Pros & Cons For AKL....

[RavsRuleDisney!]

Ok, I have been pushing/nudging/prodding my DW to consider giving AKL (first time) a try on our next trip this Nov. Her two main concerns have been 1. probably 'smelly' if you know what I mean and 2. too far removed from most parks making everything more time consuming. Also heard that the rooms are a bit small. I think the theming, restaurant choices, pool are all positives.

I am not sure of the aromas of AKl but our DS' are 12 and 14 now so a little extra walking/travelling time shouldn't be too big of a deal. I think. And I've read some mixed reviews here on room size so not sure how that would effect the decision.

So help a guy out, give me - AND the DW - the good and bad regarding a stay at AKL. We have had great stays at POLY, BC, WL and POR on past trips as a point of reference.... :mickey:

[DisneyFan1979]

Just back from Kidani, and have also stayed at AKL Jambo House twice. There is no smell whatsoever from the animals, so I wouldn't be concerned about that.

We do find the buses a bit of a hassle, but that is because we have been spoiled by many, many trips staying in the Epcot resort area. One thing is that the bus only stops at the two parts of AKL and not at another hotel. I find that slows travel time down sometimes just as much as the distance of AKL from the parks.

The experience of having the animals all around the resort is so unique, I'd recommend trying it at least once.

[yankeesfan123]

The only thing I didn't like about AKL was the distance from most things, as you suggested.

"Stopping by the room" before dinner, or for whatever reason, definitely takes up (what I consider to be) quite a bit of time.

[conan617]

Stayed at AKL Jambo and loved it! Where else can you sit on your balcony and be 20 feet from a group of giraffes or zebras?
There was no smell from the animals whatsoever. The keepers and trainers are in the compound tending and feeding consistantly.
As far as spread out, let me ask you this, what WDW resort isn't spread out? I had a rental car so I didn't use the busses everyday, but I did use the busses a few times and didn't seem to wait any longer than any other resort.
I don't think you can go wrong with AKL. The positives far outnumber any negative you can think of and if nothing else tips the scales remember this - Zebra Domes are available at Boma and The Mara!

[Kenny1113]

I love the smell of AKL!!!! The aromas from BOMA are amazing. I have noticed a smell from the animals.
The theming at all is great. We did not have an issue with room size.

[Mitzie]

As you can tell by my signature AKL is one of our favorites! It is absolutely beautiful. The savannas at night are so serene. One trip we had apprx. 15 Tommie Gazelles grazing right below our balcony. We did not feel the walk to any part of the resort was that much further than other resorts and unlike Poly or POR you can stay inside or under cover for almost all of it. The hot tubs(2) are nicely situated. The foodcourt has great selections and is very convenient to the pool with a nice amount of outdoor seating. To gage it, AKL is not much further than say a trip from Poly to AK park..Room size is bigger than POR, pretty much the same as WL but much smaller than the Poly

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I understand the rooms are the same size as Wilderness Lodge so if you've enjoyed your stay there you shouldn't have a problem. We've visited this resort, I haven't noticed any bad smells:confused:

[Jen1984]

It's a beautiful resort, so certainly worth a try. Fab dining options, nice pool and lots to do if you fancy a walk around. There's certainly no animal smells at any point!

We didn't find any problems with the buses, in fact the longest bus journey we experienced (by far) was a bus to the Boardwalk/YC area from one of the parks (I can't remember which), so if you've handled those, I'd imagine you'll be fine.

Hope you enjoy wherever you stay!

[epceddie]

We stayed at Kidani Village in February and experienced some ups and downs:

PROS
We arrived around noon and our room was ready. Also, the CM who checked us in couldn't have been nicer. Very friendly and informative.
Our room was nice and close to the elevator, which we requested using online check-in.
The pool was big and beautiful and the water was always nice and warm.
We like Indian food and Sanaa was a very pleasant surprise. We even got two seats at the tiny bar afterwards and enjoyed a couple of drinks.
We were able to order room service a couple of nights when we didn't feel like going out.

CONS
Our studio on the Sunset Savannah was small and cramped. Nothing like the big, spacious studios we're used to at OKW, our DVC home resort.
Parking in the garage at Kidani Village was a daily grind. We were out most of the day and we never got a spot anywhere near the elevator when returning in the evening.
There were too many families with very young children in the rooms around us. They made a lot of noise that woke us up between 6 and 6:30a.m. It would have been nice to sleep in a little, but we ended up making coffee and sitting out on the balcony to enjoy some early-morning atmosphere and scenery.

[Dsnygirl]

We absolutely LOVE AKL!! We've been twice as a couple and once with our girls (when they were 10/13) and it is one of their absolute favorite resorts.

We find it to be just so cozy... with all the rooms in the main bldg like WL, it just feels like you have everything right there at your disposal. We didn't find the rooms to be too small... and the beds were magnificent. Our only complaint was that there is very little storage in the bathrooms (no under-the-sink shelves like many resorts) but we solved that by bringing collapsable shelves from Target and they worked perfectly to give us a place to keep hairdryers, etc.

