What You Think About AKL

[splitdrums81]

I am going to be going to Animal Kingdom Lodge This year. Our first year going here. Previous 3 stays were at Villas at Wilderness Lodge and the 11 stays before that were at Polynesian. Would just like to see what you have to say bout rooms/restaurants/etc. Thanks

 

[darrin933]

It Is Very Nice,the Pool Is Huge, Great Theme. But It Is Far Away From Everything,it Seems To Me That The Rooms Are Small For A Deluxe Resort. Get A Savannah View It Is Very Cool

 

[steveNJ]

Just got back on Sat from a week at AKL. Overall we loved it. Savannah view is a must. Room was nice (it was definitely smaller then a regular room at the Poly, I think the deluxe rooms are bigger though).
I will agree it did seem far away from everything (except AK). It seemed we spent way to much time traveling (as opposed to when we stayed at the Poly everything seemed so close and easy to get to).
With the reservations for food we had on some days ,we lost hours (over the whole week) traveling to make the reservations on time and even then we were late sometimes.

 

[barnum42]

Never had the cash to stay there, but love visiting. The place looks great. Boma restaurant is fantastic and when you stop by the counter service place, be sure to try the African Stew.

Enjoy

 

[lebeau]

The only time we ever stayed on property was at AKL, so I have very little frame of reference. But we loved it.

 

[dumboflyer]

One word: Boma!

 

[wishiwere@wdw]

We had a love/hate visit just 2 months ago.

The place is AMAZING to look at. The theme is simply amazing. The pool area was nice as well.

However, those staying in the further away wings have a VERY long walk to the busses. Then, it seemed like it just took forever to get anywhere. We seemed to spend more time traveling than we would while staying at any moderate.

The counter service food isn't as good as many moderates if you have kids (smaller selection) but the sit-downs were obviously some of the best on property. And the rooms were rather small for the price.

If you like African artwork and music and enjoy the animals, this is the place to stay. Just be sure to get a savannah view room near the bus stop and be prepared for longer than normal drives

 

[crazycalf]

It is my favorite resort.

If you are taking disney busses the travel time is not that much more than other resorts whose busses stop at multiple resorts. I didn't have a problem with the driving times with a rental car either.

 

[mikeanabean]

This place is nice and you must get a Savanah view. The only problem is that is out in the middle of no where and the buses are slow plus you have to walk the "Disney Mile" to get your room. When we stayed they discounted the room soooooo much we could not pass it up and where able to afford the Grand plan back in 2001. It is nice to stay there @ least once.

 

[lawyergirl77]

I've said this in countless threads now, but I still maintain that the transportation from the AKL to anywhere else on property is among the best. I've stayed at both the WL and the Poly and I found the bus transport to be pretty terrible at both, and the water launches to the MK from the WL can sometimes be horrendously timed!!

That being said, I do love all three resorts... I just think that the "distance" argument is somewhat misleading when it comes to the MK resorts. Yes, they're close to the MK, but they can be far from almost everything else!

And I know what everyone says about walking the "Disney Mile" back to your room - DH and I were staying in a room last Sept that was at the END of the Kudu trail. It was a long hike, but we got used to it (and certainly didn't complain about the savannah view upgrade that came with the hike!! :lol: )

 

[robynchic]

My parents are going to stay there for a couple days before they pick me up from the complex I'm staying at for work. They told me that if I don't have a terribly late shift, and have all my stuff packed the night before, that I can spend the night there the day before I leave. My mom told me she'll wake me up at dawn so I can watch the animals wake up...I feel like such a kid...

What animals do they have in the savannah?

 

[DiPSU224]

I personally loved every bit of the resort. This was the only deluxe we've stayed at though. We didn't have a problem with the distance from our room to the buses, but I think that's the luck of the draw when getting assigned rooms. Maybe you can request a room close by the main lobby when checking in? The way I see it is, you've walked probably 5+ miles during the day at the parks, what is another little walk to you room? As far as buses go, we had no problem with wait times. I think it was probably the best time we've had with buses over the past 4 years. It was the first week of December last year and crowds were thin so maybe that could have been a factor.

Out of curiosity, why did you switch to AKL after staying 11 years at the Poly?

 

[SarahBella82]

I always love AKL for the atmosphere. I've never stayed, but when I camp out at my sister's place (an hour north of Orlando), we always make a trip to lodge for an afternoon to swim, relax, and eat at Boma. Plus there's something about the smells in that lobby that draw me in. I love the atmosphere.

 

[flagen]

AKL was very good...if you can stay concierge its worth the extra money, good breakfast in the morning and great food (snacks). Only thing I didn't care for was the counter service down in Mara.

The pool is great also we went at 2 am and 11 am and also during the day. The bus transportation was very very very good as well. We had a rental car and did not really even use it.

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=AjjGkAvuJ...3235137982_q-Ynj1E7.7aWInExb6OOkGugABAA%40%40

 

[barnum42]

Only thing I didn't care for was the counter service down in Mara.

Different tastes - I loved Mara for a cheap eat, the African Stew is the best food I've tasted off a paper plate

 

[cherrynegra]

I LOVE AKL. One word, Jiko!! And now more words. I know a lot of people find the distance of the resort as a negative, but I actually see it as a positive. The remoteness from other resorts and the parks just adds to the wonderful atmosphere of the place.

I do have to agree with the previous poster who posted about the distance of the rooms from the main building. I was at the very end of one wing. The walk was a bit of a chore, but considering how much I ate at Boma, Jiko, and Mara, not to mention the parks, over the period of the trip, I didn't mind.