AKL September 2007!
- Thread starter ktink
- Start date
amcjeep4life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 7, 2007
Less than 24 hours to go! 
Our flight leaves tomorrow at 0715, and we will be on our way! My nieces are going crazy! We are probably going to have to drug all of us into sleep tonight! 
The fun part is that we are actually leaving today for the airport, and staying overnight there, so that means today is actually part of the trip! My last sleep in this house, done! YEA!
Our flight leaves tomorrow at 0715, and we will be on our way! My nieces are going crazy! We are probably going to have to drug all of us into sleep tonight! The fun part is that we are actually leaving today for the airport, and staying overnight there, so that means today is actually part of the trip! My last sleep in this house, done! YEA!
Momto2boysSC
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 4, 2007
Less than 24 hours to go!
And here I was thinking I would be the first one to post today! ONE more sleep for us!!!!! AND THE BOYS STILL HAVE NO IDEA WE ARE LEAVING TOMORROW!!!!!!!!
Maybe they'll catch on when they see that I have all the clothes out on one of the beds for packing. So far, they've bought the story that I'm just checking to make sure everything fits because I think they grew last night!
I actually slept until 6 this morning. Thought that maybe I could get another hour in, but then starting having Disney thoughts and well, I'm too excited to sleep!!!!!
Glad we have some folks back to report that it was wonderful - can't wait to read your reports when I get home. Maybe it will help with my post vacation blues! Which I know I'll have. I was so excited at work yesterday that a Sr. VP walked in and caught me dancing to Kung Fu Fighting..... My boss actually saw him later in the day and explained I had Disney fever!
24 hours and we'll be pulling out of the driveway! See you there!
amcjeep4life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 7, 2007
Sorry Ann, I had to work this morning at 0800. Didn't mean to mess up your day! 
I'm doing my final load of laundry, and just printed out our boarding passes. They go into the magical Red folder, and I am done. Gotta get all the bags into the Jeep, and we will be heading out around 1600. Promised the girls Ruby Tuesdays for dinner tonight. They think that they can only eat chicken nuggets, mac & chesses, and pizza off the kid's menu at WDW. Some meanie told them they were considered kids, but I know the truth! What a surprise when I tell them they are adults and can have anything they want off the menu, including an appie and desssert! (I know that's spelled wrong, but it doesn't look right either way, we'll just call it a typo! ) I can't wait to get there and suprise them. They don't know where we are staying, or eating, or anything. They just know they are going and couldn't be happier! They didn't even complain when that meanie told them they had to eat kids food all week! You know they are happy! 
I'm doing my final load of laundry, and just printed out our boarding passes. They go into the magical Red folder, and I am done. Gotta get all the bags into the Jeep, and we will be heading out around 1600. Promised the girls Ruby Tuesdays for dinner tonight. They think that they can only eat chicken nuggets, mac & chesses, and pizza off the kid's menu at WDW. Some meanie told them they were considered kids, but I know the truth! What a surprise when I tell them they are adults and can have anything they want off the menu, including an appie and desssert! (I know that's spelled wrong, but it doesn't look right either way, we'll just call it a typo! ) I can't wait to get there and suprise them. They don't know where we are staying, or eating, or anything. They just know they are going and couldn't be happier! They didn't even complain when that meanie told them they had to eat kids food all week! You know they are happy! 
pixe*dst
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2007
We're back & had a FABULOUS stay at AKL. I am in love with that resort. I can still smell the lobby. We had a great room 4527 overlooking the Arusha Savanna (Zebra trail) right at a watering hole. We played animal games, listened to stories, paraded through the lobby, went swimming, took thousands of pictures. I can't wait to go back someday!
tiffanym5375
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2004
For those of you just getting back.. How was the weater temps? Temps at night? Crowds? We leave in 9 days!!!!! Tiffany
pixe*dst
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2007
Tiffany--the pool was actually a little bit hot in some areas (near the slide), but I like a warm pool. It was still refreshing to me, but DH didn't think so much.
Crowds at the Lodge--none. In the parks--not bad. There were a few waits of 40 minutes & 100 minutes at EE in the afternoon. Only a couple of times did we pass something (ride or character) by because the wait was too long.
It was hot when we were there.
I put together a video of AKL hoping to capture our amazing stay there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeXfGyx0UJ8
Crowds at the Lodge--none. In the parks--not bad. There were a few waits of 40 minutes & 100 minutes at EE in the afternoon. Only a couple of times did we pass something (ride or character) by because the wait was too long.
It was hot when we were there.
I put together a video of AKL hoping to capture our amazing stay there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeXfGyx0UJ8
DznyDreamz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2007
We were there from 9/14-9/21 and it was hot hot hot!!
I thought the parks were very crowded, but with Fastpasses and riding rides during meal times and parades it wasn't too bad. I think the longest wait was for Test Track and that was about 40 mins (all the FP's were gone by the time we got there).
The water in the pool was very warm, almost too warm according to my DH.
We got the usual afternoon rainstorms and got caught in a nasty storm that turned into a tornado a few miles north of Orlando. Not ideal for standing on the dock at the GF to watch the fireworks!!!
Overall, the weather was perfect, the stay was perfect and I can't complain about much of anything. Have a blast!!
I thought the parks were very crowded, but with Fastpasses and riding rides during meal times and parades it wasn't too bad. I think the longest wait was for Test Track and that was about 40 mins (all the FP's were gone by the time we got there).
The water in the pool was very warm, almost too warm according to my DH.
We got the usual afternoon rainstorms and got caught in a nasty storm that turned into a tornado a few miles north of Orlando. Not ideal for standing on the dock at the GF to watch the fireworks!!!
Overall, the weather was perfect, the stay was perfect and I can't complain about much of anything. Have a blast!!
space ranger 1
I am stationed up in the Gamma Quadrant in Sector
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2007
Trip coming up fast, yea for you.
We did not have hardly any problems with crowds or wait times. The only time we waited more than 10 minutes for something was when we did not use out Tour Guide Mike plans. Then things got a lot busier. I give him a big thumbs up and say it was worth the price.
When we got back we found out we knew some other people there at the same time and they thought the lines were worse than our experience. But we did not hit the same parks at the same times...We had a great time and maybe some day I will get around to doing a post trip report. Right now I am still trying to get caught up from being gone.
Best wishes to everyone with an upcoming trip.
tiffanym5375
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2004
Spaceranger-
I must complete my touring plans then. I have only done MK so far! Thanks so much! Tiffany
I must complete my touring plans then. I have only done MK so far! Thanks so much! Tiffany
Momto2boysSC
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 4, 2007
Yes, I may be committing heresy
but I wouldnt ever go back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge
. I was a bit disappointed to say the least.
Starting with check-in on Sunday (9/16). We got caught in a rainstorm in Orlando which made the last 4 miles to the hotel take 40 minutes and we did not check in until 7:00 p.m. So I was ready for a warm greeting not to mention food! I got a lukewarm hi from the girl at the front desk. No African Ambassadors in the lobby. (Not even a valet to help unpack the car!) We had requested a bunk bed pool view. We got it, on the first floor. Okay I can deal with that, but I did ask if they had anything on a higher floor. After a HUGE sigh, she disappeared behind closed doors (without a word as to where she was going/what she was doing). She did come back out and was consulting with someone. She indicated that they had something on higher floors, but no bunk beds. Okay I can live with the first floor, but PLEASE drop the attitude!
So Im starting to think, Disney magic? Heck, Id just deal with some Disney niceness at this point.
So, no valet with an offer to help. I go over to the valet desk (room) and ask if I can have a rolling cart. No, we dont give those out. Thats it. Not We dont give those out but Id be happy to help. So we lug all of our stuff out the car and off we go to the room. I can deal with the lobby being dark. The animal sightings on the way to the elevator were enough to make my children jump up and down. I can deal with the room being dark. LOVED the idea of bunk beds in the room and it worked out great. We called mousekeeping and asked for more pillows. Off to dinner for a quick bite at the Mara.
Disappointment number two. I thought the food there was awful. A dried out hamburger and a chicken wrap. I dont even remember what the boys had they didnt seem to mind. And we paid cash for this meal, as we didnt want to start the DDP until the next day in a park. Which, oddly, seemed to perturb the cashier. (Really who gets upset with cash?) Again, no Disney magic to be found at this place.
Got back to the room. No pillows to be had, but oddly enough, they had come in and left bed rails. Called again and asked for pillows. Waited, went swimming. Nice pool, but by then the water slide was closed. I think I was more disappointed about that than the boys were! Back to the room, still no pillows. I called the front desk and asked if they would come soon, as it was now time for the boys to get in bed and I didnt want knocking on the door after they fell asleep. Their answer come to the front desk to get them. OK. (But Im thinking I am paying this much a night for a room and they cant bring me pillows?) Off DH goes to get pillows, only to be told at the front desk that You cant get those here. Thats it. No, So sorry you misunderstood or So sorry we gave you the wrong information. Just You cant get those here. Back he comes to the room for a third call for pillows, which then came within 15 minutes . Disney magic? HA!
The Mara redeemed itself somewhat the next day breakfast was GOOD. Ah, the bacon. Someone got it right crisp and yummy! The boys loved the mini Mickey waffles and I had a croissant sandwich with bacon and eggs. And off to the parks we went. Lots of fun there more on that later. We went to a FABULOUS dinner at Coral Reef great staff there lots of Disney magic (so it DOES exist!).
We were in the hotel minimally. In the mornings for breakfast (except for the character breakfast at the Polynesian FABULOUS!!!!!) and at night to go swimming. The one night we made it back to the hotel to get to the water slide, the lifeguard was positively menacing. Like WE were disturbing HIM by being in the pool. And mind you, there werent that many of us. Maybe 8 children playing on the waterslide all of them were being pretty well behaved. He stared at one child so vehemently that if it were me I would have cried. Yes, it really was that bad. If he had looked at one of my children that way, I would have had a manager by my side in a skinny minute. At 7:20 p.m. he stood up and said in a voice that only the tired and fed-up could muster, Last call for the slide. Now, in 20 minutes, my kids could probably make another 17 runs down the slide .last call? To his credit, he did not shut it down until 8:00 p.m., though. He was NOT a happy camper. Again, no Disney magic from that employee. Notice a trend yet?
Ive read on other postings everyones wonderful and fabulous experience. Towel animals? No (even with tips left each day). Friendly staff? Are you sure you were at the AKL?
Good things I can say Hmmm, I have to reach for that. The bus service was nice although the wait times to get on the busses were sometimes long. Guess that is what we get in our instant gratification world. It was nice that we didnt share the busses with another resort and had direct hotel to park service. The bus drivers themselves were pleasant. The people riding the busses with us were delightful. And it was SO nice to see men and boys get up and offer their seats to women and older folks. (And I must admit, my DH was one of those that did that!)
And I have to say thank you to the unknown family who gave us their DDP card the first morning we were there. It gave us two breakfasts and two snacks for the day. THAT was our Disney magic. (They were on their way out to the airport and had leftovers saw us with our two boys and just handed it over. Dont know their names their card said Unknown Unknown believe it or not! But, if you read this, you guys ROCK!)
We moved on Thursday to the Sea World Residence Inn. For $150 less a night (maybe more ) we got MUCH better service, bigger rooms and a hot breakfast included. I wasnt expecting much not nearly as much as I was anticipating the Disney experience at AKL. After the dismal service we received at AKL, anything would have been an improvement! Seriously, though, we loved the Residence Inn and would tell anyone that wants to go to Orlando and stay off site to book this hotel. It was clean and the front desk staff and the concierge were very nice (but please, someone, do away with the dual concierge responsibilities. I DO NOT WANT A TIME SHARE.)
Yes, the parks were fun - we did NOT have enough time to do everything. Now I completely understand whey folks spend two weeks there at a time or go back once (or more) a year. We loved, loved, loved Seaworld and the Magic Kingdom - our two favorites.
This trip was unusual for us - a big expense. Was it worth it in the long run? Yes, my boys had an absolute blast - and they don't know enough to be bothered by something not living up to its hype. They also didn't pay for it, so it makes it easier on them! HAHA! Would we rush back to Orlando next year? Not likely. (We just couldn't save that much $$ again to do something we've already done. Next trip will be for a new experience!) If I won the lottery and money was no object would I go back to Orlando? Absolutely. I just wouldn't stay at AKL.....
Starting with check-in on Sunday (9/16). We got caught in a rainstorm in Orlando which made the last 4 miles to the hotel take 40 minutes and we did not check in until 7:00 p.m. So I was ready for a warm greeting not to mention food! I got a lukewarm hi from the girl at the front desk. No African Ambassadors in the lobby. (Not even a valet to help unpack the car!) We had requested a bunk bed pool view. We got it, on the first floor. Okay I can deal with that, but I did ask if they had anything on a higher floor. After a HUGE sigh, she disappeared behind closed doors (without a word as to where she was going/what she was doing). She did come back out and was consulting with someone. She indicated that they had something on higher floors, but no bunk beds. Okay I can live with the first floor, but PLEASE drop the attitude!
So Im starting to think, Disney magic? Heck, Id just deal with some Disney niceness at this point.
So, no valet with an offer to help. I go over to the valet desk (room) and ask if I can have a rolling cart. No, we dont give those out. Thats it. Not We dont give those out but Id be happy to help. So we lug all of our stuff out the car and off we go to the room. I can deal with the lobby being dark. The animal sightings on the way to the elevator were enough to make my children jump up and down. I can deal with the room being dark. LOVED the idea of bunk beds in the room and it worked out great. We called mousekeeping and asked for more pillows. Off to dinner for a quick bite at the Mara.
Disappointment number two. I thought the food there was awful. A dried out hamburger and a chicken wrap. I dont even remember what the boys had they didnt seem to mind. And we paid cash for this meal, as we didnt want to start the DDP until the next day in a park. Which, oddly, seemed to perturb the cashier. (Really who gets upset with cash?) Again, no Disney magic to be found at this place.
Got back to the room. No pillows to be had, but oddly enough, they had come in and left bed rails. Called again and asked for pillows. Waited, went swimming. Nice pool, but by then the water slide was closed. I think I was more disappointed about that than the boys were! Back to the room, still no pillows. I called the front desk and asked if they would come soon, as it was now time for the boys to get in bed and I didnt want knocking on the door after they fell asleep. Their answer come to the front desk to get them. OK. (But Im thinking I am paying this much a night for a room and they cant bring me pillows?) Off DH goes to get pillows, only to be told at the front desk that You cant get those here. Thats it. No, So sorry you misunderstood or So sorry we gave you the wrong information. Just You cant get those here. Back he comes to the room for a third call for pillows, which then came within 15 minutes . Disney magic? HA!
The Mara redeemed itself somewhat the next day breakfast was GOOD. Ah, the bacon. Someone got it right crisp and yummy! The boys loved the mini Mickey waffles and I had a croissant sandwich with bacon and eggs. And off to the parks we went. Lots of fun there more on that later. We went to a FABULOUS dinner at Coral Reef great staff there lots of Disney magic (so it DOES exist!).
We were in the hotel minimally. In the mornings for breakfast (except for the character breakfast at the Polynesian FABULOUS!!!!!) and at night to go swimming. The one night we made it back to the hotel to get to the water slide, the lifeguard was positively menacing. Like WE were disturbing HIM by being in the pool. And mind you, there werent that many of us. Maybe 8 children playing on the waterslide all of them were being pretty well behaved. He stared at one child so vehemently that if it were me I would have cried. Yes, it really was that bad. If he had looked at one of my children that way, I would have had a manager by my side in a skinny minute. At 7:20 p.m. he stood up and said in a voice that only the tired and fed-up could muster, Last call for the slide. Now, in 20 minutes, my kids could probably make another 17 runs down the slide .last call? To his credit, he did not shut it down until 8:00 p.m., though. He was NOT a happy camper. Again, no Disney magic from that employee. Notice a trend yet?
Ive read on other postings everyones wonderful and fabulous experience. Towel animals? No (even with tips left each day). Friendly staff? Are you sure you were at the AKL?
Good things I can say Hmmm, I have to reach for that. The bus service was nice although the wait times to get on the busses were sometimes long. Guess that is what we get in our instant gratification world. It was nice that we didnt share the busses with another resort and had direct hotel to park service. The bus drivers themselves were pleasant. The people riding the busses with us were delightful. And it was SO nice to see men and boys get up and offer their seats to women and older folks. (And I must admit, my DH was one of those that did that!)
And I have to say thank you to the unknown family who gave us their DDP card the first morning we were there. It gave us two breakfasts and two snacks for the day. THAT was our Disney magic. (They were on their way out to the airport and had leftovers saw us with our two boys and just handed it over. Dont know their names their card said Unknown Unknown believe it or not! But, if you read this, you guys ROCK!)
We moved on Thursday to the Sea World Residence Inn. For $150 less a night (maybe more ) we got MUCH better service, bigger rooms and a hot breakfast included. I wasnt expecting much not nearly as much as I was anticipating the Disney experience at AKL. After the dismal service we received at AKL, anything would have been an improvement! Seriously, though, we loved the Residence Inn and would tell anyone that wants to go to Orlando and stay off site to book this hotel. It was clean and the front desk staff and the concierge were very nice (but please, someone, do away with the dual concierge responsibilities. I DO NOT WANT A TIME SHARE.)
Yes, the parks were fun - we did NOT have enough time to do everything. Now I completely understand whey folks spend two weeks there at a time or go back once (or more) a year. We loved, loved, loved Seaworld and the Magic Kingdom - our two favorites.
This trip was unusual for us - a big expense. Was it worth it in the long run? Yes, my boys had an absolute blast - and they don't know enough to be bothered by something not living up to its hype. They also didn't pay for it, so it makes it easier on them! HAHA! Would we rush back to Orlando next year? Not likely. (We just couldn't save that much $$ again to do something we've already done. Next trip will be for a new experience!) If I won the lottery and money was no object would I go back to Orlando? Absolutely. I just wouldn't stay at AKL.....
PrejeanPrincess
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 8, 2007
momto2boysSC:
I know exactly how you feel - AKL never, I mean never again. We were booked in two guarenteed (lets not argue over whether or not it was guarenteed, it stated it on my ressie - so I expected it) pool view bunk bed rooms. We arrived at check-in, and guess what, 1 room was on the 2nd floor and 1 was on the 4th. But hey, they could move us the next day and they would put a rush on housekeeping in case we decided to take a break from the parks - yea right!! So guess what, the next day we re-pack (which btw is great fun packing for 7 - for those of you who switch resorts, I don't know how you do it), store our baggage and head to the park. What a great day at AK. Arrived back to AKL at 5:00 p.m. and proceeded to re-check-in, again. Oh what's this, 1 room is on the 2nd floor and the other is on the 4th? Are you kidding? Finally, they did manage to find our connecting pool view rooms. But, there are not rooms in the resort that are connecting with both rooms having bunk beds - oh well. However, the fun doesn't stop. Once they found the connecting rooms, only 1 was clean. Now keep in mind it was 5:30 p.m. by this time. By the time bell services arrived with the luggage both rooms were ready. Finally, we hoped we are off to a great re-start of our vacation.
But guess what? The next day we got back to our rooms about 8:30 p.m. and we did not receive housekeeping services at all. My kids were so tired they took their baths and had to use towels from the day before. It was 9:30 p.m. before housekeeping finished our rooms and the kids got to bed.
Mara - great breakfast and okay lunch. Lunch was great because there was never a crowd (unlike the parks CS).
Boma - just okay. Glad we tried it, but been there done that. Good thing too since we will not be visiting AKL again.
Buses - did not care for. Long, long travel times. However, before I get flamed, we usually stay closer to the parks (i.e. WL and BWV), so transporation seemed very long compared to the other resorts we have stayed. Also, I prefer to stay at a resort with more the 1 type of transportation (I just discovered this on this trip).
Please do not let my review discourage anyone with an upcoming trip. Our circumstances are all different. I hope those of you with trips coming up have a marvelous stay and a great experience. So I am sending
your way.
The parks were great and the rides were basically walk on or 5-10 minute waits. We never waited longer than 5-10 minutes to be seated at a TS, and even showed up early and were still seated almost immediately. All in all, it was a terrific trip and I can't wait to start planning another one. My mom says next time we will be at the Contemporary, but we will see.
I know exactly how you feel - AKL never, I mean never again. We were booked in two guarenteed (lets not argue over whether or not it was guarenteed, it stated it on my ressie - so I expected it) pool view bunk bed rooms. We arrived at check-in, and guess what, 1 room was on the 2nd floor and 1 was on the 4th. But hey, they could move us the next day and they would put a rush on housekeeping in case we decided to take a break from the parks - yea right!! So guess what, the next day we re-pack (which btw is great fun packing for 7 - for those of you who switch resorts, I don't know how you do it), store our baggage and head to the park. What a great day at AK. Arrived back to AKL at 5:00 p.m. and proceeded to re-check-in, again. Oh what's this, 1 room is on the 2nd floor and the other is on the 4th?
Are you kidding? Finally, they did manage to find our connecting pool view rooms. But, there are not rooms in the resort that are connecting with both rooms having bunk beds - oh well. However, the fun doesn't stop. Once they found the connecting rooms, only 1 was clean. Now keep in mind it was 5:30 p.m. by this time. By the time bell services arrived with the luggage both rooms were ready. Finally, we hoped we are off to a great re-start of our vacation.But guess what? The next day we got back to our rooms about 8:30 p.m. and we did not receive housekeeping services at all. My kids were so tired they took their baths and had to use towels from the day before. It was 9:30 p.m. before housekeeping finished our rooms and the kids got to bed.
Mara - great breakfast and okay lunch. Lunch was great because there was never a crowd (unlike the parks CS).
Boma - just okay. Glad we tried it, but been there done that. Good thing too since we will not be visiting AKL again.
Buses - did not care for. Long, long travel times. However, before I get flamed, we usually stay closer to the parks (i.e. WL and BWV), so transporation seemed very long compared to the other resorts we have stayed. Also, I prefer to stay at a resort with more the 1 type of transportation (I just discovered this on this trip).
Please do not let my review discourage anyone with an upcoming trip. Our circumstances are all different. I hope those of you with trips coming up have a marvelous stay and a great experience. So I am sending
your way.The parks were great and the rides were basically walk on or 5-10 minute waits. We never waited longer than 5-10 minutes to be seated at a TS, and even showed up early and were still seated almost immediately. All in all, it was a terrific trip and I can't wait to start planning another one. My mom says next time we will be at the Contemporary, but we will see.
space ranger 1
I am stationed up in the Gamma Quadrant in Sector
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2007
Loved it and had a great time Sorry you guys did not have a magical time at AKL. It's so hard to predict what will be perfect for everyone and unfortunately there seemed to be a number of problems with staff and circumstances for both of you. But I am glad you enjoyed your trips anyway.
We on the other hand had a great time at AKL.
Our stnd view two double bed room was upgraded to a pool view with bunkbeds. That was a great upgrade. Most of the CM we dealt with at the lodge were very good. The food we had at Mara was okay to good (on par for what I would expect from counter service), but some of the staff could use a few lessons on being cheerful, maybe we just caught them on a bad day. We did enjoy the food at Boma. Really enjoyed the flavors and variety of things they offered, we would eat there again.We only did a few of the things around the lodge, but it was very enjoyable. The ambassador greeted us several times when we were coming and going and even stopped the kids one day to see if they wanted to trade pins. The valets were nice and helpful to us and answered several questions and brought some delivery items up to our room for us. They even knew the items were there when I asked for them without having to look it up. We enjoyed viewing the animals during the day and night and found the staff very pleasant and willing to tell us about the animals, where they were from and ect while we were at the viewing areas. We also really enjoyed the tour of Jiko. They told us about the restaurant, the theming, decor, ect and then turned us over to a chef. It was very interesting to have him tell us about the restaurant, the food and a variety of things from his perspective. He spent a lot of time telling us about everything on the menu while serving us a variety of breads and spreads... for free! I highly recommend the tour. The kids also enjoyed doing the musical parade around the lobby in the evening. Actually mine were more interesting in banging loudly on drums than they were in going on parade.
Kids enjoyed the pool and the slide. It was nice, nothing super great or bad about that area. The life guards were neither friendly or mean to us, mostly just there.
Mousekeeping treated us well. Several small towel animals, a Mickey head and the stuffed animals were always arranged in some sort of fashion, usually in a towel canoe. Room was always clean and well made.
Transportation worked out great for us. At AKL we had very short waits for the bus, usually about 5 minutes. Mybe we just had good timing. In nine days we only had to bad experiences on the bus. One was after wishes, go figure... the other was trying to catch a bus at the poly. It seemed like it was forever and everyother bus had come and gone except for the one we wanted. But that particular day we were very hot and tired so that always makes things worse.
We had a great time.
We would recommend AKL to others.
And to those who had a less than magical experince I send best wishes that your next trip will find you better circumctances adn a wonderful experience.
Max and I were there at the same time and had such a great experience. I won't lie and say that everything was perfect. We waited longer than expected for our luggage from DME - but it was brought up without too much of a wait after I called to make sure it was coming. We had less than stellar housekeeping, but nothing that would actually put a damper on our trip - for the most part things were clean, but our room wasn't vaccumed the whole time we were there and it just bugged me (not enough to complain about it though).
I thought the lifeguards were awesome!!! I loved how they were constantly actively watching everyone and not only sitting at their stations, but walking the perimeter of the pool and scanning every area regularly. They even jumped in and rescued a kid who went on the slide with his dad, but his dad somehow got stuck on the slide and the kid came down alone but couldn't swim and wasn't wearing a lifejacket. They were very quick and took action immediately. I didn't see any of them glaring at anyone, but they did look very serious most of the time.
We had a great time talking to one of the CMs from Botswana who had only been in the US for 2 or 3 weeks and we were discussing the big differences, etc. He was a lot of fun to chat with and he was so nice, and also very knowledgeable about the animals on the Savanna (where he was posted).
We had great experiences at The Mara, Simba's Cubhouse, the Pool, Front Desk, Zawadi Marketplace, and we were very happy with the transportation. There were a few long waits, but I expect those wherever I go. These were not extremely long waits, but when you see a few buses for the same place and none for where you want to go it seems to feel longer. The Poly has HORRIBLE bus service, we had to go from there a few times on this trip and it was absolutely awful!
I loved all but one of our meals from the Mara - the Pepperoni Pizza we got for a snack one night wasn't great - but it wasn't horrible or anything, just flat and kind of blah.
We had the worst service I've ever experienced at Boma for breakfast one morning, but it won't stop me from going again in the future, we've had great experiences there every other time... we just had a server who seemed to be in such a rush she couldn't even stop when she got to our table, just kind of suggested what she thought we would want and started to go off and get it - I had to stop her and let her know what we actually wanted and she was talking so fast I could barely figure out what she was saying anyway.
I love the Animal Kingdom Lodge and I would absolutely stay there again.
Oh, we finally met our mousekeeper at the end of our trip and she was so sweet, she stopped and talked to Max and me for quite a while and took the time to tell us a lot of things about the resort, and wanted to know what our favorite attractions were, etc. She went into detail describing the new big suites for the DVC units too. I felt bad about wishing she'd vaccum! hahaha
I don't know why everyone loves those creepy towel animals so much... we got the big Mickey head, always had a washcloth made into a flower under the soaps each day, and our Pal Mickey was always arranged nicely on the bed when we got back, but we didn't get a bunch of towel animals this time either and I didn't miss them one bit! hahaha
I thought the lifeguards were awesome!!! I loved how they were constantly actively watching everyone and not only sitting at their stations, but walking the perimeter of the pool and scanning every area regularly. They even jumped in and rescued a kid who went on the slide with his dad, but his dad somehow got stuck on the slide and the kid came down alone but couldn't swim and wasn't wearing a lifejacket. They were very quick and took action immediately. I didn't see any of them glaring at anyone, but they did look very serious most of the time.
We had a great time talking to one of the CMs from Botswana who had only been in the US for 2 or 3 weeks and we were discussing the big differences, etc. He was a lot of fun to chat with and he was so nice, and also very knowledgeable about the animals on the Savanna (where he was posted).