We've never noticed an animal smell, just that the scents of Boma carry up into the lodge... but we love the food there, so it just smell delish to us all the time. ;)

And as far as rooms... we've stayed Savannah view (free upgrade) as well as pool view, and honestly?? Because you can see the animals just about everywhere, including on the walk to your room through the large glass panels along the walkways, we honestly loved our poolview room best. It was up in the trees on the 3rd floor along the Giraffe Trail rooms, and it felt like we were in a treehouse. Very romantic and cozy. (Although I guess if you're travelling with your two boys, that might not be a significant reason to choose that... ;)... we had that room on our "couple's trip". )

I agree it's a bit out of the way, but it's worth it... and like a PP said, the fact that you only go to Kidani and not other resorts is helpful. (although if I remember correctly, I think you might stop at TL...) But it's not a bad ride, and never felt like it took too long.

We just love everything about AKL... I hope you can talk your DW into trying it, I bet you'll love it!! (and don't go by how the rooms look online, if she's not impressed... they are just beautiful in person.)

Have a great trip!!

[#1donaldfan]

AKL is great !! We love it !!! There is no smell at all, excpet the awesome smell coming from BOMA'S breakfast every morning !! It can be a long walk to your room if your stuck in one of the wings, however we've been very close to the lobby too. The busses are great and very timely, and honeslty, it's realistically only a few minutes longer to any given park. The pool is incredible, the atmosphere is wonderful.....I cannot say a bad thing about the place. I love the gym to run, the food court, Boma's, the lobby, the gift shop....it all feels Disney in a big way !!!!! She will love it !!!:thumbsup:

[Davy Crockett]

Pros:
Beautifully themed inside with wonderful restaurants and of course the African wildlife all over the grounds

Cons:
In the middle of NO WHERE!!! and only one mode of transportation (BUS) The only thing close to you is the Animal Kingdom, everything else is a long bus ride away not to mention the wait to get on the bus. I would love to stay there but time is a very precious commodity at WDW and spending an hour or more a day riding a bus is not within my comfort zone.

We go over to eat at one of the restaurant most every trip, but could not do that every day. I like being more centralized and having multiple transportation options.

[RedSoxFan]

I love AKL. It is probably my favorite resort and it is DH's favorite. The bus ride did not bother me one bit. Lobby is breathtaking. Grounds are beautiful and I just love watching the animals. The giraffes are my favorite ones to watch. BOMA's is a great restaurant and just love the zebra domes. You really can't go wrong.

[DKA041177]

AKL jambo house is our absolute favorite resort. The look, smell and feel just put you at ease for relaxation. The restaurants are incredible (jiko is our favorite on property).

The biggest complaint you will have is location and time it takes to get to some of the parks. However, we are erly risers and never have a problem getting to any park before RD.

[Disnini]

We love staying at AKL. We were there last June with our 10 year old grandson. Yes, the bunk bed room was small but we were always on our balcony looking at the animals unless we were sleeping or getting ready for a park. The travel distance to the parks is not bad. The time to MK from the Epcot hotels is actually longer than from AKL. We never noticed a smell from the animals. Our grandson enjoyed every minute of our stay there. I highly recommend you try it!!

[thejens]

AKL was the first wdw resort I stayed at and I am always tempted to return. I would agree that the only negative is the distance, but most resorts are relatively far from some of the parks and a few minutes on a bus never bothers me. We also don't feel the need to have a Savannah room because the animals are visible from so many locations in the resort.

My thoughts:
Restaurants: Love Boma, Sanaa, Jambo quick service-do these menus appeal to you?
Ambiance: richly detailed, beautiful art, not as kiddy/cartoon as other resorts-this appeals to me
Pools: Kidani pool is great for little kids, I love the Jambo pool because it is so relaxing and beautiful, lots of quiet nooks in which to enjoy a drink while watching the animals or checking out the flamigo area. The hot tubs are tucked away. At night you can try the night vision goggles. This resort feels a bit more adult-not that my kids didn't love it- but it felt more relaxing than the crowded pools at Beach Club and Poly for example.
Rooms: I found the room to be pretty and comfortable, but have never really worried much about room size since we basically just sleep there.
Gift Shop: I find this to be one of the more unique gift shops with truly interesting items not found in every theme park and DTD.
Smells??? All good to me. Smoky aroma from fire pit and delicious food aromas. Everything is immaculate. Never smelled the animals even while viewing.
Staff: the staff are all disney-great, but it is really enjoyable to talk to the animal experts while viewing them.

Every resort has unique perks in my opinion. I think AKL is something special. Even if it does not become your favorite I think you should give it a try.I think it would be most enjoyable if you do plan to spend some time at the resort and not just sleep and run to the parks.

[LVT]

We tried it in May and loved Jambo, we got the savannah view and 1 or 2 of us were always on the balcony. We brought binoculars which was fun. 4 adults could have been a tight fit, but the balcony made it fine. We also use a hanger of shelves in the bathroom when we travel.
We had a car, but mostly used the bus. It was fine. It may be more distance, but the most time is actually loading and unloading the bus. Distance was a very minor point.;)