Animal Kingdom Lodge...

[threeh]

I just heard lots of good think about AKL from a podcast. I was wondering how it is?? How is the bus transportation? Can you really see animals?? Any info is appreciated, thanks!!!
:mickey:

[BigRedDad]

AKL is very nice. You can see all types of animals. The dining is great, atmosphere, bar, pool, fireplace. The only thing we disliked was the buses. When we were there, the looped with the All Stars. That meant buses were full before we got one, long delays having to stop so often.

That is the only negative I have for it.

[TennesseeTink]

We stayed at AKL for 3 nights last Oct. and it was great!! I can't comment on the transportation as we had our car, but yes you can see the animals. EVERYWHERE!!! We had a savannah view room and I loved sitting on the balcony watching the giraffes and other animals. Lots of variety! But even if you don't get a savannah view, you can still see lots of animals from just about everywhere in the resort. There are plenty of viewing spots.

[metroliner]

I agree that there are so many different places to see the animals around the resort. This is why I booked a standard room. I'm glad I kept my money for other things at disney. I just don't think you need the savannah view room with so many other places to view the animals. However, I'm sure some others will come along and disagree. It is a beautiful resort!!!

[Crow]

ive stayed twice, both times terrible parking lot views. the decor is great, lobby etc.
Boma & Jiko are good. the gift shop is also
hardly saw any animals from the viewing areas.
the buses were not bad.you dont have to share them w another resort
i probably wont go back due to its location and preferring WL much more. or a cheaper place

[Stickey]

The AKL is an excellent resort. A savannah view room will provide a unique experience. You can watch the animals from your balcony at different times of the day. The early A.M. and late afternoon feeding times are good times to see the animals waiting for their snacks.

Without a savannah view room, you can view the animals from the hallway viewing windows and outside by Arusha Rock. I highly recommend a savannah view room(request the Arusha savannah). The animals vary by savannah.

Jiko, Boma, and Mara are all very good meal choices.

Bus service is very good, as the AKL does not share bus service with other resorts.

[Goofeygal]

We stayed there in dec. and loved it. Yes you can see alot of different animals, the places to eat are great but busses are slow. We would stay again if we had the chance but only if we had a car.

[Darbylew]

We have stayed at the AKL and it was great.
The lobby is really something to see. We had
a room facing the pool and when you came out
of our room there was a large plate glass
window that you could look out at the animals.
The bus service is good. The AKL is quite a
distance from all the other parks so it takes a
little longer to get from there to the other parks. Enjoy! :thumbsup: :mickey:

[AllDisney]

We stayed at the AKL December 06. We LOVED everything about the lodge, except the transportation.

Having stayed at 7 other resorts over the years we had never experienced the wait for buses as we did at AKL. Maybe it was the week we were there. I don't know.

It is a fantastic place to stay and I would stay there again.

[dixielandings]

It's just so far removed from everything but AK Park. We stayed there in February and LOVED it! We could've spent a week there and been happy. We absolutely love Boma! And we didn't experience any longer waits for buses than we've had at other Resorts (except the AS - they're really fast).

[Mousefever]

We waited an average of 3 minutes about 90% of the time this past January. We literally walked onto so many buses to and from AKL. Maybe we were just incredibly lucky, but we thought the transportation was top notch! We didn't think the drive time to the parks was bad at all. Time flies when you're getting to know your bus "neighbors". The only time the ride seemed long was when the marathon was going on. The buses were routed out of the way.



:dory:

[RedSoxFan]

We had 2 pool view rooms at AKL. It was wonderful. There was a viewing window across the hall to view the animals. BOMA's is great. The lobby is amazing. The gift shop is unique. We had no problems with the busses. Hardly a wait. And I love not sharing with other resorts. I would stay there again. You will enjoy the resort.

[rsumrall]

I heart AKL. It is one of my family's favorite resorts. As others have said, the food is spectacular, the pool is very cool, and IMO the gift shop is one of the best in any resort.

about the buses - In my experience, the buses at AKL are great. Sure it takes an extra 5 min to get to the MK, but I think the bus service is WAY better than the pop or some of the AS. Don't let the buses keep you from being there.

[em-n-mia's-mommy]

I loved the AKL! We had a savannah view room and had an excellent view of the animals. We would wake up around 6:30 am every morning in order to eat breakfast and watch the giraffes and other animals eat theirs. It was relaxing. The bus service was great because we were the only resort on that route, so there were less people. I felt the bus service was better than the bus service at the grand floridian (too many people). :mickey:

[Donald A]

The only bad thing about AKL is it is a bus or car to go anywhere. Nothing nearby to walk to and no monorail or boats.

[Brooklynos]

We are staying here for our first time in Sept. I don't think they share transportation any more though from what my travel agent told me. I'm so excited to get there!!!!

[McGoofy]

Animal Kingdom Lodge is my favorite!! We are going back there this coming Sunday!!:mickey:

The atmosphere is so unique. There is also a lot to do there. If you have kids, check the activities board. My son has participated in lots of activities there. Yes, you can see lots of animals. I haven't had a bad room yet at AKL. I have 3 different stays at AKL to share with you. All 3 were booked as "standard rooms." Stay #1 we were upgraded to a pool view. From our room, we were able to see the pool as well as a small portion of the savannah. Next visit, there was no upgrade. I believe we were on the 5th floor. We could see the parking lot and tops of the trees that are planted against the building. No big deal to us. On each hall there are big glass windows that you pass by to get to your room. Usually on our way to the room, we could look out those windows and see animals. Stay #3 we got a major upgrade. We had booked a standard room and requested non-smoking. By time we arrived, all of the non-smoking standards were booked. In order to give us a non-smoking room, we were given a savannah view with bunk beds. My little boy was so excited about that. An upgrade is nice, but standard views are fine as well. You still get a balcolny. You just can't see the animals from your room. However, there are lots of places where you can go at AKL to see animals. You can't go wrong with any room at AKL!!

As for transportation, I have never had a problem. I think the poster that mentioned about sharing a bus with All Stars must have went at a fluke time. AKL does not share bus transportation with any other resort.

Other great things about AKL are the smell and the gorgeous lobby when you enter the doors, the zero entry swimming pool with slide, and the food. (By the way, go to the grab and go section and try the zebra domes!! Those are awesome!)

I love AKL and can't wait to check back in this Sunday!!:thumbsup: