator was full they didnt try to press thier way in, where if thier kids were splashing you in the pool, they told them to stop. In short, people were polite and considerate of other people at this resort.
Here is the theory: I have stayed at the all stars several times now because frankly I dont make a lot of money, as you know I am a pastor and we arent in this job for the cash. People that stay in all star seem to be wanting to seize thier Disney expereince, rather than letting it happen naturally, and if that means that they will push everyone else out of the way so that they can grab thier experience, so be it. I don't know if this is because it costs so much, that people are afraid to lose out on something that Disney has to offer if someone else has gotten ahead of them. I like the all star hotel itslef, i truly dislike having to deal with the people and attitudes, I do lovethem but I find my pastoral patience tried by people who think that thier children and thier families are way more important than anyone else in the whole of Disney World. People in the AKL seemed to be relaxed, not concerned with seizing thier expereince. I am that kind of person, I am not goign to rush around trying to push to the front to get in front of other people.
END OF FIRST SECTION
Well, we just got back fro mthe world, and there is tons to share. This may be a different kind of report than people are used to. I am only going to give the High's and low's of each area that we visited, no day to day details, you guys don't need to know when we slept, went to the Bathroom etc...
OK
First Section
Animal Kingdom Lodge
First word out of my mouth was...........WOW!! What a beautiful place. Disney did a verygood job with the look of this resort. My family and I had only previously stayed at all star resorts, so this was a HUGE jump in atmosphere.
The Lobby makes this hotel, HUGE and cavernous with a real feel of being somewhere special. The lobby is big enough as well that it doesn't feel crowded even when it is.
The staff here is wonderful, very nice and courteous, really trying to bend over backwards to make you happy.
Had a pool view room which was not bad at all, we are not room dwellers really, and it would have been a waste of money to stay in a savannah view room. The room itslef was GORGEOUS, all handcarved wood and all. Could have had more light, but during the day was bright enough. Bathroom was a bit small for a deluxe resort I thought, but otherwise ok. The balcony was great, it felt very private. The room itself was soundproofed very well, I heard NOTHING from anyone else. Very Nice. The decor is excellent, and I liked the hidden mickeys in the wallpaper in the bathroom. Room service was wonderful, but pricey, you can get the same food by walking downstairs to the food court. Maid service was good, there was only one day that we came home around 3:00 and it wasn't cleaned yet. I called down to the front desk and some one was there within 5 minutes.
Pool was great, but not heated, it was a bit chilly on some of the nights, it got down to like 55 one night, and it would have been nice to have had a heated pool.
Mara, which is the food court, was excellent. I loved the fact that you ordered your food then sat down and they brought it to you. Very quick fast service. Good variety of foods as well. Price was ok, we ate here about four times I believe.
Boma the mid scale restauraunt was great. Loved thier meats and desserts, I passed on the vegetables and more African tasting foods, just not to my taste. A bit pricey here as well, so if you don't like a wide variety of food, don't eat here. My father is one of these people and he did not enjpy the restaurant as much as we did. So be advised that this is an ecclectic sort of restaurant.
Did not try Jiko, the upscale restaurant, but it looked lovely in decor, I am not one for fancy food, and the price was steep in my opinion.
The savannahs were cool, but animals pick when they are out, so it was spotty, and we just did not want to sit and wait for them. It is a great touch though and you could be walking by and all of a sudden see a giraffe or zebra, and that is very cool. It is not something that I would want to pay for however, so you need to decide if this improtant to you. We are park people, so we don't spend a lot of time in the room.
Transportation here was good for the most part, it really isn't related to the hotel, but we only had to wait once in the hwole 11 days for a bus, and we may hvae had like three crowded busses. There was only one sticky point which I will get into when I do my epcot report.
The gift shop was nice, but again pricey. I wonder if the rates here are higher because of the level of people they believe they get. We got milk and essentials here when we needed them. Big variety of safari and animal kingdom related stuff.
Other guests were simply awesome here for some reason. I have a little thoery I want to share about this. This was the first time I was in Disney where people got up out of thier seats on the bus, where they let other people go in front of them in line, where if the elevator was full they didnt try to press thier way in, where if thier kids were splashing you in the pool, they told them to stop. In short, people were polite and considerate of other people at this resort.
Here is the theory: I have stayed at the all stars several times now because frankly I dont make a lot of money, as you know I am a pastor and we arent in this job for the cash. People that stay in all star seem to be wanting to seize thier Disney expereince, rather than letting it happen naturally, and if that means that they will push everyone else out of the way so that they can grab thier experience, so be it. I don't know if this is because it costs so much, that people are afraid to lose out on something that Disney has to offer if someone else has gotten ahead of them. I like the all star hotel itslef, i truly dislike having to deal with the people and attitudes, I do lovethem but I find my pastoral patience tried by people who think that thier children and thier families are way more important than anyone else in the whole of Disney World. People in the AKL seemed to be relaxed, not concerned with seizing thier expereince. I am that kind of person, I am not goign to rush around trying to push to the front to get in front of other people.
END OF FIRST SECTION
