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I am trying to plan for Aug 2011 stay at AKL.
For those who have stayed on the club level at AKL, how was it?
Did you take the Sunrise or Sunset safari tours? How were they? Are there any age restrictions? My DD will be 11 on that trip.
Did you have the DDP or is it just too much food with the DDP? What are the offerings like?
Thanks
http://www.intercot.com/discussion/s...d.php?t=173741
see first reply in this link for offerings.
Wife and I really enjoyed it. The Safari is really cool, got to get to bed early for this one though. The lounge is great, food of from JIKO and BOMA and there is plenty. My favorite was the lamb on a stick. We ate in the lounge the entire week end! Really! They give you water to take into the parks, juice, beer and awesome cordials and dessert each night. We loved the zebra domes. Spend the extra and do this at least once. Check in is with a private concierge upstairs in the lounge too. I can't wait to do it again. Register for the Safari at checkin, it fills up fast.:thumbsup:
I had the DDP during my club level stay at AKL. The food is really good in the lounge but, other than breakfast, it is just nibbles and not enough to replace lunch or dinner. The coffee machine is worth the price of the upgrade, if you don't partake in anything else.
It isn't in any of the club information but if you go during the day when there aren't adult beverages on display, you can knock softly on the door directly behind the counter and request whatever you like. :thumbsup: I always tipped for this extra service, btw.
Zebra domes really are as good as everyone says. You can get them at Mara and in the club lounge so don't feel like you have to spring for dinner at Boma to experience their magic.
Boma is amazing for a late breakfast. The offerings are extensive and the price is more reasonable than dinner. Also dinner is loud and crowded; breakfast is a much nicer experience IMHO.
Jiko is good.
Saana is fantastic.
The Mara is great. They have EVERYTHING!
Beyond food and beverage, AKL has great bus transportation. I never waited more than a few minutes to go to or return from the parks.
The lodge seems to attract a mellow guest that doesn't feel the need to be right next to the parks to enjoy their vacation. I love the atmosphere and cannot imagine staying anywhere else at WDW. Have a great trip!
Ditto on all the above. We stayed CL at AKL and loved it! Don with IPO was wonderful. We were in a standard club room on the 4th floor close to the main lobby. The lounge is on the 6th floor, but we didn't mind the walk. (There is a restroom right by the lounge-I guess other club lounges don't have one near by). We also had the dining plan and used the lounge mainly for breakfast. Normal continental fare. My kids love cold cereal so they were happy. We did not feel there was too much food. Most days we were in the parks during the times that other things were offered. Turn down service in your room is nice and housekeeping out did themselves. We are doing club level at WL this fall for the first time and hope it lives up to our experience at AKL.
Oh and we also did the sunrise safari and really enjoyed that. AK is DH favorite park and getting to spend extra time there was nice. We also really enjoyed the buffet breakfast at Pizzafari afterward that is apart of the sunrise safari.
We did the club level last year while on the dining plan. I think it would be tough to consider the offerings as meals but it was great for mornings and snacks if you're having late dinners like we do. It's also great to grab a pop or bottled water on your way in or out. We also did the Sunrise Safari which was amazing! As far as age, we were on the tour with kids who appeared to be younger than 11 so you should be fine. The whole experience was fantastic-I would highly recommend it
Thanks everyone.I'm convinced:D Now comes the hard part of how many nights to stay. I am thinking of 7 nights/8 days. Maybe 8 night/9 days. This is my big splurge trip. Back to ASMO or one of the mods after this one.
Is there an age restriction on the evening sunset safari?
I just booked AKL CL today... Thanks Kathy at MJ.
How far in advance will they contact me as to ADR arrangements etc? This is my first club level stay and I don't know how it all works. Do they set up the sunrise safari or do I do that when we arrive?
I am just so excited:cloud9:
Should be around 90 days out. You can contact them sooner though if you want. Most of the correspondence is done via e-mail, which makes it pretty convenient. They'll take care of anything and everything for you (ADR's, safari, tours, spa appointments, cruises, entertainment, gift buying, etc). Some things do require a credit card on file, so you may need to call or fax them that information.Quote:
Originally Posted by Disney4us2
Enjoy the pampering :cloud9: .
If adr's need to be made 180 days out then wouldn't they need to contact you before that so they know what adr's to book for you?
When we stayed there club level adr's were being made at 90 days and they contacted us about a week before that and got our adr requests.
I also agree that Don is wonderful and always went out of his way to make our stay wonderful.
Yes the coffee machine is one of the best things about the resort!!!
I was wondering the samne thing too. Wouldn't it be 180 + 10 since I have a reservation numbeer?Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinkerfreak
For my December trip I didn't have a ressie number so I could only do my ADR's one day at a time, at the 180 day mark.
Thanks everyone for all your input:thumbsup:
There are also reservations that can be made a year in advance, but the pre-planners don't contact you that early ;) . Unfortunately, there has never really been consistency with when and how they get in touch with you. Kathy at MJ might actually get the ball rolling for you first though, so it's really not a concern (booking through MJ is a lot like getting pre-planning concierge assistance :thumbsup:).
I know many guests who choose to do ADR's on their own, even though they booked club level. There's really no advantage with having them book them all, other than convenience. They can't access the system earlier and if something is already booked, then it takes extra time to get back with you and figure out which day/time you'd like them to retry for.
If you'd like them to take care of everything for you, then as soon as you have your dining list together, just e-mail them. They'll keep it on file and when the booking window opens up, they'll see what they can get. A definite advantage is that if a restaurant you want is booked, they will keep checking for cancellations.