Considering AKL - thoughts?

We stayed at CSR on our last trip. We were looking at moderates and might still end up in a moderate. We loved CSR but really want to stay somewhere different. There are so many resorts to explore, why always stay at the same one. To be honest, the other moderates are not really exciting us. We've looked at AKL. I know the kids will enjoy it there. So tell me what you can about it.

1. I've read people complain about the bus ride to MK. Is it much farther, and longer, than the ride from CSR?

2. Pricing - Is AKL included in discounts usually? I know there is no guarantee. I'm just curious if there are any exclusions.

3. What's your experience at AKL? Likes, Dislikes?

Thanks in advance for feedback!

The AKL is a special and unique resort. A savannah view room offers the opportunity to see the animals from your balcony. The theming of the AKL is amazing as well.

The discounts are hard to predict these days. The AKL is usually less expensive than most of the other deluxe resorts. The MK area is the most remote point on WDW property. AKL and Kidani share buses, but it is a quick trip to AK, not far from Epcot and the Studios, and not too far to MK. The worst bus rides we have experienced have been from WL/Poly to AK park.

Mara is a very good resort cs option. Boma is interesting. Jiko is excellent for fine dining. If anyone in your family loves animals, the AK will provide an awesome experience. There is also animal viewing opportunities in non-savannah view rooms.

We have never stayed at AKL but have visited the resort. The main reason for not looking to stay is because of the distance it is from the parks. I was also talking to a travel agent friend of mine who stayed there and he didn't care for it. He said the rooms are smaller than other resorts he's stayed at. Now this is just my opinion, but when we entered the lobby, I found it to be dark and unappealing (to me). Even the grounds outside didn't do anything for me. I know a lot of people rave about Boma but it wasn't my cup of tea. I'm glad we visited the resort because I now know it's not on my Disney bucket list! We usually stay at the Poly or WL which are our two favorite resorts. This year because the amount of people in our party, we are staying at the cabins in Fort Wilderness. It looks like it should be fun!!

We did a split-stay last year and ended up with a Savannah view and found it to be our most favorite stay of all-time. Being able to relax and watch the animals from your balcony just separated it apart from any other stay. Contrast to this, the other half of our split-stay was at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge where we had a view of the loading dock. :(

Although the decor is primarily singly-colored, it is still a beautiful resort with many details engraved all around. The only thing I could not get around was the paper straws. Truly the most horrible sensation... Yuk!

I didn't feel the bus rides were too bad. The waiting area for the buses are nicely covered and fairly cool (if going in summer).

AKL is our favorite. We don't mind the bus rides at all. At least I'm not driving...LOL

The rooms are richly decorated in brown, beige & cream tones. It's very calming and relaxing for us. The room size is not a big deal since we spend our time at the parks or by the pool.

We did not care for Boma, but then again we don't care for buffet style dining.

We have been to AKL a coupe of times and can't wait to stay there again.

Love akl. Lowest priced deluxe usually. Very friendly, first class staff. Great service. Immaculate grounds. Long walk to bus stop from some areas. One of the best gift shops at wdw. Bus rides are longer, but mostly just to mk.
Highly recommended at least once. Twice for us so far.

AKL is a lovely resort. It is DH's favorite. Bus rides are not really that long. Grounds are beautiful and I love watching the animals. We have always gotten a pool view room and have always gotten a room discount or free dining.

Thanks for all the feedback!! I truly appreciate it.

AKL is my all-time favorite resort. My dad and I went the year it opened, and have been in love with it ever since. We've stayed at Jambo and Kidani, and while I loved Kidani, its quite a hike back to Jambo for the Mara and gift shop. Just keep that in mind if you stay there. In the past it seems like it has been discounted. I've rented DVC points several times for the 1 bedroom villas and DVC studio, and it was alot cheaper. I would stay there every time if we could- my hubby thinks its too dark. You are somewhat limited on dining if you don't like exotic foods (we happen to love African, Indian, and exotic foods in general, so its pretty much our perfect place.) We've never had a bad experience with the buses there, but I've heard alot of people complain about it. It does take a while to get to MK, but for me its never really mattered because I really like the more remote location.

The only bad experience I've ever had there was one night there was some issue with pipes in the wall above us making a terribly loud noise (at like 3 am), and they comped us a night. So there was a problem but the manager took care of us. I highly recommend it!

Just remember while the AKL is further from MK, it is the closest of any resort to AK. There is a chart somewhere that shows the average bus time bw resort & parks but alas I cannot quickly locate it. Perhaps another PP can find it. In the meantime Disney itself lists the distances bw parks & resorts - maybe that would help you.

DH and I were reading all these responses and are convinced it is definitely worth it for us to look into staying there. It's an adventure in itself.

