AKL Club Level About This Page:

[Jajezoza]

We booked an eight night stay at Animal Kingdom lodge for late August. My husband has been campaigning to upgrade our reservation to Club Level and maybe add the Sunrise Safari. I've looked at a bunch of websites, but there is some conflicting information. I was wondering if anyone has stayed at AKL in Club Level recently and could give us a better idea of what to expect. I love the idea of having breakfast, snacks, and some evening cocktails included, but is it worth it? Also, is the Safari worth it? I have two children, dd is 6, DS is 3 (and a half, he insists). I would love to hear anything you will share!

[OhToodles!]

While I've stayed club level at AKL, I haven't paid cash for it. I've used my DVC points. And I think it is worth it. It's so nice to just grab whatever you want and either eat it right there in the lounge or back in your room or grab some for later.
I did the Sunrise Safari in June 2009 with DS who was 20 months. Again, totally worth it! The safari is like the regular one, only MUCH longer. You get so much information and they stop so you can ask questions, stand up & take all the pics you want. The breakfast is also very tasty!

[chezp]

We also stayed Club Level using our DVC points, so I don't know whether it's value for money to stay cash. However, we loved our stay and especially the Sunrise Safari - that was an amazing experience and worth every penny. If we could get Club Level again, we would in a heartbeat with our points.

[DaisynDonald]

We stayed CL for the first time in December, I think it was totally worth it!!! The sunrise safari was great!! We are going back in November & again are staying CL. I don't think you will be disappointed in CL. It's so nice to go up to the lounge & get snacks & drinks.

[PlantJoe]

Another 'worth it' vote. Even if dollar for dollar it's more, it's so convenient to not have to worry about carrying credit cards or cash for drinks and sancks wehn you get back from the parks or before heading out. The evening offerings are quite substantial, especially if you are inclined to eat a late lunch and 'top off' in the lounge.

The Sunrise Safari is great and even if you can't take pictures back stage, sometimes it's nice to see how some of the magic is made.

[Z28Katcar]

Totally worth it!

[Luvsun]

I am another one who has stayed Club Level on DVC points and we also did the Sunrise Safari. We absolutely loved our stay at club level! I really wish I could stay club level every time I went to WDW!!! The lounge was right outside our door, so we didn't have far to go to enjoy the breakfast items every morning. They had fresh fruit, pastries, oatmeal, coffee, tea, juice. We were never there for the mid-day snacks, so I can't tell you what type of items were there then. In the evening there was always some delicious sweets, yummy appetizers like crab cakes, flatbreads, variety of cheeses and breads, hummus, finger veggies, apple slices with caramel, pretzels, cookies, zebra domes. There is a variety of wines, and the frig is always stocked with sodas, water, milk and if I remember correctly there is a variety of beers.
The Sunrise Safari is so worth doing! We enjoyed it so much!!! I highly recommend doing this if you stay Club Level at AKL!!! The breakfast buffet was amazing!!!!

[LLaffinPlace]

I stayed there last week at club level for the first time and loved it. We did both the Sunrise Safari and the Wanyama Safari (it's the Sunset Safari at the AKL that ends with dinner at Jiko) and these were outstanding.

We stayed on points, and my friend may disagree, but I thought it was worth it all around. I slept in one morning and wandered down to the lounge and enjoyed the morning offerings. It's my third resort staying club level. I would put it somewhat above Yacht Club and perhaps on par with the Wilderness Lodge or slightly above due to the safari access.

[rlb38]

We upgraded to club level at AKL 2 years ago for $30 more per day. It was worth every penny. It was great to have this quiet retreat to go to in the morning for breakfast instead of a noisy cafeteria . I thought the food was quite excellent and the free drinks just felt like an extra perk. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Have fun!

[marshmellow86]

Additional Question - is the sunrise safari included or is it an extra charge? If extra, any idea approximately how much it runs cost wise?
thanks!

[annc98]

The Sunrise Safari is about $65/person for adults (half that for kids) and is worth every penny! Animal Kingdom Lodge Sunrise Safari - Concierge Offering

[njsmama]

We loved it and would def. do it again. We loved the safari too. We have also stayed WL club level and found that just as nice.

[Dreaming of DisneyWorld]

We stayed AKL Club level on DVC points when my kids were 5 and almost one. We did the Sunrise Safari and felt it was worth the extra money. In fact, we are doing it again this fall.

There are some additional perks besides the breakfast buffet, snacks, desserts, drinks, and safaris. The Concierge staff is amazing! They will handle any additional bookings, such as ADRs and the Safaris for you. You will have a private, club guests only, lounge with tables and a TV near the food offerings. This area is very clean and quiet. The staff was very accommodating in getting us food & drinks that we didn't see in the fridge.

In my opinion, the only drawback for us was the location of the AKL Club Level rooms. They aren't optimal for viewing the savanna, and we are definitely savanna viewers.

[modisney]

We stayed C.L. once and do so each and every visit now. It is a splurge but we really enjoy it. We don't park hop so to come back to a couple of cocktails and light apps before dinner is really nice. I'm not sure why this happened but last June when we stayed C.L. level at A.K.L. there wasn't a room on that floor for us. They put us one level down which at first I thought might be inconvenient we got the best of both world; use of the Club and a view of the animals.

[Eeyoresmom]

Since AKL became a DVC resort, the rooms on the lounge floor to DVC villas. Concierge rooms were moved down to another floor and now have an excellent savanna view.