Just wanted to give a quick review now that I have been home a couple of days. I had many concerns about staying at AKL.
We were in room 5320. I wound up doing a TP request at the very last minute and we got it. Room was ready early, too. We loved being in a DVC unit. I might be spoiled from now on!!
The minute we stepped into that lobby we felt like we were at home. I've never had that feeling at any other WDW resort before. Every single cast member we encountered was wonderful. The bed was so comfortable. I had the best sleep in months there. It helps when you're worn out from the parks. My almost 9 year old loved the sofa bed. She said it was very comfortable. Boma and Victoria Falls were awesome.
We had giraffes, wildebeest, ostrich, ankole, and zebras every day. The giraffes were our favorites. We saw 1-3 every day. We wound up buying a wooden one at the resort to remind us of the trip.
We only saw a few construction vehicles at the pool. We didn't hear any work being done. They were working on a room very close to the lobby, but it was not noticeable.
We loved the feeling of being away from the hustle and bustle. We didn't mind hanging out at the resort when we got rained out one night. We loved being close to things off site. We went to BurgerFI for lunch one day, hit Publix and Target. It was nice to have so much only a couple of miles away. We drove to Epcot, but took the bus everywhere else.
AKL is now our favorite resort. Wishing for a discount so we can switch to it for Thanksgiving, but I am not holding my breath.