We had great experiences at The Mara, Simba's Cubhouse, the Pool, Front Desk, Zawadi Marketplace, and we were very happy with the transportation. There were a few long waits, but I expect those wherever I go. These were not extremely long waits, but when you see a few buses for the same place and none for where you want to go it seems to feel longer. The Poly has HORRIBLE bus service, we had to go from there a few times on this trip and it was absolutely awful!
I loved all but one of our meals from the Mara - the Pepperoni Pizza we got for a snack one night wasn't great - but it wasn't horrible or anything, just flat and kind of blah.
We had the worst service I've ever experienced at Boma for breakfast one morning, but it won't stop me from going again in the future, we've had great experiences there every other time... we just had a server who seemed to be in such a rush she couldn't even stop when she got to our table, just kind of suggested what she thought we would want and started to go off and get it - I had to stop her and let her know what we actually wanted and she was talking so fast I could barely figure out what she was saying anyway.
I love the Animal Kingdom Lodge and I would absolutely stay there again.
Oh, we finally met our mousekeeper at the end of our trip and she was so sweet, she stopped and talked to Max and me for quite a while and took the time to tell us a lot of things about the resort, and wanted to know what our favorite attractions were, etc. She went into detail describing the new big suites for the DVC units too. I felt bad about wishing she'd vaccum! hahaha
I don't know why everyone loves those creepy towel animals so much... we got the big Mickey head, always had a washcloth made into a flower under the soaps each day, and our Pal Mickey was always arranged nicely on the bed when we got back, but we didn't get a bunch of towel animals this time either and I didn't miss them one bit! hahaha
space ranger 1
I am stationed up in the Gamma Quadrant in Sector
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2007
Thanks for the report Wendi2000. Glad you had a great time. Who else has a brief report to drop in for us, good or bad.
Where has TheLastPrincess gone? Did they come back from the Magic Kingdom?
I forgot to mention previously that we had a very magical power during our trip. We did not deal with much rain, just a little blowing through every now and then. But magically we could make it rain everytime we went into Tomorrowland. It could even be sunny outside, we would walk into Space Mountain that had no line, walk straight into the car, get off the ride come outside and it was pouring. Different day - exact same circumstances except substitute Buzz Lightyear. SO we just opted to run back around to the front and keep blasting Zurg for a few more laps. Also did Monsters Inc Laught Floor while it was raining in tomorrow land twice and enjoyed it. The show was a little different both times. Did Stitch once, which was enough. The effects were good and well done, but the chilli dogs were just gross, cough cough gag gag....
Where has TheLastPrincess gone? Did they come back from the Magic Kingdom?
I forgot to mention previously that we had a very magical power during our trip. We did not deal with much rain, just a little blowing through every now and then. But magically we could make it rain everytime we went into Tomorrowland. It could even be sunny outside, we would walk into Space Mountain that had no line, walk straight into the car, get off the ride come outside and it was pouring. Different day - exact same circumstances except substitute Buzz Lightyear. SO we just opted to run back around to the front and keep blasting Zurg for a few more laps. Also did Monsters Inc Laught Floor while it was raining in tomorrow land twice and enjoyed it. The show was a little different both times. Did Stitch once, which was enough. The effects were good and well done, but the chilli dogs were just gross, cough cough gag gag....
MissLiz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2006
I guess I could add our experience. I can't believe that one month ago tomorrow we were leaving for the World.
For the most part, we really enjoyed our stay at AKL. I had put in a request for the Arusha Savannah, but when we checked in, we received room 4561 which, if you look at the resort map, is at the very end of the Zebra Trail in one of the out-jutting wings overlooking the Uzima Savannah. The whole way to our room I had a sick feeling in my stomach because I thought the room location would ruin the trip for me. Well, let me tell you how absolutely wrong I was!!! We had a corner room that overlooked both the Arusha and the Uzima Savannahs and we had six giraffes outside our room probably 75% of our stay! DD loves wildebeests for some reason and we had to pull her off of the balcony anytime they were by our room. It was quiet back there and we just loved the location!
Mousekeeping was good. We got the Mickey head when we arrived and then it was just funny positions of DD5's stuffed animals. One night we walked in after being gone the whole day and our tv was on. I was really confused and wondered who had been in our room until I saw that DD's stuffed Daisy Duck was on one bed propped up and her stuffed dog was on the other bed with the remote in his paws. Too funny! She thought that was so cool!
We did the culinary tour the afternoon before we ate at Boma. We enjoyed learning about the decor of Jiko and tasting the spreads and then the chef at Boma walked us down the buffet and told us about all of the food. When we went back that evening to eat, I enjoyed the food more than I would have normally since I knew what everything was and some of the ingredients in the dishes. We were the only ones on the tour on a Saturday, which surprised me. We only went to the Mara once to pick out some fruit for breakfast the next day.
