jeffhogan36
Registered: November 2009
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Tue November 3, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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food, theming, staff
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Cons:
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distance to parks, uncomfortable beds, dark rooms
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Recently stayed on the concierge level of the AKL. Very impressed by theming. The food on the concierge level was very impressive as well, not to mention having access to all the beer, soda, milk etc in the self service fridge which was very handy to store in the small refrigerator in our room. It was also great to have our own concierge stationed righ across from our room to book dining reservations and answer questions for us.
I would definintely recommend staying at AKL. My only real criticism is that Disney really needs to get more comfortable beds in its Vacation Club resorts. The fold out bed is not comfy AT ALL, nor is the queen size bed. Both are like sleeping on a board, much as they have been at every DVC resort I have ever stayed at. I have a theory that they purposely make the beds uncomfortable so you get out and spend money in the parks instead of sleeping in.
Overall, a great experience.
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misskal
Registered: September 2009
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Mon November 2, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Animals
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Cons:
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Far from most parks
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Just got back from a stay here from October 22-October 28. My favorite hotel is the Polynesian but this was a birthday trip my fiance planned and he loves giraffes and really wanted to stay here so I figured I'd give it a try! The hotel was beautiful! Our room wasn't ready when we got in but we had an early flight and arrived by 11am so we weren't really expecting our room right away. We decided to just wait around and we were able to go right up to the 6th floor lounge and relax for a bit. The lounge was well equipped with snacks and other various food items. We had some breakfast there which included bagels, muffins, etc. Also went to the lounge for snacks, often including goldfish crackers, cookies, brownies, and other African fare. My fiance enjoyed the different African beers he was able to try, and we did go to the lounge one night for some wine. Concierge staff was friendly whenever they were approached.
As far as the room goes, we weren't disappointed. Yeah, they were smaller for concierge but there was only two of us. We saw animals quite a few times from our balcony, in room 4241. One afternoon we had 11 animals right in front of our balcony! It was great. Most of the animals we saw were Greater Kudu, and some other African animals, and then the zebras often slept outside our balcony (standing up! so weird) and then we were graced with the cute giraffe's presence often! We were given a room with two Queen size beds which we didn't really care about. I didn't notice darkness in the room at all except for the bathroom. It was soo hard to see in there! Otherwise the room had a refrigerator which often stored our Cheesecake or drinks we'd bring back from the lounge. Our room wasn't too far from the lounge so it was nice to grab a little snack or a drink.
We didn't do any activities at the hotel besides the night vision goggles, which was really cool! We did use the pool a lot at night because it was open 24 hours a day! We walked over to Kidani's to use theirs at night but it's only open til 8 pm! 24 hour pool was neat, I had never seen that before.
We ate at Boma (for dinner and breakfast) and the Mara, both were excellent. Overall it was a great experience!
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disney husband and wife
Registered: September 2009
Posts: 11
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Review Date: Fri October 23, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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decor, savannah views
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Cons:
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none
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We stayed here for 3 nights of our honeymoom September 23rd-26th. My only compalint was that the room they put us in could have had a better savannah view. We were concierge so we could take the sunrise safari. Our room wasn't ready when we got there so they moved us and although the room was close to the elevators it did not have the best view. We should have asked to be moved but that was our own fault. I would not pay for the concierge again. It was not a bad experience but we just don't need the perks. We would however do the safari again. If you get the chance do it! The food and service was by far the best at any resort or park.
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BoomNLeon
Registered: July 2007
Location: SC
Posts: 128
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Review Date: Tue July 14, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Snacks, turndown and Wanayama Safari
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Cons:
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Concierge staff and value
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We stayed on the club level 7/10 and 7/11/09 in room 4431. We had a great view of the savannah and enjoyed this wonderful resort. Mousekeeping was good and we had prompt service.
The concierge staff was not the warm Disney cast we expected. Not only were they cold and borderline pretentious, they were not helpful. When I wanted to check a dinner reservation we made through the dining line, the cast member at Concierge told me that SHE could not help me and that I would have to call THEM since we did not book it through the IPO. I also asked some questions about availability for dining that were met with a degree of disdain. Maybe we had a different expectation than what was realistic. Concierge is great for the traveler(s) who want/need someone to act as a planner, but if you are a hands on vacation planner the club level may not be of value to you. The snacks were good and the food spread was nice, but not worth the extra cost.