We like to use the buses because of the ease of not driving. Relaxing a little on the ride. 😃

We aren't really big on exotic foods, but that's not a real issue because we don't eat many meals at the resort.

Our kids (DD10 and DS2) will love the the animals.

I think we will definitely try to make AKL work in our budget.

Thanks!

Stayed at AKL and it was AMAZING! The cast members there were the friendliest of everyone we met. The resort is very peaceful, and I loved rocking in the rocking chairs.

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Originally Posted by Cinderelley

I loved rocking in the rocking chairs.

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Oh yes, the rocking chairs outside were fun overlooking the Savannah peninsula. Took a family picture sitting in them.

Visited it a few times. Stayed there (adults) last summer for a little over a week. Jambo House. Savannah view deluxe studio. It was fantastic. Sitting there having breakfast at the room watching the giraffes and other animals out of the room balcony each morning......... priceless.

We love Boma and Sanna. Mara is "OK". Atmosphere and staff are first rate. Lobby architecture is fantastic. The bus rides is a "non-issue" 95% of the time.

Upshot: We now own a DVC membership with the home resort as AKV.

best,

....................john

AKL is one of my favorite resorts. I've stayed at both Jambo in a regular room and Kidani in a 1 bedroom villa. Sizewise both Wilderness Lodge and AKL have smaller standard rooms than the other deluxe resorts. My kids particularly like the bunk bed rooms. Kidani has a great water play area.

The resort is very tranquil and the animals are a great plus. One of our favorite activities is night viewing and talking to the cast members from Africa. We have never stayed in a Savannah room but still enjoy the resort. If the Savannah rooms are too expensive, the pool rooms are a nice option especially since they are very centrally located at Jambo.

I almost always have my car so I do not take the buses often but for I have never found the ride to be that much longer to the parks. I think AKL's reputation of being remote is more because it is only resort at AK and there is no direct park access so it feels much quieter than the resorts on the MK loop or the Epcot resorts.

We have visited most of the resorts at this point (although only stayed at a couple) and AKL was one of the ones that after visiting I knew made it to my someday I have to stay here list. We've stayed there twice now and absolutely love it. Although a little longer to MK, we didn't find the bus rides to be too bad for the most part (there was one night our first trip that the wait for the bus from Epcot to AKL was horrendous, but we didn't see that happen on our second trip, so I think it was a fluke). We were there last summer with our two year old and didn't find the bus rides to be too long even with him. The cast members, architecture and theming in general are amazing, and we love the restaurants. We visited Kidani Village on our last two trips and I think that will be our next Deluxe resort to try. But I would whole heartedly recommend giving AKL a chance. As someone else has said, if you have a Savanah view room, having coffee on your balcony watching the giraffes and other animals is a truly incredible experience.

AKL is one of my favorites. My biggest dislike is that it's such a great resort that I find we don't spend as much time at the parks as we might on other trips because we don't want to miss out on anything at the resort. But is that really a disadvantage? Seriously, although the CS, Mara, is one of my favorites, for its offerings, the way it's run, where people stand in line, order while the CM writes it down, then wait for their food, makes it extremely slow.

Thanks for all the replies! We booked AKL for our trip!! I am excited. The kids will love it. We're planning a day at the resort to explore and such. Now I need to start counting down. 10 months to go. 😃

I love AKL and can't wait to visit it again. I like Jambo House better than Kidani, though I did want to mention one thing. ONE time we had a horrid experience with the buses to Hollywood Studios. The bus wasn't showing up. The cast member that was stationed at the parking area kept saying that one was on its way but none ever arrived. It turns out that the bus was filling up at Kidani and skipping the Jambo stop because there was no room. We hopped onto a Downtown Disney bus, got off at Kidani and got on the next bus to HS (which skipped Jambo as well). That's the only time that has ever happened, and I've stayed there multiple times, but if it's something you're worried about it's really not that long of a walk to the Kidani bus stop (or take the Downtown Disney bus to it) and then you'll be the first pick up location for the parks.

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Originally Posted by mydisneygirls

Now this is just my opinion, but when we entered the lobby, I found it to be dark and unappealing (to me).

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Now that we've stayed there I can say I agree with you on this.

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Originally Posted by TheHD

We ended up with a Savannah view and found it to be our most favorite stay of all-time. Being able to relax and watch the animals from your balcony just separated it apart from any other stay.

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This was my most favorite thing. We would return midday for naptime for DS and he would eat a snack on the balcony and it was so peaceful and quiet in comparison the parks.