We never made it to the pool, so I can't give an opinion on it. We did the night vision animal watching one evening which was neat. The one CM there was very friendly and we had a great time chatting. We really liked one of the CMs on the Arusha Rock. He was the featured CM while we were there and he was funny and so friendly. My DH called me to come look at some animals at one point and when I walked up, this CM said "Well, hi, Liz!" It took me a minute to realize how he knew my name!
The busses weren't too bad, I didn't think. I felt like some of the other guests were more difficult to deal with on the bus than the bus waits. The first night we were there, we went to MK. On the way back, the bus was super full (of course, it was right after the parade) and when the recorded message started as we pulled out, a group of about 5 adults yelled "SHUT UP!!!" I thought it was a little sad that these grown people felt that they had to yell at a recorded message, but that was the only time we had a full bus anywhere and we didn't see that group again, so maybe they were at the end of their stay and were just tired.
The parks were a lot more crowded than last September, but it still wasn't terrible. DD5 must have had an arrow pointing to her head a couple of days! She got picked to teach the Hand Jive at Festival of the Lion King and she got asked to "start" IllumiNations the night that we ate at Rose and Crown. She was so excited and she is still talking about it!!! We missed the Dream Squad three times, which was sad, but we had some magical moments anyway!!
We got hit by two pretty big storms while we were there. The night we ate at R&C, it started downpouring as we were walking through Future World and didn't stop for about an hour. Then the next night, we had planned to see Fantasmic, but we saw the evil storm clouds coming and decided to head back to the hotel before it got too bad....good thing, too, because it poured! We had a couple of small showers, but nothing crazy.
I'm ready to go back, but DH has decided that we are going to take a break for a year or so......I guess we'll see!
For the most part, we really enjoyed our stay at AKL. I had put in a request for the Arusha Savannah, but when we checked in, we received room 4561 which, if you look at the resort map, is at the very end of the Zebra Trail in one of the out-jutting wings overlooking the Uzima Savannah. The whole way to our room I had a sick feeling in my stomach because I thought the room location would ruin the trip for me. Well, let me tell you how absolutely wrong I was!!! We had a corner room that overlooked both the Arusha and the Uzima Savannahs and we had six giraffes outside our room probably 75% of our stay! DD loves wildebeests for some reason and we had to pull her off of the balcony anytime they were by our room. It was quiet back there and we just loved the location!
Mousekeeping was good. We got the Mickey head when we arrived and then it was just funny positions of DD5's stuffed animals. One night we walked in after being gone the whole day and our tv was on. I was really confused and wondered who had been in our room until I saw that DD's stuffed Daisy Duck was on one bed propped up and her stuffed dog was on the other bed with the remote in his paws. Too funny! She thought that was so cool!
We did the culinary tour the afternoon before we ate at Boma. We enjoyed learning about the decor of Jiko and tasting the spreads and then the chef at Boma walked us down the buffet and told us about all of the food. When we went back that evening to eat, I enjoyed the food more than I would have normally since I knew what everything was and some of the ingredients in the dishes. We were the only ones on the tour on a Saturday, which surprised me. We only went to the Mara once to pick out some fruit for breakfast the next day.
We never made it to the pool, so I can't give an opinion on it. We did the night vision animal watching one evening which was neat. The one CM there was very friendly and we had a great time chatting. We really liked one of the CMs on the Arusha Rock. He was the featured CM while we were there and he was funny and so friendly. My DH called me to come look at some animals at one point and when I walked up, this CM said "Well, hi, Liz!" It took me a minute to realize how he knew my name!
The busses weren't too bad, I didn't think. I felt like some of the other guests were more difficult to deal with on the bus than the bus waits. The first night we were there, we went to MK. On the way back, the bus was super full (of course, it was right after the parade) and when the recorded message started as we pulled out, a group of about 5 adults yelled "SHUT UP!!!" I thought it was a little sad that these grown people felt that they had to yell at a recorded message, but that was the only time we had a full bus anywhere and we didn't see that group again, so maybe they were at the end of their stay and were just tired.
The parks were a lot more crowded than last September, but it still wasn't terrible. DD5 must have had an arrow pointing to her head a couple of days! She got picked to teach the Hand Jive at Festival of the Lion King and she got asked to "start" IllumiNations the night that we ate at Rose and Crown. She was so excited and she is still talking about it!!! We missed the Dream Squad three times, which was sad, but we had some magical moments anyway!!
We got hit by two pretty big storms while we were there. The night we ate at R&C, it started downpouring as we were walking through Future World and didn't stop for about an hour. Then the next night, we had planned to see Fantasmic, but we saw the evil storm clouds coming and decided to head back to the hotel before it got too bad....good thing, too, because it poured! We had a couple of small showers, but nothing crazy.
I'm ready to go back, but DH has decided that we are going to take a break for a year or so......I guess we'll see!
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