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ldeglian
Registered: August 2006
Posts: 36
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Review Date: Sat June 27, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Proximity to AK, theming
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Cons:
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Concierge staff, room proximity to the concierge lounge
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We stayed at the AKL at the end of our recent trip. Stayed 2 nights (6/24-6/26) mostly to be able to take advantage of the Sunrise Safari. Checked into the hotel on 6/24 (myself and 2 teens) and was given a room (4505) with bunk beds. I let the staff know that room would not be appropriate to sleep a 16 and 17 year old and that we needed 2 Q beds or some other set up as identified on our Disney confirmation. Not until I found a senior staff member did the issue get resolved. They know the ages of all people in the party....not sure how we ended up with a room designed for smaller children.
Overall, I thought the rooms were smaller than most deluxe resort rooms we've stayed in. Not sure how 4 people manage for a week or more in this space.
Clearly, the major attraction was the Savannah view--we had room 4503 in the Zebra Trail. Nice view of animals most times of the day. The kids did enjoy that.
Having never stayed at AKL before, I wasn't really familiar with the room/lounge set up. Having to take 2 elevators and be so far from the lounge was not great. I didn't realilze all of the 5th and 6th floor rooms were dedicate to DVC. Also, when I tried to call the concierge we had to dial through the operator who kept asking if we were staying on the Concierge floor. None of this is horrible....just different that we've experienced in other deluxe resorts.
Overall, I found the concierge staff less helpful than at other deluxe resorts. Maybe that's because we had just come from the best staff ever at the Boardwalk Innkeeper's Club, but the AKL staff wasn't outgoing or helpful. We never even received a good description of the hotel or grounds so I found myself having to navigate on my own....again, not very concierge helpful or friendly. We figured it out, but it would have been nice to get some introductions when they knew we hadn't stayed there before.
Mousekeeping didn't get to our room until 5PM....which meant we were out of towels and other amenities most of the day. However, our mousekeeper was excellent and even wrote me a thank you for the tip we left! Never had that happen before! They have the toughest job around and deserve a high five!
Sunrise Safari was nice...we all enjoyed that and would highly advise doing that if you stay concierge at this property.
When we checked into the hotel, I verified the Magical Express info for our departure. I was handed a confirmation number and told it was "taken care of." When I did not receive our Magical Express information--and finally at 8PM the night before we were leaving, I called to find out that the reservation had not been made. Our pickup was at 3:35 AM on the 26th....had I not known the drill, I would NOT have called myself and likely would not have had a pick up. I would advise all who are using ME to validate information upon check in and make sure you follow up if you do not have paperwork the day before you leave.
Did we enjoy our stay?? For the most part, yes. Would we stay here again?? I doubt it. While I understand issues happen and the best option is to try to roll with the punches, it just seemed like AKL didn't have their plan together.
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mymouse
Registered: June 2009
Location: Broussard, LA
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Thu June 25, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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animals, courteous staff, club lounge
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Cons:
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none
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Our family just returned from a 7 night 8 day stay at AKL. We had a great experience. Check-in was very quick. We were greeted at the front desk and taken up to the club level for check-in where everything was waiting for us. We were granted our request for a room with bunk beds which our boys loved. We saw animals from our balcony every time we were in our room. The offerings in the Kilamanjaro Club lounge were great and suited our family well with breakfast, snacks and drinks throughout the day. We went on the Sunrise Safari which was wonderful and I highly recommend it. Housekeeping was great. They left towel animals and designs everyday. One of the house keepers even gave my 2year old a puppy while he was passing her in the hallway which really made his day. We spent many afternoons in the pool which was a great way to relax and take a break from the heat. Bus service was also very good. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus and on average it was more like 5 minutes. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will definitely return and stay concierge here again.
