tips for AKL?

[suburbianj]

hi,

was just wondering if anyone had any tips for animal kingdom lodges as we have booked to stay next September,usually we stay at port Orleans riverside with the free quick service dining,however this year when i was pricing it up,(we stay in Scotland) it was only a couple of hundred pounds more to stay at AKL and with that you get the next level dining plan included free which i thought was a cracking deal,also got a $200 Disney giftcard thrown in for good measure! How do US deals compare to what the UK gets offered as i have tried pricing it up myself through US channels and it always come back a hell of alot more expensive!

on a seperate note,are the food options good at AKL for someone that only likes plain boring run of the mill foods.....*COUGH*...... my wife,shes not one for trying foreign cuisines lol ? Thanks for any tips or advice!

 

[jpittore1]

Boma, Jiko and Sanaa ( a four minute walk to Kidani Village) are three of the best resort restaurants at Disney World. It's the reason we bought into AKL for the vacation club.

The servers will help you if you're picky, but I'm very confident you will be thrilled with the dining.

 

[dreamfinder]

All the food at AKL is good. Sanaa is Indian inspired, so naan, curries, etc. Boma is the buffet, but has plenty of options that are fairly common, but then also does mix in some African flavors, but nothing that is going to completely blow your palate. Jiko is upscale, great food on the higher end, with some great wine pairings. Even The Mara, the CS location, outside of maybe having tomatoes on the African breakfast platter, nothing that strange. And at any of them, even if the name is unique, odds are the food isn't that different from something you are already familiar with.

Always remember that WDW caters to kids, and the families that bring them. Outside of V&A, pretty much every restaurant will have some bland safe options like chicken nuggets, plain pasta, etc.

 

[suburbianj]

thanks for the advice, it was a hard choice deciding between port Orleans and trying out AKL for the first time, but we have been to port Orleans three times and love the place to bits, but we ended up deciding to try somewhere new! is it true that you can see the animals from the dining area? it played a big part in making the decision to choose there so our two kids ( 4 and 1) can see the animals, but to see them every morning at breakfast will just be a dream come true for them

 

[Tuvalu]

thanks for the advice, it was a hard choice deciding between port Orleans and trying out AKL for the first time, but we have been to port Orleans three times and love the place to bits, but we ended up deciding to try somewhere new! is it true that you can see the animals from the dining area? it played a big part in making the decision to choose there so our two kids ( 4 and 1) can see the animals, but to see them every morning at breakfast will just be a dream come true for them

You cannot see any animals from the Mara (the quick serve location at Jambo) or Boma or Jiko. You can see animals from Sanaa (the table service restaurant at Kidani).

If course, if you have a savanna view room you can eat your breakfast on the balcony and watch the animals.

 

[suburbianj]

didn't pay for the upgrade,however have been told by a couple of folk they usually give free upgrades if occupancy levels are lower.....is that something that happens much?the in-laws are coming with us too and it is there 40th wedding anniversary next year,will mentioning that help at all?lol,love a freebie

 

[Tuvalu]

YES mention the anniversary!! The majority of the rooms have savanna views, so even if you did not pay for an upgrade you have a decent chance of receiving one.

 

[suburbianj]

i bet there are folk out there that make up anniversaries or birthdays to try get upgrades lol

 

[wdisney9000]

We stayed at AKL for the first time last year. We have been back twice already. It's great. Extremely relaxing resort, great food, awesome decor, and coffee in the morning on your balcony while watching the animals is a great way to start the day. Your gonna love it. Bus rides are a bit longer but worth it for the peace and quiet the resort offers.

 

[dreamfinder]

didn't pay for the upgrade,however have been told by a couple of folk they usually give free upgrades if occupancy levels are lower.....is that something that happens much?the in-laws are coming with us too and it is there 40th wedding anniversary next year,will mentioning that help at all?lol,love a freebie

Free upgrades are few and far between, especially if the CM thinks you are fishing for one. Most of the rooms have some sort of savannah view, even if they aren't classified as such. There are plenty of rooms that simply don't have optimal views, but instead overlook animal barns and the like, so they simply don't classify them as such.