Grover: tell us how a Cdn can afford AKL?????

[sillyminny]

We find that the prices offered for AKL are so high as to be ridiculous. It surely must be worth a few nights there so how did you find a good price if you don't mind me asking. Just nosey Silly Minnie would love to surprise her family with 3 nights there. Tx.

 

[grover]

Yes it is quite pricey-that is why we only did 3 nights there-but I am so glad we did and Dh and I agree that when we go again it will be a resort that we will be saving to stay at! In August there were codes that came out,they were posted on Mousesavers, I simply called first thing in the morning,I think it was 6 am here and booked the room giving them the discount code! I was able to get my room for 132.00 per night including tax USD-this was for a standard view-parking lot!! I wasn't expecting an upgrade and was so happy that I got one, I am not sure how much more the savannah view rooms are-anyone here know??? If I remember correctly I believe that after the exchange to Canadian dollars the total amount for 3 nights came to around 650.00 or so. But it was worth every penny!!! There are always codes coming out as well as Disney Club discounts,keep an eye on mousesavers and on the resorts board!! Just a note-even if we had gotten the standard room it would have been okay as there are tons of places around the resort to view the animals,and the pool area is wonderful place to lounge.We spent alot of time just roaming the resort!

Grover in Winnipeg

 

[sillyminny]

Wow! It is worth it for that. I am planning to surprise my family with that for the end of the trip. Is it better for the start or end of the trip?

 

[grover]

We found it to be better for the end of the trip. On both our trips to WDW we went non stop from very early to very late for most of the trip,near the end we are ready to take it slower. AKL was perfect for this as there is so much to do and see with out even leaving the resort-in fact I didn't want to leave! I think if we stayed there at the begining of the trip we would have missed out on all it had to offer as we were so busy at the parks.
I am sure you will love it there!

Grover in Winnipeg

 

[reeanne]

Dear sillyminny

We are staying at the AKL for three nights Savannah side Dec 6,7,8. It came to 270.00 can. per night. I used my disney club card and the magic package they offered in Sept. I know this sounds outragious but savannah side is usually 270.00 a night american. So I guess all things are relative. Like Grover, I could only afford a few nights. But from what grover is saying it will be well worth it. This a special treat for my family. We are staying in my sisters time share for the rest of the time so I could swing it.


reeanne
Fort Frances area

 

[maryliz]

We did AKL Sept 2001 for 2 nights at the end of our stay. We got a Savannah room for approx $164Cdn plus tax. It came in on my Visa at about $300 Cdn a night. It was worth it, though. We loved it, but I have to say that if I wasn't staying Savannah, I would spend my $ elsewhere. Lots of viewing places throughout the resort but having the balcony was really cool. If I were to do a deluxe at the end of a stay again, I would make sure it was for at least 3 nights.

I have always wondered about it when people post that they "got" an upgrade ... do you just ask at check in if you can have an upgraded room for the same price that's on your original reservation? I always figured that if I booked Standard and asked at check-in for a better room, they would reply with "sure ... that'll be an extra $XXX per night". Grover, let me know how you managed your Savannah room.

Mary Liz

 

[grover]

We just checked in and went to our room, on the way to our room I was thinking hey we got a upgrade as we were heading away from the parking lot! Sure enough we had a savannah view!! I didn't say anything at check in, they just gave it us!! How great is that hey!

Grover in Winnipeg

 

[TimNDansMom]

I had booked one week split between CSR and ASMu in the summer of 2001 and as that week drew to a close, I knew I wasn't ready to leave. Dh suggested why don't I phone CRO and see if they had any discounted rates at a deluxe hotel available. They still had AKL at the preview rate of $159. so Dh said book 2 nights, then before I hung up the phone he said "Oh, let's go for 3 nights"! The next day we packed up and drove over. The kids and I had already visited AKL earlier in the week but it was Dh's first time there and he was impressed! At check-in, I asked if there was a possibility of an upgrade to a Savannah view and was told that there weren't any of those rooms left but that I had already been upgraded to a pool view, which turned out to be a very pretty view. The 3 nights we spent there was such a perfect end to our vacation, that we hated to leave.

 

[CindyAnn]

Sillyminny - I know the prices at Disney are outrageous, so we often don't even add up the grand total. We just get our hotel rooms, get flights a few weeks later, get hopper passes after that, and don't even try to see how depressing the whole cost is. How goofy is that? Anyway...

We went to WDW in January 2002 and were fortunate enough to get a postcard the previous November. It wasn't for AKL (maybe for Beach Club/Yacht Club?) but they allowed us to use it there in any case. So, we spent $66 US per night (taxes included) at All Star Sports for 4 nights and then moved to a Savannah view room at AKL for 4 nights using a post card code rate of $186 US per night (again, taxes included). I can't pretend in any way that that's a bargain, but at least I rationalized it that we were averaging $126 a night over 8 nights.

I think the key is to travel in the off season, when the deluxes are priced at about the same rate as the moderates cost in the high season. To demonstrate that point, the room at All Star Sports that cost us $66 US last January will be costing us $127.68 US per night (All Star Music) over the holiday season this year in December. So last year we got 1/2 All Star and 1/2 AKL for a little less than we'll be paying for All Star only this year. Make sure that the CM you speak with is clear about whether the prices includes taxes, since they're fairly high - around 12%? - and it can make a big difference when you're comparing options.

Dont forget to check out:
- special rate codes available on line
- Annual Pass rates (only 1 person needs to have an AP)
- Disney Club rates
- CAA rates (usually the same as Disney Club rates, but this is a different block of rooms so availability will not be the same).

I agree with Grover that you want to go to the deluxe property at the end of your trip. We also wouldn't bother paying the money for a deluxe unless we planned one entire day to just lounge around and enjoy the resort. At AKL there were several activities for the kids, including learning how to track animals, decorating animal shaped cookies in the restaurant, etc. We ate at all three resort restaurants on our loungey day (buffet breakfast at Boma which we loved, quick lunch at Mara, and great meal at Jiko). We also spent a lot of time in the pool. Even though it was fairly cool the pool and hot tubs were warm (former) and hot (latter) and swimming was great. Strangely enough, the lifeguards were all attired in ski jackets - makes you realize that our Canadian winters breed a certain hardiness when it comes to the weather.

 

[Mortlives]

I've always seen AAA mentioned, but never CAA. Can you get the same discounts from CAA? If you can get the same types of room discounts from CAA as you can from the Disney Club, there's at least part of the problem with the end of the Disney Club solved. Now all I need is a cheap source of Disney Magazine...

 

[CindyAnn]

Hi Mortlives - Yes, for most purposes CAA is a sort of subsidiary of AAA, and you're entitled to the same benefits, including breakdown assistance while driving in the US. Discounts are honoured, too.

Cheers,

 

[hockey mom]

We also used the same logic as CindyAnn. We stayed at AKL a few weeks after it opened last April and I was able to use my annual pass for a discount. We had to have a deluxe room to fit all 5 of us and my kids wanted the pool view so we did not pay for savannah view. When all was said and done we still paid close to $375 CDN/night, so we only stayed for 3 nights and offset our trip with priceline for a few nights. It was very expensive, but I am really glad we got to try it.