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natalielovesdisney
Registered: June 2008
Location: FL
Posts: 9
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Review Date: Thu May 21, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 4
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Pros:
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lots of animals
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Cons:
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mousekeeping, loud, not what I expected
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We thought we were smooth sailing when we were met at the front door by a cast member who took us up to the club level room for check-in. It was the best part of the hotel. It was all downhill after that, except the animals - which were awesome! When we got back up to the room after going to the parks for a little, the club room was packed! Hard to get around and not what we were used to (we normally stay at the Contemporary). We got back up to the room after dinner and found nasty sheets and called to get them cleaned (they were very quick about getting this fixed). We decided that we would go back to the Contemporary the next morning. It was simply not the club level atmosphere that we were expecting.
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DisneyMomDD
Registered: April 2009
Location: Mentor, Ohio
Posts: 11
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Review Date: Wed May 6, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 2
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Pros:
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pool, theming
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Cons:
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location
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The additional cost of staying concierge hardly seemed worth it, when you consider the noticeably smaller rooms than other deluxe resorts and the distance to the lounge, depending on where your room is. Bus transportation pitifully bad. The location of this resort in proximity to most of the parks is a big disadvantage for the Animal Kingdom Lodge, especially when staying with children (who are tired and eager to return to their room). Greatly enjoyed the pool, nice theming. Beautiful lobby, but long walk to room. As noted in some other reviews, staff not nearly as personable as other deluxe resorts, concierge or otherwise.
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ead79
Registered: January 2006
Posts: 43
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Review Date: Tue December 23, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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good pre-planning cast members, tasty food offerings, SUNRISE SAFARI!
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Cons:
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food sometimes ran out
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We stayed in a one of the DVC villas with concierge access on the 6th floor, and we really enjoyed ourselves. We received excellent pre-planning assistance with our ADR's, and we found the on-site staff to be really helpful as well. The check in being handled in our room as a very nice touch. We thought the food offerings in the lounge were tasty, but they were served in such small portions that they often ran out. They were replenished, but I thought it would've been better to use slightly larger serving dishes. The Sunrise Safari alone makes concierge totally worth it--I can't recommend this experience enough.
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fdmarks
Registered: January 2006
Posts: 23
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Review Date: Wed December 17, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great value for two people, parking lot close
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Cons:
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None
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Great and attentive staff. Lounge offerings were just right for breakfast or a midday snack. Concierge staff was friendly and helpful. We were able to get reservations for Cinderellas Castle dinner! Housekeeping was very good and even better than the RPC at the GF. Resort is very comfortable and relaxing. The dollar value for a couple on vacation is unbeatable as compared with the other concierge resort choices. Having a rental car makes the stay go smoothly since we did not have to rely on Disney transportation.
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DVC Member
Registered: September 2008
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Mon December 1, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Food, amenities including Savannah tour
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Cons:
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None
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Cast Members were great. The food in Kilamanjaro Club was from AKL's restaurants, which was a nice way to sample the fare offered at the resort.
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NicsGTO
Registered: October 2006
Location: Naples FL
Posts: 185
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Review Date: Wed October 29, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Love the Sunrise Safari
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Cons:
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Resort is way too loud and too far from everything
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Booked AKL CL for 5 nights for my b-day, Oct 17-22 and it was ok. IPO was fantastic but the room was small, there was construction still going on infront of our room even tho the IPO office said there would not be. DH was not a happy camper.
We did have a great view of the Zebra Trail. Mousekeepers were hit or miss, but we did have turn down service every night
The Sunrise Safari was incredible and that alone was worth the stay there.
The Lounge was nice, lots of great choices, tons to choose from for every service, not too busy but there were times where families were there and not paying attention to their kids and they were making a mess out of the food offerings. Some were in bathing suits or barefoot and the CM's (2 at the desks and 2 at the food area) would tell the guests they were not dressed properly and had to leave, that was a good thing!
Buses were hit or miss, the lobby was a madhouse all the time except from 1-3 in the afternoon.
Would for sure stay CL again but not stay at the AKL again.....took too long to get anywhere
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mypuplibby
Registered: July 2008
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Wed October 15, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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The lounge, pool, animal views, cleanliness, friendly staff
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Cons:
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Small-ish rooms, construction noise
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We stayed club level at AKL for 9 nights beginning September 6th and had a great time! This was our first experience staying club level here and we were not disappointed. Of the perks we enjoyed most the complimentary food and drink in the lounge, along with the lounge atmosphere itself. We also were able to experience the Sunrise Safari which was, surprisingly, just so-so (I'll post a review for that in the appropriate forum). Our room was on the Kudu trail which I hadn't stayed in before and I was skeptical of how many animals we would see. But we had a fabulous view! The only time we were "home" and didn't see animals was when the noisy construction was going on. About that...
