AKL Tips & Tricks

[VolMickey]

Just booked our latest trip to WDW and are heading back to AKL in about a month. Any tips, tricks, suggestions for making a stay at AKL the best ever?

:joy: <--- ME!

[CaptSmee]

not sure about tips or tricks. but be sure to have a meal at either Jiko, Boma, or both if you haven't! They are both outstanding! Also, if you go to the observatory after sunset until I think 11pm they have nightvision binoculars that were pretty neat to view the animals.

[Tigerinvestigator]

Make a late night ADR for Jiko on a night when the parks close early. Try Boma as well if you haven't already. Get up early one morning and have the buffet at Boma. Try the African Stew in Mara!:thumbsup: Take time to enjoy the Oasis pool, and make time to explore the entire resort ( I like exploring late at night.).:thumbsup:

[thejens]

To me the AKL is about soaking up the ambiance. Plan to spend some time at the lodge. Look at all the art work in the lobby, dine in the restaurants, have a drink first on the patio by the pool, enjoy the jacuzzis, watch the animals from the different areas in the pool, enjoy one of the most unique gift shops, sip coffee on your patio, and then there are the firepit talks and kids activities. I didn't allow myself enough time to enjoy the resort last time I stayed at AKL. I love the exotic yet tranquil feeling. Just wandering around and soaking it all in is the best. I love Jiko and Boma and even Mara's too.

[Aggie97]

We just stayed there last week and really enjoyed it. We had a great dinner at Boma and an absolutely outstanding dinner at Jiko. Be sure to chat with the CMs when you are viewing the animals from the public viewing spots -- they have all kinds of interesting tidbits and stories. We loved watching the animals with night vision binoculars -- from 9-11 p.m. at the viewing spot near the hot tub. Have a great trip! :mickey:

[Tinkerfreak]

To me the AKL is about soaking up the ambiance. Plan to spend some time at the lodge. Look at all the art work in the lobby, dine in the restaurants, have a drink first on the patio by the pool, enjoy the jacuzzis, watch the animals from the different areas in the pool, enjoy one of the most unique gift shops, sip coffee on your patio, and then there are the firepit talks and kids activities. I didn't allow myself enough time to enjoy the resort last time I stayed at AKL. I love the exotic yet tranquil feeling. Just wandering around and soaking it all in is the best. I love Jiko and Boma and even Mara's too.


This is exactly what I was going to suggest. Make sure you allow enough time to enjoy all the resort has to offer. We also made the mistake of not staying long enough on our first trip so did not get to enjoy the resort much. We left knowing that the next time we would stay longer and we did and it was wonderful. Sipping a drink by the pool while the kids enjoy the pool is just so relaxing. There is just something so relaxing about the AKL. The gift shop is so wonderful we could spend a couple of hours in there looking around. Grab a snack and a drink and just animal watch.

[#1disneyfan]

We too had a short trip at AKL. However we made sure to take in the sights in the lobby, and the night vision behind the pool. We took many dips in the pool, which we don't usually do, but DD loved the pool. And we managed a meal at Boma. We liked Boma, but didn't love it. We are not adventurous eaters. We even enjoyed just sitting on our balcony and taking it all in while getting ready in the morning. It is a truly beautiful resort.

[tnpoohbear]

We love this resort and have stayed there 3 times! I love Boma for breakfast - they have the best coffee and DD loves the jungle juice. They have every possible kind of breakfast food you could want. I also this the gift shop is great and like to spend time browsing there. Do get the night vision goggles to view the animals this was really good! We even enjoyed just sitting in the lobby and people watching!:mickey:

[KineGirl]

There is a daily walking tour you can sign up for at the front desk to see & hear about all the African art & artifacts through out the resort.

I cant go to the AKL and NOT sit by the indoor firepit with a cocktail. So beautiful. Sooo lazy.

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

Thank you so much for all the information given - we just booked AKL for our anniversary in September & I can't wait. :mickey:

[PlutoPlanet]

Hi, We're staying at the AKL in August. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good place to jog in the morning when staying at AKL? We've stayed at the BW before, and I loved jogging around the boardwalk in the morning.
Thanks.

[megustamex]

We like to come back to the resort for lunch at Mara. It is so relaxing after the craziness of the parks, and we always like a break in the afternoon before we head back out to the parks. You can order a nice salad or sandwich and sit by the pool and just soak up the ambience of the hotel. It is also nice to go to Mara and pick up some breakfast to take back to the room if you have a nice view. AKL has nice balconies and one time we had a great jungle view on the first floor (really a standard view, but we were completely enclosed with lots of exotic plants), and it was so nice to hear the music from the pool and eat our breakfast outside in the "jungle".

We also like to go for a walk around sunset and see the animals before heading back to the parks (depending on the time of year - sometimes sunset is too late!). You also get a beautiful technicolor Florida sunset in the front of the lodge - yes it is over the parking lot most of the year but it is beautiful nonetheless. You'll notice it if you're waiting for the busses!

At night, it's great fun to come back to the resort late and sit in front of the fire in the rocking chairs outside. So relaxing.

We also like to get a drink in the bar and hang out there or in front of the indoor fireplace, especially if we're waiting for dinner at Boma or Jiko. Both restaurants are excellent in their own unique ways.

Take time to walk all from one end of the resort to the other inside the hallways and check out all of the unique outside viewing areas in the hotel. There are usually animals where you least expect them if you walk the length of the hotel.