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Originally Posted by mechanic

Love akl. Lowest priced deluxe usually. Very friendly, first class staff. Great service. Immaculate grounds. Long walk to bus stop from some areas. One of the best gift shops at wdw. Bus rides are longer, but mostly just to mk.
Highly recommended at least once. Twice for us so far.

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We stayed last month and viewing the animals was a plus; however, DH and I decided it is likely a one-time stay for us. The room was small, staff was not as cheery and attentive as expected. At check-in we were not cheerfully greeted at the counter and were not given the details of the resort (schedule, where things are located, etc.), mousekeeping was great the first day but late every other day (we returned for naptime between 2-3 every afternoon and the room had not been serviced (except the first day) but when I called for service they came quickly though).

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Originally Posted by deedee73

Just remember while the AKL is further from MK, it is the closest of any resort to AK.

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The ride time to AK was AWESOME. Less than 5 minutes we were going through back check. :thumbsup:
The rides to other parks and Disney Springs was not terrible. Around 20 minutes at most.

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Originally Posted by Cinderelley

I loved rocking in the rocking chairs.

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We loved the rocking chairs too. :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by WiltonJohn

It was fantastic. Sitting there having breakfast at the room watching the giraffes and other animals out of the room balcony each morning......... priceless.

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Loved this too. Best part of the whole stay.

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Originally Posted by WiltonJohn

Mara is "OK".

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I completely agree. We ate here twice and were disappointed.

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Originally Posted by AgentC

Sizewise both Wilderness Lodge and AKL have smaller standard rooms than the other deluxe resorts. My kids particularly like the bunk bed rooms.

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We had bunk beds and my kids liked that too. :mickey: However, we also noticed the room felt smaller than when we stayed at Coronado Springs on our last trip.

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Originally Posted by AgentC

The resort is very tranquil and the animals are a great plus. One of our favorite activities is night viewing and talking to the cast members from Africa. We have never stayed in a Savannah room but still enjoy the resort. If the Savannah rooms are too expensive, the pool rooms are a nice option especially since they are very centrally located at Jambo.

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We booked pool view and were upgraded to Savannah View. Score. :thumbsup::mickey:

i treated use to two days and loved it! There is nothing - I mean NOTHING - like sitting on your balcony watching giraffes on a savannah. Or if you don't have Savannah view - using the lovely public viewing areas. They have a great pool, great food choices etc. We have only ever stayed POR or CBR so I certainly didn't notice the buses at AKL taking any longer than that. I highly recommend it! I think it also has about the best chance of an upgrade - we booked pool view but got Savannah.

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Originally Posted by j2k

I completely agree. We ate here twice and were disappointed.

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On Mara being just OK - I guess that depends where you normally eat. We found it head and shoulders over the food courts at the moderates! Small, but much more interesting choices, and they even give you a beeper instead of making you stand and wait for your food!

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Originally Posted by mydisneygirls

We have never stayed at AKL but have visited the resort. The main reason for not looking to stay is because of the distance it is from the parks. I was also talking to a travel agent friend of mine who stayed there and he didn't care for it. He said the rooms are smaller than other resorts he's stayed at. Now this is just my opinion, but when we entered the lobby, I found it to be dark and unappealing (to me). Even the grounds outside didn't do anything for me. I know a lot of people rave about Boma but it wasn't my cup of tea. I'm glad we visited the resort because I now know it's not on my Disney bucket list! We usually stay at the Poly or WL which are our two favorite resorts. This year because the amount of people in our party, we are staying at the cabins in Fort Wilderness. It looks like it should be fun!!

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This just struck me as a good example of "to each his own". I know people love Wilderness Lodge, but I would never, ever stay there. Just as you visited AKL and didn't like it, I had to visit WL - but my problem with it is that I live in the Canadian Rockies and found it to be JUST LIKE HOME. LOL - no kidding - it felt to me like a camping trip ;-)

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Originally Posted by mom2morgan

On Mara being just OK - I guess that depends where you normally eat. We found it head and shoulders over the food courts at the moderates! Small, but much more interesting choices, and they even give you a beeper instead of making you stand and wait for your food!

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We agree 100%. Mara is by far our favorite resort counter service. We really enjoy the selection of sandwiches, flat breads, soups, and goodies.

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Originally Posted by TheHD

The only thing I could not get around was the paper straws. Truly the most horrible sensation... Yuk!

).

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Yep, those paper straws are gross - and at Seaworld too.We solve this by taking our own hard plastic re-usable straws (I think ours came with insulated beverage cups I bought). I know it seems weird to carry those around, but it's better than a mouthful of cardboard!

I loved AKL savannah view. It did seem a little dim, but we spent so much time on balcony that it did not matter. I don't sit in the room and look at it. I also waited for discounts.
I am sure you will enjoy it.