[Disney Groupie]

We have stayed at AKL twice. Both trips were amazing. The first time we got upgraded from a regular savannah view to a deluxe room. It was awesome!!! Both trips we have had savannah views but I think you could have just as awesome a trip with a regular view, if price is an issue. There are so many overlooks and areas to observe the animals and the interaction with the people there from South Africa, Botswana and Namibia is amazing. In fact, we were so inspired from our talks with them that we traveled to South Africa and Botswana for a month earlier this summer. The information we gleaned from talking to people at the AKL helped us tremendously in planning our trip. One other thing I would like to note too, is what an accurate job Disney does at capturing the feel of the real Africa both at AKL and in the AK itself. I was amazed how much the real thing was like Disney. While on safari (especially in Botswana), I just kept telling my husband how amazing it was that Disney had captured it on KS and in the marketplace just outside the attraction.....from the baobab trees, termite mounds, sausage trees, acacia trees, buildings, roads, safari vehicles and, of course, the animals!! Disney really is amazing!!!!!

As far as activities in the hotel, we have enjoyed several different presentations on different topics on Africa. I particularly remember one presentation on animal night sounds in the bush. That is especially meaningful now after having camped for 10 days in Botswana, and hearing the real thing.

We also love the restaurants, especially Jiko. Their impressive SA wine list, turned me onto a love of SA wine the first time we ate there (before SA wine really started becoming more popular in the US). The bartender in the restaurant let me sample several different ones and I found the perfect bottle for our dinner. On our trip this past June, we toured the cape winelands in SA and we made a point to visit the wine estate, Warwick, where our first bottle of SA wine came from.