...the construction started, on week days, between 9 and 10am. Not being on this trip with kids, my husband and I look forward to sleeping late. To get a decent snooze in I really needed earplugs. So I went to the shop and the only thing they had was wax water earplugs...NOT the same. Then I asked at the desk several times and the responses were everything from a blank stare and shrug to a cast member offering to pick some up for me on her way in the next day! At any rate I got some earplugs from the staff on my 4th day of bad sleep (as I begged for them with tears in my eyes). I couldn't fathom how a hotel under construction had NO earplugs anywhere!
So the big question everyone wants to know (because I wanted to know, myself) is...is it worth the extra $$ to stay club level? In my experience...YES. If you intend to use all the free food and drinks in the lounge, you have time to relax a bit and enjoy the atmosphere, AND take advantage of the Sunrise Safari...definately do it. I think it was only $200 more for the week than for a standard savannah view.
I would stay here again in a heartbeat!
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mgmailen
Registered: August 2008
Location: pennsylvania
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Fri August 8, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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great accommodating staff, beautifull relaxing atmosphere,
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Cons:
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none
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July 27-Aug 3. When we arrived a cast member opened my car door and I felt immeditally transformed into another world. We then proceeded upstairs to the concierge lounge where we grabed some bagels and coffee and sat down while we were checked in. Our room wasn't ready which I didn't expect it to be because it was 8:30 a.m. so they took my cell # to call when it was. It was ready at 1:30 (sooner then expcted) and we were granted every request-bunk beds, zebra trail, next to elevator by the pool-room# 4435. The room was spotless and the animal viewing was amazing.
The food at concierge was very good: brekfest choices of oatmeal, fruits, cereal, muffins, bagels, juices, coffee, expresso...mid-day snacks were warm cookies, goldfish crackers, chips, soda, beer...Evening offerings were ribs, soup, vegs, hummus, crackers, beer, soda, water... We never went back in the late hours but I am sure there was plenty to eat. The concierge staff were always around to answer any questions or make last minute reservations.
On our 3rd night we were greeted by a towel animal in the shape of a monkey. The mouskeeper hung him on a hanger by the balcony-how cute! Every night our bed and the boys bunkbeds were turned down with chocolate and an african note card.
The AKL is an amazing place. The lighing is low but I loved it from being in the bright sun all day. The hallways are long so request a room close to elevator. This resort is far from the parks but also, this was welcoming because we felt we were "comming home" and secluded form the rest of the world.
I couldn't imagine staying anywhere else and we can't wait for our next trip. I will stay concierge again because of the extra magic and not worring about breakfast or snacks or long check in lines and a staff member close by for all our questions.
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DisAnnualPassholderz
Registered: August 2006
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 51
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Review Date: Tue July 22, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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views, service
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Cons:
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location of lounge
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This was our fifth stay at AKL, but our first on their club level. We arrived on Saturday around 1pm and our room was ready. Check in was quick and it was nice to bypass the line downstairs. I had mentioned that we were celebrating my husbands birthday when I made the reservation and when we checked in the cm had a gift wrapped Mickey umbrella waiting for him. The room was very clean, and we got the queen plus bunk beds, which our kids loved. We had a fabulous view looking out past arusha rock and there were no signs of the construction. In fact, we commented that we saw more animals from our balcony this time than on our previous visits.
We enjoyed the pool in the afternoon and when we came back around 4:30 they had left a cake with my husband's name on it, along with plates and forks and even a candle and matches. It was a nice touch.
We really enjoyed our dinner at Jiko and I would highly recommend. The kids had an equally fun evening spent at Simba's clubhouse which I would also highly recommend.
The only negative I can think of is the location of the lounge. Our room was a long, long way from the lounge. We were on the fourth floor and the lounge is on the sixth floor on the opposite side of the hotel.We don't mind walking, but it was sort of a pain if you just wanted a drink or something quick. The food, wine and beer in the lounge was great, but it would have been a lot better if it were closer. All in all, to have that wonderful room location and the great extra touches, I would book club level again.
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